Tony Pollard quiet in taking Ezekiel Elliott’s lead Cowboys role
OXNARD, Calif. — Tony Pollard got a “good luck” text from Ezekiel Elliott minutes before the start of his first training camp since the Dallas Cowboys dumped the two-time rushing champion in a cost-cutting move. Pollard is the lead running back now and trying to be true to his quieter...
Saints RB Alvin Kamara suspended for 3 games, apologizes for role in 2022 fightVideo
METAIRIE, La. — Saints star running back Alvin Kamara and Colts defensive back Chris Lammons each have been suspended for three regular-season games by the NFL because of their involvement in a February 2022 fight in Las Vegas. The NFL released its decision Friday, two days after Kamara was excused...
Zach Wilson solid as backup as Jets begin Aaron Rodgers era with loss to Browns in Hall of Fame gameVideo
CANTON, Ohio — Zach Wilson showed he can move New York’s offense as a backup quarterback, but the Jets kicked off the Aaron Rodgers Era with a 21-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame game. It was a battle of rookies and reserves...
Bears, Yannick Ngakoue agree on 1-year, $10.5 million contractVideo
Veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has agreed with the Chicago Bears on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told the Associated Press on Thursday night. Ngakoue, a Pro Bowl pick in 2017 with the Jaguars, bolsters the league’s worst pass rush. The Bears had only 20 sacks...
Zach Thomas ran through blocks, doubt during Hall of Fame careerVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The sun was already out the morning of Zach Thomas’ first NFL training camp 27 years ago. It was 8:45 a.m. — back when the Miami Dolphins held two practices a day. A gentle breeze wafted the smell of wet grass through the air. Thomas, a...
Seahawks QB Geno Smith won’t face charges after 2022 arrest for investigation of DUIVideo
SEATTLE — The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Thursday it will not pursue charges against Seattle Seahawks quarterback and former WVU star Geno Smith, who was arrested in January 2022 for investigation of driving under the influence and reckless driving. Prosecutors said Smith’s blood alcohol level was at .038,...
Jim Brown remembered as ‘man among men’ during tribute in CantonVideo
CANTON, Ohio — On the last of his many visits to Jim Brown’s home in Los Angeles, Ray Lewis recalled the legendary running back being as powerful as ever. As a feeble Brown, in the final months of his life, slowly approached the Hall of Fame linebacker, Lewis braced himself....
Bills secondary in safe hands with Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer together for 7th seasonVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Bills safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have been essentially inseparable since arriving in Buffalo and signing their free-agent contracts mere hours apart March 10, 2017. With a nod of the head, one has come to instinctually know where the other is going before the ball is...
DeMarcus Ware’s Hall of Fame celebration will be part Dallas, part DenverVideo
DALLAS — DeMarcus Ware won a Super Bowl as a Denver Bronco after setting a storied franchise’s sacks record with the Dallas Cowboys. There’s little question the outside linebacker’s Pro Football Hall of Fame celebration will be part Denver, part Dallas. “He accomplished what he accomplished as a Cowboy,” said...
J.K. Dobbins’ absence from Ravens camp weighs on John HarbaughVideo
BALTIMORE — Wednesday marked a week since the start of Ravens training camp. It also came and went the way the first six practices have: without the team’s top running back on the field. For now, J.K. Dobbins remains on the physically unable to perform list. When the fourth-year running...
Sam Howell out to show Ron Rivera he should be Commanders’ QB
ASHBURN, Va. — Sam Howell wanted no part of being featured in “Quarterback,” the docuseries that profiled Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota. He didn’t need the distraction clouding his focus. Plus, the spotlight is already shining plenty bright on Howell as he tries to become the Washington Commanders...
Caden Sterns emerging as Justin Simmons’ sidekick in Denver’s stacked secondary
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The biggest highlight of training camp for the Denver Broncos so far came when Justin Simmons deflected a Russell Wilson pass, and his sidekick at safety made a diving interception and celebrated by punting the ball toward the cheering crowd. Only, this time it wasn’t veteran Kareem...
Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen taking his contract year in strideVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Patrick Queen is heading into a contract year without a lot of drama, and so far he’s doing what he can to keep it that way. “I’m just looking to play ball,” the Baltimore linebacker said this week. “At the end of the day, I get...
Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes leaning on new bunch of untested WRs
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs allowed wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman to walk away in free agency, and in their place they signed a couple of relative unknowns while taking a gamble on an injury-prone talent and unproven draft pick. The expectation this season is...
To boost donations, Bills’ Damar Hamlin encourages ‘Donate Now, Pay Later’ serviceVideo
NEW YORK — Damar Hamlin will expand his efforts to promote charitable giving by supporting a company that allows donors to give to nonprofits immediately, while actually paying later. It’s the Buffalo Bills safety’s latest move to direct the outpouring of support he received after collapsing on the field during...
Browns tackle Joe Thomas was an iron man; Cleveland’s own on his NFL journey to the Hall of Fame
CLEVELAND — Because of space limitations, Joe Thomas was given only 300 tickets to disperse among dozens of family members, former teammates, friends and other guests to attend his upcoming Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Not everyone made the cut. “I invited all my Browns head coaches and quarterbacks,...
Falcons’ Bijan Robinson hopes to carve new, more profitable path for NFL running backsVideo
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Bijan Robinson is all of a week into his first NFL training camp. He knows better than anyone he’s got an awful lot to learn. Yet before he ever takes a handoff for the Atlanta Falcons, Robinson recognizes that he’s in a unique position to help...
Joe Klecko ends 35-year Hall of Fame wait after Jets career marked by toughness
Joe Klecko was tangled up with an offensive lineman during a New York Jets game when fists, elbows and cusses started flying. The scrum came to an abrupt end when Marty Lyons, Klecko’s concerned teammate, ran up behind the big defensive lineman, put him in a bear hug and pulled...
Jets’ Nathaniel Hackett says Broncos’ Sean Payton broke coaches’ code with commentsVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Nathaniel Hackett isn’t expecting a phone call from an apologetic Sean Payton any time soon. The New York Jets offensive coordinator was disappointed by disparaging comments made by the Denver coach last week in a story published by USA Today in which he called Hackett’s 15-game...
Super Bowl 58 to get alternate telecast — as CBS, Nickelodeon team up for NFL’s biggest game
SpongeBob and Slimetime are coming to the Super Bowl. The NFL and CBS Sports announced Tuesday that this season’s Super Bowl will have a kids-centric presentation on Nickelodeon, marking the first time the Super Bowl has had an alternate telecast on another network. CBS has the rights to Super Bowl...
Former Penn State star sidelined with heart condition ahead of NFL training camp
KJ Hamler hasn’t participated in the Denver Broncos’ training camp so far this year, and with most believing the absence to be because of an injury, the speedy wide receiver took to Instagram to reveal the real reason for his absence. Hamler, who starred at Penn State from 2017-2019, announced...
Former Steelers LB Devin Bush is seeking a fresh start with the Seahawks and could play a big role
RENTON, Wash. — Devin Bush knows why Seattle pursued him — and he’s confident he can deliver. Heading into his first season with the Seahawks, the 25-year-old believes he can make a difference as part of a thin linebacker group that seems likely to be without 2022 leading tackler Jordyn...
Don Coryell finally reaches the Hall of Fame decades after his Air Coryell changed the NFLVideo
SAN DIEGO — Nearly two weeks after Don Coryell died in 2010 at age 85, an impressive lineup of Hall of Famers gathered to remember the innovative coach whose “Air Coryell” offense produced some of the most dynamic passing attacks in NFL history. John Madden, Dan Fouts and Joe Gibbs...
Damar Hamlin puts aside fear and practices in pads for the first time since cardiac arrest
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Of the thousands of emotions — trepidation among them — running through Damar Hamlin’s head Monday while he pulled on his pads for practice for the first time at training camp, the one that ultimately won out was joy. For everything the Buffalo Bills safety has overcome...
Aliquippa’s Darrelle Revis shut down his nerves and then the NFL’s best wide receivers on his way to the Hall of Fame
The nights before games were always the toughest times for Darrelle Revis. One of the NFL’s most dominant cornerbacks would lie in bed thinking about what he needed to accomplish the next day on the field. Revis would go over the game plan, the notes from his film studies, the...
