First Call: A Vezina-worthy Marc-Andre Fleury save as he trains for his new team; Will Myles Garrett fight Logan Paul?
Wednesday’s “First Call” shows us that former Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is still in top form as he prepares to join the Chicago Blackhawks. The Paul brothers are trying to suck Cleveland Browns helmet-swinger Myles Garrett into a celebrity boxing match. A potential rookie standout sees his first season end...
Patriots QB Cam Newton expected back later this week after covid mishapVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday he expects Cam Newton to return to the field this week for the second day of joint practices with the Giants after the quarterback missed a second day of practice because of a misunderstanding of covid-19 testing rules. Newton...
Trump-backed Herschel Walker seeks Georgia Senate seat
ATLANTA — Herschel Walker on Tuesday filed paperwork to enter the U.S. Senate race in Georgia after months of speculation, joining other Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022. The 59-year-old Walker joins the race with high name recognition, known for winning a Heisman Trophy in 1982...
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne out for season with left foot injury
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back Travis Etienne is out for the season after injuring his left foot in Monday’s preseason loss at New Orleans. The team said Tuesday that Etienne, a first-round draft pick from Clemson, has a Lisfranc injury. He was placed on injured reserve and...
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on suggestion that he’ll be ‘figured out’ this season: ‘I strongly doubt it’
BALTIMORE — On Friday, Lamar Jackson found himself in another 24-hour news cycle outside his control. During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler said there are a “lot of people around the league” who believe that “this might be the year that everybody figures out” the...
Titans coach Mike Vrabel tests positive for covid-19
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Sunday he tested positive for covid-19 and has quarantined pending further testing. Vrabel told reporters he woke up with a sore throat and an earache. He went to the team headquarters Sunday morning to be tested, and the result came back positive....
Packers’ surplus of receivers creates plenty of competition
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams says the addition of veteran Randall Cobb has made it easier to provide leadership to the team’s younger receivers. But it’s also made it tougher for those receivers to crack the 53-man roster. Adams said much of what he has...
Floyd Reese, GM of Titans’ Super Bowl team, dies at 73
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Floyd Reese, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans’ lone Super Bowl appearance, died Saturday. He was 73. His family told the team of his death. Reese had cancer and was with his family when he died, according to a social media post...
Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald: ‘Don’t have the urge to play’ footballVideo
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals 11-time Pro Bowl receiver and former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald says he currently doesn’t have the desire to play an 18th NFL season, though he left the possibility open that he might resume his career. In an interview on SiriusXM Radio with Jim Gray on...
Browns TE David Njoku happy with role, wants to stay in Cleveland
BEREA, Ohio — Browns tight end David Njoku has changed his mind — again. After asking to be traded by Cleveland a year ago, Njoku now says he is happy and comfortable with the Browns and has asked his agent to try and work out a contract extension with the...
Mike McCarthy finally feels at home as Cowboys coach, but to stay, he must winVideo
FRISCO, Texas — North Texas finally feels like home for Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. His family has relocated to Allen after spending much of last year in Green Bay because of the covid-19 pandemic. His stepson just started college at SMU. It all has given McCarthy, a Greenfield native,...
Former West Virginia WR Kevin White works to shed bust label
METAIRIE, La. — Kevin White, the former West Virginia star receiver and seventh overall NFL Draft choice in 2015, says he’s been lucky in life, but decidedly less fortunate in his pro football career. “Unlucky with injuries,” White said after his first practice with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday....
Tim Tebow’s comeback story ends with Jaguars cutting him
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tim Tebow’s NFL comeback is over. The Jacksonville Jaguars waived Tebow on Tuesday, parting with the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who switched from quarterback to tight end in hopes of rejuvenating his pro football career. “We knew that was an uphill battle for Tim,” coach Urban Meyer...
Browns’ Dick Schafrath, who blocked for 3 Hall of Famers, dies
CLEVELAND — Dick Schafrath, a star offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns who blocked for Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Bobby Mitchell before going into politics after retiring, died. He was 84. The team said Schafrath died Sunday night. No cause of death was given....
Ravens’ Trace McSorley to miss weeks with back issues
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Trace McSorley (Penn State) is expected to miss a few weeks because of back problems. The team announced Monday they had signed quarterback Kenji Bahar, but McSorley’s injury leaves Tyler Huntley as the clear top option to back up Lamar Jackson for the...
Trey Lance makes intriguing debut at QB for 49ersVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Trey Lance’s up-and-down debut performance in the preseason has done little to alter the timeline the San Francisco 49ers have for when their rookie quarterback will get more time with the first team in practice and possibly take over as starter. Lance had a few dazzling...
JOK shines in Browns’ debut; team awaits results on Mack Wilson
CLEVELAND — Mack Wilson’s shoulder injury could push Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah into the starting lineup sooner than expected. The team was awaiting MRI results on Wilson, a projected starter on Cleveland’s revamped defense after he injured his shoulder early in Saturday night’s 23-13 exhibition win at Jacksonville....
Maturing Browns QB Baker Mayfield hopes to deliver on super expectationsVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield has grown up. There was no other option. “I had to hit rock bottom for a little bit,” he said. He’s rising, and judging by last season, so are the Browns. As he picked at lunch during a break last month while shooting commercials at FirstEnergy...
Ravens top pick Rashod Bateman to miss ‘a number of weeks’
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman is expected to miss “a number of weeks” with a soft tissue leg problem. Bateman was drafted in the first round by the Ravens this year, part of Baltimore’s attempt to boost its passing game....
Browns rookie CB Greg Newsome flashes skills, humilityVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Browns rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II has shown a fearlessness on the field in his first NFL training camp. He has been no different after practice. Asked to sing by the team’s veterans as part of the time-honored summer hazing tradition for first-year players, Newsome stood before...
Eagles starters, including Jalen Hurts, will play preseason opener vs. SteelersVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Nick Sirianni and his staff “are still talking through” how playing time will be allocated in Philadelphia’s preseason opener Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles’ first-year coach indicated Jalen Hurts will start at quarterback, and most healthy players will see action. Left tackle Andre Dillard won’t play...
Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play in any of Packers’ preseason gamesVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers probably won’t appear in any of Green Bay’s three preseason games as the Packers look to get 2020 first-round draft pick Jordan Love as much work as possible. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Love will play the majority of the...
Browns star Myles Garrett out with hamstring injuryVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett is dealing with a hamstring injury and could miss some time. Coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t provide any specifics on Garrett’s injury but said he’ll be held out of Tuesday’s practice and is day-to-day going forward. The Browns play their exhibition opener...
Lamar Jackson fatigued during covid, noncommittal on vaccine
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It’s been quite a couple of weeks for Lamar Jackson. He tested positive for covid-19 again, missing the beginning of training camp. While he was away, the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen — another quarterback from Jackson’s draft class — signed a big extension, raising more questions...
Indianapolis locks up Darius Leonard with richest LB contract
INDIANAPOLIS — Darius Leonard always believed he was the best linebacker in football. The Indianapolis Colts made sure he gets paid like it. The two-time All-Pro agreed Sunday to a five-year contract extension worth $99.25 million that includes $52 million in guaranteed money, according to a person with knowledge of...
