Panthers ‘considering’ using McCaffrey on punt returns, tooVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are considering expanding All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey’s role to include punt returns. McCaffrey saw more snaps than any running back in the league in 2019 and was productive with the ball in his hands, becoming only the third player in NFL history to...
Browns CB Johnson hospitalized with lacerated liverVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Browns cornerback Kevin Johnson remains hospitalized with a lacerated liver, a serious injury suffered in practice when rookie tight end Harrison Bryant landed on him during a routine play. Johnson, who was signed by Cleveland in the offseason and wass expected to be the team’s starting nickel...
Bills choose ‘Bills Stadium’ after cutting ties with New Era
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are settling for simplicity in calling their home field “Bills Stadium” after they were unable to find a new naming rights partner before the start of the season. The Bills announced the decision on Thursday, shortly before the team practiced inside the facility...
Jared Goff boosts athleticism, hopes to be more elusive with Rams
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Jared Goff always has seemed slightly amused when asked about his fitness. This son of a professional baseball player has been a star quarterback for practically his entire life, and he retains an elite athlete’s matter-of-fact confidence that he can do just about anything. “I may...
Joe Cool: Burrow confident in adapting to Bengals offenseVideo
CINCINNATI — Back in pads for the first time since he won a national championship at LSU, Joe Burrow got a baptism in NFL red-zone defense. The new Bengals quarterback fumbled a snap — a steady rain contributed — and had trouble completing passes in tight quarters. Not that it...
Browns LB Mack Wilson could miss extended time with knee injuryVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns starting linebacker Mack Wilson suffered a hyperextended left knee and could miss significant time while recovering, another early blow to a Cleveland team already down two offensive starters. Wilson got hurt while breaking up a pass during Tuesday’s practice. His injury came one day after his high,...
Patriots’ Bill Belichick: Playing multiple QBs an option this season
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick said he’s open to using a two-quarterback system this season, another example of how radically different the New England Patriots could look after Tom Brady’s departure. Belichick was asked about platooning his quarterbacks before Wednesday’s practice. The longtime coach acknowledged he was considering the possibility,...
Reports: Chiefs’ Bashaud Breeland suspended 4 games
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will be without starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland for the first four games of the season because of off-the-field issues earlier this year, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The person confirmed the league intends to suspend...
Court: Secret videos can’t be used in massage parlor case against Patriots owner
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday that police violated the rights of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others when they secretly video recorded them paying for massage parlor sex acts, barring the tapes’ use at trial and dealing a potentially deadly blow to their...
Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky showing edge as he battles Nick Foles
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — His job up for grabs, his future with the Chicago Bears uncertain, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is showing an edgier side. He’s being more vocal. “I think it’s a combination of everything, just realizing this is the last year of my contract,” he said. “Being hurt last...
Ravens QB Jackson comfortable being face of the franchiseVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — There was a time when the Baltimore Ravens were known for a ferocious defense led by the team’s most prominent player, future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. These days, the face of the Ravens is quarterback Lamar Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP and catalyst of...
Bengals CB Trae Waynes has surgery on chest muscle
CINCINNATI — Cinncinati Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes had surgery Monday for a torn pectoral muscle, a significant setback to a defense in transition. The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year deal as a free agent from the Minnesota Vikings, a key part of their defensive overhaul. Waynes was expected to...
Browns RB Nick Chubb being checked for concussionVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Browns Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb is being evaluated for a concussion after being tackled on the first day players wore pads. Chubb, who rushed for 1,494 yards last season, was taken down after catching a short pass by linebacker Mack Wilson about halfway through Monday’s...
Ravens find workout to be welcome escape from virus concernsVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After being tested for coronavirus outside the building, donning masks and carefully practicing social distancing in the locker room, the Baltimore Ravens enjoyed a bit of normalcy Monday with their first full-team workout in pads. With the exception of the masks on members of the coaching...
Washington hires Jason Wright as NFL’s 1st Black team president
The Washington Football Team on Monday hired Jason Wright as team president, making him the first Black person to hold that position in NFL history. At 38, he becomes the NFL’s youngest team president and will run the organization’s business operations with coach Ron Rivera maintaining control over football decisions....
QB Alex Smith activated by Washington, cleared for practice
ASHBURN, Va. — Quarterback Alex Smith was activated off the physically unable to perform list by Washington’s NFL team Sunday, the latest step in a remarkable recovery after his right leg was broken in two places during a game nearly two years ago. The move means that Smith now is...
NFL training camps have different feel in age of covid-19
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — From the antimicrobial mist the Denver Broncos strolled through on their way to the practice fields to the hand-held whistles for masked-up coaches, NFL training camps have a very different look and feel this year. No fans. No Gatorade buckets. No joint practices. The league is spending...
AP source: Kittle agrees to 5-year extension with 49ers
All-Pro tight end George Kittle has agreed to a five-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers that reportedly is the richest contract ever at the position. A person familiar with the deal says the sides agreed Thursday on the deal to keep Kittle off the market next offseason. The person...
Virus-proofing NFL facilities is a tall, masked task
The captivation and celebration of the NFL have long stemmed from the speed, strategy, strength and teamwork that make the game go. Football is just as much a sport of pattern and detail, too, never more than at training camps around the league in the time of covid-19. Like the...
Jets’ motivated Le’Veon Bell out to prove he is better than everVideo
NEW YORK — Le’Veon Bell refuses to make excuses or blame anyone else. The New York Jets running back acknowledged he wasn’t nearly as good as he expected he would be in his first season with his new team. And he points solely at himself for that. Not the playcalling...
Chargers’ Anthony Lynn reveals he had coronavirus on ‘Hard Knocks’
COSTA MESA, Calif. — It didn’t take long for “Hard Knocks: Los Angeles” to reveal its first major surprise of the season as Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he had coronavirus during the offseason. Lynn’s admission came less than five minutes into Tuesday’s season premiere of the show...
How Penn State’s Micah Parsons, Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman will do in the NFL Draft. And how they may help change it.
The chances of playing any semblance of a college football season in the fall are looking bleak. It’s unclear if the sport will try to function in the spring. And who knows if either option will be safe enough for the players. For those reasons, many top-tier NFL prospects have...
Browns WR Jarvis Landry activated from injury listVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry was activated from the physically unable to perform list, clearing the way for him to practice in training camp following offseason hip surgery. Landry has not missed a game in six NFL seasons. That streak has been in doubt after he underwent an...
Coaches to have own Hall of Fame category for next 4 yearsVideo
Coaches will have their own category for being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — at least for the next four years. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees on Friday approved a change in the selection process. Effective with the class of 2021, there will...
Packers say they won’t have any fans for 1st 2 home gamesVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers said they won’t have any fans for at least their first two home games this season because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Lambeau Field will not be the same without our fans’ energetic support in the stands,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said in...
