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Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

John Romano: What's at stake? Just millions, a Buccaneers season and Vita Vea's career.

Sports / Football /

TAMPA, Fla. — Preseason games are now officially underway, and the defensive tackle is still way underpaid.

It’s a quandary, no doubt about it. Vita Vea has been loitering around training camp to avoid being fined, but he’s missed the first dozen or so practices. Officially, he’s sidelined with a minor back injury. Realistically, he’s...Read more

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jeff Owens' one NFL game ended in injury, stopped his career

Sports / Football /

Inspired by Pro Football Reference’s “Cups of Coffee” database, The Inquirer identified more than two dozen living players who appeared in just one NFL game — and played that game as an Eagle. We’re seeking to tell some of those stories in our semiregular Cups of Coffee series.

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PHILADELPHIA — Former Philadelphia Eagles ...Read more

Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mike Vorel: Devon Witherspoon deemed irreplaceable by Seahawks for more than stats

Sports / Football /

SEATTLE — With 4:15 left in the first quarter of Super Bowl LX, on third-and-15 from the Seattle Seahawks’ 48-yard line, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye took a shotgun snap. Less than three seconds later, the MVP-runner-up-turned-overmatched-target was dropped by a torpedo in football pads.

At least, that’s the way it looked ...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Sean McVay on Aaron Donald comeback: 'We're not at that point quite yet'

Sports / Football /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — NFL rosters must be set in two weeks.

Will defensive tackle Aaron Donald decide in the days ahead if he will return to the Rams?

Rams coach Sean McVay is not putting a hard timeline on it.

"I'm hopeful that it will be sooner than later, but I also want to respect when he does feel like that clarity will come," McVay said ...Read more

David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Eagles backups fail to generate fireworks in preseason opener, fall 24-7 at Ravens

Sports / Football /

BALTIMORE — The end zone was nearly as elusive for the Philadelphia Eagles as the intrigue that surrounded the game.

The Eagles dropped their preseason opener, 24-7, to the Baltimore Ravens, a contest in which most of the starters on both sides rested. But while the Ravens offense managed to move the ball, picking up 440 net yards, the Eagles...Read more

49ers' George Kittle gives big update, Jake Tonges embraces 2025 fame

Sports / Football /

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jake Tonges made a catch in Saturday’s practice, and George Kittle celebrated.

Then Luke Ferrell snagged a Brock Purdy touchdown pass, and Kittle raised his arms in triumph.

Even seldom-targeted Hayden Rucci got into the mix, to the delight of all tight ends.

While Kittle recovers from his Achilles repair, he’s ...Read more

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS

How a visit from Yankees icon Derek Jeter inspired Bears rookies ahead of their preseason debuts

Sports / Football /

CHICAGO — It’s an NFL tradition. Each rookie stands in front of a team meeting and sings a karaoke song to the group. It’s relatively harmless rookie hazing.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was famously jeered off the stage by teammates in 2024. A year ago, tight end Colston Loveland crushed it with “Let Me Love You” by Mario...Read more

Mike Coppola/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jaxson Dart receives concussion check, throws TD in Giants preseason debut

Sports / Football /

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jaxson Dart received yet another concussion check in Saturday’s 13-10 Giants preseason opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The second-year quarterback fortunately cleared the protocol, returned to the game and threw a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Malachi Fields.

But it is beyond concerning that Dart’s ...Read more

Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America/TNS

Ty Simpson impresses in his Rams debut during preseason win over Chiefs

Sports / Football /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ty Simpson's NFL debut could not have gone much better.

Going into Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback had said he did not expect to be perfect. The goal, he said, was to learn from mistakes and not repeat them.

Simpson, the 13th pick in the NFL draft, made no ...Read more

Bryce Young-led Panthers offense didn't 'earn' another series

Sports / Football /

The Carolina Panthers’ first-team offense was supposed to be out on the Highmark Stadium grass for 10 to 20 plays Saturday.

But in the end, they only played nine.

Head coach Dave Canales pulled the plug early, so to speak. And he answered to why postgame.

“My hope was 20-ish plays, but I also had a three-series cap in my mind,” Canales ...Read more

5 takeaways from Bears' 34-10 preseason win over Browns, including Tyson Bagent's day and defense's splash plays

Sports / Football /

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears took a while to get on track, but they found their stride and rattled off 24 unanswered points en route to a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in their preseason opener Saturday at Soldier Field.

The Bears sat their entire first-team offense — quarterback Caleb Williams watched from the sideline in street ...Read more

Mike Coppola/Getty Images North America/TNS

What we saw from Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy in Vikings' preseason opener

Sports / Football /

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kyler Murray led the Minnesota Vikings to points on his first drive as the team’s starting quarterback in Saturday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.

His best play was a third-and-7 completion that complemented the team’s reconfigured run game on a 10-play, 54-yard drive.

J.J. McCarthy directed ...Read more

Steph Chambers/Getty Images North America/TNS

Seahawks to make Devon Witherspoon highest-paid CB in NFL with extension

Sports / Football /

SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a four-year, $132 million contract extension with Devon Witherspoon that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at an average of $33 million a year, a source confirmed to The Seattle Times Saturday morning.

The deal includes $101 million guaranteed and was first reported by The NFL ...Read more

Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times/TNS

Matt Calkins: Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba shows he's a team player after big year

Sports / Football /

RENTON, Wash. — Words aren't something you can wear on your finger or place on your mantel, but sometimes they can be as meaningful as any award or accolade. And Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba received some awfully kind ones during training camp.

On Tuesday's episode of "Hard Knocks," Seattle receivers coach Frisman Jackson praised the ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'Ready to show who I am': Ty Simpson embracing the pressure of his first Rams test

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — The Rams shocked fans — and much of the NFL — when they selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick in the NFL draft.

Simpson started only 15 games at Alabama before the Rams ostensibly made him the eventual heir apparent to Matthew Stafford.

Now, after offseason workouts, two weeks of training camp and a few ...Read more

Scott Taetsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

Dolphins' Malik Willis, De'Von Achane lead opening-drive TD in preseason loss to Commanders

Sports / Football /

LANDOVER, Md. — The Miami Dolphins played their starters in their preseason opener, and the first-team offense found the end zone in a 20-7 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Starting quarterback Malik Willis and running back De’Von Achane combined to orchestrate a 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive while rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas ...Read more

Mike Windle/Getty Images North America/TNS

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller charged in auto crash in southern Missouri

Sports / Football /

ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller, who lost his left arm after his car hit a truck in southern Missouri, has been charged with a misdemeanor as a result of the crash.

Miller was charged Monday in Jasper County with failure to drive on the right half of a roadway when the roadway was of sufficient width, resulting in an accident. Miller, 43, is...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Dieter Kurtenbach: Tight end at QB? Rourke injury left 49ers one hit away from preseason disaster.

Sports / Football /

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It doesn’t matter if it’s January, with a Super Bowl on the line, or an August preseason game where half the stadium is empty and the other half is thinking about beating traffic.

Chaos will find the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback room.

On Thursday night, the Niners tempted fate by suiting up only two ...Read more

David Guralnick, Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

What Mike Macdonald said about Seahawks' expected signing of Terrion Arnold

Sports / Football /

RENTON, Wash. — As Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald met the media after a walk-through Friday, he made clear the team feels comfortable that the potential reward in bringing in cornerback Terrion Arnold is worth the risk.

As Macdonald spoke, Arnold was not yet officially a Seahawk.

But at some point soon, the cornerback is expected to sign a ...Read more

Heidi Fang @HeidiFang/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Ed Graney: Raiders' Fernando Mendoza is harshest critic in impressive debut

Sports / Football /

LAS VEGAS — A very good thing: He was his harshest critic.

Fernando Mendoza was better than he let on when evaluating his play Thursday night. He looked the part. He got more comfortable as time passed. He settled into things. Didn’t force much at all.

It wasn’t near-perfect and it shouldn’t have been. There was some good and bad to ...Read more