Sports

/

ArcaMax

Justin Casterline/Getty Images North America/TNS

2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Interior offensive linemen

Sports / Football /

Editor’s note: The U-T’s Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL Draft (April 25-27). Here are his top 10 interior offensive linemen, plus “bonus” players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

———

— 1. Troy Fautanu (Sr., Washington, 6-foot-3, 317 pounds)

...Read more

Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune/TNS

How coach Kevin O'Connell's quarterback history could shape the Vikings' draft

Sports / Football /

Kevin O'Connell, Vikings head coach and noted quarterback aficionado, has a good handle on what and who he wants, should his team be in the right position to pull the trigger come draft night April 25.

The who will have to wait. As for the what, well, he wants …

Accuracy. Toughness, both mentally and physically. A fast mind that instantly ...Read more

Rich Storry/Getty Images North America/TNS

Daniel Jones addresses Giants draft rumors, says he believes he's best option at quarterback

Sports / Football /

Daniel Jones didn’t hesitate.

Ten days before an NFL Draft packed with first-round quarterback prospects, Jones was asked whether he believes, if healthy, he’s the Giants’ best option at the position going into the 2024 season.

“I do, yes,” Jones said with a smile.

The confident response came amid swirling speculation about the ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Eagles and DeVonta Smith agree to terms on a three-year, $75 million contract extension through 2028

Sports / Football /

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles agreed to a three-year contract extension with DeVonta Smith on Monday, securing the future of one of their franchise cornerstones two years before he was set to hit free agency.

The team exercised Smith’s fifth-year option as part of the deal, which stretches through the 2028 season and is worth up to $75 million ...Read more

Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/TNS

Chiefs' Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes discuss Rashee Rice's Dallas crash and arrest

Sports / Football /

Rashee Rice is still with the Chiefs, Kansas City coach Andy Reid said Monday in his first public comments on the second-year wide receiver who faces eight criminal charges stemming from his involvement in a six-vehicle crash in Dallas last month.

“We’re waiting for the law enforcement part of it to take place, and we’ll go from there,”...Read more

Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America/TNS

Chiefs' Rashee Rice, along with fellow driver, sued for $10 million in recent lawsuit

Sports / Football /

Two Dallas County residents are suing Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice and fellow driver Teddy Knox for damages of at least $10 million, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Dallas County, Texas.

On March 30, Edvard Potrovskiy and Irina Gromova were traveling in their 2022 Lexus 350 SUV, according to the suit, when their vehicle was involved in...Read more

Matthew Holst/Getty Images North America/TNS

2024 NFL draft prospect rankings: Cornerbacks

Sports / Football /

Editor's note: The Union-Tribune's Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL draft (April 25-27). Here are his top 10 cornerbacks, plus "bonus" players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

———

— 1. Cooper DeJean (Jr., Iowa, 6-foot, 202 pounds)

The former four-star ...Read more

Stacy Revere/Getty Images North America/TNS

2024 NFL draft prospect rankings: Linebackers

Sports / Football /

Editor's note: The Union-Tribune's Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL draft (April 25-27). Here are his top 10 linebackers, plus "bonus" players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

———

1. Junior Colson (Jr., Michigan, 6-foot-2, 238 pounds)

The former four-star...Read more

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

Chris Perkins: Dolphins shouldn't give Tua Tagovailoa an extension, and certainly not superstar money

Sports / Football /

I’ve said this numerous times: the Miami Dolphins can win a Super Bowl with Tua.

There’s no doubt in my mind about that.

The bigger question is whether the Dolphins can win a Super Bowl with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa commanding, say, $30 million or more per year against the salary cap.

I’m not certain on that one.

This is the dilemma ...Read more

Michael Hickey/Getty Images North America/TNS

Brad Biggs' NFL mock draft: Proposing a trade down for Bears and GM Ryan Poles

Sports / Football /

Detroit is the host of the NFL draft beginning April 25, and Lions fans will have an in-person opportunity to see the NFC North rival Chicago Bears be the talk of Round 1.

The Bears more than make up for the fact they own only four total picks as their first two are Nos. 1 and 9. That puts general manager Ryan Poles in position to dramatically ...Read more

Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jason Mackey: Troy Polamalu and the 'compelling obligation' that has led to him reconnecting with Pittsburgh

Sports / Football /

PITTSBURGH — Troy Polamalu waited a few extra seconds before answering the question, either trying to gather the right words or not offend. It was the polar opposite of the Tasmanian Devil approach he employed on the football field, a trait nearly as distinguishable as his hair and something that made him not only one of the most revered ...Read more

Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images North America/TNS

For the Vikings, NIL rules add another layer of unpredictability to the NFL draft

Sports / Football /

Each year as the Vikings prepare for the NFL draft, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah asks his football operations staff for names of underclassmen they expect to leave college a year or two early, so he and the team's scouts can study them more closely. Increasingly, Adofo-Mensah finds some of the players he's scouted are going back to school....Read more

Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS

Police say Chiefs' Rashee Rice was driving well above 100 mph before crash: report

Sports / Football /

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice was driving 119 miles per hour just seconds before his crash on a Dallas highway, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The newspaper, which acquired Rice’s arrest affidavit, stated that the Lamborghini Urus driven by Rice was going 119 mph some 4.5 seconds before he collided with other cars. The ...Read more

Stacy Revere/Getty Images North America/TNS

2024 NFL draft prospect rankings: Edge rushers

Sports / Football /

Welcome to draft season! This is the second of 11 positional breakdowns leading up to the NFL draft (April 25-27). Here are my top 10 edge rushers, plus "bonus" players I believe will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

— 1. Jared Verse (Jr., Florida State, 6-foot-4, 254 pounds)

After his 2020 season at Albany was canceled due to ...Read more

Jason Mackey/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Jason Mackey: How the Steelers' signing of local QB Charlie Batch has turned into 'so much more'

Sports / Football /

PITTSBURGH — When the Steelers signed Charlie Batch to a one-year contract in 2002, team president Art Rooney II insisted expectations were fairly modest.

“We thought we were getting a backup quarterback,” Rooney said. “We got so much more than that.”

Not that he needed a reminder, but if Rooney wanted to assess what Batch has become...Read more

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America/TNS

Former Patriots QB Tom Brady leaves door open to late-season NFL return

Sports / Football /

BOSTON — Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady left the door open to a possible NFL return Thursday, saying he wouldn’t be opposed to playing again if he received a late-season call from a playoff team that had lost its starting quarterback.

Brady was asked on the DeepCut podcast if he would pick up the phone for such a team, possibly the ...Read more

Allsport/Getty Images/Getty Images North America/TNS

Sam Farmer: Silence spoke volumes about O.J. Simpson's deeply tarnished football legacy

Sports / Football /

The terse response from the Pro Football Hall of Fame to O.J. Simpson's death says so much in so few words.

No flowery language. No hyperbole. Straight facts.

"O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000 yards," Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim ...Read more

Michael Hickey/Getty Images North America/TNS

2024 NFL draft prospect rankings: Defensive tackles

Sports / Football /

Editor's note: The Union-Tribune's Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL draft (April 25-27). Here are his top 10 defensive tackles, plus "bonus" players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agents:

———

— 1. Jer'Zhan Newton (Jr., Illinois, 6-foot-2, 304 pounds)

Newton ...Read more

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images North America/TNS

David Furones' 2024 NFL mock draft

Sports / Football /

The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s 2024 NFL mock draft series continues with Miami Dolphins beat writer David Furones’ first-round selections. Trades were factored into this mock draft. The NFL draft is April 25-27 in Detroit.

1) Chicago Bears (from Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Maybe there’s some hubbub over a possible switch in the ...Read more

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Former Ravens star Terrell Suggs arrested, charged with assault in Arizona after allegedly threatening to kill another driver

Sports / Football /

BALTIMORE — Former Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday after allegedly threatening to kill another driver and pulling out a gun at a Starbucks drive-through last month, according to police records.

Suggs, 41, was charged with threatening and intimidating, and disorderly conduct with a weapon. He was released ...Read more