MIAMI — Malik Willis definitely got his cardio work in on Wednesday.

While it’s doubtful any member of the Washington Commanders defenders would hit the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback during Wednesday’s joint practice, Willis was forced to showcase his scrambling ability consistently to evade the pressure he was under.

Willis used ...Read more

Yes, we know. The Rams just had another all-in offseason, with the reigning NFL MVP in Matthew Stafford, the acquisition of the best pass rusher available in Myles Garrett and the possibility that future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald will come out of retirement, making them the consensus pick to play in, and win, the Super Bowl on their home turf ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A couple of numbers that have jumped out at me during the number-crunching portion of my annual Eagles/NFL cram sessions ...

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— When Jalen Carter was on the field, the Eagles were a top-five run defense. When he was off the field, they were a bottom-five run defense.

What makes a defensive tackle worth $40 million ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers just added an offensive weapon with a pretty great résumé.

The team will be signing former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to a one-year deal, a league source confirmed to The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.

Waller, 33, was among the most notable free agents this offseason, but he went unsigned ...Read more

CHICAGO — When Garrett Bradbury joined the New England Patriots for a season last year, he had a built-in bonding mechanism with quarterback Drake Maye — the center temporarily crashed at Maye’s place.

There has been no such living arrangement with Caleb Williams since Bradbury joined the Chicago Bears this offseason, but they’ve had at...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Kyler Murray’s on-field vision, refined through 87 NFL starts, immediately struck Max Brosmer when the quarterbacks practiced together with the Vikings this spring.

Murray, Brosmer noticed, wasn’t “forcing too many things.”

“He did a good job of, like, seeing the entire picture unfold,” Brosmer told the Minnesota ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers don’t do middle ground.

No, under Kyle Shanahan, they either find a way to the top of the NFC or collapse like a lawn chair in a hurricane.

That’s because more often than not, this team is walking a tightrope with its roster.

That’s what happens when you have a studs-and-duds type ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Eli Heidenreich grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and has watched many games from the seats inside Acrisure Stadium.

As a matter of fact, he was one of the 65,400 fans in attendance on Jan. 4, when the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC North division title and clinch a playoff berth.

On Thursday night, after ...Read more

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — As he stressed out waiting to get selected in the 2024 NFL draft, BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia had something of a premonition and suddenly felt like he “could start breathing again.”

“I told my mom … I think I’m about to get a call,” he said later that night. “And then two seconds later I get a call.”

As he’...Read more

DENVER — We now know the cause of the Broncos’ comical run of preseason soft-tissue injuries: Theater seating.

True story: Sunshine Sean Payton sanctioned an actual team movie night during the dog days of training camp. The Broncos loaded up the buses last Thursday and took the guys to see “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” in the multiplex. ...Read more

The sports calendar has its own collection of unofficial holidays.

Opening Day in baseball. The first Sunday of the NFL season.

That glorious first Thursday of March Madness tipping off while half the country is technically at work and spiritually sitting in a sportsbook.

And then comes fantasy football’s version of the groundhog emerging ...Read more

SEATTLE — Denzel Boston slipped into the second round.

That’s a blessing for both Boston and the Cleveland Browns.

Because we know how Boston digests doubt. Before he became the talk of NFL training camps, Boston was a supposedly unremarkable three-star recruit. At Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Wash., Boston caught 36 passes for ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant had surgery on his injured left knee Friday and will miss four to six months, coach Ben Johnson announced Tuesday.

Initial reports indicated Bryant would avoid surgery and be out eight to 10 weeks, but Johnson had not given an official timeline before Tuesday. The prognosis is worse than initially ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — There is no timetable for NFL analyst Tony Romo's return to CBS Sports, the division's president David Berson said Tuesday.

Romo was placed on leave by CBS after he was arrested in Milwaukee on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated on July 23. JJ Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will work ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jets cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers exited Tuesday’s joint practice with the Buccaneers in an ambulance.

Following 11-on-11 drills between the two teams, Jets players gathered around the special teams ace who was down on the field for around 10 minutes. The scary scene brought practice to a complete stop.

An IV was administered ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Christian Darrisaw was wearing something strange following a recent Minnesota Vikings practice.

A smile.

It prompted the following question:

“Did you have any fun last year?”

“At times, yes,” he said. “At times, no.”

The Vikings left tackle missed seven games. Of the 10 he played, he left five early. Many times, ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Every now and then you meet a player who gets your attention because of their outlook on football and life. Ex-Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Kendall Lamm was one of those guys. It was the same for current Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

And now there’s linebacker Jackson Woodard, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound second-...Read more

BALTIMORE — Toward the end of the Baltimore Ravens' practice Sunday, I reached for my phone to type another note and discovered it had overheated.

The heat index had climbed into the 90s, and the device had spent more than two hours baking under the late-morning sun. My scorching work phone tapped out before the Ravens did.

Players pushed ...Read more

SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks hosted free-agent cornerback Terrion Arnold for a visit Sunday, The Seattle Times confirmed.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report first reported news of the visit Sunday afternoon.

Arnold, the 24th overall pick of the 2024 draft out of Alabama, was waived by the Detroit Lions on June 29 after being ...Read more