Report: Troy Dye reunites with Justin Herbert in Los Angeles

Former Oregon linebacker Troy Dye has signed a one-year contract with the Chargers, reuniting him with Justin Herbert.

Sales of Los Angeles Charger jerseys are going to receive an uptick in Oregon.

Not only does former quarterback Justin Herbert lead the Chargers offense, but now former Oregon linebacker Troy Dye signed with Los Angeles as a free agent.

The Norco, Calif. native played out his initial four-year contract with Minnesota where he played in 60 games. But playing time with the Vikings was going to be diminished some, so Dye hit the market and his now going back to his home state.

He signed a one-year deal, but should have a good chance at being a starter for the Super Bowl hopefuls. Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. signed a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans and his backup, Amen Ogbongbemiga, signed with the Chicago Bears.

In his four seasons up in Minnesota, Dye had 80 tackles, 44 solo, and 1 forced fumble. Dye started eight games.

Report: Arik Armstead to test free agency after release from San Francisco 49ers

Former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Arik Armstead is expected to test free agency after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

One of the best Pro Ducks in the NFL is set to hit free agency, where the open market is likely to be very kind to him.

On Sunday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that former Duck Arik Armstead and the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers were unable to reach an agreement in contract talks this offseason, and the elite defensive lineman was going to be released and allowed to test free agency starting this week.

Armstead had 5 sacks for the 49ers during their run to the Super Bowl in 2023, and he has stood as one of the most consistent pieces of the defense for San Francisco during his nine-year career.

We will see over the coming days and weeks where Armstead is going to end up, but there will likely be a solid market for him, with many contending teams often looking for veteran defensive linemen to put them over the top and get them into the championship contention.

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Assessing Troy Franklin’s performance at the NFL Combine

A look at how former Oregon Ducks WR Troy Franklin performed at the 2024 NFL Combine.

The NFL Combine continued on Saturday with the wide receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks, conducting their on-field workouts. One of the most exciting Oregon Ducks to watch was WR Troy Franklin.

Franklin came into the day a bit undersized at 176 lbs., but he used his speed to show that he is still one of the most athletic receivers in the draft. His 40-yard dash time of 4.41 seconds was one of the fastest at the WR position and he impressed scouts with his performance in the jumping drills as well.

In his pass-catching drills, Franklin had some ups and downs. In his gauntlet drill, he dropped a pass, but he fared much better catching passes while running routes during the QB workouts.

Currently, Franklin is graded as a late first-round to early second-round pick. With his performance in the speed drills on Saturday, Franklin could climb up the draft board of several teams looking for a speed demon.

Below is an in-depth look at Franklin’s 2024 Combine performance.

Bo Nix explains approach to his pre-draft interviews at the NFL Combine

How former Oregon Ducks QB Bo Nix is approaching for his pre-draft interviews at the NFL Combine.

The 2024 NFL Combine is taking place this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the country’s best college football players have a chance to showcase their abilities to NFL scouts, coaches, and GMs, to improve their stock ahead of the draft in April.

A key aspect of the combine is the player-interview process, where players sit down with teams to discuss in-game and off-the-field situations so that teams can gauge whether or not a player is a good fit for them. Sometimes, this process leads to players being asked some wild questions, as Jonathan Stewart mentioned earlier this week.

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On Friday, former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix spoke to media about how he’s approached his team interviews so far.

“I think they want to see your ability to not only command the room but how you may lead, or how you respond to certain questions that may make you uncomfortable,” Nix said. “I think at the end of the day they want to use that short amount of time to get to know you and they want to use that time to see what you’re capable of, what you’re made of, maybe what makes you tick a little bit.”

It seems for Nix that one of the biggest keys is to not overthink it. He wants to show each team how much he loves playing football.

“I think it’s all about your energy and your confidence when you go in there. Look them in the eye, talk to them be loud, be vibrant, and make sure that they know that you got passion for the sport that you’re playing,” Nix said “I believe that’s the most important thing. They want to see how much you love the game, how much you love football, how much you’re willing to put into it. I think that’s one of my strengths. I think I’m very passionate about the sport, very passionate about the game. I love preparing. I love getting ready for seasons. I love getting ready for games. It’s one of my favorite things to do and I want to show that through all my interviews.”

Currently, Bo Nix is seen by most experts as a mid-to-late first-round pick, although he could fall into the second round. At the senior bowl in February, Nix bumped his draft stock up considerably after a strong performance, which he’s been looking to do again at the NFL Combine.

On Saturday, Nix — along with the other QBs in Indianapolis — will conduct their on-field workouts, giving each NFL team a front-row seat as they showcase their skills. That workout can be very impactful on a player’s draft stock, especially with QBs.

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Everything Oregon Duck fans need to know about the upcoming 2024 NFL Combine

A look at everything Oregon Duck fans need to know about the upcoming 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

The NFL Combine is coming up over the next several days, and there are a number of former Oregon Ducks who will be heading to Indianapolis to participate in the biggest job interview of their respective lives.

While the eyes of the NFL world tune into Lucas Oil Stadium, there are a lot of things to pay attention to throughout the week, with guys like Bo Nix, Troy Franklin, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Brandon Dorlus, and several others set to compete and hopefully improve their draft stock.

The activities start early in the week, and things will run continuously through the end of the month. Here’s everything that Oregon fans need to know about the upcoming week, from when to tune in to what to watch:

Marcus Mariota on the cover? What could have been for NCAA Football 16

Oregon legendary quarterback Marcus Mariota could have been on the cover of EA Sports College Football 16 if franchise continued.

When nostalgia is done right, it can be epic, but when it’s done wrong, it can be a proverbial dumpster fire.

The gaming world is about to find out where the cookie crumbles when EA Sports’ College Football 25 comes out in July. All indications are there won’t be a dumpster fire to be found.

It’s been over a decade since EA has presented sports fans with a college football game due to legal reasons. Unfortunately, they had to stop right when Marcus Mariota was on the top of the world leading Oregon to a national title and holding a Heisman Trophy. CBS Sports says the Duck legend would have graced the cover of NCAA Football 16.

This was a very difficult cut to make, and it came down to a pair of quarterbacks that led their teams to a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff: Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston. Both won the Heisman, with Winston following in Johnny Manziel’s footsteps as a freshman winner while also becoming the youngest player to ever take the Heisman home. What sets Mariota apart, however, is his consistent success. It also helps that Mariota plays for Oregon and its imminently marketable uniforms, which look great emblazoned on any promotional material. — Will Buckus, CBS Sports

Mariota would have been the best call here, but it would have been comical to have a picture of Winston spinning himself into oblivion in the Rose Bowl on the cover.

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Jackson Powers-Johnson in rare air as potential first-round pick

Trevor Sikkema of PFF said earlier this week that Jackson Powers-Johnson could go as high as the first round.

Jackson Powers-Johnson is a special player. Oregon Ducks fans have known that for a while, but two months ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, it seems the rest of the country is starting to realize how great he is.

Earlier this week, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus (PFF) claimed that Powers-Johnson could be selected in the first round of the draft in April. As Sikkema pointed out, center isn’t typically a position group selected in the first round. Powers-Johnson is just that good.

Powers-Johnson isn’t your typical center, which could be working to his advantage during the draft process. Before 2023, he had experience playing left and right guard, as well as some snaps at offensive tackle and even defensive line. Whichever team selects him in April could slot him in at any of the three interior O-line spots depending on their needs.

2023 was a special season for Jackson Powers-Johnson. He won the Rimington Trophy (awarded to the nation’s best center), an award no Oregon center had ever won. He also finished the season with the highest pass-blocking and run-blocking grades among all Power Five centers. That’s a pretty good way to raise your draft stock.

Regardless of which team selects Jackson Powers-Johnson, what position he ends up playing, and which round he’s selected in, Powers-Johnson is going to be a special player in the NFL, and he’ll be another great player to follow in the slew of Pro Ducks.

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PFF says wide receiver will be the focus of first round picks in draft

In the latest mock draft from PFF, Troy Franklin will go in the first round to Tampa Bay at No. 26.

According to the analytical website PFF.com, the one position that NFL teams will focus on in the first round is wide receiver.

It’s one of the best classes of receiver in quite some time and while quarterbacks are at a premium, they need elite athletes to throw to to make a difference.

In the latest mock NFL draft, PFF projects a total of seven receivers will be selected and one of those ball hawks will be Oregon’s own Troy Franklin. They think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are high on the 6-foot-3, 187-pounder from East Palo Alto, Calif.

Franklin blossomed as a player in his three seasons as a Ducks and really broke out in 2022 and 2023 with quarterback Bo Nix tossing him the pigskin. In those two seasons, Franklin caught 142 passes for 2,274 yards and 23 touchdowns.

PFF gives Franklin a grade of 84.9 overall and an 87.3 grade for receiving. Overall, he was the No. 29 receiver in the country.

The Buccaneers were in the lower third of the NFL where offense is concerned so it’s no surprise they’ll look for an upgrade in the receiver department and Franklin would certainly fit the bill here.

Joel Klatt makes the case for Bo Nix to be selected early in the first round of 2024 NFL Draft

Fox Sports’ Analyst Joel Klatt projects that Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix would be a perfect fit for the Denver Broncos.

With the 2024 NFL Draft coming up in a couple of months, the next several weeks will be filled with the pre-draft process as players around the nation work to up their draft stock and convince prospective teams to take a chance on them in April.

There are a number of former Oregon Ducks who fit that bill, several of whom went through the Senior Bowl process, and have been invited to the NFL Combine later this month. The most prominent figure is quarterback Bo Nix, who is coming off of a historic season in Eugene that saw him finish as a Heisman Trophy finalist. A lot of draft analysts are conflicted on where Nix will end up getting drafted, with some projecting him as an early first-rounder, while others think he could fall into the second or even the third-round.

One analyst who has seen a lot of Nix’s games over the year, both at Oregon and Auburn, is Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt. He recently gave his opinion of where Nix should get drafted on the Joel Klatt Show, saying that the Denver Broncos make a lot of sense at No. 12.

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“The guy that I think fits best in that mold as an experienced, smart, point guard-style, accurate passer, ball in the right spot at the right moment is Bo Nix from Oregon,” Klatt said. “I like Bo Nix to Denver at 12.”

The Broncos are currently in a bit of a transition phase after moving off of Russell Wilson last year. While they have Jarrett Stidham on the roster, there is a strong belief that they will take a QB in the draft this year, or go the free agency route otherwise.

“Nix at No. 12 makes so much sense to me for Denver because of the fit of his style, what his strengths are, and what Sean Payton wants out of the quarterback.”

The QBs in this 2024 class are very talented, with guys like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye leading things at the top. Nix is currently thought to be behind those three, grouped with passers like Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy.

There will be a lot of scouting opportunities for NFL teams over the next several weeks, with the combine and Oregon’s Pro Day soon after. We will see what the Ducks’ QB is able to do with his draft stock during that process.

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Sabrina Ionescu narrowly loses to Steph Curry in inaugural WNBA-NBA three-point contest

Oregon Ducks legend Sabrina Ionescu competed in the first ever NBA vs. WNBA three point contest on Saturday night against Steph Curry.

In the first-ever competition between members of the WNBA and the NBA, former Oregon Ducks star Sabrina Ionescu was narrowly defeated by Steph Curry, the NBA’s all-time leading three-point scorer. Ionescu scored 26 and Curry scored 29 of 40 possible points.

Before Steph and Sabrina’s head-to-head showdown, eight NBA players competed in the NBA’s annual three-point contest. For the second year in a row, Damian Lillard took home the trophy, scoring 26 points in the final round. Other than Curry’s 29 points, 26 was the highest score of any shooter on Saturday night.

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The origin of this contest began after Ionescu set the all-time three-point contest record (37/40 possible points) in 2023. Minutes after her victory, she and Curry suggested a head-to-head competition between the two of them on Twitter. Then in January, the NBA announced that the competition would take place during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.

After the contest, during Ionescu and Curry’s on-court interviews, TNT’s Ernie Johnson highlighted Ionescu’s trailblazing impact on the WNBA and women in sports. This competition was the first time a member of the WNBA has competed against an NBA player in an official capacity.

“I think a night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that, if you can shoot, you can shoot,'” Ionescu said after the contest.

Sabrina Ionescu can certainly shoot, and although she couldn’t win Saturday night, she showed a lot of people that she is one of the best shooters and best basketball players in the world.

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