Tag: breaking

DeVonta Smith injury update: Eagles star WR has been ruled out vs. Rams in Week 12

The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled DeVonta Smith out for the Week 12 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams with a hamstring injury

A.J. Brown missed three games with a hamstring injury and has looked explosive and fluid heading into Week 12.  DeVonta Smith could end up with that same prognosis if it helps the Eagles star get healthy for a playoff run.

Smith has been dealing with a hamstring injury for two weeks now, and he’ll miss his second game of the season after being ruled out on Friday.

Smith was a non-participant in all three of Philadelphia’s practices this week.

Smith has 41 catches for 516 yards (12.6 average) and four touchdowns, but he’s only accounted for six receptions and 43 yards on nine targets over his last two games.

The Eagles will face the Rams on Sunday night, and after placing Bryce Huff on Injured Reserve, Philadelphia could activate Britain Covey with an available roster spot.

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Eagles place Bryce Huff on Injured Reserve

Philadelphia Eagles place Bryce Huff on Injured Reserve

The Philadelphia Eagles will be without Bryce Huff for an extended period after he undergoes a procedure on his ailing wrist.

Huff was initially diagnosed with a hand injury that significantly limited his playing time in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Due to the issue, he only played a handful of snaps.

A major free agent acquisition who signed a three-year, $51 million contract last spring, Huff has appeared in all ten games, logging five tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, 11 quarterback hurries, one quarterback hit, and 14 quarterback pressures in 154 pass rush snaps for the Eagles.

With Huff struggling off the edge, Philadelphia has relied on Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, and Nolan Smith to provide pressure off the edge.

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Report: Cowboys aren’t pursuing Daniel Jones following release from Giants

According to one report, the Dallas Cowboys will not be one of the teams pursuing former New York Giants QB Daniel Jones, who was released on Friday.

Recently released New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones could find a new team once he clears waivers early next week.

According to NFL reporter Josina Anderson, the Dallas Cowboys will likely not be one the teams showing interest despite the rumor mill churning out reports connecting Jones to the Cowboys.

We won’t know for sure until Jones clears waivers (which is reported to be Monday at 4 p.m. ET), but the Cowboys probably won’t be interested for several reasons.

First, they know Jones and probably aren’t impressed. He is 1-8 in his nine career starts against Dallas with a pathetic 74.1 QB rating. Why would would they want him?

Secondly, the Cowboys are locked into the currently injured Dak Prescott, who just signed a four-year, $240 million deal in September – $231 million of which is guaranteed. Dallas doesn’t have an ‘out’ in the contract until after the 2027 season.

Thirdly, the Cowboys have Cooper Rush and Trey Lance – Prescott’s backups – in the fold and are likely comfortable having them playing out the string.

Cowboys EVP Steven Jones spoke out late Friday afternoon pretty much closing the door an any Daniel Jones talk.

“No, I think we’re in good shape at our quarterback spot. We think Cooper (Rush) gives us the best chance to win right now. And certainly we still want to see some. We’ll kind of see how the season goes here. We still really want to see (Trey) Lance and like what he brings to the table. And then, of course, long term, we all know we made our commitment to Dak (Prescott) for the long term.”

That being said, the Cowboys (3-7) probably won’t win too many more games anyway, so they’ll have no issue leaning into getting a top draft pick.

UCLA expected to land Arkansas WR in transfer portal

A big transfer addition for UCLA!

The UCLA Bruins football program is wasting no time in the transfer portal. For the Iowa game, they had Arkansas transfer wide receiver Jaedon Wilson on hand to see the game.

On Friday, Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Wilson is expected to transfer to UCLA.

“Arkansas transfer wide receiver Jaedon Wilson is expected to transfer to UCLA, @On3sports has learned. The grad transfer visited UCLA earlier this month.”

Wilson is. former four-star recruit and he had 15 catches for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2023 for the Razorbacks.

However, he didn’t play this season and decided to enter the transfer portal.

This is the first of what could be a wave of transfers to come to UCLA in Foster’s first offseason working the transfer portal.

Last year, Chip Kelly ended up leaving in February, and Foster became the head coach. All in all, with Wilson expected to come, this is a big get for the Bruins.

Panthers announce special field design, uniforms for Week 12 matchup vs. Chiefs

The Panthers are going with a special look for this weekend’s clash against the defending Super Bowl champs.

When you’re the defending Super Bowl champions, you get every team’s best shot. And it appears as though the Carolina Panthers, at the very least, will be giving the Kansas City Chiefs one of their best looks this weekend.

As announced on Friday, the Panthers are throwing back the field design for their Week 12 matchup against the visiting Chiefs. The turf at Bank of America Stadium will feature the team’s previous primary logo at midfield as well as their previous wordmark logos in the end zones.

The Panthers are currently celebrating their 30th season in the NFL. The logos that will adorn the field on Sunday were used by the franchise from 1995 to 2011.

But that’s not all!

Carolina’s old-school mentality will be accompanied by a new-school set of threads . . .

The all-black uniform combination, headlined by the fan-favorite black helmet, was first introduced back in 2022.

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Texans receive best news possible on Will Anderson Jr.’s status for Week 12

Will Anderson Jr. was a full participant during Friday’s practice as the Houston Texans prepare to take on the Tennessee Titans.

Will Anderson Jr. is back. That’s good news for the Houston Texans and bad news for the Tennessee Titans.

The second-year defensive end returned to practice on Wednesday and hasn’t missed a day. He was a full participant during Friday’s walkthrough and is expected to play on Sunday when Tennessee arrives for an AFC South showdown at NRG Stadium.

“We’ve been missing him the past couple of weeks,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday. “His leadership style, his play style, his demeanor all around. So it’s good to have him back at practice.”

Anderson, the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Month, left during the first quarter of Week 9’s loss to the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football” with an ankle injury. While he returned three different times for four plays in the second quarter, Houston elected to rest him for the second half.

He hasn’t played since. The Texans went 1-1 during that span with a comeback loss against the Detroit Lions and a double-digit victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Fully healthy, he comes back at the right time to help Houston potentially clinch a 5-0 record in the division before the bye week following a showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 1.

“I’m excited to be back,” Anderson told reporters Friday. “Just to be back out there with the guys. I was trying my best to hurry up and get back. I’m good now.”

It’s a long shot, but a surging December could put Anderson back in the running for Defensive Player of the Year recognition. He had 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss through the first nine weeks, both ranking among the top three.

Although the pass rush will welcome Anderson back with open arms, four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter has picked up the slack in the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s absence.

Hunter, who leads the NFL in pressures and had two sacks in the win over the Cowboys on Monday, is now tied for the team lead in sacks with Anderson.

Houston (7-4) is also expected to be without Denico Autry, who’s missed practice all week with a knee injury suffered in Arlington. Defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi, who missed Monday’s matchup in the Lone Star Showdown, isn’t expected to play because of a knee injury.

The Titans (2-8) have allowed the fifth-most sacks this season with 33. Second-year quarterback Will Levis often holds the ball for too long, leading to the eventual 27 sacks recorded.

Kickoff between the AFC South foes is scheduled for noon CT.

Report: Tennessee Titans’ L’Jarius Sneed heading to injured reserve

The Tennessee Titans are set to place cornerback L’Jarius Sneed on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury, per sources.

The Tennessee Titans have been without star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed for weeks with a quadricep injury. At first it was thought to be a strain, but an MRI showed that the injury was worse than initially thought. His quad is just strained, his quad is bruised.

Sneed hasn’t played since the October 13 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts while dealing with this injury, and now he’s set to miss at least four more weeks when the Titans place him on injured reserve on Saturday, per Jim Wyatt.

 

Head coach Brian Callahan addressed the media after practice on Friday.

 

Regarding Sneed’s injury, Callahan stated that it’s been complicated. “It’s been complicated,” he said. “More complicated than a normal strain would be, so the rest is the best thing for him at this point.”

Sneed was traded to the Titans from the Kansas City Chiefs after the Chiefs placed a franchise tag on him in March. After joining the Titans, Sneed signed a four-year $76.4 million contract.

Over five games in 2024, Sneed recorded 23 tackles (19 solo) and 2.5 stuffs. Over his career, Sneed has shown that he is capable of so much more. He has the potential to be a lock-down corner on top-tier receivers when he’s healthy.

Callahan isn’t ruling out a return this season, but ultimately, getting Sneed healthy is the goal no matter how long it takes.

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Browns CB takes shots at George Pickens following post-game antics

Browns CB Greg Newsome II had choice words for George Pickens following their physical altercation in Week 12.

Fans of the Steel City, while upset that the Pittsburgh Steelers were ultimately defeated in Week 12’s Thursday Night Football matchup, were almost treated to a second contest following the game: a potentially major physical altercation between Steelers WR George Pickens and Browns CB Greg Newsome II.

Following the failed Hail Mary attempt that sealed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defeat, Pickens showcased his best MMA impression, trying to take Newsome down. During the skirmish, Pickens was seen ripping at Newsome’s face mask and attempting to ram him into the stands before they were restrained by security.

After the Week 12 contest, Newsome spoke to reporters about Pickens: “Fake tough guy. Yeah, he does a lot of that. The antics and stuff. He didn’t even go up for the ball, he was just tryna do WrestleMania with me the whole time.” Newsome continued his commentary on social media.

Pickens is no stranger to these types of conflicts or immature outbursts, but fans have to wonder how much longer Head Coach Mike Tomlin will tolerate these less-than-ideal distractions.

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Great Osobor named to Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List

Great Osobor found himself on yet another watch list on Friday.

On Friday morning, Washington Huskies star forward Great Osobor found himself in the running for yet another award as he was named to the Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List, which is given out annually to the best player in college basketball.

Through just four games in purple and gold, Osobor has made school history. He became the first player in Washington history to post 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 steals in a game, doing so in his first start, and has followed that up by asserting himself as the nation’s leading rebounder, averaging 13 boards per game.

Osobor is also second in the nation in steals, and according to Stats Perform’s Greg Harvey, he’s the only Division I basketball player in the last 25 years to tally 50 points, 50 rebounds, 15 steals, and 5 blocks through his first four games.

He’s also coming off a 23-point, 18-rebound performance against UMass Lowell, but coach Danny Sprinkle said his star is nowhere near his ceiling yet.

“He’s not, and he knows that, ” he said on Sunday. “He’s still got to get in better shape; he’s out of shape. I’m complaining about 23 and 18, but honestly, he should’ve had 35 and 25. And if you’re going to be the guy, you’ve got to be the guy. If he makes layups today, he has 35 points, or if he makes a couple free throws… but I thought his effort was pretty good rebounding the basketball. He got lazy a couple times, and guys got tip dunks or second-chance buckets, which can’t happen if you’re the guy or if you’re going to be on the court in the last five minutes of the game. He’s so much better than he’s played in the last four games, it’s not even close. I’ve never seen him miss so many bunnies and close-in shots. I don’t know if it’s a focus deal or whatnot, but he’s got to get it going.”

As the season goes on, if Osobor can make an adjustment and improve his shooting percentage, he could be a finalist for the Lute Olson Award, among others, at the end of the year.

Is Franck Kepnang playing today? Injury updates for Washington center

Washington basketball center is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates.

Franck Kepnang is a vital piece to the Washington Huskies’ success in coach Danny Sprinkle’s first season at the helm. The center has been impactful whenever he’s been on the floor, averaging 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game in the two contests he’s participated in this season.

However, he’s missed Washington’s last two games due to a lingering knee injury. Sprinkle has chalked both of those up to “load management” games, as the Huskies have won both games in his absence against UMass Lowell and Division II Seattle Pacific University.

Franck Kepnang injury update

Kepnang has played in just 18 games over two seasons with the Huskies as he’s been limited by various knee injuries, which has led to Sprinkle’s decision to play it safe with the fifth-year senior.

“I don’t know,” Sprinkle said on Sunday when asked if Kepnang is a player he can rely on this season, “I wish I had the answer for you right now. It is load management to an extent, but we’ve got to make sure he’s healthy for January, February, March, and if his knee flares up or anything happens, we’ve got to make sure, first and foremost, we’re taking care of Franck. I’m not going to jeopardize putting him out on the court if I don’t feel he’s ready or 100 percent, and that’s why we held him out again tonight.”

How long will Franck Kepnang be out?

Sprinkle’s comments seem to suggest that Kepnang isn’t on any particular timeline. He could play as soon as Friday night against Alcorn State but may be held out until Washington’s first Big Ten game against UCLA on December 3.

Washington’s big man depth

In Kepnang’s absence, Wilhelm Breidenbach has stepped up and started at center, while Sprinkle has utilized several smaller lineups with Great Osobor at center and Tyler Harris at power forward. The Huskies also have Oregon State transfer KC Ibekwe at the position, but he hasn’t played yet, as Sprinkle feels his skillset is best suited for bigger teams that prefer to play a more physical game down low.