Month: June 2026

For certain coaches and fans around the country, many of whom had been waiting with bated breath, last week’s NBA Draft withdrawal deadline finally afforded them the chance to exhale. The collective sigh you might have heard originated in places like East Lansing, Michigan, where point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. allowed the Spartans to breathe easier, and extended to Nashville, Tennessee, where point guard Tyler Tanner’s choice to return to school should propel Vanderbilt into the Top 25. Elsewhere, the reactions were far more tempered — crushed, even. Arizona bid farewell to star forward Koa Peat, a five-star freshman who made the surprising decision to remain in this year’s NBA Draft. And at Arkansas, whose coach, John Calipari, is accustomed to rebuilding efforts, the Razorbacks will need to replace standout guard Meleek Thomas. The draft giveth and the draft taketh away. With that in mind — and now that rosters are finally, sort of, almost complete — here’s a look at the top returning players in the sport ahead of the 2026-27 season: Height: 6-foot-2Weight: 190 poundsClass: Redshirt juniorPrevious schools: None Last season: 15.2 points, 9.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 32.4 minutes per game It’s anything but hyperbolic to say the trajectory of Michigan State’s upcoming season hinged on whether Fears, a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer, would decide to remain in the NBA Draft. He kept the Spartan faithful waiting until the absolute last minute, stretching his contemplative period — and the accompanying speculation on social media — all the way to the withdrawal deadline day. In the end, though, with most prognosticators viewing Fears as an early second-round pick, he decided to return for another year alongside head coach Tom Izzo. Though his on-court demeanor remains divisive, Fears should enter the 2026-27 campaign as arguably the best point guard in college basketball after leading the nation in assists last season. Fears will be counted on to demonstrate legitimate growth in maturity and leadership following the departures of veteran big men Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, both of whom exhausted their eligibility. This team belongs to Fears. Height: 6 feetWeight: 175 poundsClass: JuniorPrevious schools: None Last season: 19.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 33.5 minutes per game An incredible ascent from zero-star recruit to one of the more prolific scoring guards in the country vaulted Tanner into a legitimate draft prospect this spring, with most experts viewing him as a fringe first-round pick. Undeterred by an undersized frame, Tanner flashed strength on both ends of the court by earning first-team All-SEC honors while simultaneously being named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team last season. He was also inches away from connecting on a half-court heave against Nebraska that would have lifted Vanderbilt into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. As with Michigan State, the Commodores’ outlook changes quite significantly with Tanner returning for another season. His presence alone should be enough to earn Vanderbilt a spot in most preseason rankings and keep the program in the upper half of what projects as an incredibly competitive SEC landscape. Head coach Mark Byington has a chance to lead the Commodores to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for just the second time in school history. Height: 6-foot-9Weight: 215 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: None Last season: 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.3 minutes per game For Haugh and his teammates, the dream of winning back-to-back national championships was shattered with a stunning second-round loss to No. 8 Iowa last March. In many ways, it was a defeat that could have signaled the end of an era for Florida, whose exceptional frontcourt trio of Haugh, Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyelu all faced individual decisions about the NBA Draft. With one expert after another projecting Haugh — a consensus second-team All-American last season — as a surefire first-round pick and likely lottery choice, his time in college seemed finished. But on April 21, more than a month before the NBA’s withdrawal deadline, Haugh announced his intention to return for another year, matching Condon’s decision from the week prior. And when Chinyelu decided to join them by removing his name from the draft last month, head coach Todd Golden’s band was officially back together. Now, the Gators will almost certainly enter the 2026-27 campaign as prohibitive national title favorites and the presumptive No. 1 team in the country. Height: 6-foot-8Weight: 225 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: Iowa State Last season: 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1 assist in 30.5 minutes per game Momcilovic faced two monumental choices in quick succession as the calendar inched from spring toward summer. First, the sharpshooting forward needed to decide whether to remain in the NBA Draft, where he projected as an early second-round pick. Once Momcilovic removed his name from consideration in late May, he was tasked with selecting a new collegiate destination after moving on from Iowa State. The dust finally settled late Monday evening when Momcilovic, a second-team All-Big 12 selection, committed to Kentucky over Louisville and Arizona. It’s easy to understand why 247Sports rated Momcilovic as the No. 2 overall player in this year’s transfer portal, trailing only former Kansas center Flory Bidunga, now at Louisville. He led the nation in both 3-point field goal percentage (48.7%) and 3-pointers made (136) for an Iowa State team that finished tied for third in a brutally difficult Big 12 and then reached the Sweet 16. Momcilovic chipped in at least three made 3s in 23 of 37 appearances for the Cyclones and reached a season-high eight 3-pointers on four separate occasions. Height: 6-foot-4Weight: 195 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: Georgia Last season: 10.1 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 28.4 minutes per game After head coach Dan Hurley and his squad pushed No. 1 Michigan to the brink in this year’s national championship despite significant injuries to Demary (ankle) and guard Solo Ball (wrist), it left many UConn fans wondering what might have been. The Huskies never complete their stunning comeback against top-seeded Duke in the Elite Eight without Demary’s two 3-pointers in the waning moments. Nor do they reach the title game without his seven points, seven assists and nine rebounds against Illinois in the Final Four. Still, those performances paled in comparison to what Demary offered at his best during the regular season. Time and again, Hurley credited Demary for instilling the team with levels of toughness and defensive intensity that raised UConn’s ceiling. Coaches around the conference seemed to agree: Hurley’s peers voted Demary first-team All-Big East and also placed him on the league’s All-Defensive Team. Demary and guard Braylon Mullins should form one of the sport’s best backcourts. Height: 6-foot-4Weight: 203 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: Wisconsin Last season: 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.8 minutes per game One year removed from a near-silent transfer portal cycle in which head coach Jon Scheyer only added reserve center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, the Blue Devils made much more of a splash this spring. In addition to signing former Belmont star Drew Scharnowski, the No. 31 overall transfer and No. 8 power forward in the portal, Scheyer also secured one of the sport’s best pure scorers in Blackwell. Any concerns about whether Blackwell would ever make it to Duke were erased on May 22 when he withdrew from the NBA Draft. A former three-star recruit, Blackwell developed into a highly effective three-level scorer during an impressive career with the Badgers. He increased his scoring average from 8 points per game as a freshman, to 15.8 per game as a sophomore, to a career-best 19.1 per game last season, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors. Potency from beyond the arc (38.9%) and at the free-throw line (85.9%) made Blackwell a coveted option in this year’s portal cycle. Height: 6-foot-11Weight: 236 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: None Last season: 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks in 30.5 minutes per game The statistic that most people referenced when discussing the impact of Florida’s mammoth frontcourt — which included Condon at power forward, Thomas Haugh at small forward (6-9, 215 pounds) and Reuben Chinyelu at center (6-10, 265 pounds) — was offensive rebounding rate. Those three players spearheaded a relentless assault on the glass that led to the Gators recouping more than 43% of their field goal attempts, second nationally behind only Tennessee. As a result, no team finished with a better rebounding margin than Florida’s mark of plus-14 per game. Having that kind of size proved equally beneficial on the defensive end, where the Gators ranked sixth nationally in adjusted efficiency and eighth in opponent 2-point field goal percentage. Condon’s two-way versatility was a major reason why. He finished as the team’s top player in Bayesian Performance Rating, according to EvanMiya.com, which is a metric that tracks an individual’s overall value whenever he’s on the floor. Height: 6-foot-9Weight: 250 poundsClass: SophomorePrevious schools: None Last season: 13.3 points, 8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.5 minutes per game Though Illinois fans could be forgiven for not knowing much about Mirkovic when he committed to head coach Brad Underwood, the coaches and scouts who closely follow international basketball were already overly familiar with his game. By then, Mirkovic had averaged 22.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game at the 2022 FIBA U16 European Championships while playing for his native Montenegro. The following year, he averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds across seven games in the 2023 U20 European Championship, where he was the youngest player. And in 2024 — not long before signing with Illinois — Mirkovic made his debut for Montenegro’s senior national team in a FIBA EuroBasket qualifier. Mirkovic’s versatility and overall feel for the game translated seamlessly to college, where he entrenched himself as a day-one starter for Underwood. He finished the season ranked 12th nationally among freshman in the PRPG! metric on Torvik, which calculates how many points per game an individual contributes beyond what a replacement-level player would offer. He should be among the Big Ten’s elite this season. Height: 7-foot-2Weight: 260 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: None Last season: 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game There were times during Arizona’s remarkable 2025-26 campaign, which included the program’s first trip to the Final Four in a quarter-century, when it seemed all but impossible for opposing teams to score around the rim. Player after player — regardless of size, independent of position — would simply be turned away by Krivas, a mountainous presence adept at applying the sport’s famed principle of verticality to avoid being called for fouls. He finished the season with an incredible ratio of 73 blocked shots and only 103 fouls, driving the Wildcats toward a second-place finish in adjusted defensive efficiency behind Michigan. The only players with better individual defensive ratings than Krivas, according to EvanMiya.com, were Yaxel Lendeborg of Michigan, Reuben Chinyelu of Florida, Aday Mara of Michigan, Flory Bidunga of Kansas and Joseph Tugler of Houston. Krivas is now the unquestioned anchor for a team that needs to replace its three leading scorers in Brayden Burries (16.1 points), Koa Peat (14.1 points) and Jaden Bradley (13.3). How much, or how little, Krivas’ own offensive repertoire expands in the coming months might serve as a good barometer for Arizona’s ceiling next season. He’ll need to make more than 3.5 field goals per game for the Wildcats to remain among the sport’s elite. Height: 6-foot-1Weight: 180 poundsClass: SeniorPrevious schools: North Carolina Last season: 10.5 points, 5.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game What a luxury for head coach Dusty May to retain the Most Outstanding Player from this year’s Final Four. Though Cadeau entered his name in the NBA Draft earlier this spring, the expectation among Michigan’s coaching staff was always that he would return for his senior season. In fact, Cadeau’s presumptive presence as the central figure on next year’s roster became a key selling point for the Wolverines when pursuing new faces in the transfer portal. May and his assistants soon realized that quite a few players, especially rim-running centers, were eager to play with Cadeau. Given the departures of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara, all of whom are expected to become first-round picks later this month, there’s an opportunity for Cadeau to assume more of a scoring role next season. He and shooting guard Trey McKenney, who was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team after averaging 9.9 points per game, should give Michigan one of the strongest, most experienced backcourts in the league.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

LOS ANGELES — After appearing grumpy following the Los Angeles Rams’ first-round selection of backup quarterback Ty Simpson on draft night, head coach Sean McVay was back to his chippy, enthusiastic self after his team consummated one of the biggest trades in NFL history, securing the league’s best defensive player in former Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett. Garrett sat sandwiched between jovial Rams general manager Les Snead and McVay during the opening moments of his introductory press conference. And then the duo got down to the nitty-gritty of a franchise-altering move that had been in the works for months, according to Snead. The Rams went from slight favorites over the defending champion Seattle Seahawks to the overwhelming pick to win the Super Bowl with Garrett in the fold. But Garrett isn’t getting too far ahead of himself, acknowledging his new team still must go out and do it on game days. Garrett said he found out a week ago about the possibility of landing in Los Angeles via trade. “On paper, I’m sure things look great, but we got to go out there and put the work in,” Garrett said at the podium. “It starts in the field, starts in the classroom, and we’re not going to take a single day for granted. We’re not going to be looking at any odds or favorites. We’re going to win each game day-by-day.” Those wise words from Garrett were music to McVay’s ears. “It’s one day at a time and I love everything that he said because I couldn’t be more in agreement,” McVay said. “We’re not going to let the outside narratives affect our ability to be courageous every single day and go swing and see what the hell happens.” Garrett has had four head coaches, 16 starting quarterbacks and just one playoff win during his time with the Browns. He’s finished with double-digit sacks for eight consecutive seasons in Cleveland, won the Defensive Player of the Year twice and is third among active leaders in the NFL with 125.5 sacks. An eight-time captain and five-time All-Pro, Garrett is the only player in league history to record at least 14.0 sacks in five consecutive seasons (2021-25). With the move to the bright lights of L.A., Garrett finally has a transformative head coach in McVay that matches his superstar talent. During that same time Garrett has been in the league, McVay has led the Rams to seven playoff berths and two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. The Rams have had eight winning seasons with four NFC West titles under McVay’s guidance. At 40 years old, McVay is currently the fifth-youngest coach in the NFL, but he’s also the second-longest tenured coach behind only Andy Reid. By moving to Los Angeles, Garrett gets the stability and sustainable success he coveted in Cleveland. “They love playing the game and they love playing the game for this guy,” Garrett said, motioning toward McVay during the press conference. “That means a lot, having a player’s coach lead you onto that field and wanting to give the extra effort and go the extra mile for him and for each other. That’s what you feel going on to that field now. These guys are going to war, not just as individuals but as a team. That’s how you end up playing those games later into the year.” McVay already has proof of concept that he can coax the most out of extremely talented, high-maintenance athletes. Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, Eric Weddle, Odell Beckham Jr. and Matthew Stafford are all players brought in by McVay who performed to their full potential in helping to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory. Garrett now joins that group as a hired gun for the Rams in a move made to help put this franchise over the top in winning a Super Bowl in their home stadium for the second time in league history. Yes, I previously stated the Rams would miss the playoffs as one of my five bold predictions earlier this offseason. But I must amend my prediction after this seismic move in securing the services of a future Hall of Famer in Garrett. And that move could lead to the return of another future Hall of Famer, as former Ram Aaron Donald is considering coming out of retirement. McVay was asked about the possibility during the press conference. “Aaron’s a guy that I stay really close in touch with, and I know the respect that he has for Myles,” McVay said. “I talked to him about the opportunity to be able to bring [Garrett] on board. If Aaron decides he wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip.” Garrett said he watched highlights of the Rams’ fabled “Fearsome Foursome,” led by Hall of Famers Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen during the Rams’ heyday in the 1960s when he was a high schooler. Garrett is now in a position to chase that high bar set by those four and others like Donald. “I see a position to solidify myself here as well among the greats,” Garrett said. “I still have plenty of great years in front of me and being able to cement that legacy not only as a football city here in L.A., but as an individual [winning Defensive Player of the Year] for a Super Bowl and more. Those things are definitely pressing on my mind, and I have a bit of urgency to do it and do it right away.” The Rams need Garrett at his best, and they might have to make sure he’s playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level right away. They have one of the toughest schedules in the league, starting with a season opener in Australia against their NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. That’s just the beginning of a five-game stretch that includes games at the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, plus a home game against the Buffalo Bills. Garrett will have some help around him, at least, even as the Rams decided to let go of promising edge rusher Jared Verse. Byron Young, who led the team in sacks last season, will complement Garrett along the edge, while Los Angeles has a few other formidable players in the defensive interior (Kobie Turner, Poona Ford). Of course, the Rams also made a major swing to improve their secondary this offseason, giving up a handful of draft picks (including a first-rounder) for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie before signing his Kansas City Chiefs teammate, Jaylen Watson. Still, Garrett will be the catalyst of the Rams’ defense, and McVay’s pleased to have the two-time Defensive Player of the Year leading that side of the ball. “He’s a pain in the ass to game plan against and I’m glad we don’t have to do that anymore,” McVay said. “He makes other guys around him better and I know he’s excited to come in and be a big part of this culture and we can’t wait to get to work.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Thanks to a rain delay and an already late start, the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway didn’t end until well past midnight on the East Coast. Is that a problem? A little bit on a Sunday night. Night races can be electric, and sometimes for programming and scheduling purposes, the best time for a race. In Nashville, the later the start meant a better chance to beat the heat and allow for a typical afternoon summer storm to pass through. But the biggest question at Nashville — the race ended when Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag at 12:25 a.m. ET — and the lateness of the race goes beyond the 80-minute rain delay: Is the Nashville race too long? It is a 300-lap, 400-mile race, relatively normal, but with the Next Gen car it seems to be a long event. Without red flags, the Nashville race this year was 3 hours, 44 minutes; while it was 3:05 in 2025, 4:03 in 2024 (five overtimes!), 3:00 in 2023 and 3:35 in 2022. NASCAR has done a good job in making some of its races shorter. NASCAR cut the length of races at Dover from 500 miles to 400 in 1997 and at Pocono from 500 miles to 400 in 2012 (and they were 325 and 350 in the 2020 and 2021 doubleheader weekends). Martinsville had one of its races cut from 500 laps to 400 laps in 2022. The fall Charlotte race that is back on the oval will be 400 miles, not 500 miles — it was 500 miles before the track went to its road course for the fall race in 2018. [NASCAR POWER RANKINGS: New No. 1 Tops List After Nashville] The key time for a race, with a few exceptions (Daytona 500 and Coke 600 most notably) should be 2 hours, 45 minutes to 3 hours, 15 minutes. Nashville has shown that it can have 400-mile races in that time frame, but also three in the last five that have exceeded it, all by at least 20 minutes. Certainly fans travel long distances and want a race that delivers enough action for that travel commitment. NASCAR will always balance the will of ticket buyers versus those who are watching at home. NASCAR even added laps to a race this year, making Watkins Glen a 100-lap race instead of 90, as the drivers seem to have fewer wrecks and those races were ending closer to the 2-hour mark than NASCAR wanted. But there are races that could be shorter, and Nashville appears to be one of them. Could it hurt to try a 350-mile race next year and see if it changes anything? And while NASCAR is at it, here are a couple more that could use changing: –Change one of the Talladega races to a 400-mile event instead of both being 500 miles. Daytona has a 500-mile and 400-mile event. Why not Talladega? Maybe cut the race on the date has less sunlight in order to get in the full race. –Cut one of the Bristol races from 500 laps to 400 or 450. Martinsville already had one of its races cut and that doesn’t seem to impact the quality of the event. Why not do that with the spring race to give it a little bit of a different vibe than the fall? Part of NASCAR’s roots is that Cup races often were marathons, ultimate tests of man and machine. But to get some of the “hell yeah” moments with cars that rarely fail (granted, the Nashville issues were because of brake rotor issues), urgency is needed. Nashville was saved by a late caution; without it, that spectacular finish doesn’t happen. A few more “sprint” races wouldn’t be a bad thing. As NASCAR continues to look to liven up its schedule, race lengths belong in the conversation. In Second Thoughts, Bob Pockrass offers his opinion on a burning motorsports topic.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

A flurry of deals happened Monday, though they didn’t really do much to shake up the NFL landscape. The Rams were on a Super Bowl track long before they got Myles Garrett. The Browns were plummeting with or without him. The A.J. Brown trade had been baked in for some time. And Odell Beckham’s return to New York didn’t move the needle at all. By now it’s clear who the real contenders are, which teams are on the cusp, and which ones are just fooling themselves and their fans. But in case it’s not, here’s a look at the real and fake contenders, broken down by tiers. *Super Bowl odds according to DraftKings (listed in parentheses) Tier 8: The race to the top of the 2027 Draft Las Vegas Raiders (+15000)New York Jets (+15000)Miami Dolphins (+30000)Cleveland Browns (+15000)Arizona Cardinals (+40000) It is a good bet that these five teams will own the first five picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. That’s great news for them because four of them desperately need a franchise quarterback, and next year’s draft should be full of them. The Raiders are the ones that don’t need a franchise QB anymore after drafting Fernando Mendoza No. 1 in April. They even improved their team around him — at least a little. In fact, if they weren’t in the AFC, and in particular the AFC West, they might have a shot at being in the playoff race most of the season. But the road is too tough. And at some point they’ll hand Mendoza the keys, which almost always means an initial step backward. But the other four teams really do need a franchise quarterback and the race for the No. 1 pick — maybe Texas QB Arch Manning — could be fascinating (or disgraceful, depending on how obvious the tanking becomes). None of these teams have a realistic shot at the playoffs, and that should be obvious to even the most optimistic of them by no later than Halloween. The Jets might actually be the best team in this sad bunch. They have a good offensive line, a couple of good skill players and an adequately rebuilt defense. And Geno Smith might actually improve their QB play, too. But given his penchant for throwing interceptions the past two years, that might not be saying much. The Dolphins don’t seem to think they’re in the tank yet. Why else would they sign the top free agent QB (Malik Willis) and keep RB De’Von Achane? But look at the rest of their team. They’ll see it eventually, too. It stinks. And yet they still might be better than both the Browns and the Cardinals, who are both redefining Quarterback Hell. The Cards have some impressive skill players (WR Marvin Harrison Jr., TE Trey McBride, RB Jeremiyah Love), but their quarterback will either be an unhappy Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew, or maybe third-round rookie Carson Beck. With a still-terrible defense, that won’t lead to a lot of wins, especially against a brutal schedule that could easily lead them to an 0-13 start. As for the Browns, their decision to trade Myles Garrett to the Rams tells you all you need to know about what they’re thinking this season. And the fact that they’re trying to squeeze whatever’s left out of QB Deshaun Watson says everything about what new coach Todd Monken thinks of the other young quarterbacks on his team. They are all-out on 2026, whether they admit it or not. They just need to hope that whatever QB they fall in love with in next year’s draft doesn’t choose to go back to school just to avoid playing in Cleveland. Tier 7: The playoff fringe New Orleans Saints (+8000)Tennessee Titans (+12000) This is a special category for two improving teams that will be average, at best, but could have a shot at making the playoffs if everything goes right. The best chance belongs to the Saints, who played really well behind rookie QB Tyler Shough down the stretch last season and then got him a couple of big weapons in RB Travis Etienne and rookie WR Jordyn Tyson this offseason. The biggest factor for them, though, is that the NFC South still stinks. The Saints were 6-11 last season and missed the division title by two games. It’s a short walk to .500 and playoff contention. Life won’t be nearly as easy for the Titans, who almost certainly will miss the playoffs in the stacked AFC and top-heavy AFC South. But they are improving, with a better coaching staff and better cast around young QB Cam Ward. They might double their win total from three to six and could still be in the playoff chase in December. But real contention is more likely a year away. Tier 6: Need some help (and some health) Pittsburgh Steelers (+5000)Indianapolis Colts (+6500)New York Giants (+7000)Washington Commanders (+6500) I know, I know. The Steelers are the defending AFC North champions and probably deserve a better tier than this. That’s a reasonable argument, except that they had one of the NFL’s worst offenses (25th) and one of the NFL’s worst defenses (26th) last season, despite going 10-7. They also lost their longtime head coach (though Mike McCarthy is a pretty good replacement for Mike Tomlin), didn’t add a lot to their defense and are still relying on a 42-year-old quarterback. RB Rico Dowdle and WR Michael Pittman make them better. But the revived Ravens and Bengals make the division better, too. Still, the Steelers aren’t quite the same as the other teams in this group, who really need some breaks and health to rise a tier. The Colts are a strong team, for example, but only if QB Daniel Jones is healthy enough to start. And even then, he has to prove he can still play at his 2025 level. After he suffered a serious injury with the Giants, he wasn’t the same the following season. And speaking of the Giants, they are overflowing with optimism after landing head coach John Harbaugh. But there are questions about when their top WR (Malik Nabers) and RB (Cam Skattebo) will be healthy. Their defensive front was thinned out, too, by the Dexter Lawrence trade and several injuries. They are an improved team, but thin in a lot of areas. The thinnest team in this group, though, might be the Commanders, who seem to be betting everything on the healthy return of QB Jayden Daniels and a first-year coordinator (David Blough) — so much so that they didn’t bring in much offensive help. They did rebuild their defense with mostly solid but unspectacular players, and a stronger defense will help. But they really need Daniels to be the star he was as a rookie two years ago. Otherwise, they’ve got no shot. Tier 5: Playoff contenders, but nothing more Los Angeles Chargers (+1700)Dallas Cowboys (+2500)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+5000)Atlanta Falcons (+12000)Carolina Panthers (+8000)Minnesota Vikings (+5000) This group comprises the teams on the playoff bubble who’ll need some help along the way to get in. Also, if they do get in, don’t expect them to win more than one game, if that. These are not Super Bowl contenders. The best team in this tier is the Chargers, who are also in a category that could be titled “Fool me once …” (you know the rest). It’s easy to want to trust a team coached by Jim Harbaugh and quarterbacked by Justin Herbert, but at this point we all know better. Their offensive line is still a liability, and with this franchise, something always goes wrong in the end. The same could be said of the Cowboys, who still have what might be the NFL’s best offense, but are still lacking on defense. The latter unit has improved, but enough to make them a Super Bowl contender? That would be a surprise. Those two at least have a slim chance of rising up a tier. The same can’t be said of the three teams in the NFC South: the Buccaneers, the Falcons, and the Panthers, who won the worst division in football last season via a tie-breaker after all three of these teams finished 8-9. They all have more questions than answers at the moment. The Bucs can be prolific, but they lost their best receiver to free agency. The Falcons seem loaded at every offensive position except quarterback. And the Panthers probably have the most promise, but are still waiting for QB Bryce Young to play like the No. 1 pick he once was. And speaking of first-round quarterbacks, that’s why the Vikings are in this group, too. They have an elite defense and plenty of offensive weapons. But the QB will either be J.J. McCarthy or a revived Kyler Murray, and neither inspire much confidence right now. Tier 4: Dangerous teams Kansas City Chiefs (+1500)Green Bay Packers (+1700)Detroit Lions (+1900)San Francisco 49ers (+1800) All four of these teams fall into an interesting gray area. None of them jump off the page as an immediate and obvious Super Bowl contender. But they all could be. And it would be foolish to rule any of them out. Take the Chiefs. Everyone’s down on them for the way they played last season, even before QB Patrick Mahomes got hurt. And no one is sure when he’ll be back. But if he’s back to form, do you really believe their dynasty is dead? The Chiefs also added RB Kenneth Walker III and they still have Andy Reid. If they can get into the playoffs, no one will want to play them. The same is true of the Packers and the Lions. Both teams can be dangerous and have good, experienced quarterbacks. The Lions are loaded on offense, assuming they’ve fixed their offensive line. They just need their defense to play better. And the Packers are strong on both sides of the ball, assuming they’re not hurt by the loss of defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. If QB Jordan Love and linebacker Micah Parsons stay healthy all season, Green Bay will be a tough out, too. The most interesting team in this category is the 49ers. I love what they’ve done this offseason on both offense and defense, and the additions and some better health will make them a really dangerous team. The one thing to worry about, though, is their ridiculous travel schedule — 38,000 miles across 58 time zones, which are both NFL records. For a team that’s getting older and deals with a lot of injuries, that might be too tough to survive. But if they do survive the torturous regular season, move them up at least one tier, maybe two, when the postseason starts. Tier 3: Playoffs locks Cincinnati Bengals (+2000)Houston Texans (+1800)Chicago Bears (+2500)Jacksonville Jaguars (+3000) The biggest wild-card team in the NFL is probably the Bengals. Obviously, the healthy return of QB Joe Burrow makes them dangerous. They are loaded on offense and can outscore anyone. But did they do enough to fix an atrocious defense? Maybe, if DT Dexter Lawrence is a lot better than he was last year. Imagine if they had a defense like the Texans do, though. Or imagine if the Texans had the Bengals’ offense. That’s Houston’s problem. They might have the best defense in football. It’s championship-worthy. But they’re carrying an erratic offense, unless QB C.J. Stroud magically rediscovers his rookie form. The other two teams in this category are here because of their offense, too. The Bears have run Ben Johnson’s scheme to perfection, and if WR Rome Odunze can become elite, they might be unstoppable. Their defense, though, was ranked 29th last season. It remains to be seen if they did enough to fix it. As for the Jaguars, they went on an epic offensive run at the end of last season, and coach Liam Coen seems to be an offensive genius. But letting lead rusher RB Travis Etienne go was certainly a choice. It’ll take a committee to replace him, if they even can. Tier 2: Title contenders New England Patriots (+1600)Buffalo Bills (+1000)Baltimore Ravens (+1000)Philadelphia Eagles (+1600) All four of the teams in this category are good enough to make a Super Bowl run, though they’ll head into the season with enough unanswered questions to prompt at least a little pause. For example, there’s no reason to think the Patriots won’t be as good as they were last year, especially now that QB Drake Maye has his No. 1 WR in A.J. Brown. But they were the beneficiaries of a remarkably soft schedule last season that propelled them through the playoffs. The slate won’t be as easy this time around. There’s also a lot of competition in the still-stacked AFC. The Bills will be serious contenders as long as QB Josh Allen is healthy. But can D.J. Moore find his old form and be the No. 1 WR Allen so desperately needs? And the Ravens are dangerous again, as long as QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry are healthy. But belief in them requires a lot of faith in a first-year head coach (Jesse Minter). Over in the NFC, the Eagles are still as loaded as ever, though they did just trade their best WR (Brown). The real question, though, is whether first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion can fix what has sometimes been a dysfunctional offense — especially in the passing game — with QB Jalen Hurts. Tier 1: The front-runners Los Angeles Rams (+600)Seattle Seahawks (+1100)Denver Broncos (+2000) If you weren’t sure before, now you know: The Rams are going for it all, future be damned. That was clear by their offseason deals to fortify their secondary (with CBs Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie), and now it’s painfully obvious after their “F— them picks” deal for Myles Garrett, the reigning defensive player of the year. The one caveat to their chances is that their biggest threat comes from inside the division, with the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Seattle should be just as dangerous, even after losing RB Kenneth Walker III in free agency. Meanwhile, in the AFC, the Broncos would have made the Super Bowl last season if they hadn’t been playing with a backup quarterback in the AFC Championship Game. A healthy Bo Nix, plus the addition of WR Jaylen Waddle, makes them the team to beat, especially if they can navigate a difficult schedule and emerge with home-field advantage.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The 2026 NFL offseason was already a pretty hectic one, and then Monday happened. In a move that felt like it came out of nowhere, the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns made one of the biggest blockbuster trades in recent NFL history. The Rams acquired two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Browns for three draft picks (including a 2027 first-round selection) and two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse. That wasn’t the only big move on Monday, though. After months of speculation, the New England Patriots finally got star wide receiver A.J. Brown. They got the talented wideout from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, adding to their offense as they try to make another Super Bowl run. So, where do those two trades fit into the biggest moves of the NFL offseason? Between 10 new head coaches, 36 offensive and defensive coordinator hires, an entire draft and a busy free agency, there’s plenty to choose from. But we tried to rank the top 10 biggest moves of the 2026 offseason. The Arizona Cardinals decided to end their rich investment in quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason. They cut the 2019 overall pick while he was in the middle of his $230 million contract, taking on $46 million in dead money against this year’s cap. But Murray also had enough guaranteed salary with offset language that allowed him to go anywhere and play for the league minimum. The Minnesota Vikings capitalized on that opportunity, signing him to the veteran’s minimum in March. It’s also a strong move on Murray’s part. In theory, Murray will compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback job. But he’s in a great position to re-establish himself, throwing passes to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and company as he’ll try to recapture the magic the Vikings had when they went 14-3 in 2024. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is very much in the same position with the Atlanta Falcons after being cut by the Miami Dolphins, but Murray is better equipped to reset himself as a free agent in 2027 at age 29. Kevin O’Connell’s quarterbacks threw 30-plus touchdowns in each of his first three seasons as Vikings head coach, and Murray’s career best is 26. So, he could be this year’s bounce-back darling. Would the Vikings let him walk or pay him? So many huge contracts in free agency, of course, but one of the biggest names swapping one top-tier team for another was Kenneth Walker, who rushed for 135 yards in the Super Bowl and then bolted for the Kansas City Chiefs. How much could a solid run game make life easier for Patrick Mahomes to return from his torn ACL? Walker rushed for 1,027 yards last season, and the Chiefs haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018. It matches the longest active drought without one in the NFL. Will the Seattle Seahawks miss Walker? They have running back Zach Charbonnet recovering from his own torn ACL, so they’ll lean on first-round pick Jadarian Price from Notre Dame out of the backfield. Walker wasn’t the only significant loss from their Super Bowl team, with corner Tarik Woolen signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, edge rusher Boye Mafe joining the Cincinnati Bengals and safety Coby Bryant leaving for the Chicago Bears. We hear you. There’s a draft every year. But Fernando Mendoza was a huge part of the buzz around this draft, coming off a dominant college season that saw Indiana win a national title and him take home the Heisman Trophy. There was no drama as to what the Raiders should do with the top pick, and Mendoza takes over a franchise whose last playoff win came nine months before Mendoza was born in 2003. Add in the hiring of first-time head coach Klint Kubiak, who had been with five teams in five seasons before guiding Seattle’s offense and Sam Darnold to a Super Bowl win, and you have a promising new chapter in Las Vegas. The Raiders are 7-27 in the last two seasons, and this first year with Kubiak and Mendoza might bring only modest improvement from that in a tough division. But the rookie quarterback should give them a chance at a positive trajectory for the first time since they moved to Las Vegas. The trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie was the first big swing the Los Angeles Rams made this offseason. They surrendered four draft picks, including their 2026 first-rounder, to get McDuffie from the Chiefs. Shortly after, the Rams gave McDuffie a massive extension, signing him to a four-year, $124 million deal. The Rams weren’t done adding to their secondary with the McDuffie move, though. They signed McDuffie’s Chiefs teammate, cornerback Jaylen Watson, to a three-year, $51 million deal in free agency, retooling the back end of their defense. McDuffie and Watson won two Super Bowls in Kansas City. Now, they’re a central part of Los Angeles trying to win one on its home field in February. There were bigger moves to be made before the Rams were done, but this set the tone for them pushing all their chips to the middle of the table to maximize this final window with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. The NFC West has arguably three of the NFL’s top eight teams in 2026, and this sent notice to the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers that the Rams weren’t to be taken lightly this season. The Denver Broncos really didn’t do much this offseason, but their lone notable move was a big one. It’s possible the Broncos’ only new starter will be wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who they acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a package of picks that included this year’s first-rounder. Waddle averaged just over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns in his five seasons with the Dolphins, and he gives Bo Nix another legit target to go with Courtland Sutton, who turns 31 in October. Denver ranked 11th in passing yards last season but 25th in yards per pass attempt — perhaps the addition of Waddle, combined with the shift to Davis Webb as offensive coordinator, will improve the latter. The Broncos went 14-3 and hosted the AFC Championship Game, but their offense mustered only seven points in that loss to the New England Patriots (granted, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham played that game). But in an offseason of very little change, the addition of Waddle could be a key difference for 2026. The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense has been terrible the last three years, enough to keep a prolific offense with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase out of the playoffs. If the Bengals are going to return to the postseason, they need at least an average defense, and giving up such a high pick to get Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants shows the urgency to improve there. He had made three straight Pro Bowls before a down year in 2025, and he’ll join Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, plus rookie edge rusher Cashius Howell, in a new-look defensive front. It wasn’t that long ago that the Bengals made a Super Bowl and the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons. So, Lawrence is the kind of headliner that shows their willingness to be a more complete team and help the offense out as they try to get back to those lofty goals. So much change at the top this offseason, with 10 new head coaches across the league. Because of that, we could easily have more than one head coach hire in the top 10 here. But John Harbaugh was the biggest. He was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 years, including playoff appearances in six of the last eight years. He lands in New York, where all eyes are on quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo on offense, with edge rusher Abdul Carter and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese leading the defense. How much better can the Giants be? They’re 7-27 in the last two seasons, and playing in a division where the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys are expected to improve in challenging the Philadelphia Eagles. New York has made the playoffs just once in the last nine seasons, but getting arguably the biggest get of the coaching cycle will have the Giants in the spotlight all season. There are first-year coaches in high-pressure situations across the league — including Jesse Minter in Harbaugh’s old job in Baltimore — but the intrigue surrounding Harbaugh might be the biggest of all. Quarterback Drake Maye was the runner-up for MVP last season, and the New England Patriots have added to his passing arsenal, first signing Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers in free agency and then landing A.J. Brown from the Eagles on Monday. They managed to get him without having to give up a 2027 first-round pick (the one they sent to the Eagles is a 2028 first), so there’s some sense of value in an offseason loaded with high picks traded for top veterans. Brown topped 1,000 receiving yards in all four of his seasons in Philadelphia and had at least seven touchdown catches in each. The Patriots, by comparison, have had just one 1,000-yard receiving season in the last four years, and no receivers catching seven touchdowns in a season. Can Brown settle in with New England and avoid the drama that overshadowed his play in Philadelphia in the end? He and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel worked together with the Tennessee Titans, so there’s a bond there already. New England made it to the Super Bowl largely with its defense this past postseason, but its offense should be a bigger part of that effort in 2026. One of the biggest moves of the 2026 offseason was ultimately one that wasn’t made. It was a blockbuster deal, with Maxx Crosby finally leaving Las Vegas and going to Baltimore for two first-round picks, only to have the Ravens void the deal due to concerns over his surgically repaired knee. Las Vegas and Crosby were understandably upset about the move, opting to keep him rather than trade him for less with public concerns about his health. And the Ravens were able to successfully pivot the morning after they ripped up the Crosby trade. They signed edge rusher Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals, essentially getting an elite pass-rusher without having to surrender any draft picks. Hendrickson is 31, three years older than Crosby, and still landed a four-year, $112 million deal from the Ravens. He missed 10 games last season due to injuries, but had 35 sacks in the two years prior, making him one of the game’s top pass rushers. Can Hendrickson help get quarterback Lamar Jackson to the deep playoff run they’ve largely lacked in Baltimore? If so, we’ll be talking about the deal that wasn’t and how the Ravens still got what they needed on defense. Now, this was a blockbuster of a trade. The Rams landed the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, marking the first time that the winner of the award was traded in the following offseason. Not only that, but Myles Garrett just made history. He set the NFL’s single-season sack record in 2025, logging 23 sacks and now joins one of the most talented rosters in the league. Los Angeles already gave up a first-round pick for Trent McDuffie, but its move for Garrett really shows how all-in the Rams are this season. They gave up a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. Oh, and they also gave up edge rusher Jared Verse, who is already a two-time Pro Bowler entering the third year of his career. It’s enough to set up the Rams as the team to beat for the Super Bowl to be played on their home field, despite being in the same division as the defending champion Seahawks and a 49ers team that won 12 games last season. The Rams have made a practice of trading first-round picks for established veterans, but this is the biggest of all their deals, maximizing the limited window left with Matthew Stafford, a reigning MVP who is 38 years old. The chips are all in the middle of the table, such that anything less than a championship for the Rams will be seen as a disappointment with so much invested in winning right now.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Every World Cup creates a star nobody saw coming. Colombia’s James Rodriguez dazzled at the 2014 tournament in Brazil with his spectacular goals that ushered a move to Real Madrid. And after helping Argentina lift the trophy at Qatar 2022, Enzo Fernández parlayed a £106 million record move to Chelsea in January 2023. Someone is going to surprise us all again this summer. Here are four names to circle before the tournament starts. Age: 29Position: StrikerClub: VfB Stuttgart (German Bundesliga) The conversation around Germany begins and ends with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Understandable, they possess that otherworldly ability. But quietly sitting behind them is a striker who just posted 19 goals and six assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances — making him one of the league’s most efficient strikers. He then scored twice against Finland days before the squad flew out. Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann trusts him. Germany will have games where it needs to break something open off the bench. Undav has been waiting his entire career for exactly that moment to break out of the shadows on the international scene and become one of the main men to lead the squad. Age: 21Position: WingerClub: PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie) Born in Appleton, Wisconsin. Raised in a Bosnian household. Came up through the New England Revolution. Switched his international allegiance from the United States to Bosnia — and then stepped up and converted the decisive penalty to knock Italy out of its third consecutive World Cup. He’s only 21 and plays at PSV. He’s a left-footed inverted winger who takes people on and creates. Bosnia is in a group with Canada, Switzerland and Qatar — a realistic path to the knockouts. Opposing sides haven’t studied him properly yet, and most fans can’t pronounce his surname. Esmir’s game speaks for itself though. He’s one of those players who would stand out instantly on a futsal pitch. He glides effortlessly with the ball. He has that mesmerizing technique when taking on his defender. Goal and assist production hasn’t materialized yet at the domestic level, but he’s still young and inexperienced. The personality he showed in the World Cup playoffs against Italy is a telltale sign of his personality and confidence — shining in the biggest moment of his career. Age: 21Position: WingerClub: RB Leipzig (German Bundesliga) Everything in this Norway squad orbits Erling Haaland. Every defensive structure collapses inward the moment the hulking blonde receives the ball in dangerous areas. That’s precisely why Nusa, the 21-year-old right back/winger, is so dangerous. The space exists thanks to the black hole that swallows up defenders in the shape of Haaland. Nusa will make the most of his one-on-one opportunities. He’s a direct, quick and tricky winger who plays with loads of swagger. Manager Ståle Solbakken’s predicted lineup has him starting. Norway went eight wins from eight in qualifying. This team isn’t just here to make up the numbers, and Nusa might be one of the main reasons it makes a deep run in the tournament. Age: 21Position: Attacking midfielderClub: Como 1907 (Italian Serie A) Argentina arrives as the defending champion with a familiar question hanging over everything: What happens when Messi can’t carry it anymore? The answer might be wearing the squad number right next to him. Paz is 21, plays for Como and just had the best season of any midfielder in Serie A by most accounts — 21 goals and assists across all competitions. Paz has elite vision and an honest work rate off the ball, and he moves with a rare elegance. He’s not expected to start for Argentina, and that’s fine. Albiceleste manager Lionel Scaloni will use Paz as an impact substitute. My hunch is he’ll make the most of his first few minutes and turn them into a start at some point in this tournament.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports