Category: Sports Fox

NASCAR didn’t get to see its new end-of-stage policy in action last weekend at Iowa Speedway. Stages ending naturally is a good thing. But NASCAR is now prepared to be flexible when it comes to the length of the stages. Responding to feedback from fans and criticism that caution periods are too long, NASCAR decided that, if a caution comes out with 10 laps or fewer left in the stage, the stage would end at the time of caution. That would eliminate either running extra laps under caution until the stage ends or running caution laps, then coming back to green for a lap (or two) dash to the stage finish and then throwing the caution again. “It stems from what happened in Indy, where we’ve seen all too often [that] the caution comes out before the stage break, we run a number of caution laps, trying to get back green. Stage break comes and we’re back to caution. Long periods of caution laps, not enough green-flag racing,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a video to fans. “No more back-to-back cautions, no more elongated caution laps. More green-flag racing, more action for you, the fans.” The stage breaks are designed to bunch up the field and give the broadcaster four guaranteed times when they can run full-screen commercials under yellow. So at the end of the stage, laps are run under yellow for commercials, the pits are then open and then a couple more laps are run. Those final few laps allow for more commercials, as well as for NASCAR to get the lineup in order, so drivers can choose their lane on the restart. The choose rule added a lap to every caution on ovals when it was implemented several years ago. NASCAR potentially could move the “choose area” to the backstretch on ovals (like it does on road courses where it is often near the end of the lap) in hopes of potentially eliminating another full caution lap. Obviously, the balance of having the stage breaks and getting back to racing can be frustrating. “It sucks for all of us when you get a caution with five to go to the end of the stage and they’re going to try to do a one-lap shootout and then it takes 15 minutes [for the stage break]. Like just roll on with it,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson told The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and others at Iowa Speedway. “This is a step in the right direction.” Another former Cup champion, Ryan Blaney, also liked the new rule. “That’s no fun for anybody,” Blaney said about the extra laps under caution when the stage break comes right after another caution during a news conference. “That’s no fun for anybody watching. That’s not fun for us either. … That’s progress on that side and trying to limit the time of caution, time of yellow and things like that.” Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar thinks it could impact strategy. “Ultimately, [it will] just make the race not predictable and hopefully, it just allows for mistakes on the box,” Hocevar said at a news conference at Iowa. “I feel like mistakes from either the box or the car tend to kind of always make the racing better.  It’s good. I think it’s an improvement. It’s less caution laps, which is good.” Ryan Preece said he’s all for it but did see some irony in the decision. “It seems like a lot of fans are talking about more green-flag racing, and we put stage breaks in to break the races up because everybody was talking about the long green-flag runs,” Preece said during an Iowa news conference. “Me, personally, this will never happen, but I wish there were no stages and we’d race.” If the caution does impact the length of a stage, the length of the ensuing stage would change as far as distance and will still end at the original designated lap. For instance, if the stages are designed to end on Lap 50 and Lap 100 and the race ends on Lap 200 and the caution comes out on Lap 45, the second stage would still end at Lap 100 (and not Lap 95) and would end up being 55 laps in length. O’Donnell credited fans for being vocal about wanting change. “You helped push this,” O’Donnell said. “Your passion for the sport has helped us make changes more quickly.” In The News — Haas Factory Team added Dean Thompson to its O’Reilly Series roster as part of a multiyear deal. HFT will increase to three cars for O’Reilly with the drivers of the other two cars to be announced. The organization’s current drivers are Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer. Thompson has spent the last couple of years at Sam Hunt Racing. — Joe Gibbs Racing announced that William Sawalich has signed a contract extension to continue driving in the O’Reilly Series for the organization. — Iowa Speedway will repave its entire seventh-eighths-mile racing oval during the offseason. Clinching Drivers No drivers in Cup clinched a spot in the Chase at Iowa, but Sammy Smith did clinch a spot in the O’Reilly Series postseason. Social Spotlight They Said It “Without sounding salty, I don’t think I would have won the race anyway, but I think it’s kind of time for us as a series to grow up and not have the lapped car situation. I think it makes us all look stupid.”— Felix Rosenqvist on INDYCAR not ordering lapped cars to move over for the leaders​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Is this a good time to provide a reminder that last July the Dodgers lost seven games in a row, 10 out of 12 and finished the month 10-14? Well, they’re floundering again and don’t exactly look like the infallible force everyone expected after acquiring the best player available at the deadline. They’re 1-6 since supposedly breaking the game by trading for Tarik Skubal. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 5-2 in their first seven games without Skubal and Casey Mize. Small sample size, of course, but the Dodgers haven’t been playing well for a while. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games and 17 of their last 28, and for the first time in a long time no longer occupy the top spot in the power rankings. Of course, that can change quickly. But it serves as a good reminder that even the teams who appeared to be winners at the deadline (Dodgers, Pirates) still have to play the games. Meanwhile, some of the biggest deadline losers (Brewers, Braves, Diamondbacks, Tigers) keep winning. As we wait to see how the players in new places pan out over the season’s last couple months, this week’s power rankings include one reason to watch every team in the second half. The Angels aren’t likely to reap many of the rewards of their deadline sell-off until the years to come, but they can at least get a look at new catcher Moisés Ballesteros, who should have an everyday job in Anaheim. We’ve already seen a number of first-round selections from the exceptional 2024 draft class make their MLB debuts. Charlie Condon, the third overall pick from that draft, is an exception, but he has 22 homers at Triple-A and could be a late-season call-up. Meanwhile, the Rockies continue to enjoy the terrific debut seasons of TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg. This has been a horrendous year in Sacramento. You know what could provide some excitement? Calling up one of the top prospects in baseball. Leo De Vries is still at Double-A, and the A’s might not want to start the clock for the 19-year-old shortstop in this lost season, but he would give the fans a reason to watch. Marcelo Mayer appears close to starting a rehab assignment. Maybe the former Red Sox top prospect can realize his potential after a change of scenery. Jac Caglianone is an oasis in a Kansas City desert, and his strides in year two are providing more optimism for the Royals’ future if they can be a healthier team in 2027. Sal Stewart could make the NL Rookie of the Year race interesting. I wish I had more for you, Cincinnati fans. Rookies Carson Benge, AJ Ewing and Nolan McLean have been a (very small) silver lining in an otherwise miserable (horrible, awful, dreadful) season in Queens. Maybe they work their way into the Rookie of the Year conversation. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson were supposed to lead the Orioles into the promised land. Now, Rutschman is gone and Henderson is inexplicably enduring the worst year of his five-year career. Henderson obviously remains a vital cog for the future success of this franchise, and it’s worth watching if he can start to turn a corner before season’s end. Can the addition of Taylor Ward spark a sputtering offense? … Not yet, at least. The Mariners scored four runs total over their last four games and have lost five of their last six series to fall even further behind in both the AL West and wild-card races. This might be the start of the annual big Julio Rodriguez month, though. Will the bullpen additions catalyze a playoff push in Minnesota? The Twins decided not to buy at the deadline, and while that decision is not looking great yet, they remain firmly in the wild-card race. More sparks could be ahead. They just called up prospect Kaelen Culpepper, and their other top prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins, could also play a role by season’s end. We are nearing mid-August, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still doesn’t have a home run at the Rogers Centre. It is almost unfathomable. Can he get on a roll at some point in the second half? If he does, the last-place Blue Jays — who threaded the needle at the deadline by trading away Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman but also adding Jose Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti and Jameson Taillon — still have a chance to contend. Well, this isn’t the direction they’re supposed to be going. The Pirates patched up their bullpen at the deadline and then promptly dropped a series in Milwaukee and a series in Queens to fall 5.5 games back in the division. The offense is hurting with Ryan O’Hearn, Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin out, but Pittsburgh also needs Paul Skenes to get right. He has an ERA over 6.00 over his last eight starts. Will he look like an ace again in time to save the Pirates’ season? The Marlins didn’t do anything to help their 2026 cause at the deadline (unless you love some Victor Vodnik), but could their decision to keep Sandy Alcantara help them stun the baseball world and sneak into a playoff spot? They’re only three games out of a playoff spot. The Guardians have now dropped 13 of their last 17 games. Even after the additions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, there’s a lot riding on their rookies to lift the offense. The latest call-up is top prospect and infielder Angel Genao. What kind of impact can he make alongside the current crop of standout rookies on the team? Which of the pitchers acquired by the Nationals at the deadline could be helpful pieces for the next contending Washington team? Jake Bird, Will Dion and Yovanny Cruz are already assisting a bullpen that needed …a ton of help. Hopefully, Connelly Early’s forearm tightness isn’t too serious, and he can contribute before season’s end. In the meantime, enjoy CJ Abrams, who stayed put despite rumors at the deadline. Dautlon Varsho went deep for his first home run as an Astro on Sunday. What kind of difference can he make to an Astros outfield that ranks among the league’s least productive groups offensively this season? They were 45-45, 50-50, 55-55, and are now 59-59. I have little doubt this team will finish the season 81-81, but could a healthier Corey Seager in the second half put them on the right side of .500? If he can turn it on down the stretch, that could be the difference in winning the division. One Cardinals player already had a memorable moment this year when Jordan Walker left the crowd at Citizens Bank Park stunned by winning the Home Run Derby. By season’s end, another Cardinals player could be in the national spotlight as JJ Wetherholt tries to hold off the competition for Rookie of the Year. How does the team respond to the losses of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize? So far, so good. They just wrapped up a 7-2 West Coast road trip, are inching closer to .500 and a playoff spot, and somehow have the best run differential in the American League. How different will this pitching staff look after call-ups and additions? The White Sox rank 13th in ERA, but they added veteran Luis Castillo hoping to stabilize the rotation, and now top pitching prospects Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal have arrived to help. They’ll need Castillo to find another gear down the stretch. What kind of impact will Luis Arráez make? This might be the most fascinating team to watch the rest of the way, considering how much Arráez is needed offensively (the Phillies are a bottom-five team in on-base percentage and a bottom-10 team in OPS) and also how his introduction to the Philadelphia lineup has forced a bevy of defensive changes, including Bryce Harper moving back to the outfield. The bats are hot — the Padres have the highest batting average in baseball since the break — and while the San Diego debuts for Casey Mize and Robbie Ray didn’t go to plan, those acquisitions provide reason to believe this Padres team might now have just enough starting pitching to sneak into a playoff spot. How many injured D-backs pitchers return over the next two months? Michael Soroka, Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Justin Martinez and Ryne Nelson are all among the prominent D-backs pitchers on the injured list whose return could be the difference in making the postseason. When do Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton come back? And how much can deadline additions Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos boost the offense until that time comes? There’s a world in which the Yankees’ offense is back at full strength in time for the postseason, but it’s worth watching not only when their injured stars get back but also if those players can find their rhythm ahead of October. What kind of impact does Adley Rutschman have the rest of the way once healthy? Even with all the winning the Red Sox are doing, their catchers rank 24th in wRC+. Another boost from Rutschman could be the difference between a promising season and a championship one. The Dodgers are playing poorly. Their offense is in a funk. Edwin Díaz is flailing. Maybe these are reasons for Dodgers fans to worry. History tells us they should not. Also, you might have heard they acquired a guy named Tarik Skubal. He’ll make his first home start at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, and he’ll be followed by Blake Snell one day later. The rotation is becoming more whole, and they will probably zoom back up the rankings in short order. Can Pete Crow-Armstrong challenge Shohei Ohtani for MVP? Both players put on a heck of a show this week in Chicago, with the Cubs’ center fielder getting the last laugh in a series sweep capped off by two PCA homers in the finale. If he keeps this offensive pace up, he’ll make a strong case for MLB’s top individual honor. Whatever happens over the final couple months, this has been a tremendous bounceback season for Atlanta. But while Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez continue to be effective and new addition Tyler Mahle looked great in his Braves debut, questions linger about the team’s October arms after a disappointing deadline failed to bring in another impact starter. Will one of their injured starters get back in time to contribute down the stretch and beyond, or can the group in place inspire the confidence that they have enough arms to make a deep run? Can the Rays hold off both the Yankees and red-hot Red Sox? The new acquisitions should help. Beyond just Freddy Peralta and Liam Hicks, the addition of reliever Tyler Wells might be one of the most underrated moves of the deadline, and the Rays’ pitching has been exceptional lately. Even after Boston’s surge, the Rays lead the Yankees by 5.5 games and the Red Sox by seven games as they track toward their first division title since 2021. Which starters step up behind Jacob Misiorowski? The Brewers ace leads all qualified MLB starters in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average and looks like the clear Cy Young Award winner right now, but there has been some deserved heat on this team for not adding more star power behind him. Kyle Harrison’s first start back from the IL was encouraging, and maybe Dustin May develops into a clear October starter over the next two months, but there’s some sorting out to do down the stretch about the playoff pecking order.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There’s a lot of corn between Minneapolis and Detroit. And a lot of good football. I’ve been happily racking up miles on my rental car to traverse five states and watch each of the NFC North teams. The division is the deepest in the NFL, with a real shot of producing a Super Bowl team. It’s not hyperbolic to say that any one of the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings could chase a title. So here’s what I learned along the way — with a few thoughts on other happenings around the league. This is Sound Smart, where I try to spin forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines. EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy dropped back next to each other — feet apart — and ripped passes downfield at the exact same moment. There’s something unique and aesthetically pleasing about two quarterbacks competing for one spot. Their warm-ups are like watching INDYCAR teammates trying to pass each other — careful and synchronized but not always cordial. The Vikings are doing everything they can not to pick a favorite, in what they say and in what they do. But fair is never fair. Not really. Even if head coach Kevin O’Connell and passing game coordinator/QB coach Josh McCown aren’t picking favorites, Murray is the betting favorite to win the job. He’s the better and more experienced player. And it’s hard to imagine O’Connell picking McCarthy after the young QB face-planted in his first NFL action last year. The practice I saw last Monday didn’t exactly make the case for McCarthy. The QBs were evenly matched all practice until the 2-minute drive, which concluded the session. The simulation set up the offense with 75 seconds remaining in the second quarter, with the Vikings down 13-10. The drive started from Minnesota’s 25-yard line. It stands to reason that the Vikings wanted to score, but not at the cost of a turnover. Since 2022, the Vikings are 20-2 when winning the turnover battle, per FOX Sports Research. They rank fifth among all teams in that span. Chew on that stat as you read what comes next. Murray’s drive was ugly — with a throwaway and another pass that went to no one, an apparent miscommunication with his receiver (or a miscue by the QB). The end result would’ve been a punt to the opposing offense with less than a minute left on the clock. On McCarthy’s drive, he nearly threw an interception on his first pass, only to toss the ball to cornerback Byron Murphy on the drive’s third play. It was a turnover — and a mistake likely worth between three and seven points. That play felt emblematic of what’s to come with this QB competition. It’s only nominally close. For those watching intently, the winner is already obvious. It’s going to be Murray. And when he wins, it’s going to be exciting to see the way this offense shapes itself to him. “Kyler is a unique athlete,” McCown told me last week. “It’s just making sure that we’re buttoned up on where we’re supposed to be when [he] gets outside the pocket and giving him opportunities to maximize his skill set when he does move around. “But obviously, it starts with being in the pocket and playing within rhythm and within our scheme, too. So you balance those things accordingly, but also want to give way to a guy who does have a unique skill set.” The beauty of this offense is that it’s like an expensive golf club. If the golfer (Murray or McCarthy) can let the club do the work, then that’ll be enough. Receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings, tight end T.J. Hockenson and running backs Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are all very good players. “Every throw you make, we want you to believe in that throw and feel great about it and trust your eyes and all that. But at the same time, don’t feel like you have to put your Superman cape on and win this specific down for us with one throw,” McCown told me. “You’re not going to win one game with one throw.” It’ll be a mindset shift for Murray, who had to carry the offense, year after year, with the Arizona Cardinals. But if he can cut out the hero ball (and the untimely turnovers) and let the skill players do the work for the offense, the Vikings will make the playoffs. So far, so good. “I think mentally, he’s definitely ahead of where I thought,” O’Connell told reporters this weekend. And just because Murray has always been the likely winner, that doesn’t mean the QB competition was a sham. It’s almost inevitable that both Murray and McCarthy play for the Vikings in 2026. The Cardinals essentially benched Murray last year, so that’s always possible in Minnesota. But more likely, it’ll be an injury, considering Murray has missed at least three games in four of the past five seasons. McCarthy will likely have to play, and when he does, these training camp reps will serve the Vikings well. “He is showing that improvement, and everybody’s arc is different,” McCown said of McCarthy, who missed his rookie year of 2024 with a knee injury. “We’ll continue to develop him into the player we think he can be.” If the Vikings do, in fact, make the playoffs (whether by playing multiple quarterbacks or just one), then O’Connell should retain his crown as the NFL’s Top QB Guru. If the Vikings and their QBs struggle, well, we can cross that bridge if we get there. ALLEN PARK, Mich. — It’s not exactly a gilded age for running backs. But it’s safe to say they matter again, both schematically and financially. Just ask Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who signed a three-year extension worth $67.5 million, with a record $22.5 million average for a running back. As is the nature of a market-setting deal, Gibbs’ contract will echo across the NFL’s financial landscape. Just like Bijan Robinson’s recent deal, which was a three-year, $66.5 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons, Gibbs’ contract advances the market — meaning more money for running backs at every level, particularly at the top. That’s, no doubt, why Gibbs’ phone was blowing up with texts from superstars across the NFL. Gibbs said that Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, David Montgomery and De’Von Achane reached out to “show love.” “We’re all in this together,” Gibbs said. Looking at the fine details of Gibbs’ deal, the good news is that $51.5 million is guaranteed. It’s just that he won’t see $22.3 million until 2029 (in salary) and the remaining $21.3 million until 2030. I’m not saying it’s a bad deal by any means, but it’s backloaded — which makes it more team-friendly than the numbers originally revealed. It’s a big step in the right direction, however, that 1) two running backs (Gibbs and Robinson) successfully conducted hold-ins and 2) Gibbs was able to cash in about $16 million in new money in 2026 and Robinson will get $18.7 million this season. It’s worth noting that, while at Lions camp, I saw how badly the Lions need Gibbs’ explosiveness. There simply wasn’t the same level of offensive threat without Gibbs leading the run game (especially after David Montgomery was traded to the Houston Texans this offseason). All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was a superstar, as usual, and speedster Jameson Williams popped for big plays. But the offense, as a whole, didn’t look consistent. At times, it looked lost. That’s because Detroit’s identity starts with the run game, which is to say that it starts with Gibbs. He used that leverage. And his value was very real. “This process was extremely stressful, because I just wanted to play ball,” Gibbs said on Friday after practice, during which he was limited, still ramping up to full participation. “I missed being out there with my teammates and coaches. It’s just fun being out there right now with my pads and stuff on. It just feels a lot better.” I was one of many who didn’t like the Cardinals drafting running back Jeremiyah Love at the top of Round 1. I still don’t love it. The problem is that a rookie’s contract (even a top-five pick) can provide teams with rare value at a premium position like QB, edge, left tackle, receiver or even cornerback. A top-five rookie running back, however, isn’t going to be a bargain. After all these deals, Love now ranks 10th among running backs in average annual value. That’s better. And when adding up Love’s high draft selection and salary alongside extensions for Achane, Gibbs and Robinson this offseason, it’s clear: Running backs matter again. Money talks. Teams care about RBs again. GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers star edge Micah Parsons said he’s still sometimes using crutches following his late December surgery to repair his ACL and meniscus. He’s not yet in the change-of-direction phase of his rehab. He’s just working through plyometric exercises. But he was clear: Don’t worry for him. Worry about him. “I think when you come out of these situations, you’re either going to be better or you’re worse. And for me, I’ve done everything I possibly can to be better,” Parsons said at Lambeau Field last Tuesday. “People are worried about the knee. They should be worried about how I’m going to play when I get back. The anger, the frustration — the things that I’m going to have to let out because of how long it’s been since I played. “I think that’s what people should really worry about: How great is Micah going to be when he gets back? Not about when I get back because that’s the short term. It’s about how great I’m going to be, how I can help my teammates, and how far we’re going to go into a playoff run.” The Packers traded for Parsons ahead of the 2025 season. It was one of the biggest trades for a defender in NFL history. And it preceded the biggest contract for a non-quarterback — ever. He played 14 games and logged 12.5 sacks before suffering the injury, which can take years for a full recovery, even if players tend to return to the field after nine months. But Parsons didn’t sound like Eeyore. Not in the slightest. “I feel like a much better player in the sense of how I feel. I feel more stable. I feel stronger. You know, I probably was blind to a lot of things that I probably should have been working on that I got a chance to correct and get stronger during this process,” Parsons said. He seems to have taken on a new attention to detail around his body, his strength-building, his stretching and his recovery. He said he’s focused on the process — not upon the timetable for his return. He wouldn’t give an exact week of the NFL season when he wanted to play. That said, there is one game that everyone (except for those in Dallas) would like to see Parsons on the field. And that’s for Packers-Cowboys in Week 6 on Oct. 18. “I think it’s very realistic,” Parsons said. “Me and the staff, we’ve got to put the work in. We’ve got to get to the point where I’m feeling great, and we say, ‘Micah, you’ll be in a really good phase.’ Is it possible? Yes.” Normally, the Hall of Fame Game doesn’t move me. It’s not a big deal when a quarterback converts a clutch third down — not when it’s the first preseason matchup. But Cardinals third-round pick Carson Beck did something impressive with what is normally a throwaway opportunity. This throw exemplified a sharp performance from Beck. And it revealed the QB competition that is quietly brewing in Arizona. And there wasn’t really supposed to be a QB competition. When the Cardinals drafted Beck in Round 3, it wasn’t a pick that screamed: This guy’s our starter! And to that point, Jacoby Brissett decided to hold out, knowing that he should be QB1. He managed to get a reworked, one-year deal worth $15.5 million. But unintentionally, Brissett also seems to have opened the door to lose his starting job. It’s oh-so early in training camp (and preseason), but Beck lit up his first preseason performance. (And now he’s going viral for no-look passes at padded practice?!) Now is when everyone says: Oh, but the Panthers only played vanilla defenses! Oh, but the backups were in! Oh, but Carson Beck is just the reincarnation of Kenny Pickett! That might all be true. But Beck only did what he could, playing a sensational game that no doubt left the Cardinals wanting to see more. If he can keep this up — and his game looks polished as they throw him into higher-difficulty situations — then he could earn the starting job. We were already likely to see him this season. Now I’m wondering if we’ll see him in Week 1. If there’s one thing I’ve observed about Bears coach Ben Johnson, it’s that he takes things personally. He doesn’t suppress his emotions. He works with them. Take, for example, the widespread conversation about how the Bears might regress. In a sit-down with him earlier this offseason, he needled me for bringing up the historical trend of teams regressing after playing as many close victories as the Bears did in 2025. Johnson later went out of his way to bring that topic up at a press conference: “We’re the No. 1 candidate for regression.” In terms of his boiling emotions, Johnson has also clearly enjoyed provoking a WWE-level rivalry with the Packers. So maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, when I asked Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for his best story about Ben Johnson, Detroit’s former offensive coordinator, he shared this. “It’s always funny watching Ben on game days,” St. Brown told me. “He got super amped up when he was here, especially when he was calling plays. He would talk s— to the opposing defensive coordinators, but he’s so far away they can’t hear him. But we can see him on the sideline talking s—.” That’s the love of the game right there. Just a coach, talking smack to an opponent that can’t even hear him. “He’s a competitor, man. He loves winning, and I think we see similarities in each other. I think that’s why we got along so well,” St. Brown told me. “When he first got the OC job, I went up to his office a few times. … We’ve had some deep conversations. We both felt like we could be better. He’s kind of like me — he wants to be the best every time. He’s a perfectionist.” Every single current and former player will attest to Johnson’s character and coaching. “I love Ben, man. That’s my dog,” St. Brown said. That makes the story, and the NFC North rivalry, all the more enjoyable.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

We’re only two weeks into the start of NFL training camp, but we’re starting to get a glimpse at the potential impact new additions might make on certain teams in 2026. That includes the Philadelphia Eagles, who are navigating an almost entirely new wide receiver room after trading A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots this offseason. How is quarterback Jalen Hurts acclimating to his new targets? Elsewhere, there’s a new head coach who is already making a strong impact on his team’s new culture, and another NFC East team made a much-needed move at wide receiver. Here are our takeaways from Week 2 of training camp. Ralph Vacchiano: Trading an elite receiver like A.J. Brown for future draft picks was always a big risk for this year’s Eagles, and they planned to lean hard on veteran DeVonta Smith and rookie first-rounder Makai Lemon to pick up all the slack. So it was quite a problem this past week when both Smith and Lemon missed multiple training camp practices in Philadelphia with hamstring injuries. They still have depth there with veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown, but they were clearly missing something dynamic with Smith and Lemon on the sidelines. That was really evident on Tuesday morning when they seemed to be working hard on deep passes — passes that quarterback Jalen Hurts struggled to complete without his top two targets. He was out of sync with both Brown and Wicks on the deep routes, overthrowing each of them and getting picked off several times. It’s early in camp and no cause for alarm, but it’s hard to overstate how much they need Smith, in particular. He’s put up No. 1 WR-type numbers each of the past four seasons and his presence is the reason why general manager Howie Roseman felt comfortable trading Brown. Lemon was a bonus, but a necessary one. They loved Lemon’s explosiveness out of the slot so much they traded up in the first round to get him. Both players will be huge components of the scheme new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is running that will feature a lot more play-action passes and over-the-middle routes. And with more than a month to go before Opening Day, it’s a good bet that both players will be more than fine then. But it’s worth noting that hamstring injuries do tend to linger and even small strains can sometimes turn into season-long issues. That’s especially true with rookie receivers. So their status is worth watching, now that everyone has been reminded how important they both are to the Eagles as they try to carry on without Brown. Henry McKenna: The hype around Caleb Williams is significant. And perhaps it’s even justified. In my time in Lake Forest (Illinois), I saw the Chicago Bears quarterback generate countless big plays in team drills and 1-on-1s. But I also witnessed no shortage of operational errors and pre-snap miscues from the quarterback and the Bears offense. Apparently, the mistakes were not limited to Thursday’s practice. Bears coach Ben Johnson was upset about how Tuesday’s practice went, too. “These padded practices are so valuable, and that’s why I get upset when the offense is — they’re sabotaging practice a little bit, because our defensive players need these reps as much as anybody else,” Johnson said during a press conference. That was Johnson’s second instance where he brought up the team’s shortcomings as a non-sequitur. No one asked him about it. In fact, he first referenced his upset when he was asked about Williams’ presence on the cover of “Madden NFL 27” and the general optimism surrounding the team this offseason. “We tell them the truth in the meetings,” Johnson said, explaining how he cuts out the noise. “When it’s good, we let them know that it’s good. When it’s not good enough. We let them know. Two days ago, practice was not good enough as a whole team, and certainly not as an offense. When you have false starts, delay games, drop passes, center-quarterback exchange, it’s really not a good practice. You can’t evaluate the defense either. “So we have a long way to go. Appreciate all the flowery comments there, but they understand that we’re just getting started here in camp, and hard work is really what we’re doing every single day.” Earlier this offseason, Johnson said he and Williams will focus on improving all things post-snap — given that they spent most of last season focusing on the important elements of pre-snap operation. But it seems maybe they’re moving backward, given how many penalties and problems popped up last week. This isn’t a reason to panic. But it is a reality check. The Bears are building a strong foundation. But they’re still building from the ground level. Greg Auman: The wild run of lucrative new contracts for the NFL’s top running backs — with Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson, Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs and Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor all getting more than $20 million a year — has shifted the position market value so quickly that deals that have not even started yet are looking woefully low. Last August, James Cook signed a four-year deal with the Bills, paying him $46 million over four years. It was added to his rookie contract to start with the 2026 season, and tied him for the sixth-highest contract for a running back at the time. Cook led the NFL in rushing in 2025 with 1,621 yards and made his third straight Pro Bowl. But before his new deal even begins, Cook has dropped to 13th in average salary at his position. How long before he can ask for a new one? Teams are normally hesitant to tear up a deal with more than two years left on it, so that would mean after the 2027 season. Cook’s deal has limited incentives, so no matter how well he plays, he won’t earn more than an extra $2 million. Cook’s deal has less than two years fully guaranteed, and it’s a reminder why players are choosing shorter deals — Gibbs and Robinson went with three years in new money after their rookie contract and fifth-year options are done. For Cook, the third and fourth years aren’t guaranteed, so he could be cut if he underperforms, and he’s capped his value by locking himself in at a dated and much lower salary. He isn’t the only one feeling the financial wrath of signing too soon in the latest running back extension cycle. Miami extended De’Von Achane in May with a four-year deal averaging $16 million a year, but that doesn’t start until 2027 and has barely more than one year fully guaranteed. He’d have to play three years before he’d have two years left on his deal. The Bills did well to lock up much of their young nucleus to long-term deals as soon as they could, and that allows them to extend their playoff window longer than if they gambled and waited. For players like Cook, it means feeling undervalued, though, before a new deal has even begun. Vacchiano: It wasn’t much of a mystery to the Commanders that they had a glaring need at wide receiver. The mystery was only why they didn’t sign one in free agency or select one until the third round of the draft. But they took a big step towards fixing that issue last week when they signed veteran receiver Stefon Diggs to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million. Diggs is 32, but he showed last season that he’s still capable of being a No. 1 receiver. He had 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns while playing only about half of the offensive snaps for the New England Patriots. That was also his first year back after recovering from a torn ACL. Even if he just comes close to matching those numbers in 2026, he’ll be a boon to a team that puts few good weapons around electric quarterback Jayden Daniels. Their best option was the ever-reliable Terry McLaurin, but he’s going to be 31 in September and coming off an injury-plagued season. Beyond him, all they had at receiver was the disappointing duo of Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks, and third-round pick Antonio Williams. Now, at least, they have a potential 1-2 punch — at least if McLaurin and Diggs can manage to stay healthy at their age. It’s a big “if,” of course, but adding Diggs to the mix was a necessary move for general manager Adam Peters, given the lack of other options available. Washington tried in the free-agent market, targeting Alec Pierce before he re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts and making a push for Romeo Doubs before he signed with New England, but they failed to land any help for their offense. Diggs will more than make up for that big miss if he’s anything close to what he was last year. Ben Arthur: The Titans’ Jeffery Simmons, arguably the best defensive tackle in football, is a fiery player. He’s a big-time trash talker who backs it up with superstar-caliber play. He crossed a line at Tuesday’s training camp practice, though. After an early play in team drills, he scuffled with center Austin Schlottman and threw a punch at right tackle JC Latham. Assistant defensive line coach Tanzel Smart needed to grab and tackle Simmons to separate him from the O-line. Simmons didn’t practice with his teammates for the rest of the day. He was banished to individual work on a side field with a strength coach. “Our policy is if you throw a punch, you’re ejected in the game. Same thing with practice,” Saleh explained. “But rather than going to the locker room, [Simmons] went to the other fields. He still got his work in. So the projected reps and the work that he would have got in, he got in off to the side.” Saleh’s decision to kick Simmons out of practice is significant. When the All-Pro defensive tackle got in a similar skirmish in training camp under previous coach Brian Callahan, it went unpunished (at least publicly). In a small way, Saleh has shown that he has an uncompromising standard that even Simmons — the Titans’ best player — must adhere to. That goes a long way toward establishing a culture of accountability that Tennessee will need to turn around its franchise, which has won just six games over the past two seasons combined. Saleh’s decision is one that can gain the respect of players, too. It’s fair to wonder if respect for last season’s coaching staff waned. Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. alluded to it last week, saying Saleh’s staff is professional and organized. “We’re always going to toe the line of violence, we’re always going to toe the line of being aggressive and call it instigating if you want, it’s just the nature of who we are going to be,” Saleh said. “But we’ve got to be disciplined enough to make sure that we always find our way back to the huddle without giving the other team freebies.” If it means kicking the team’s best player out of practice to enforce that point, so be it. Eric D. Williams: Omarion Hampton didn’t get to show his first-round potential for a good portion of his rookie year, missing seven games due to a severe left high-ankle sprain he suffered in Week 5. And while he ran for 545 yards on a respectable 4.4 yards per carry, Hampton was pretty ineffective in the Los Angeles Chargers’ playoff loss to the New England Patriots, putting up minus-1 rushing yards due to a Week 17 ankle injury. Now fully healthy and entering his second season, Hampton should be a key piece of L.A.’s running game with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who had a lot of success with speedy back De’Von Achane while with the Miami Dolphins. McDaniel said that you could argue that Hampton has had the most growth of any player from offseason work through the first days of training camp. “This guy is completely obsessed and focused,” McDaniel said. “His [running] tracks and the urgency to which we’re trying to get him to start the play at the beginning of the play has been phenomenal. He came back from the spring, and with the five weeks he had off, you could tell he was really focused on that. “And in and around contact, something we’ve been working on with ball carriers is how they approach tacklers. And for him and his skill set, nobody wants to tackle that guy. That is a massive human moving very fast. So, the less we can get him to stop his feet and do what we call ‘slash,’ which is pick edges of defenders and shoulder punch them, the better.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The start of every college football season brings plenty of uncertainty. However, ahead of the 2026 college football season, there’s one thing I’m certain about: who should be considered the No. 1 team in the nation. As this college football offseason has provided us with plenty of drama, there’s one Big Ten team that’s built an elite roster across the board. Which team is it? Let’s take a deep dive into my preseason top 25. How often do you see a team that went 1-11 start out in a preseason top 25? Welcome to the new modern age of college football, which I think is better than how the sport used to be. There was so much turnover at Oklahoma State this offseason. Eric Morris comes in as head coach after leading North Texas to the No. 1 scoring offense in the country a year ago. Morris has worked with a who’s who of quality offensive players in college football — Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Cam Ward, among others. You know he’s going to get the best out of his quarterback, and he did a year ago with Drew Mestemaker. And guess what? Mestemaker followed him to Oklahoma State, and I love this for the Cowboys. This is a completely different team. They have 55 transfers come in, with 17 of them arriving from North Texas. I’m a big fan of the Cats and Brent Brennan, now entering his third year as Arizona’s head coach. But first-team All-Big 12 quarterback Noah Fafita returning is huge. He’s got great experience as he enters his fourth season as a starter. The big question for me with Arizona, though, is that it has to replace three All-Big 12 players in the secondary. Arizona has some tough road games in conference as well, playing at BYU, Texas Tech and Kansas State. Listen, I think Tennessee can go either way here. It has a good roster. Josh Heupel has four straight top-15 recruiting classes, and his offenses can produce. The big question for me is the inexperience at quarterback, particularly in that system. Can you step in and produce right away? Whoever does start will have zero career starts in college football. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and five-star true freshman Faizon Brandon are competing for the job. Luckily, the Vols have talent at running back and wide receiver between All-SEC DeSean Bishop and Braylon Staley. But the quarterback has to make post-snap decisions down the field with that deep choice system. They’ve got a lot of these big games at home, and historically, they’ve won a lot of their big games at home. Three of their four toughest games are at home, as they host Texas, Alabama and LSU. This is a team that might make some noise in the SEC. It doesn’t matter what Iowa brings back. It doesn’t matter if the Hawkeyes don’t have a quarterback. They still have head coach Kirk Ferentz and defensive coordinator Sean Parker. It’s not a quarterback-centric program. They’re going to continue to do the same things: play fundamentally sound football, be physical, stop the run and run the ball well. Iowa does have to replace some of the guys who helped it win the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best offensive line a year ago. A lot of this season will come down to whether Iowa can develop its offensive line quickly enough. If it does, then Iowa will have something here — and I trust the infrastructure. I don’t feel great about this ranking, to be honest with you. But Willie Fritz won 10 games in his second season as Houston’s head coach, and it has its quarterback back, Conner Weigman, after a good first year with the program. There were some good transfer portal adds for Houston on the offensive side of the ball, too. The one thing that I’m worried about is Houston’s record in close games last year. It went 6-1 in one-score games in 2025, and teams typically regress to the mean after such a year. Maybe with an experienced quarterback, though, Houston will be able to turn those one-score victories in multiple-score wins? It was a messy start to the offseason, but maybe all is well in Washington? Demond Williams is back at quarterback — remember the whole dilemma with him this offseason? That’s my biggest question with the Huskies, honestly. Williams is a heck of a player, averaging 332 total yards in the Huskies’ nine wins last year. Head coach Jedd Fisch’s teams get better every single year, going 9-4 in Year 2. They had a solid recruiting class, but the Huskies still have to replace running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston. Dezmen Roebuck could help potentially fill in the void left by Boston following his strong freshman year. I like Louisville and head coach Jeff Brohm a lot. The Cardinals have won nine games in three straight seasons. We’ll see how Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz does at quarterback, but he’s got a strong running back returning in Isaac Brown, who is an absolute star. The Cardinals also have a top-15 portal class to help fill in some gaps to compete in a conference that I don’t think is overly difficult. Louisville has a game early in the season against SMU that I think is pivotal in the ACC title race. Miami’s the best team in the ACC, but that game might determine who the Hurricanes could face in the conference title game. That Louisville-SMU game in Week 3 is why I have these two teams ranked back-to-back. SMU has been really successful under Rhett Lashlee, and the Mustangs have a really experienced quarterback in Kevin Jennings. If he doesn’t turn the ball over, he’s a really dynamic quarterback. Jennings has helped SMU reach the playoff in his career and led the Mustangs to an upset over Miami last season. I toyed around with placing Penn State higher in my rankings because it hit the schedule lottery. But the turnover in Happy Valley this offseason was really impressive. Matt Campbell is a hell of a football coach, and he brought, well, everybody with him at Iowa State over to Penn State. The most important person Campbell brought over was Rocco Becht, the most experienced quarterback in college football. He’s made 39 career starts, and he’ll continue to work with Taylor Mouser, who was the offensive coordinator at Iowa State. Becht will also be handing the ball off to running back Carson Hansen, who was second-team All-Big 12 a year ago. Penn State also made a great defensive coordinator hire in D’Anton Lynn, and it won the schedule lottery. It has a tough game at Michigan and it hosts USC, but it avoids Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon. This could be a big year for Penn State. This is the start of the next tier in my top 25. Honestly, you could rank these next six teams in any order. I love Ole Miss’ backfield. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is fantastic. His leadership was really tremendous during the College Football Playoff, when Lane Kiffin bailed on them. The Rebels also brought in the No. 2 transfer portal class, so there’ll be some talent around Chambliss. Still, Kiffin was a force of nature, especially on the offensive side during his Ole Miss tenure. Can the Rebels replicate that? Pete Golding did a wonderful job as their head coach during the CFP, but they’ve got a tough schedule ahead of them this year. They’ve got to open the season against Louisville. They host LSU in Week 3. They face Florida, Oklahoma and Texas on the road, while they host Georgia later in the year. So, with replacing Kiffin and the tough schedule, Ole Miss is at the bottom of this tier. Bama fans, you know what to do. You think I hate Alabama, but I don’t. This is viewing this team through regular lenses and not Crimson lenses. I don’t love the trajectory of this program right now, even though they made the playoff a year ago. They got blown out by Georgia and Indiana. Indiana, particularly, put a physical beatdown on Alabama in that Rose Bowl. Here’s what I’m concerned about for Bama: It’s going to have a brand new quarterback and I don’t know where the run game is to help whoever the starting quarterback will be. That was the issue for Alabama last season, as it couldn’t support an elite quarterback in Ty Simpson with a run game. What do I like about Alabama? I love their roster. Kalen DeBoer has recruited really well at Alabama. I love the defense, and the secondary should be one of the best in the country. But Alabama also lost a bunch of defensive linemen in the portal, raising my concerns about the Tide’s play along the line of scrimmage. The offensive line is also a huge question mark. Keeping head coach Kalani Sitake was a huge win for BYU after it proved it could handle just about everyone in the Big 12, outside of Texas Tech. The Cougars are also returning their quarterback, Bear Bachmaier, and running back LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. That’s big for a BYU program that’s looking to level up. BYU did lose defensive coordinator Jay Hill to Michigan, but it should still be good on that side of the ball. I’m a big fan of Sitake and this BYU team. Mike Elko has done a great job as Texas A&M’s head coach, and I’m optimistic about the Aggies because of him. I think quarterback Marcel Reed can improve. Reed’s next step is being more consistent and not turning the ball over against top competition. We saw him go through some lulls and play great in the same game at times, but the last we saw of Reed was in the CFP loss to Miami. I think he can improve, and he’ll have wide receiver Mario Craver back, which is good. The one thing Texas A&M’s defense will have to get better at is stopping the run. What were the Aggies defensively against the run when you take away their sack yardage? 127th. Can Texas A&M get a road win at either LSU or Alabama? If it does, there’s a good chance the Aggies enter November at 7-1. This is Lincoln Riley’s best team at USC. The Trojans are a real team at the line of scrimmage. This is no longer smoke and mirrors and wondering if Caleb Williams can carry the team back when he was their quarterback. I’m not concerned about who the quarterback will be in Riley’s offense, as they almost always prove to be a Heisman contender. Jayden Maiava is back behind center, and he’ll have two impressive running backs alongside him (Waymond Jordan, King Miller). The defensive line at USC looks legit. It had the No. 1 recruiting class in the country as well, which could be great for USC’s depth. So, why isn’t USC in the top 10? Its schedule is brutal. It comes down to this: If you think USC has to go 10-2, then it likely has to split the games at home against Ohio State and Oregon. If not, then you have to think that this could be the first 9-3 team to make the CFP if it’s able to win at Penn State or Washington. Eventually, a 9-3 team is going to get into the playoff. Will it be USC? It could be. Yes, I know Texas Tech lost quarterback Brendan Sorsby after his gambling saga. But this is still a very talented Red Raiders’ roster and Texas Tech is clearly the best team in the Big 12. Quarterback Will Hammond is good and got some experience last season, too. He’s returning from an ACL injury, but from what I’ve heard, Hammond’s expected to be ready to play early in the season. Can Texas Tech replace Romello Height and David Bailey along the edge and Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker? The Red Raiders got some really good players because of their willingness to spend. You might not have heard of them, but linebacker Austin Romaine had over 160 tackles at Kansas State the last two years. They got a pair of edge rushers that you might not have heard of (Trey White, San Diego State; Adam Trick, Miami of Ohio) who had a combined 15 sacks last season. The schedule sets up for them to go either 11-1 or 12-0. Will they be able to level up against the elite teams? That’s the big question for them. I probably have Michigan ranked higher than most, and I think the Wolverines are the second-biggest wild card in college football this season. But for a long time I said “death, taxes and Utah football.” Well, I should really say: “death, taxes and Kyle Whittingham.” I believe in Whittingham’s structure and fundamental traits to make Michigan a great football team. Whittingham’s blueprint for success also matches the blueprint Michigan used to win the national title in 2023. Whittingham also brought talented coaches with him, including former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck and Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding. Michigan was a young team last year, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The Wolverines had six freshmen playing for them on offense in big moments late in the year, including quarterback Bryce Underwood. Can Underwood develop? He has to improve his total touchdown-to-interception ratio (17-11). But Beck has a track record of getting the most out of athletic quarterbacks, helping Devon Dampier become one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the nation. John Mateer is healthy, and when Mateer is healthy, he’s one of the better players in the country. The problem with Oklahoma last year was that it couldn’t run the football, and when you can’t run the football, you can’t protect your quarterback. Mateer can’t do everything, as he physically broke down after carrying Oklahoma’s offense in the opening weeks of the season. This is a team that plays great defense under Brent Venables. That was one of the best defenses in college football, but the offense was woefully short of that standard due to the Sooners’ inability to run the football. If I’m an OU fan, I’m wondering if we can finally marry an elite defensive unit with an offense that can be at least OK. This is the biggest wild card in the country. LSU could climb into the top three. It could also fall out of the top 25. I think the Lane Kiffin experience will work, but who knows? LSU brought in the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, but it also had the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country last year and it couldn’t play its way offensively out of a wet paper bag. Kiffin should fix the offense, though. He averages over 500 yards of offense just falling out of bed. That’s what he does. He brought in Sam Leavitt, a heck of a quarterback out of Arizona State. Kiffin also had a history of rebuilding through the portal at Ole Miss, and it worked out for him there. Who knows what Kiffin is going to say or do; he’s an absolute loose cannon. He left a playoff team before the playoff. But if LSU fixes the offense, the Tigers should be good. Those matchups against Clemson, Ole Miss and Texas A&M early in the year could determine how Year 1 goes for Kiffin, though. You could honestly talk me into any order between No. 2 and No. 7. We are splitting hairs here, so I don’t want to hear it. Texas has things it needs to fix, and we can’t assume that everything will be fixed until we see it. The biggest area the Longhorns needed to fix was the offensive line and running the football. Going back to his time at Washington, Steve Sarkisian’s best teams are effective at running the football. Texas went into those areas, spent and upgraded in the transfer portal. It got players like Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, along with running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. Arch Manning had a tough start to the year last year. However, if you think he’s bad and is Texas’ problem, you don’t know ball. Manning was a top-three quarterback in the back half of last year, and the people around him were falling short of expectations. The entire question for me about Texas is not about Manning, and if your question is about Manning, you don’t know what you’re looking at. Georgia’s still the class of the SEC. The roster is great. Kirby Smart is a great coach. You can’t kill Georgia, either, because quarterback Gunnar Stockton is a gamer who is tough as nails and absolutely tough as nails. He’s an elite fourth-quarter quarterback. If Stockton had some better options to throw to in the passing game, maybe the Bulldogs would have made their way into the top five. The defense should be elite again. But here’s the problem: Georgia hasn’t played at the same level as the teams in the top five. Can Georgia score at the level that some of the top teams in the nation can? I’m not sure. Candidly, this might be too low. Curt Cignetti was the best head coach in the country last year, and he kept his coordinators. I know the Hoosiers lost a lot and don’t have Fernando Mendoza. However, Josh Hoover is the best of the three quarterbacks Cignetti has had at Indiana based on what they were at their previous school. Hoover is probably going to work. He’s going to have two best friends he can rely on: a running game and a defense, as Cignetti put it. And while Hoover has struggled with interceptions, I trust that Cignetti can coach his quarterbacks. Indiana’s QBs had the lowest interception percentage in the country during the first two years under Cignetti and OC Mike Shanahan. This should be a run-first team with a great offensive line and talent at wide receiver after landing Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh. I’m going to trust Cignetti. The schedule’s a bit tougher than it has been during Cignetti’s time there, but Indiana is an elite program. Last year was a breakthrough for Miami, getting all the way to the national championship game. Mario Cristobal has recruited at a high level and built great offensive and defensive lines. The Canes will have to replace a good bit of talent in the trenches from this past season. But remember when Alabama and Georgia got the benefit of the doubt when they lost five-star players, particularly in the trenches? Cristobal and Miami have earned that benefit of the doubt as they have five former five-star players on the defensive line. Former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher are a talented group to complement that. Miami still has to clean up some of the blunders it had in close losses last year, but it’s heading in the right direction. This team is coming into this season about the opposite of what it was a year ago. Ohio State will have one of the best offenses in the country, with quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (the best player in college football) and several other starters on that unit returning. So, the question is if the Buckeyes can replace the defensive stars that were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. They have to replace eight starters on that side of the ball as they were the No. 1 defense in the nation. But as I mentioned with Miami, don’t we have to give Ohio State the benefit of the doubt that it can replace those stars? Ryan Day has done it plenty of times before during his tenure as Ohio State’s head coach, recruiting at a high level consistently. This is an elite program that will be ranked in the top four for the foreseeable future. I love Notre Dame, and this team is angry. Notre Dame has 15 returning starters, and I love that. That’s the MO for success in college football these days. Marcus Freeman has elevated this program during his time as head coach. He’s recruited at an elite level, and this team is fantastic everywhere — except for maybe running back, where the Fighting Irish lost two first-round picks. They bring back quarterback CJ Carr and cornerback Leonard Moore, who were in the top three of my top 10 players in college football list last week. Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse is back after missing a bunch of games last season and their offensive line could be the best in the nation. So, whoever replaces Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price will do so behind a monstrous front. That defense is going to be absolutely sick. Oregon is the clear frontrunner, and I don’t know why there isn’t more of a consensus that the Ducks aren’t the No. 1 team in the nation. Every team in the country has a question on their roster, except for Oregon. The only question is if Oregon can eventually get over the hump. But let’s be real, this team has only lost three games over the last two years — all to that season’s eventual national champion. We don’t think the Ducks aren’t right there? You’ve got an experienced and elite quarterback with great talent around Dante Moore. Running backs? They’re back. Offensive line? Strong. Wideouts? Great. Tight end? Probably the best in the country. Defense? Elite, with probably the best defensive line in the country. Several players along the defensive line should be in the NFL. Dan Lanning has built a roster that’s the best roster in college football. There’s no starting 22 that rivals Oregon’s. The only question we have about Oregon is whether it performs in the biggest games at the end. I think Oregon will get better from last year’s CFP loss to Indiana. Dan, I know you asked me not to do this, but your team is the best in the nation. Honorable mentions: UCLA, Utah, Missouri, Clemson, Cal, Boise State​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

One week after the MLB Trade Deadline, one key contender will show off its new-look lineup on national TV. The National League is still chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Milwaukee Brewers will begin the week with the best record in baseball, but Los Angeles won the deadline by adding two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline. The Philadelphia Phillies, who are in action on FS1 against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, did their part to try to keep up. Philly has rearranged its lineup and defensive alignment to accommodate second baseman Luis Arraez, who has slotted in as the Phillies’ cleanup hitter so far. Will it make a difference, though? Our MLB writers break down some of the biggest questions in the NL, as well as those surrounding the teams facing off in St. Louis on Monday night. 1. What’s your biggest takeaway one week after the Trade Deadline? Deesha Thosar: Even all these days later, with Tarik Skubal’s first start as a Dodger done and dusted, it remains incredible that the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner was traded to the reigning back-to-back champions. FanGraphs increased Los Angeles’ chance of winning the World Series by 6% after the deal was completed. It was an unprecedented move that changed the landscape leading up to the stretch run – as well as the ongoing labor battle between the league and the players’ union. Amid all the fury and objection to the Dodgers firing up the Death Star, they’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. Los Angeles finally won on Sunday, snapping a seven-game losing streak. Edwin Diaz looks lost. The pitching is actually a problem. The offense has been sliding over the last month. And yet, we still expect them to win the NL pennant, right? It’s just that now, the Skubal trade looks more like a necessity than it did a week ago. Rowan Kavner: Good for Boston for pushing the chips in, despite the risk involved. It’s certainly possible (and perhaps even likely, given the prospects that switched hands) that we look back at the trade that saw catcher Adley Rutschman go from Baltimore to Boston a few years from now and wonder how in the world Baltimore managed to get that kind of return. But if Rutschman ends up being the difference in the Red Sox winning a World Series championship this year, isn’t that worth it? There’s something to be said about a front office demonstrating to its players how much it believes in a team at the deadline. The trade for Rutschman — who just started his rehab assignment by reaching base three times on Saturday — is evidence of that and should help the Red Sox continue building on their momentum. 2. What team is best-equipped to beat the Dodgers? Thosar: In the NL, I’ll go with the Phillies. If we’re talking about the World Series matchup, I’ll go with the Yankees. My reasoning for both of these picks comes down to pitching. Philly has Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and Jesus Luzardo as a formidable top three in its starting rotation. New York already has Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler and Max Fried going strong, and Carlos Rodon is working his way back to the rotation. These are October-ready staffs that other contenders, including the Dodgers, who don’t know when Shohei Ohtani will pitch again, should be envious of, and they’re all arms that can beat anybody. Kavner: The Phillies (despite how they’re playing lately) and Cubs (who just swept the Dodgers in Chicago) stand out most to me as the biggest threat to the Dodgers’ three-peat, if either can get the Dodgers in a short series when the depth of L.A.’s rotation won’t be as big of a factor and more randomness can come into play. If I had to choose one, I guess I’d lean toward Philadelphia based on what we saw last October. That NLDS was a lot closer than the Dodgers’ 3-1 series victory might have indicated. Having starting pitchers Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo available in a short series gives them a chance against anybody, and the addition of Luis Arraez adds an important element to an offense that has struggled to reach base consistently. The problem, of course, is that the Phillies would likely have to get through a wild-card round, meaning they wouldn’t be able to set their rotation up in an ideal fashion, and the drop-off is steep after their top three arms. But if the Phillies could steal a game in which Sánchez, Wheeler or Luzardo aren’t pitching, they’d at least give themselves a chance at an upset. But they have to get into the playoffs first. I think the Cubs — with an MVP contender in center fielder PeteCrow-Armstrong plus lineup depth behind him, excellent defense and now pitching reinforcements at the deadline — will have a better shot at knocking off the Dodgers than the Brewers. As we saw in last year’s NLCS, Milwaukee lacked the star power to contend on the biggest stage against L.A. And even with Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski reaching an entirely different level this year, I don’t see that changing for a team that ranks last in MLB in home runs despite its continued regular season dominance. 3. The Phillies went out of their way to accommodate Luis Arraez at the trade deadline. Did they do enough to establish themselves as a legitimate threat to Los Angeles? Thosar: The Phillies are definitely a threat to the Dodgers on paper now, but they have to actually show it. I like the impact Arraez already has had on the Phillies clubhouse. He’s bringing a new competitive energy that seemed to be missing from a run-it-back Phillies roster that looked stale at times. But the defensive re-alignments are concerning in a short playoff series, where we’ve seen the Dodgers use it to their advantage. Los Angeles exploited the Yankees’ issues with poor fundamentals in the 2024 Fall Classic, and there’s reason to believe the Dodgers will again wait for a team with brutal defensive metrics, like the Phillies, to step on their own feet. Kavner: If they get into October, they will be among the Dodgers’ biggest threats. Obviously, they have to play better baseball down the stretch for that to happen. They entered Sunday in one of the final wild-card spots, just a game ahead of the Padres, with an offense that ranks 28th in OBP and 23rd in OPS, plus a bullpen that ranks 24th in ERA. Their deadline additions should help in both facets. Arraez is already providing the offensive boost that made him such an attractive piece that the Phillies were willing to rearrange their entire defense to accommodate his addition. And yet, their play lately has been … rather inauspicious. The depth of their lineup is still suspect even after the Arraez trade; they didn’t add a depth starter; and deadline bullpen additions Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian, who is already hurt, have gotten off to shaky starts. Still, I think the acquisitions will be beneficial moves. Kyle Schwarber’s August power outage hasn’t helped matters, but Sunday was a step in the right direction. 4. Are the Cardinals close to competing in the NL Central as early as 2027? Thosar: Realistically, it looks more like 2027 will be a bridge year for the Cardinals, with their true contention window lining up for 2028. We could see St. Louis become highly competitive by late 2027, particularly if they give their younger prospects some runway down the stretch. The rest of the NL Central is just too far ahead of the Cardinals this year and next to suggest they can truly capture the division title. That gap can always be closed by health, which plays a huge factor in any division race, and impending offseason moves. But I don’t see the Cardinals getting truly aggressive until 2028. Kavner: Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has done a terrific job rebuilding the farm system, but the Brewers aren’t going anywhere. And while the Cubs have a ton of impending free agents, their nucleus of Crow-Armstrong, shortstop Dansby Swanson, third baseman Alex Bregman, second baseman Nico Hoerner and first baseman Michael Busch remains strong. So, I’m not counting on the Cardinals to contend for the NL Central next year unless they make some significant pitching additions in free agency. But they could absolutely be a wild-card team next season, and they’re making the right strides toward contending in the near future. We’ll have to see how some of the arms on the farm continue to develop.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Ty Gibbs celebrated his victory at Iowa Speedway in a unique way. He helped start the digging up of the track’s surface as it prepares to undergo a repave. Gibbs and some others might wish they wouldn’t repave the track. And that’s because Gibbs showed that, if a driver could get a handle on the seventh-eighth-mile oval, it’s possible to pass. For Gibbs, a bad pit stop sent him to near the rear of the field early in the race. But he was still able to work his way to the front and hold off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell. Here are my takeaways after Gibbs earned his second career victory: 1. Two Times The Charm The first career victory for Gibbs at Bristol earlier this year will be hard to top. But the second victory is important and Gibbs finally backed up that win from early in the year with the Iowa triumph. It took Gibbs 131 races to earn his first Cup victory. This one came just 15 races later. “It just took us a little bit to figure out what I needed and what I needed in the team, and now we got it,” Gibbs said in his post-race news conference. 2. The Bell Tolls Second Christopher Bell finished second. Tell me where you’ve heard that before. Bell now has seven second-place finishes this year, including four of the last five races. And all that without a win. And this one was frustrating, even though he moved from 10th to sixth in the standings. “This is what you call a bad second-place finish for sure,” Bell said in his USA Sports interview after the race. “I don’t know what else to say. “Ty did a really good job. He did a great job managing the race. I could tell that he was slipping and sliding around. … He just didn’t make a mistake.” 3. Reddick, Hendrick Woes Continue Tyler Reddick crashed on the fourth lap of the race and suffered his fourth finish of 30th or worse in the last six races. He took out Erik Jones, who is on the bubble to make The Chase, along the way. “For us to take ourselves out is one thing, but to take out a fellow Toyota teammate when they are racing for The Chase pretty much ended their day as well. It is the type of stuff you don’t do to yourself, and you don’t do to a teammate,” Reddick said outside the medical center. Reddick isn’t the only driver with recent woes. Chase Elliott wrecked in practice and had to overcome a bad pit stop to finish 15th for his ninth consecutive finish outside the top 10. His teammate Kyle Larson was 33rd after a wreck that also damaged Alex Bowman (34th). Larson has finished 30th or worse in four of the last five races. 4. Josh Berry Surging Josh Berry, who already knows he is out of a ride at Wood Brothers Racing after this year (Jesse Love will replace him), finished fourth at Iowa. That was following his seventh-place finish at Indianapolis. Those were the type of finishes Berry — who is 30th in the standings — had been hoping for all along. “We’ve just got to keep pushing,” Berry said in his USA Sports interview after the race. “I think we’ve got a lot of good tracks coming up.” 4 ½. What’s Next: Richmond The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond, a relatively flat 0.75-mile oval, for a Saturday night race. It is the only visit to Richmond for the series this year. Austin Dillon has won the previous two races at Richmond. He captured the victory in 2024 but with controversy after having contact with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final turns. He won in 2025 with no drama.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Portland International Raceway (Portland, Ore.) — Alex Palou knew the race on Sunday was pivotal in his quest for a fourth consecutive INDYCAR title and fifth overall. He certainly wouldn’t lose the title at Portland, but he for sure could squash the hopes of many. The Chip Ganassi driver did just that. Palou led 60 of the final 80 laps. The 20 he didn’t lead were the result of various pit strategies — to increase his points lead from 83 points over David Malukas to 110 over Kyle Kirkwood (fifth) and 118 over Malukas (12th). Five races remain in the 2026 season. “It would take an immense amount of misfortune by them to not close out the championship and actually fight for it at the end and that’s just to fight for it,” Kirkwood told me after the race. “They’re doing everything right. … They’re doing a hell of a job, but they’re making our lives hell. “We’re just going to keep doing what we can do.” Here are my takeaways: 1. Palou Punishing Opponents With two new tracks in the next two weeks at Markham (Ontario, Canada) and Washington, D.C., Palou knew the race Sunday was pivotal. A win is worth 10 more points than a second-place finish. So Palou leaves Portland feeling really good. “I’m more comfortable than when we came here,” Palou said in his post-race news conference. “This was one of those weekends where we wanted to do good. “We want to do good every single weekend. But we don’t know what’s going to happen at Markham. New track for everyone, new track for me. We don’t know what’s going to happen at D.C. There’s still a lot of points to play. It was important to maximize.” 2. Kirkwood Happy With Fifth Kirkwood might have lost much sight of Palou in the championship battle. But overall, the Andretti Global driver was happy with fifth — considering he had finished 20th a year ago at Portland. “I’m going to take that,” Kirkwood told me. “I’m not happy to see Palou win. I don’t think anybody is except for himself and his crew. … But I’m happy with fifth. “We finished 20th here and that was on merit with no issues. Today, we had issues. We had a tire going down, we had to pit earlier than what we wanted to. We had a couple of little hiccups in pit lane and we still salvaged a fifth.” 3. Power’s Pit-Road Miscue Will Power didn’t hear his team call him to pit, so he pitted a lap later than the team wanted for his final pit stop. On that last lap before pitting, he lost a little bit of time trying to pass the lapped car of Sting Ray Robb. “I just didn’t hear [the team instructions] clear enough,” Power said in his post-race news conference. “Normally the strategists will repeat it multiple times. I never heard it again. “Heard in [Turn] 10. I was waiting, waiting [to hear again]. Was that a call or not? I think I missed a pit call there. … [And then] I absolutely got held up massively.” Both Power and second-place Felix Rosenqvist bemoaned the way the lapped cars race, although they indicated it wasn’t what allowed Palou to win. 4. VeeKay Finishes Fourth Again Rinus VeeKay finished fourth for the third time in the last five races. He made the Fast Six in qualifying, just as he did at Mid-Ohio, the most recent road-course race before Portland. The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver is showing that the speed in qualifying is translating into the race. “INDYCAR has become a track-position series, especially with the hybrid” VeeKay told me and other reporters after the race. “It was especially tough with Kyle Kirkwood on [soft tires] there at the start of the race, really breathing down my neck. “I had really good pace, but it wasn’t enough to move much further forward.” 4 ½. What’s Next: Markham With recent years of building construction in the area by the Toronto Exposition Center for the World Cup, INDYCAR ended up moving its Toronto race to the suburb of Markham. The new home for INDYCAR in Ontario is a 2.19-mile, 12-turn street course. The track should be nice compared to other street courses as the city has repaved the streets of the circuit.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There wasn’t any game action in the NFL this weekend, but plenty of noteworthy news broke throughout the league. In the NFC East, one star offensive tackle made a big announcement about his future, while the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels received injury news that they didn’t want to hear. Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills went public with their new alternate uniforms and their new home stadium during Saturday’s practice. That’s just a taste of what happened over the weekend. As we’re now less than one month away from the start of the regular season, here are things you should know that went down in the NFL this weekend. Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson indicated the 2026 NFL season will likely be his final year in the league over the weekend. “As you get older, things change in your life. Your children get older. Your parents get older. Just to put this thing into perspective, it’s looking like this is probably potentially going to be my last year,” Philadelphia Eagles star right tackle Lane Johnson said about his NFL future at a press conference on Saturday. “Just because I am getting to that point of those priorities away from football are starting to merge. Not that I don’t enjoy this [football]. I love everything about this game and preparing for it, but that’s kind of where I’m at in my career. Johnson is entering his 14th season, all spent with Philadelphia since being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. Throughout his career, Johnson has earned two All-Pro selections and six Pro Bowl honors while starting at right tackle during the team’s Super Bowl championship runs in 2017 and 2024. His 2025 season was cut short after 10 games due to a foot injury, but he did not allow a sack or a quarterback hit in those appearances. Washington Commanders left tackle Laremy Tunsil reportedly suffered a torn triceps during pass-rush drills in practice on Saturday. The 32-year-old tackle is expected to undergo surgery and miss a significant portion of the 2026 regular season, marking his second major health setback since joining Washington. Tunsil arrived in Washington prior to the 2025 season via a trade that sent a fourth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans, where he had previously earned five Pro Bowl selections. Before the start of last season, Tunsil signed a two-year extension with Washington. He is set to earn $34.35 million in 2026, which includes a $32.5 million signing bonus alongside a $1.495 million base salary, pushing his career earnings past $142.2 million. Washington is looking to bounce back from a dismal outing in 2025. The Commanders open the season against the Eagles, which is “America’s Game of the Week” on FOX for Week 1. The Buffalo Bills hosted fans at the new Highmark Stadium on Saturday for their annual Blue & Red practice, marking the first time players took the field at the newest NFL stadium. Quarterback Josh Allen made his entrance wearing Buffalo’s new Nickel City alternate uniform, featuring an all-gray jersey and pants combination paired with a royal blue helmet. The helmet features the first blue shell in franchise history and a red streak from the team’s logo. For Saturday’s practice, quarterbacks, punters, and kickers wore the full Nickel City alternate, while the rest of the offense wore blue practice jerseys and the defense wore white. Although the Nickel City alternate design faced some public criticism, Allen defended the new uniforms during a July 29 interaction with reporters. “I enjoy them. I think it’s very symbolic of what we want to do and what we want to be,” Allen said. “I understand people want the old jerseys and the old helmets and all that. “But at some point, too, we are moving forward. We have to move forward and do something new — and that’s what we’re doing.” And for Highmark Stadium, reporters at Saturday’s practice shared some visuals of how the inside of the stadium looks. Detroit Lions backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has decided to step away from professional football, informing the team of his retirement Sunday. Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the news, marking the second time the 33-year-old quarterback has retired from the NFL. “I’ve known Teddy a long time and the human being is unbelievable. Certainly, the player, everything that he’s about. The type of teammate he is, the way he prepares … always played the game up here and had a huge heart,” head coach Dan Campbell told reporters. “He’s gonna be missed.” Bridgewater previously retired following the 2023 season before taking over as head coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, where he guided the team to a state championship. He subsequently unretired late in the 2024 season to rejoin Detroit, then spent the 2025 campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Baker Mayfield’s backup. Bridgewater re-signed with the Lions in March. In response to Bridgewater being placed on the reserve/retired list, the Lions agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs on a one-year contract to serve as the primary backup behind starter Jared Goff, NFL Network reported. Dobbs backed up Drake Maye with the New England Patriots last season, but saw very little action. He’s 3-12 all-time in 15 career starts.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the five-person class of this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame of Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Roger Craig, Adam Vinatieri and Luke Kuechly in the rearview, we can turn our attention to next year’s class. Of course, that will likely mean another discussion about the résumés of two controversial snubs who were not inducted as part of Saturday’s ceremony: former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The news of their snubs (specifically Belichick’s) outweighed the news of those who were included as part of the Class of 2026, making them central figures among the candidates for the Class of 2027. Along with those two, first-time eligible candidates who make sense as possible first-ballot selections include tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Adrian Peterson, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and cornerback Richard Sherman. Offensive tackle Willie Anderson, guard Marshal Yanda and edge rusher Terrell Suggs were among the final seven modern-era candidates this past year, which means they automatically advance to the final 15 for the upcoming process. It’s the second year in a row Anderson has been an automatic finalist. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, players must be retired for at least five years, while the wait for coaches is one year. There are at least four inductees in each class, but no more than eight will be enshrined from the 20 finalists selected (15 modern-era finalists and a maximum of five candidates from seniors, coach and contributors categories). The 15 modern-era finalists are cut from 10 to seven. Voters are then asked to vote for five of those candidates, with candidates needing to receive at least 80% of the vote to be inducted. If only two or fewer candidates receive 80% of the vote, then the top three vote-getters move on. The new voting structure has led to a splintering of the vote from the selection committee, making it harder for players to get into the Hall, which ultimately led to Belichick not getting in the past voting cycle. As a member of the 50-person Hall of Fame selection committee, I’ve had the honor of voting on these candidates annually. It’s always a grueling process featuring long, challenging debates that lead to deserving candidates ultimately donning gold jackets. Here’s a first look at some of the candidates for the upcoming class, and what I think of their chances to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027. GOOD SHOT Belichick won an unprecedented six Super Bowls as a head coach and two more as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. He coached the greatest player in league history in Tom Brady. The Patriots won 17 AFC East titles, made 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game and went to nine Super Bowls. I voted for Belichick and Kraft last year and will vote for them again if they are on the ballot. Brady’s security blanket is another no-brainer. Gronkowski is a four-time Super Bowl champion who earned five invitations to the Pro Bowl and was on the All-Decade team for the 2010s. He’s also a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. A freak of nature, Peterson was an unstoppable force as a runner for 15 seasons in the league. His 14,918 rushing yards are fifth in NFL history. He rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single season, won league MVP and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Peterson is a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team. The only major thing he did not accomplish was a Super Bowl win, giving him strong odds to be enshrined in Canton. Roethlisberger was the most accomplished of the storied 2004 quarterback draft class that included Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls, and at 23 years old, was the youngest quarterback to win the big game. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, led the league in passing twice and earned six trips to the Pro Bowl. A six-time finalist, momentum continues to build for one of the best right tackles in league history. Anderson has finished in the top seven twice, a signal that voters are bullish on his candidacy. PUNCHER’S CHANCE A seven-time finalist, Holt fell out of the top 10 during the last voting cycle after making it to the top seven the year before, which is not a good sign for his candidacy. Holt is part of a logjam at receiver and deserves serious consideration. One of the cornerstones of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” Holt finished with 920 career receptions for 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons. Another one of the seven finalists from the last voting cycle, Suggs is a two-time finalist. He’s eighth all-time in sacks with 139, and all seven players above Suggs on the list are in the Hall of Fame. Like Suggs, Yanda was one of seven finalists in this past voting cycle. Considered one of the best guards to play the game, Yanda was an eight-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion for the Baltimore Ravens. Yanda’s also a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team. A charismatic trash talker and one of the leaders of the Seattle Seahawks’ fabled Legion of Boom, Sherman played in back-to-back Super Bowls, winning it all after the 2013 season. A five-time Pro Bowler, Sherman is a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team. He finished with 37 interceptions in 11 NFL seasons, including stints with the Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One of the most complete tight ends in NFL history, only Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez had more catches among players at the position than Witten, whose 1,228 receptions rank fourth all-time. Witten’s 13,046 receiving yards are 20th in league history and second among tight ends, only trailing Gonzalez there as well. Witten is an 11-time Pro Bowler and won the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2012. UPHILL CLIMB A two-time finalist, Manning has yet to crack the top 10 in his two voting cycles of eligibility. His postseason accolades are impressive, including two Super Bowl wins over Brady and the Patriots in which he was named MVP of both games. But also on his ledger is a 117-117 record as a starter, including a 9-26 mark in his final three seasons. Manning’s career 84.1 passer rating is 60th in NFL history. A finalist for the first time last voting cycle who cracked the final 10, Williams is a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team, a five-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler. Williams is a member of the Vikings Ring of Honor. One of the leaders of the Dallas defense during his time with the team, Woodson is a three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowler. A four-time finalist, Woodson is a member of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor, and the player in Cowboys history to have been in the starting lineup for five different head coaches. Wayne is one of only nine players in league history with at least 1,000 receptions, 14,000 yards and 80 touchdowns. A seven-time finalist, Wayne has been unable to separate himself from the logjam of talented receivers that remain a part of the voting process during his candidacy. Gore entered the league with significant knee issues but played an impressive 16 seasons for five teams, finishing as the third-leading in league history with 16,000 rushing yards. A member of the 2010 All-Decade Team, Gore was a five-time Pro Bowler who rushed for over 1,000 yards nine times and led San Francisco to the Super Bowl after the 2012 season. Another talented lineman who was a finalist for the second time in his third year of eligibility. A six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, Evans served as an anchor up front for one of the most dominant offenses of his era, led by Drew Brees. Known for his “Superman” celebration after scoring a touchdown, Newton took home league MVP honors after leading the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 campaign and Super Bowl appearance after the 2015 season. A three-time Pro Bowler, Newton also won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. A dynamic emotional leader for the Chargers alongside Hall of Famer Junior Seau, Harrison is a two-time finalist whose resume deserves a closer look. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Harrison played 15 seasons with the Bolts and Patriots and is in both teams’ Hall of Fame. He totaled 34 interceptions and 30 sacks, making him one of two players to record over 30 picks and 30 sacks in their career. The other is Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. A Super Bowl champion and member of the 2010s All-Decade team, Brown was a seven-time Pro Bowler and dynamic playmaker during his time in the league. However, Brown is caught in the glut of WRs worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. Also, he finished his career by quitting on his teammates, stripping off his gear mid-game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And his short tenure with the Raiders was also marred by controversy. The emotional catalyst of Seattle’s drive to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, Lynch was dominant from 2011-14, totaling 5,357 rushing yards and scoring 56 touchdowns over that time. A member of the 2010 All-Decade Team, the five-time Pro Bowler’s 10,419 rushing yards rank just 29th all time, but in the postseason, he’s eighth all time with 970 rushing yards.Others to consider: Alex Mack, Earl Thomas, LeSean McCoy, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith Sr., Jimmy Smith, Eric Weddle, John Abraham, Robert Mathis, Hines Ward, Gerald McCoy, Andrew Whitworth.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports