6:28 PM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said he and general manager Trent Baalke took a player’s vaccination status into consideration during final roster cuts. Meyer said Tuesday that it was considered because of the more stringent COVID-19 protocols imposed on unvaccinated players who test positive or are identified as high-risk
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6:13 PM ET During a team meeting Tuesday, Dolphins coach Brian Flores addressed recent reports tying Miami to a potential trade for Deshaun Watson, telling his players and staff that Tua Tagovailoa is “our quarterback” in a brief but poignant message, sources told ESPN. Flores was not overly expansive in his comments, and he didn’t
4:02 PM ET MINNEAPOLIS — The New York Jets have traded veteran tight end Chris Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings. The exact trade compensation is not yet known. NFL Network was first to report the trade. Minnesota executed the trade one day after coach Mike Zimmer announced that Irv Smith Jr. will undergo surgery this
10:00 AM ET NFL NationESPN Teams in the NFL are required to cut their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Cuts come earlier this season as teams had three preseason games — not four — to accommodate the 17-game regular season schedule. The biggest names let go are New England Patriots
3:30 PM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick always said he would be looking for consistency and production over time when it came to evaluating the quarterback competition between Cam Newton and Mac Jones. Newton was released Monday and Jones, drafted No. 15 overall in the first round this year, was
1:47 PM ET Jameis Winston will definitely be the New Orleans Saints‘ Week 1 starter, Sean Payton confirmed Tuesday. Whether that game will be played in New Orleans or Arlington, Texas, remains to be determined. Payton said the Saints are leaning toward staying in the Dallas area for the next several weeks until they are
9:47 AM ET FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have settled on Cooper Rush as quarterback Dak Prescott‘s backup, at least for now. As the Cowboys get to the 53-player roster limit on Tuesday, they released Garrett Gilbert, who started three of their four preseason games, and Ben DiNucci, a seventh-round pick in 2020. Rush
11:09 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore will open the 2021 NFL season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, meaning he will miss at least the first six weeks of the season, Gilmore’s agent, Jason Chayut, confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday. Gilmore, 30, has been recovering from a torn
10:14 AM ET The New England Patriots are releasing veteran Cam Newton and rookie Mac Jones will be the starter after the two had battled for the quarterback job since training camp, ESPN has confirmed. Newton started Sunday and played two series, all with the starters. Jones, who was the No. 15 pick out of
10:19 PM ET The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are working on a contract restructure for star receiver Mike Evans, adding cap space for another potential championship run, sources told ESPN. This will be a simple conversion to lower Evans’ team-high $16.637 million cap hit. Tampa needs the help. The latest NFLPA salary cap report lists the
8:40 PM ET SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers linebackers coach Johnny Holland is stepping away from the team to battle cancer for the second time in the past three seasons. Holland, who was initially diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a cancer of plasma cells) in 2019, released a statement revealing that the cancer has
9:19 PM ET PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are ushering in a new era in the team’s kicking unit. While kicker Chris Boswell‘s job is safe, he’ll have a new supporting cast for the 2021 season. The Steelers released punter Jordan Berry and long snapper Kameron Canaday, league sources confirmed to ESPN. With their departures,
8:10 PM ET The NFL Players Association has accepted the NFL’s proposal to increase COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated players amid the ongoing Delta variant surge, one of several tweaks the sides made Monday to their joint protocols as the regular season approaches. Fully vaccinated players will now be tested once every seven days, up
8:00 PM ET SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance is expected to miss about a week with what coach Kyle Shanahan called a “small chip” in a finger on his right (throwing) hand. Speaking to Bay Area media Monday, Shanahan revealed that what Lance initially believed was a jammed finger
1:34 PM ET EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. will undergo surgery this week to repair a meniscus injury he suffered in Minnesota’s preseason finale at Kansas City, coach Mike Zimmer announced Monday. “We’ll see how that surgery goes, but [Vikings head team physician] Dr. [Christopher] Larsen is one of the
2:11 PM ET EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants traded defensive lineman B.J. Hill to the Cincinnati Bengals for offensive lineman Billy Price on Monday. Hill, a 2018 third-round pick out of NC State, did not play in Sunday night’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots with the trade in the works.
2:12 PM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. – John Harbaugh said Monday that it’s a legitimate question to ask why running back J.K. Dobbins played in the preseason finale, but he emphasized that the Baltimore Ravens are among the teams who play their starters the least. Dobbins suffered a season-ending injury in the opening drive of
2:38 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly and receiver Zach Pascal have been played on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Monday. The three players were placed on the COVID-19 list after coming in close contact with a Colts staff member who tested positive, a source told ESPN’s