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The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially signed seven undrafted free agents, per Burt Lauten.
The seven UDFAs signed are the following:
- Memphis WR Roc Taylor
- Minnesota-Duluth OG Aiden Williams
- South Alabama FB DJ Thomas-Jones
- Indiana WR Ke’Shawn Williams
- Iowa S Sebastian Castro
- Pitt K Ben Sauls
- South Dakota TE JJ Galbreath
Taylor, 22, spent four seasons at Memphis and made 26 starts. He earned First Team All-AAC honors in 2024 and Second Team All-AAC honors in 2023.
In his college career, Taylor appeared in 44 games and caught 163 passes for 2,375 yards and seven touchdowns.
More must-reads:
- Shaquille O'Neal makes peace with longtime enemy — mostly
- New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
- The '2024 NFL rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Russell Westbrook already made his biggest free-agency mistake
A first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he decides to hang it up, Russell Westbrook has long been revered as one of the NBA's premier point guards, both with his aggressive play and infectious energy. Despite the former MVP's impressive resume, though, he remains unsigned nearly two months after free agency opened on June 30. It's no secret that Westbrook is no longer an All-Star-caliber player, but it's certainly jarring to see his name alongside the summer's other leftovers. Over the last two seasons, Russ has willingly accepted a bench role and shown his ability to contribute even without being the offense's focal point. He finished top-10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting with both the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023-24 and the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25. The Nuggets may have been Westbrook's most seamless fit since the 36-year-old left the Oklahoma City Thunder, which brings us to the key mistake he made this offseason: He decided to bet on himself when his career was trending south. It's understandable why Westbrook decided to decline his player option with Denver. $3.5 million is pocket change relative to today's NBA salaries, so it's possible the nine-time All-Star expected to land a bigger payday on name brand alone. But that's no longer the case with Westbrook. The Nuggets, like several teams before them, took a chance on Westbrook, whose play has been nothing short of a wild card in recent years. Alongside Nikola Jokic, though, he found success operating off-ball by utilizing his natural explosiveness, a sensible calling card for one of basketball history's most athletic playmakers. It seemed like the perfect spot for Westbrook to finish out his career. Instead, he has continued to seek out a more lucrative deal with a team that is looking to give him more offensive freedom. While the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks are both reportedly interested in adding his services, neither team can offer both a higher salary and an expanded role. It also seems unlikely that Westbrook will find a more seamless fit for himself than what he had in Denver. Whether it's due to his erratic offensive tendencies or his relentless determination to involve himself in every action, it's easy to see why teams have to talk themselves into Westbrook at this point in his career. It appears that Russ will finally be picked up soon, but the damage has already been done. The two-time scoring champion already gave up his best chance at winning a title once he departed from Denver.
Three-time NASCAR champion to retire after 2025 season
A storied NASCAR career will come to an end after 2025. Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and 15-time race winner Matt Crafton will retire following the Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, concluding a NASCAR career that has spanned 25 years. Crafton, 49, has spent the entirety of his NASCAR Truck Series career — save for 2004 — with ThorSport Racing. His partnership with Menards has made his No. 88 truck iconic. Following Friday's eero 250 at Richmond Raceway, Crafton has made a total of 585 Truck Series starts and 592 across the top-three series of NASCAR competition. His last Truck Series victory came at Kansas in July 2020. Crafton failed to qualify for the 2025 Truck Series playoffs and will not compete for a fourth title in his final season. 2025 marks the second consecutive year that Crafton has missed the postseason and the second time he's missed it since NASCAR instituted the playoffs in the Truck Series in 2016. Through 18 races in 2025, Crafton is 16th in the Truck Series standings with three top-10 finishes. Defending Truck Series champion and ThorSport driver Ty Majeski will take over the No. 88 in 2026.
Tigers' age-defying Charlie Morton takes aim at Astros
The Detroit Tigers completed a deal for the second-oldest player in the majors just before the trade deadline. Thus far, Charlie Morton has given the rotation a boost. Morton, who will start the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon, has delivered two quality starts in three outings for his new team. On paper, Morton produced his best start of the season on Friday. The 41-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits against the Minnesota Twins. However, Morton had to deal with a rain delay and an extended first inning as his teammates staked him to a 5-0 lead. The Tigers won the game 7-0. "We were talking through the first three innings, like, we really weren't on the same page," catcher Dillon Dingler said. "He was trying to find a feel for his curveball but we were able to mix in the other pitches. He's got so many great pitches that move so much." Once Morton was able to control his celebrated curveball, Minnesota batters had no chance. "I need my breaking ball," Morton said. "So whatever we've got to do, whatever we've got to do to get it going. I know we had a lead, but you still have to get through some innings. My glove-side breaking ball, even when I hit guys or if I'm yanking a couple, it's not the end of the world. But (Friday) early, it was trying to get it going for strikes." He will face a Houston offense mired in a deep slump. The Astros were shut out four of the past five games. They haven't scored in 28 innings, including 10 empty frames on Tuesday as the Tigers pulled out a 1-0 win. Morton (8-10, 5.20 ERA) has a 4-6 record and 5.97 ERA in 12 career starts against the Astros. He was also a key member of the Astros during their 2017 championship run, including his four-inning relief stint for the win in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Framber Valdez (11-6, 3.01 ERA), Morton's mound opponent on Wednesday, cruised through the first four months of the season. It's been a different story in August, during which he is 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA in three starts. Valdez lasted 6 2/3 innings in his most recent outing against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The 31-year-old left-hander gave up four runs (three earned) and nine hits while recording six strikeouts and walking one. His pitching opponent that night, Brandon Young, had a perfect game going until there were two outs in the eighth. "I would say 100 percent it affected me," Valdez said. "I felt like I couldn't even sit down and I was already walking up to get out there. Sometimes that's just the game of baseball. Sometimes a pitcher is going to have a better game. Sometimes they're going to throw a perfect game. ... I felt like I couldn't get a drink of water in and I was already out there." Valdez is 2-2 with a 2.49 ERA in eight career outings against the Tigers, including seven starts.
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