Well, it wasn't the former Denver Broncos safety that we assumed the Philadelphia Eagles might be in the market for, but it's a good one. We learned through an official team report that Caden Sterns flies east to join Philly's nest.
His acquisition was announced ahead of the 11th practice of training camp. It's an intriguing signing, one we weren't expecting. Let's dig in with a few facts.
Born in 1999, Sterns celebrated his 24th birthday on November 2nd. He stands at six-foot-one. He tips the scales at 207 pounds. In three seasons, he appeared in 21 games with five starts. He racked up 49 total tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, and two sacks.
At the collegiate level, he played at Texas. He earned Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors and First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2018.
Throughout his career, Sterns has seen 588 defensive snaps and another 138 on special teams. Unfortunately, he has only played in six games over the past two seasons.
On October 28, 2022, Sterns was placed on injured reserve on both October 28, 2022 and September 13, 2023. A torn patellar tendon in Week 1 this past season. The Broncos officially released him on August 5th, 2024.
He was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on August 11, but he was released two days later after failing a physical. This opportunity in Philly might be his last to prove he belongs in the NFL.
Sterns has three brothers, and all of them played football at the NCAA level. His youngest brother Josh is currently at Western Kentucky playing receiver. His older brother Jordan played safety at Oklahoma State.
His other brother Jerreth began his college career at Houston Baptist University but transferred to Western Kentucky. There he was a teammate of New England Patriots signal-caller Bailey Zappe.
Jerreth is currently a wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
This won't be a steep learning curve for Caden Sterns. He's familiar with some of what the Eagles defense is learning to do having played for Vic Fangio in Denver. Their paths overlapped in 2021. Philly's new defensive coordinator's final season as Broncos head coach doubled as Sterns' rookie season.
Denver selected him 152nd overall during Round 5 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Fangio spoke of him ahead of the 11th practice of Eagles camp.
"He was a good player. (He) moved well, had good instincts, (and) good ball skills. (He) had a good feel for the game. We just need to see where he's at physically. He's only played five games in the last two years I believe. I don't think you'll see him out here on the practice field for at least a week or so. We need to see where he is physically (and) how he's moving around and then go from there."
Stay tuned everybody.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
D.K. Metcalf has faced plenty of steep competition through his first six NFL seasons, both during games and practice, but the star wide receiver has noticed something different in his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During an interview with Ian Rapoport and Steve Smith of NFL Network on Sunday, Metcalf discussed some of his first impressions of the Steelers. He spoke about how challenging it has been to go up against cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay every day. When asked how the practice competition compares to what he saw with the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf made a bold claim about his new teammates. "You don't want my opinion, because I think they're the best defense I've ever seen," Metcalf said. "There's some dogs everywhere on the field, and I tip my hat to them because they come to work every day and we don't have any choice but to get better." There is no question that the Steelers should have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL on paper. While they sent five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in the Ramsey trade, their cornerback trio of Ramsey, Porter and Slay is as talented as any in the league. The Steelers allowed 20.4 points per game last year, which ranked eighth in the NFL. Their pass defense surrendered 228 yards per game, which only ranked 25th. If Metcalf's assessment is accurate, Pittsburgh should show great improvement against the pass in 2025.
With training camps approaching in one month, the Boston Celtics could add an interesting player to their roster. This addition would provide depth to their center rotation, which remains a significant hole they need to address. Currently, the Boston Celtics’ center rotation includes Xavier Tillman, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta. All three players either lack experience or consistent production, and none match the quality of their previous rotation featuring Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. The potential addition doesn’t reach the caliber of Porzingis or Horford, and isn’t even close to Kornet’s level. However, there’s development potential given that he’s only 24 years old. Charles Bassey, the former San Antonio Spurs player who competed with the Celtics during last summer’s league, has emerged as the candidate in question. Bassey chooses NBA over European opportunity NBA insider Noa Dazzell reported that Bassey prefers playing for the Celtics next season rather than accepting an overseas offer with Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian League. “He’s not currently planning on going overseas, that seems to be pretty unlikely, and almost like a last resort type of thing. And right now, I think, you know, he feels pretty confident that he’s going to play in the NBA next season,” Dazzell explained. “He currently still views the Celtics as a top destination, and really, really wants to end up in Boston. And that’s not me saying that that’s going to happen, but that’s a top priority for him. He loves the culture. He loves the fact that they’ve been in the playoffs routinely. It’s a culture of winning, the coaches,” she added. Boston has roster spot available for potential signing The Celtics maintain one open roster spot that could accommodate Bassey’s addition. His summer league performance with Boston demonstrated his potential value to the organization. “He really wants to come to the Celtics. We’ll see whether it works out right now. Boston has one remaining roster spot that’s open,” Dazzell noted. Bassey’s summer league production included impressive numbers of 15.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. These statistics explain why other teams like Partizan Belgrade have shown interest in acquiring his services, as well as the fact that he is athletic rim‑runner with elite length and shot‑blocking instincts. His strong summer showing could translate to meaningful NBA contributions if he maintains his health and development trajectory. Injury history creates concern about reliability Bassey has struggled with health issues throughout his NBA career, frequently dealing with injuries that have limited his availability. His most significant setback came with an ACL injury in 2023 that restricted him to only 19 games that season. Last season with the Spurs, he appeared in 36 games while averaging modest numbers of 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. The limited production reflects both his role and ongoing health challenges. His injury history raises questions about long-term reliability, but his youth and potential upside could make him worth the risk for a team who needs depth in the center area like Boston.
The New York Yankees entered Sunday’s finale against the Miami Marlins with increased pressure to deliver. Entering the game down 2-0 in the series, the Yankees hoped to get back to winning ways. However, the team suffered another disappointing defeat on the road, losing 7-3 to Miami. The latest loss compounds New York’s recent struggles. New York is now 25-32 since May 29, including costly series sweeps to the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and now a weekend sweep in Miami. While they’ve managed a 13-10 mark at home during this time, the team’s inability to perform on the road continues to threaten their postseason chances. Aaron Boone’s Comments Amid Yankee’s Embarrassing Form Following Sunday’s loss, Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed the team’s poor outing. He had a three-word message that summarizes where his team is at following a third straight loss. “Gut check time,” Boone said, describing the urgency to turn things around at a crucial point of the season. Boone, whose job status has come under increasing fan scrutiny, acknowledged the team’s prolonged slump and admitted the Yankees have to take responsibility. Despite notable trade deadline additions—including David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird—the team’s bullpen issues and inconsistent offense have not improved. Boone has been adamant about the need for greater focus and resilience down the stretch. But with New York slipping further behind in the American League East, questions are being asked about whether his voice still resonates in the clubhouse. With the latest loss, the Yankees have now been swept in three of their last seven road series and hold an MLB-worst 5-17 record on the road since June 13. Before that stretch, they were the best road team in baseball at 21-13. Marlins Make History Against the Yankees The Yankees’ latest loss also meant franchise history for the Marlins, who have now completed their first-ever three-game sweep of New York. Kyle Stowers delivered the big blow with a three-run homer, while Edward Cabrera dominated on the mound with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. With the win, the Marlins hold steady at the third spot of the NL East, improving their record to 55-55 as they continue to fight for a playoff spot. Miami have also now won eight of their last 10 games and appear to be picking up at the right time. As for New York, they continue to trail the Blue Jays and Red Sox in the AL East, and will now turn their attention to a critical road series against the Texas Rangers. The Yankees will hope they can return to winning ways quickly, with the AL East top spot now starting to slip away.
The Washington Commanders went to work this offseason to help build up the defensive side of the ball, and Adam Peters chose the guys he wanted, even if they weren't the most popular signings. Dan Quinn knows defense, and it's always good news when you get named dropped by the head coach. Quinn was asked by Mike Golic Jr. on Bleacher Report's B/R Gridiron stream who has impressed him the most when it comes to the newest additions, and he went straight to the defense to give credit to three guys specifically. Hearing this kind of update from Quinn should ease fans' opinions of these three signings, especially at positions that needed an upgrade the most. Javon Kinlaw The Commanders' run defense finished 3rd worst in the league in yards given up on the ground, and Javon Kinlaw was brought in to bring size and energy on the line. Kinlaw came to Washington and went straight to work to lean up after playing bigger in the New York Jets' scheme. He is still a mammoth of a man when you see him in practice, but he looks fast and strong. Quinn has mentioned it before practice in his press conferences, but the trenches can't show everything they want to until the pads come on. Kinlaw wasted no time in letting the offensive line feel his presence, and he made a handful of plays breaking into the backfield to stop the run or put pressure on the quarterback. I think fans will love the energy Kinlaw brings on the defensive line and see that Peters made a great decision bringing in Kinlaw and letting him play more freely at a size he's comfortable with. Deatrich Wise Speaking of the defensive line, the Commanders needed to add someone on the edge who can stop the run and also get to the quarterback. Wise has been a consistent veteran in the league, and he's going to bring strength and length off the edge to win his reps. I've been saying for a while that Wise will be one of the unsung heroes of the defense this year, and clean up the dirty work that may not be noticeable. His ability to stop the run will be a big improvement compared to what the Commanders had with Dante Fowler Jr, and Wise will still get to the quarterback and produce as well. He made one of my favorite plays at practice on Saturday when the offense was working red zone drills, and Wise saw something on the play presnap and pointed it out. He then found his way in the backfield and stopped RB Brian Robinson Jr. in the backfield, who was headed to the opposite side of Wise. Will Harris The Commanders needed to replace Jeremy Chinn, who went to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, and versatile defensive back Will Harris was the answer. Harris was the one player that I went into camp with no idea what to expect, and was my biggest unknown. I liked what I saw in his coverage ability back at safety, and I think that's where he brings improvements to the secondary. Quinn has talked about his versatility, and I've seen Harris back at strong safety in team drills and even down in the slot at corner when they run an extra DB in dime packages. Washington's secondary finally has stability and depth for the first time, and Harris looks to fit in smoothly, primarily at safety with Quan Martin. Jayden Daniels and the offense need the defense to step up and be much improved from last season, and the Commanders can do that if they get the most out of the newest additions Kinlaw, Wise, and Harris. So far, they're making a strong impression on Coach Quinn, and we will see more as preseason starts this week.