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The Detroit Lions added depth to their linebacking and special teams units Wednesday by acquiring Grant Stuard. Stuard – the very last pick of the 2021 NFL Draft (Mr. Irrelevant) – and the Lions reportedly came to terms on a one-year contract.
Stuard, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick, comes to Detroit after spending the past three seasons in Indianapolis. Through his first four NFL seasons, the 26-year-old has primarily made his mark as a special teams contributor. In fact, he's recorded 1,266 career snaps on special teams, 342 of which came this past season.
In addition, Stuard received a career-high number of snaps at linebacker in 2024. He logged 229 reps, which accounted for 20 percent of the Colts’ defensive snaps. And he made the most of his time at the position. He proceeded to amass 40 total tackles, including two for loss. This included a staggering 19-tackle effort in a Week 7 victory against the Dolphins.
“He’s a guy that comes in every day and works his tail off,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said of Stuard after the game. “And he got his opportunity and made the most of it.”
For his efforts last season, Stuard earned a Pro Football Focus run-defense grade of 70.1 and a PFF overall mark of 69.4.
He joins a Lions linebackers room spearheaded by Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell and also featuring Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez. Stuard will provide Detroit with some much-needed insurance at the position, as Rodriguez is still in the midst of recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last Thanksgiving.
He also should prove to be a valuable asset on special teams for the Lions. He has experience on both the kick return and coverage units and the punt return and coverage teams. And with Detroit having released special teams ace Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Stuard could help fill the void.
Now entering his fifth NFL campaign, Stuard won't be confused for a high-impact player anytime soon. However, he is a solid depth piece, with the ability to contribute both at linebacker and on special teams. With that said, he should be able to maintain a spot on the Lions’ 53-man roster for the entirety of the 2025 season.
At this present juncture, I'll give Detroit a “B” for its signing of Stuard.
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Steelers' Once Promising Third-Year Defender Could Be Relegated On The Depth Chart
The Pittsburgh Steelers have begun the 2025 NFL season with a 2-1 record, however there are some things that need to be figured out. The defense is shaky at best despite forcing five turnovers in Sunday's win over the New England Patriots in Week 3. The group still struggles to get off of the field on possession downs, and stopping the run has been an issue throughout the first three weeks of the season. A lot of that starts with the front seven and the interior defensive line. Pittsburgh has been banged up in that area, but some healthy contributors returning could shake up the lineup. Pittsburgh was able to see the regular season debut of Derrick Harmon on Sunday. The organization selected Harmon in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he suffered a sprained MCL in the preseason finale which kept him on the sidelines throughout the first two weeks of the regular season. He made an impact while serving in a limited role on Sunday against New England as he recorded a sack and two total tackles, and he is expected to help the run defense in the near future. Team insider Mark Kaboly spoke about the interior defensive line after the game on Sunday on the most recent episode of Kaboly + Mack, and he believes there will be two rookies starting in that area very soon. "They made some moves there, and it was able to help them out," Kaboly said. "That's a definite difference in what they were able to do. And I think it's just a matter of time until Yahya Black, Derrick Harmon and Cam Heyward's your one, two and three across the front. It's just a matter of time." Currently, Cam Heyward and Yahya Black are the starting defensive tackles for Pittsburgh while Keeanu Benton has been the starting nose tackle. That is the part of the lineup that will be shuffled, as Benton will likely switch to being a rotational piece, while Harmon enters the starting lineup. He will likely takeover the duties at defensive tackle, while Black shuffles to nose tackle. Benton was expected to take a leap forward going into his second season in 2024, but that didn't necessarily happen. He has made some big plays for Pittsburgh, but he has not been the consistent force that the organization had hoped he would be to this point. There was hope he would improve once again during the 2025 season, but if anything, the third-year pro has shown some regression since his rookie season. Moving to a rotational role where he can fill in at both defensive tackle and nose tackle might be best for Benton at this point. He doesn't necessarily have the size to be a true nose tackle in the NFL, so the coaching staff in Pittsburgh has seemingly been setting him up for failure a little bit in that regard. He would likely play better at defensive tackle, which is something the coaching staff could find out if the starting defensive line gets shuffled. Steelers Need To See Keeanu Benton Step Up No matter what role he is serving, Benton needs to play better moving forward. The interior defensive line is a key part of stopping the run, and Pittsburgh has struggled to do that. It is going to be hard to win meaningful games if that problem persists, especially against the better teams in the NFL that show up on the schedule later in the year. Benton needs to show some signs of progression, whether that be as a starter, or as someone who rotates in with the starting lineup throughout a game. Benton can still have a future in Pittsburgh, but he is going to need to improve in 2025 while setting himself up for success in 2026.
Rockets' Fred VanVleet suffers torn ACL, could miss entire season
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Monday that Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL, an injury that will potentially sideline him for the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season. The Rockets signed VanVleet to a three-year $128.5 million contract in 2023, with the third year being a team option. At the beginning of this year’s offseason, Houston declined that option, and instead signed VanVleet to a new two-year $50 million contract with a player option in the second year. This gave the Rockets much-needed flexibility to restructure their cap and make a big splash by trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and picks to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant. They also acquired Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie to bolster their roster, while extending Jabari Smith Jr. and resigning Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green. What to expect from the Houston Rockets without Fred VanVleet Houston seemed to have made all the right moves to set itself up as a true contender heading into the upcoming season, but now it already faces an extremely difficult hurdle ahead of training camps. VanVleet was the starting point guard for the Rockets over the past two years, with Jalen Green being the alternate primary ball-handler. With neither one suiting up for them this year, that leaves Holiday as their sole remaining point guard, a solid player, but a significant downgrade from where they expected to be. The Rockets will have to get creative from here to get the most value out of this season. That could mean shifting Amen Thompson, their 6-foot-7 star prospect, down to be their primary ball-handler, though Thompson isn’t quite the offensive threat that VanVleet is. They could also opt to incorporate Reed Sheppard into the lineup more. Sheppard was the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, but didn’t see much playing time. He was also primarily positioned as a shooting guard when he did take the floor. If Houston isn’t satisfied with their in-house options, they may have to look to deal VanVleet out. His contract is easy enough to move from a cash perspective at $25M annually; however, other teams may need the Rockets to sweeten the deal, given that VanVleet won’t be able to contribute on the court this year, and will be going into his age-33 season the following year post-ACL injury. Last season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, his lowest in each category over the past six seasons. He did this on 37.8/34.5/81.0 shooting splits while playing 35.2 minutes per game. More than the stats, Houston also looked to VanVleet for his steady veteran presence, with him having previously won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. The Rockets have been thrust into a tough position heading into the season, but the timing of the injury may still leave them an opportunity to salvage it. Expect them to be active on the phones to evaluate the guard market, potentially looking at players like Anfernee Simons and Malik Monk.
Bills' Josh Allen could be in some hot water with the NFL for what he was caught doing during the Week 3 win vs. Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins on 'Thursday Night Football' to remain undefeated on the season. With losses by the New England Patriots and New York Jets on Sunday, the Bills sit atop the division with a showdown against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. While quarterback Josh Allen didn't put on his Superman cape with more than 400 yards of total offense, he was methodical and surgical, cutting through the Dolphins' defense en route to yet another victory over the divisional rivals. Allen made history in the contest, becoming the fastest player to reach 300 career touchdowns, including the postseason, but it wasn't all good news coming out of One Bills Drive in the victory. After taking a hit from Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks that resulted in a penalty and gave Buffalo a first down, Allen appeared to make a finger-gun gesture immediately after. While it may seem harmless, it's one of the biggest points of emphasis from the NFL heading into the season. Allen wasn't even flagged on the play, but that doesn't mean that the league won't come down on him for the celebration. Fast facts about Josh Allen's previous NFL fines 2019 - fined $7,017 for throwing the ball into the stands against the Miami Dolphins. 2021 - fined $15,000 after flicking the ball at a Kansas City Chiefs defender after a sack 2023 - fined $10,927 for pointing at a Cincinnati Bengals defender during a touchdown run The NFL is taking a hard stance on gun-related celebrations The NFL has expressed its intention to limit unsportsmanlike gestures during the game, specifically those that include shooting or brandishing a gun. NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson opened up on the new initiative in August. "Unsportsmanlike gestures like simulating or either shooting a gun or brandishing a gun, or inappropriate gestures like a throat slash, or unfortunate sexual gestures, those were up 133% so that is a point of emphasis." - Walt Anderson According to CBS Sports, Falcons wide receiver Drake London was fined $14,069 for appearing to shoot a large gun, New York Jets receiver Allen Lazard was fined the same amount after getting a first down in Week 4 of the 2024 season, and Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase was fined $19,697 for appearing to unholster a gun in a touchdown celebration last season as well. If Allen is fined, the NFL would need to make the official announcement along with its reasoning by Saturday, Sept. 27.
SEC says No. 7 Oklahoma's trick-play TD shouldn't have counted
The Southeastern Conference said late Saturday that the touchdown on a trick play by No. 7 Oklahoma should have been wiped away, with the Sooners being penalized. Oklahoma beat Auburn, 24-17, in Norman, Oklahoma, in a battle of 3-0 teams. Oklahoma Sooners' trick play shouldn't have counted due to this NCAA rule The game was tied 3-3 early in the second quarter when Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna III. But the play should have been penalized as Sategna had faked like he was going to the bench, only to stop short of the sideline. Unnoticed by Auburn, Sategna streaked down the sideline and easily caught the pass from Mateer near the goal line and stepped into the end zone. The TD and ensuing extra point put the Sooners up 10-3 with 10 minutes, 50 seconds left in the second quarter. In its statement several hours after the game, the SEC cited an NCAA rule regarding "unfair tactics" as to why the play should have been taken off the board, and the Sooners assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Part of the rule, Rule 9-2 Article 2, reads: "No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution." The SEC said it would deal with the officiating crew and issue any further discipline "without additional comment." Oklahoma took a 22-17 lead with 5:01 left in the game on Mateer's nine-yard TD run and failed two-point conversion, then added a safety with 1:10 remaining.
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