Carlton Davis‘ free agency defection (to the Patriots) will not go unanswered for even an hour. The Lions have a deal in place with another high-end free agent at the position.
D.J. Reed is heading from Aaron Glenn‘s current team to his former team, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Viewed by many as the top cornerback in this class, Reed secured $48M over three years. Although the Lions used first- and second-round picks on corners last year, the team still prioritized a veteran to replace Davis.
PFR’s No. 9 overall free agent, Reed rated as our top corner available. The three-year Sauce Gardner sidekick delivered solid work in New York, but the team has the All-Pro on its extension radar and gave Michael Carter a top-market slot deal last summer. That left Reed set to explore the market, and he will land a second lucrative deal in free agency.
Reed, 28, has shown the value of agreeing to a three-year deal during his first crack at free agency. The former 49ers and Seahawks contributor hit the market a second time and parlayed his age and performance into a raise from the Lions. Reed, who will not turn 30 until November 2026, played out a three-year, $33M deal with the Jets.
Among boundary corners to start at least 10 games last season, Reed ranked 11th in yards per target (6.4). The same measurement in 2023 places Reed (6.6) 12th. Pro Football Focus ranked Reed 16th among CB regulars in 2023 and 31st in 2024. Gardner soared to the All-Pro level immediately, but Reed provided a solid complementary piece. He will now work opposite Terrion Arnold in Detroit, as the Lions will place a veteran CB deal in a secondary housing rookie contracts at corner and safety (Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph).
The Lions are transitioning to a new DC for the first time in Dan Campbell‘s run, but they ensured continuity in Kelvin Sheppard. Reed brings an important piece for a Lions team that ran into injury trouble in the secondary — via Davis’ late-season broken jaw — and along its defensive line. As Aidan Hutchinson makes his way back to a team that is also hoping Marcus Davenport shakes his recent string of injuries, Sheppard’s secondary could be an imposing one in 2025.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Callan Foote, Michael McLeod and Alex Formenton have been found not guilty by Justice Maria Carroccia in London, Ontario, according to reporting from The Athletic, after being charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving the 2018 Canadian men’s national junior team. Carroccia said that she did not find E.M.’s [the alleged victim] evidence “credible or reliable,” in explaining her reasoning. “Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and then considering the evidence in this trial as a whole, I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” Carroccia said. The allegations against Dube, Foote, Formenton, Hart and McLeod first became public in May of 2022, when reports emerged that Hockey Canada had paid to settle a lawsuit with a woman, known in court documents as E.M., who said she was sexually assaulted by eight players “over several hours” in a London hotel room on July 18, 2018. No charges were levied as a result of the initial investigation by local police, which was closed in February 2019, but the case was reopened after the 2022 report. Formal charges were then brought against the five defendants on Jan. 30, 2024. The trial began on April 22, 2025, and the verdicts were reached solely by Justice Carroccia after two mistrials influenced her to dismiss the jury. The NHL does not have a formal policy for players accused of or charged with domestic violence, sexual assault or similar crimes. Instead, the four players who were under NHL contracts at the time – Dube, Foote, Hart and McLeod – were granted indefinite leaves of absence by their clubs shortly before the charges were announced. All of them were pending restricted free agents on expiring contracts and were not extended qualifying offers, making them unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 2024. When asked about the playing eligibility of the defendants, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has continually deferred action until after a verdict was reached. While none of the players are formally suspended by the league, similar situations have routinely required some sort of permission from league offices for them to play in or return to the NHL. If teams approach any of them with a contract offer, they will presumably wait for that guidance before registering the deal.
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
Mike Matheson may not be in the Montreal Canadiens’ long-term plans, but he fits the lineup now Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson has a year left on his contract and it still an important piece to their blue line. Lane Hutson will need a new deal after next season, and it could exceed Noah Dobson’s $9.5 million. Ivan Demidov will need a huge deal in two years. The Canadiens top four beyond next season will likely consist of Hutson and Kaiden Guhle on the left side and Dobson and David Reinbacher on the right. Right-handed Alexandre Carrier has two years left, and they have LHD of Jayden Struble (RFA) and Arber Xhakaj (one year away from RFA). NHLRumors: Rossi and Wild at Contract Impasse Potential trade destinations for Jason Robertson Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet: A look at seven teams that could be potential trade destinations for Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. The 25-year-old Robertson carries a $7.75 million cap hit for one more season. He’ll be an RFA after next year and would be a UFA the following year. He doesn’t have any trade protection but does have some leverage if he were to indicate whether he’d sign an extension with a potential team acquiring him or not. Los Angeles Kings – Hometown team, and they could be looking to add more scoring. Immediate business for the Kings is that they need to re-sign RFA Alex Laferriere, and Adrian Kempe is extension-eligible. Carolina Hurricanes – Already signed Nikolaj Ehlers, but could use some more scoring. Could the Stars reacquire some of the picks they sent in the Mikko Rantanen deal? Washington Capitals – Would need to move out some salary, and could be some scoring insurance depending on Alex Ovechkin’s future. Additional scoring for next year would be welcomed. Columbus Blue Jackets – Would the Stars be interested in winger Dmitri Voronkov? The Blue Jackets made him available in Noah Dobson trade talks. Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings may need to go the trade route to add scoring, as they weren’t even able to talk to UFAs they would have been interested in. Seattle Kraken – The Kraken could use some high-end scoring. Have the cap space and multiple first-round picks in the next two drafts. Utah Mammoth – If the Stars are looking for a current NHLer in the return, maybe Nick Schmaltz at $5.85 million could fit into their top-six. The Mammoth have three 2026 second-round picks and prospects as well.
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