The Las Vegas Raiders’ roster and coaching staff finally started to take shape during the offseason, and they have clarity on who will be leading the team in 2024.
The Raiders made the smart move to promote Antonio Piece to become their new head coach after leading them to a 5-4 record in the team’s final nine games. Flanking him on the offensive end is Luke Getsy whom the organization hired to be Pierce’s new offensive coordinator.
Getsy spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears as their offensive coordinator but now comes to Las Vegas where he’ll be expected to elevate an offense that has intriguing pieces in place. Getsy will also get the opportunity to work closely with Aidan O’Connell who is slated to be the Raiders’ starting quarterback for now.
Although Getsy knows the franchise will be looking to upgrade the position either via free agency or the draft, he is still excited to get to know O’Connell. “Yeah, I think anytime you have a young guy like that, that could come in and play as well as he did – without getting to know him yet well enough – I think it just speaks volumes of the type of guy that he is,” Getsy said.
“Without even knowing him or talking to him about anything yet, I could tell you right now that guy has got to be someone that prepares his butt off and like is a great teammate. I mean, for the guys to rally around him the way that I saw from the outside looking in, and for him to go perform in the way that he did in the end of that season, that just speaks volumes. So, I’m excited to get to know him, excited to work with him for sure.”
O’Connell had some bright moments during his rookie year and helped lead Las Vegas to some exciting wins, though he’ll likely go back to his No. 2 spot on the depth chart at some point. However, having someone like O’Connell who can run the system and step in at any time is reassuring, and hopefully, Getsy can prepare him well enough should he ever have to start again.
One person who’s familiar with Getsy is Davante Adams who spent time with him during his days with the Green Bay Packers. When Getsy’s hiring was announced, Adams said he was really excited about it.
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Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is likely to miss the entire 2025 season as he continues his recovery from last year’s brutal knee injury, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Dell dislocated his knee and tore his ACL, MCL and LCL in a Week 16 loss to the Chiefs in December. With such a severe injury, Houston’s focus is on Dell’s health and long-term career outlook. The team wants him to get healthy rather than rushing back to play this year. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via Wilson) that Dell is “crushing the rehab,” but declined to offer a specific timeline. His comments hinted that the team is not counting on Dell to return this season. Injuries were always the biggest concern surrounding Dell. His 5-foot-7, 165-pound frame was already undersized by college standards; in the NFL, it’s minuscule. Sitting out this season will set up a major contract year in 2026. Dell will need to prove that he is back at full health and can remain there for an entire season while maintaining his production. Dell was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, along with teammates Trent Brown and Jimmie Ward.
The Vancouver Canucks have a major need down the middle this season, and according to Rick Dhaliwal, the team remain in contact with the top remaining free agent Jack Roslovic. Free agency in the NHL this off-season came and went fairly quickly, and while most of the big names are off the board, there are still some intriguing names remaining to all 32 teams. Perhaps the biggest of those names is former Carolina Hurricanes centre Jack Roslovic, and according to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, he remains in contact with the Vancouver Canucks as training camp approaches. It's unclear just how close the two parties could potentially be getting to a deal, but according to Cam Robinson, the players camp is looking for a multi-year deal with an asking price at just over $3 million per season. Given that the Canucks currently have Aatu Raty slated to play the third line this season, they have a clear need down the middle, and after tallying 22 goals and 39 points a season ago in a similar role with Carolina, he'd be the perfect addition for their middle-six. At 28-years of age with over 500 NHL games under his belt thus far, Roslovic fits the age range for what the Canucks should be seeking as well, and if they're willing to meet his price, there's no reason for a deal not to get done here. Ultimately, Roslovic is the top remaining centre in free agency, so any team out there looking for help could fit him in at 2-3 years for a $3 million salary cap hit, but as of right now, all signs point to him playing a key role with Vancouver in 2025/26.
On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears announced they were signing veteran cornerback Tre Flowers ahead of their first day of practice for training camp. On Wednesday, the Bears announced they were parting ways with a veteran cornerback following Wednesday’s practice at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois. Per a post on X by the Bears, the team released cornerback Tarvarius Moore. Chicago extended Moore’s contract in March. He’s appeared in 72 games and started in 13 games. The San Francisco 49ers selected the Southern Miss standout in the third round of the 2018 draft. He played with the 49ers through 2022 before spending time with the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Tarvarius Moore played 11 games for the Chicago Bears Moore appeared in 11 games for the Bears in 2024. He was used primarily as a special teams player for Chicago and made seven tackles for the unit last season. Moore, 28, has recorded 115 tackles, one tackle for loss, six passes defensed, and two forced fumbles in his career. He had a notable moment in Super Bowl LIV when he picked off Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Following the release of Moore, the Bears have eight cornerbacks on the 91-man roster: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Zah Frazier, Josh Blackwell, Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud, Shaun Wade, and Flowers.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been trying to break into the Japanese market for years. They are behind in that aspect, failing to convince Yoshinobu Yamamoto to sign with them despite extending a lucrative offer, only to not get a meeting with Roki Sasaki the following offseason. Understanding they need to boost their presence to be seen as a real option for players in Japan, the Phillies increased their scouting foothold overseas with the hopes they can build connections while achieving success on the field during their current championship window. More News: Phillies Won in Walk-Off Fashion Not Seen in Over 50 Years This past winter, Philadelphia signed someone from Japan -- Koyo Aoyagi. Inked to a minor league deal, the 31-year-old right-hander was given an opportunity to compete for a bullpen spot during the spring. But he failed to impress enough to break camp with the big league club, resulting in him beginning the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Still, the Phillies believed he could be a factor for them somewhere down the line. However, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the organization decided to release Aoyagi after some prolonged struggles. Early on, he looked the part, not allowing a single run in seven outings during the month of April, giving up just three hits in 7 1/3 innings of work with seven strikeouts and three walks. But after that, things went off the rails. More News: Phillies Should Consider Deal For Surprising Orioles Outfielder at Trade Deadline Aoyagi struggled with inherited runners, allowing three to score in seven games during May, while also getting shelled for four earned runs of his own. He was eventually transferred to the development list on June 17 after he gave up 11 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings across four outings to start the month. And after he was activated, Philadelphia assigned him to Double-A Reading, hoping that would get him back on track. Aoyagi was sensational in his debut at that level, not allowing a hit in four innings pitched. But in his next two starts, he allowed six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings pitched and five earned runs in three innings pitched, respectively. More News: Phillies Front Office Has Delicate Balancing Act To Do Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline That resulted in him being placed on the temporarily inactive list, only for him to return and have another incredible outing on July 19 when he threw five hitless innings. But with five walks compared to four strikeouts, he was again moved to the development list on July 20. Now, it appears like the two sides felt it was best to go in different directions, with the Phillies releasing him after a hectic tenure. It will be interesting to see what's next for Aoyagi and if he can find another opportunity in the United States or if he'll return to Japan. For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.
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