Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward has been on the business end of some rough public relations issues ever since sitting down in the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State, but that may not end up mattering at all in terms of where he is selected in the upcoming NFL draft.
There has been significant movement in the draft order near the top of the first round, with the Las Vegas Raiders falling to No. 8 overall on the strength of two consecutive wins and the New York Giants dropping from first to fourth following their victory over the Indianapolis Colts last weekend.
That has resulted in the Cleveland Browns jumping all the way to the No. 3 selection , which puts the franchise in prime position to draft a replacement for quarterback Deshaun Watson. He has two years remaining on a fully guaranteed $230 million contract that has proven disastrous.
Cleveland can't get off any of Watson's money, but the team is widely expected to move him to the bench in 2025 after a suspension and two season-ending injuries have led to the QB starting just 19 games in three years (9-10).
The only way to replace Watson in a cost-effective manner is either to roll the dice on a cheap veteran in free agency or draft a player who can start on a rookie contract. Ward is that exact type of signal caller, which led Josh Edwards of CBS Sports to predict the Browns will select Ward with the third pick in April.
"Cleveland would probably be more inclined to sign Kirk Cousins and draft a quarterback on Day 2, but can not pass up the opportunity to select Cam Ward at No. 3 overall," Edwards wrote on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Cousins is likely to be available ahead of March 17 via his expected release from the Atlanta Falcons, when that team would have to pay him a $10 million roster bonus. The Browns could probably add the QB on a league minimum deal that would be offset against the $27.5 million the Falcons would owe Cousins in 2025 under those circumstances.
However, signing Cousins would be a one- or two-year bridge play to a QB of the future. There is no sense in making that move if the franchise believes Ward can be that player and can draft him third overall a few months from now.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
The New York Yankees had been on the search for a right-handed hitting infielder. They found their man late Saturday night. Jack Curry from YES Network reported that the Yankees acquired infielder Amed Rosario from the Nationals. In exchange, the Yankees are sending pitcher Clayton Beeter and minor league outfielder Browm Martinez to Washington. The Yankees had been looking for a right-handed hitting infielder in the wake of acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon on Friday. Rosario is exactly the type of player the Yankees had sought - a solid option capable of playing second and third. He had posted a .270/.310/.426 batting line in 158 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting five homers and eight doubles. Rosario's greatest attribute for the Yankees is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He has a .299/.333/.483 batting line in 99 plate appearances against lefties this season, with three homers and seven doubles. He and McMahon should form a solid platoon at the hot corner in New York. However, the Yankees paid a steep price to bring Rosario on board for the next several months. Beeter had been ranked as the Yankees' 20th-best prospect per MLB.com, with his upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider both considered plus offerings. He has operated strictly as a reliever this season, where both his ability to miss bats and questionable command have been apparent. Martinez had been considered a player to watch heading into the season by FanGraphs, citing his solid contact rates and projectability. The 18-year-old is years away from making an impact, but has posted an impressive .404/.507/.632 batting line in 69 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League, hitting three homers and four doubles while stealing 13 bases. His ability to make contact has been impressive, as Martinez has drawn six walks with just eight strikeouts this season. A promotion stateside could be in the cards before the end of the year.
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Unless something changes drastically in the final days leading up to the trade deadline, the Braves’ plan appears to be pretty clear. Atlanta is going to ship off their spare parts, like Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, and perhaps even Pierce Johnson. However, the core pieces of the club don’t seem to be headed anywhere, at least not at this year’s trade deadline. The Braves want to see if some of their underperforming stars can bounce back over the second half of the season, and then they will re-evaluate their situation during the offseason. At that time, they will start listening to offers on some of their core pieces, one of which is Ozzie Albies. The Braves second baseman has had a tough go of it this season. Albies is hitting just .221 with nine homers and a .622 OPS. There have to be legitimate concerns about his future with the organization, especially with a team option for next season worth $7 million. The option comes with a $4 million buyout, so given the Braves would only be saving $3 million by not picking it up, it seems like a foregone conclusion they’ll at least exercise that option. However, what happens after that is yet to be determined, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. “Even with Atlanta All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies’ struggles this year, Atlanta plans to pick up his $7 million option this winter and will at least listen to trade offers for him. Albies also has a $7 million club option in 2027.” The market for an average defensive second baseman coming off such a poor offensive season is not likely to be robust. However, on such a palatable deal, there will undoubtedly be team’s willing to gamble on the upside of a three-time All-Star that will be just 29-years-old next season.
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