The Bears surprised many by selecting P Tory Taylor in the fourth round, as specialists generally aren’t chosen that high, particularly punters. Chicago GM Ryan Poles explained why he deemed it necessary to draft Taylor at that spot and outlined the advantages they would gain from it.
“I didn’t expect him to get much further. Definitely didn’t think I’d be able to pick him up when we got into the fifth round,” Poles said, via the Pat McAfee Show. “And, really, the thought process there is to make anyone we’re playing really uncomfortable. I didn’t play much in the NFL but I know running onto the field and having the ball spotted inside the 10-yard line is a very uncomfortable feeling. It’s disheartening at times. And I love taking advantage of field position. And, really, that should help us with points as well.”
“So, I think it’s going to add to our team and make it uncomfortable and difficult for any team we’re going against.”
Detroit moved up to select 2024 first-round CB Terrion Arnold after he slid further than expected. Per SI.com’s Albert Breer, the Lions initially targeted 2024 first-round DE Darius Robinson had Arnold not been available.
“Detroit had actually laid groundwork for a trade up—I believe Missouri DE Darius Robinson was the target—which made it easy to pivot and get aggressive in going up from No. 29 to No. 24 to land a falling Arnold,” Breer said.
Green Bay added third-round RB Marshawn Lloyd in the draft to add versatility to the position. Packers HC Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst love his skillset and believe he can add a new wrinkle to their offense.
“He definitely can be a weapon out of the backfield,” LaFleur said, via Paul Bretl of the Packers Wire. “I love all the measurables. He’s a 220-pound back that runs 4.4 and can run routes out of the backfield. I think he could be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.”
“He’s got serious speed,” Gutekunst added. “He’s very elusive; he’s got great balance, so he’s a little bit different than some of the backs that we have in our depth chart right now.”
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Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
Love her, or hate her, Angel Reese is a WNBA superstar. She continues to fill stat-sheets while simultaneously landing in headlines seemingly on a daily basis. Reese's sophomore WNBA season started as a "rivalry" with Indiana Fever superstar, Caitlin Clark. The narrative surrounding Reese, however, has slowly taken a turn, with many seemingly taking shots at Reese. First, it was famed rapper, Ice Cube, founder of BIG3, who offered an unprompted quote about not having as much money for Reese to play for his league as they had for Clark last year ($5 million). And now, on Tuesday, WNBA legend, television personality, and soon to be podcast host, Candace Parker, filled her mouth with Reese's name. “Speaking about Angel (Reese) must be the only way to be heard on a Podcast or to stay relevant?” Parker said. Reese, who's fresh off extending her double-double streak to 11 games, appeared to fire back at Parker, putting out a mysterious tweet on Tuesday night. "clout is one helluva DRUG. like it really gets to a point." Reese posted on her official X account. Reese appears to be responding, in her own unique way, to Parker's comments. Parker's comments were pulled from her new podcast, "Post Moves". The new podcast is set to debut on Wednesday. It's a new podcast Parker is set to co-host with Fever All-Star center, Aliyah Boston. Less than hour after posting her tweet on X, Reese's message had over 500 comments. "Y’all need to put some respect on Candace Parker’s name. She just tells it like it is." one user posted. "Yeah Candace is getting weird. Stop showing her love it’s not reciprocated." another user posted. "Anything for views and likes," another user said. "If there was a get your money up without mentioning Angel Reese challenge, they’d lose," another fan posted. With Parker and Boston's first episode of "Post Moves" set to officially launch on Wednesday, time will tell how it is received given this ongoing back-and-forth between Reese and Parker. Reese, as usual, appears ready to defend herself on and off the court.
Liverpool were already, by far and away, the best team in the Premier League last season, and they were the closest team to beating eventual Champions League winners PSG, too. But they are not done trying to upgrade their squad this summer. That’s the difference between a club with ambition and one that is content with stagnation. Liverpool don’t just want to be a one-and-done team to win the Premier League title, nor are they satisfied with only winning the Premier League. Although Liverpool already signed a top-class striker who can be a short and long-term upgrade on the frustratingly inaccurate and inconsistent Darwin Nunez, the Reds want more than just Hugo Ekitike. After selling star left winger Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for a pretty penny (75 million euros, to be exact), Liverpool are driving even harder after yet another world-class striker – one who is even more acclaimed than Ekitike and closer to his prime. Alexander Isak is taking matters into his own hands Alexander Isak has been a hot topic for Premier League clubs, but if the Swedish superstar were to leave Newcastle after a career year in the 2024/25 season, then Liverpool would be his only landing spot. And it looks like Isak is putting Newcastle’s feet to the fire and is willing to push his way into making a leap to the best team in the Premier League, forming a formidable striker partnership with Ekitike at Anfield instead of at St. James’s Park. According to a report from TBR Football’s Graeme Bailey, Alexander Isak has not been showing up to Newcastle’s training camp. He even pulled out of their tour to Asia and has decided to train away from the team at home. This is a clear and obvious indication to anyone that Isak wants to leave Newcastle, and whenever you see a star player like this taking matters into his own hands and not showing up to training, you know that the player’s days are numbered no matter what the club say or do. Isak sees a superior sporting project at Liverpool, and with Liverpool showing serious interest in him, he wants to jump ship. Liverpool have a chance to sign one of the best strikers in the world and someone who could legitimately go toe-to-toe with Manchester City’s Norwegian ace Erling Haaland in the scoring charts, especially in the explosive attacking environment that Arne Slot has fostered at Anfield. This transfer is one that looks increasingly likely to happen, especially with the latest information that Isak is essentially going on striker, with all signs pointing to Liverpool as his destination.
The Boston Celtics have been very busy this offseason with the moves that they have made. They have already traded two starters to other teams in an effort to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Brad Stevens made it clear that it was his number-one goal this offseason. It's not a goal he has achieved yet, as they are still around $20 million over the second apron. Because of that, it seems they have been trying to reroute Anfernee Simons after getting him back in the trade for Jrue Holiday. It doesn't look like that is imminent, though. More news: Former Celtics Forward Claps Back at NBA All-Star on Social Media After Random Troll Boston is still trying to find a new home for him, but they aren't in any rush to do so. According to Heavy Sports, the Celtics are keeping their eyes open for a trade partner, but aren't going to accept a bad deal just to part ways with him. “You never know, but the team they have now is probably the team they’ll start the year with,” one GM said. “They could get themselves involved in some blockbuster. But they’re not in a hurry to make that move (on Simons).” Simons is a good player and a good fit for the Celtics when it comes to on-court production. He is a great 3-point shooter who can get hot any night from beyond the arc. For a team that launches more 3-pointers than any other team in the NBA, Simons would be a perfect fit. He is someone who doesn't need the ball in his hands to score. More news: Celtics Front Office Slammed for ‘Gap Year’ Planning Boston is hoping to shed Simons' salary, even though it is an expiring deal. If they can't, they'll have to find some other players to part ways with in order to get under the second apron. Simons would certainly help the Celtics stay as contenders in the 2026-27 season, if he's still on the roster. Stevens will make that decision within the next couple of weeks. This past season with the Trail Blazers, Simons averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line. More news: Former Celtics Champ Laps Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh in Latest NBA Top 100 List For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
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