Justin Tucker has handled kickoff duties for the Baltimore Ravens for over a decade now, but he's not the only one on the roster who can perform such a role.
During the second half of Sunday's win over the New York Giants, punter Jordan Stout, who also serves as Tucker's holder, kicked off twice and sent them both into the end zone for touchbacks. This marks Stout's first time kicking off this season, though he did have a few last season and handled kickoff duties at Penn State.
As head coach John Harbaugh revealed Monday, Stout could see more action on kickoffs in the future.
"It could be the plan going forward at times," Harbaugh said. "The fact that [Jordan Stout] can do it, getting him out there in the game is a big deal, you know what I mean. He hadn't really been out there in a game – a real regular season game yet. Just to kind of get the feel for doing it, and you could see how good he is at it. We've seen him in practice pretty much every day when we do kick off. [He has a] strong leg, [so] to have that option is a plus."
Stout has had his ups and downs as a punter, but his leg strength has never once been in question. Considering both of his kickoffs Sunday went for touchbacks, he's more than capable of handling that responsibility as well.
Tucker, meanwhile, has had a rough season thus far, missing a career-high 10 kicks including eight field goals and two extra points. He did not attempt a field goal against New York, but did go five-for-five on extra points while kicking from both the middle and right hashmarks.
"It was kind of a wind decision that [Tucker] and [senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] made," Harbaugh said. "They've done that before in the past. He's kicked it from all three spots in the past. That's what they talked about in terms of going to our right – [the] right side of our bench, I think it was. He was on the right hash [and] then going the other way, I think he was in the middle, if I'm correct about that. That's how I remember it."
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The Green Bay Packers continued work on the field on Saturday, with tens of thousands of fans in attendance watching amid the annual Family Night. However, one notable player who was not able to make it to the field and practice was tight end Tucker Kraft. The former South Dakota State Jackrabbits star is nursing a lower-body injury, forcing the Packers to take it easy on the tight end and keep him on the shelf rather than risk aggravation of the issue. Speaking to the media, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opened up about Kraft’s status, via Green Bay reporter Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “MLF said Tucker Kraft has been dealing with a groin injury and powering through it for the last two days but they decided to give him a couple days off.” Kraft is expected to be among the major targets in the Packers’ passing attack in his third year in the pros. Selected in the third round (78th overall) by the Packers in the 2023 NFL draft, the 24-year-old Kraft is looking to surpass his production in 2024, when he posted 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 50 receptions.
With training camps approaching in one month, the Boston Celtics could add an interesting player to their roster. This addition would provide depth to their center rotation, which remains a significant hole they need to address. Currently, the Boston Celtics’ center rotation includes Xavier Tillman, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta. All three players either lack experience or consistent production, and none match the quality of their previous rotation featuring Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. The potential addition doesn’t reach the caliber of Porzingis or Horford, and isn’t even close to Kornet’s level. However, there’s development potential given that he’s only 24 years old. Charles Bassey, the former San Antonio Spurs player who competed with the Celtics during last summer’s league, has emerged as the candidate in question. Bassey chooses NBA over European opportunity NBA insider Noa Dazzell reported that Bassey prefers playing for the Celtics next season rather than accepting an overseas offer with Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian League. “He’s not currently planning on going overseas, that seems to be pretty unlikely, and almost like a last resort type of thing. And right now, I think, you know, he feels pretty confident that he’s going to play in the NBA next season,” Dazzell explained. “He currently still views the Celtics as a top destination, and really, really wants to end up in Boston. And that’s not me saying that that’s going to happen, but that’s a top priority for him. He loves the culture. He loves the fact that they’ve been in the playoffs routinely. It’s a culture of winning, the coaches,” she added. Boston has roster spot available for potential signing The Celtics maintain one open roster spot that could accommodate Bassey’s addition. His summer league performance with Boston demonstrated his potential value to the organization. “He really wants to come to the Celtics. We’ll see whether it works out right now. Boston has one remaining roster spot that’s open,” Dazzell noted. Bassey’s summer league production included impressive numbers of 15.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. These statistics explain why other teams like Partizan Belgrade have shown interest in acquiring his services, as well as the fact that he is athletic rim‑runner with elite length and shot‑blocking instincts. His strong summer showing could translate to meaningful NBA contributions if he maintains his health and development trajectory. Injury history creates concern about reliability Bassey has struggled with health issues throughout his NBA career, frequently dealing with injuries that have limited his availability. His most significant setback came with an ACL injury in 2023 that restricted him to only 19 games that season. Last season with the Spurs, he appeared in 36 games while averaging modest numbers of 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. The limited production reflects both his role and ongoing health challenges. His injury history raises questions about long-term reliability, but his youth and potential upside could make him worth the risk for a team who needs depth in the center area like Boston.
In a move that seems faster than a speeding bullet, the new 2025 Superman movie will be available to watch at home just over a month after it hit theaters on July 11. According to multiple outlets, including World of Reel, the new Superman reboot movie will be available for video-on-demand (VOD) purchase starting very soon. In fact, the movie will almost certainly still be in theaters when you can watch it at home. Superman Streaming/VOD release date DC Studios' Superman, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet, will be available for purchase digitally starting on August 15, 2025. This means that just over 30 days after its first theatrical release, the new Superman is coming home. To be clear, this is not the same as streaming on HBO Max, but it does mean you'll be able to pony up a certain amount of money (close to the price of two movie tickets) to watch the movie at home. Purchase of VOD movies generally happens on iTunes, Amazon, and other platforms. DC vs. Marvel VOD releases If this home video release seems quick, it is. For comparison, the last two Marvel superhero movies had nearly two months, not one, between theatrical release and VOD release. Thunderbolts* hit theaters on May 2, and was on VOD on July 1. Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World was in theaters on February 14, and on VOD on April 15. Both of those films were deemed, in the eyes of box office pundits, to be failures, while Superman is generally considered to be a success.
Heading into the offseason, it seemed like Jackson Powers-Johnson had an iron grip on the Las Vegas Raiders' starting center job. That was his best position in college, and he took over the job from Andre James last season. However, in recent weeks, Jordan Meredith has been taking much of the first-team reps at center, while Powers-Johnson is starting to play more guard. The Raiders had a mock game on Saturday, and Meredith was the starting center, and Powers-Johnson was starting at right guard. That was the biggest sign yet that the Raiders might be leaning toward Meredith for starting center. Raiders Reportedly Like Powers-Johnson at Guard When the Raiders drafted Powers-Johnson last offseason, they drafted him to play guard. He started the season there, but eventually took over at center due to an injury to James. This led to the expectation that he'd be starting at center this season. According to The Athletic's Tashan Reed, the move to guard might be more of a strategic thing than a referendum on his performance. "Powers-Johnson starred at center in college, spent all of OTAs at center and has made it clear he prefers to play the pivot, but the Raiders believe his ceiling could be just as high at guard, according to team sources. He started multiple games at guard last year," Reed wrote. Kolton Miller Doesn't Think This Will Be a Problem Powers-Johnson clearly would rather play center, but the Raiders don't have the strongest offensive line right now. If Meredith is comparable at center to Powers-Johnson, but the latter is a big upgrade at guard, then Las Vegas is going to put together their best five-man unit. Left tackle Kolton Miller is a big believer in Powers-Johnson and thinks he'll thrive at any spot. “Regardless of if it’s center or guard, physicality, emotion, a finish to him,” Miller told reporters Thursday. “He’s so dynamic. Having a lot of the guys be able to do both is big. So, wherever he’s placed, he makes a big impact. … Wherever he’s placed, watch out.”
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