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Browns quarterback race has now dramatically changed
The Cleveland Browns are a step closer to finding their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. The Browns had a four-way race for the QB1 job entering training camp. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were long-shot contenders for the gig. The real competition has been between Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. However, the race has dramatically changed following Pickett's hamstring injury. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Flacco is now the "strong favorite" to win the starting job, as the veteran has taken advantage of his reps while Pickett remains limited at practice. "Pickett said he’s working '24-7' to get back to full speed but acknowledged he’s losing ground," Jackson wrote. "Joe Flacco’s two best throwing days have been the two most recent days, Friday and Saturday. Neither of the rookies ever had much of a realistic chance to win the starting job this August, and over the last week, Flacco has gone from presumed favorite to strong favorite. What always mattered most was finding the No. 1 — even if that status was going to be in flux at some point — and letting the folks in charge evaluate and decide on the rest of the depth chart and the room. There’s a lot of camp left, and there’s obviously a lot still to be settled with Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders. Flacco's resurgence in 2023, when he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year, was the main reason the Browns made the playoffs that season. His familiarity with Cleveland and head coach Kevin Stefanski makes him the natural choice to start Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, even if Pickett wasn't sidelined for team drills.
Matt LaFleur sheds light on concerning Tucker Kraft situation
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.
DK Metcalf makes huge claim about Steelers defense
D.K. Metcalf has faced plenty of steep competition through his first six NFL seasons, both during games and practice, but the star wide receiver has noticed something different in his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During an interview with Ian Rapoport and Steve Smith of NFL Network on Sunday, Metcalf discussed some of his first impressions of the Steelers. He spoke about how challenging it has been to go up against cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay every day. When asked how the practice competition compares to what he saw with the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf made a bold claim about his new teammates. "You don't want my opinion, because I think they're the best defense I've ever seen," Metcalf said. "There's some dogs everywhere on the field, and I tip my hat to them because they come to work every day and we don't have any choice but to get better." There is no question that the Steelers should have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL on paper. While they sent five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in the Ramsey trade, their cornerback trio of Ramsey, Porter and Slay is as talented as any in the league. The Steelers allowed 20.4 points per game last year, which ranked eighth in the NFL. Their pass defense surrendered 228 yards per game, which only ranked 25th. If Metcalf's assessment is accurate, Pittsburgh should show great improvement against the pass in 2025.
Cubs Star Prospect Owen Caissie Reacts To MLB Trade Deadline, Not Being Moved
The Chicago Cubs were involved in a lot of rumors heading into the MLB trade deadline, with their sights set on acquiring some help on their pitching staff and potentially someone who can play third base. To acquire the kind of talent that would be needed to help push the Cubs into the tier of contender they want to be in, they would have had to pay a premium price, likely in the form of top prospects. One of their top prospects, Owen Caissie, is highly regarded around the league and many executives in baseball thought he was amongst the likeliest youngsters to be on the move ahead of the deadline. It brought up a lot of feelings for him the days and hours leading into the deadline. “I was pretty nervous,” Caissie said in an interview with the Des Moines Register, via Tommy Birch. Alas, no deals came to fruition for Chicago that included the power-hitting outfielder. Somewhat surprisingly, the Cubs didn’t acquire the kind of impact player that would have required them to part ways with a prospect of Caissie’s caliber. They were connected to a lot of high-profile players, such as Eugenio Suarez, Sandy Alcantara, Mitch Keller and David Bednar. Caissie not surprised While a lot of people are surprised he wasn’t on the move, Caissie isn’t one of them. “I didn’t really have any feelings towards it — whether I was going or not,” Cassie said. “But I know a lot of people are surprised. But, I guess, I’m not really.” Ultimately, the team decided to instead acquire starting pitcher Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals, relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles and the versatile Willi Castro from the Minnesota Twins. All three will certainly help fill needs, but an opportunity could have been missed to make the kind of swing that would make Chicago clear-cut favorites in the National League Central. Had he been traded, Caissie would have been okay with it, but he is certainly happy to be remaining where he is. “If I would have been traded, OK. If I didn’t, great, I’m still with the Cubs and I’m happy for that,” he added. Comfortably inside the top 100 prospects in baseball, Caissie looks as ready as any prospect for a chance to showcase what he can do at the Major League level. This season he has a .282/.380/.558 slash line with 20 home runs, 26 doubles, two triples and 47 RBI. If he Cubs are unable to retain Kyle Tucker in free agency, Caissie will very likely be one of the players the franchise counts on to help replace that production. The Latest Chicago Cubs News Cubs Add Starter To 40-Man Roster, Receive Encouraging Update On Injured Pitcher Cubs New Starting Pitcher Set To Debut Against Reds Next Week Cubs Activate Numerous New Additions, Option Star Prospect Chicago Cubs To Host 2027 MLB All-Star Game At Wrigley Field
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