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The Bears are not done augmenting their defensive line situation. A day after obtaining edge-rusher Darrell Taylor from the Seahawks, the team turned to an AFC North depth chart for another solution up front.
Cleveland is sending defensive tackle Chris Williams to Chicago, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns reports. The team confirmed the report. This is a pick-swap trade, with the Bears receiving Williams and a 2025 seventh-rounder and the Browns collecting a sixth.
This late-August period has doubled as a trade window for a while, as teams prepare to set their 53-man rosters. The Bears will use it to reunite Williams with Matt Eberflus. The Colts initially signed Williams as a 2020 UDFA, doing so during Eberflus’ time as Indianapolis’ DC. This should bring scheme familiarity for the practice-squad veteran, who played in 13 games as a Colts backup from 2021-22.
The Bears have now made five trades involving veteran players this offseason. They obtained Ryan Bates from the Bills, landed Keenan Allen from the Chargers, sent Justin Fields to the Steelers, dealt for Taylor and have now brought in D-tackle help. Williams, who did not see regular-season time in 2023, has played only 107 career defensive snaps. The former UDFA may still not be a roster lock for the Bears. But this trade suggests the team wanted to get ahead of the waiver process to obtain a player familiar with Eberflus’ defense.
Williams, 26, signed a reserve/futures deal with the Browns in January but may have been likely to see an AFC team cut him once again. Williams went to camp with the Chiefs in 2023, failing to make the Super Bowl champions’ 53-man roster before eventually landing on the Browns’ P-squad to close out last season.
Williams will join 2023 Day 2 picks Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens at DT, along with veteran Andrew Billings, at DT with Chicago. The team did not draft a D-tackle, instead trading back into this year’s draft for D-end Austin Booker. Williams profiles as a depth piece, but it is clear the Bears were dissatisfied with their D-line as the preseason wound down.
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The Dallas Cowboys are set to be one of the biggest winners from NFL rule change that appears imminent ahead of the 2025 season
The NFL is still tinkering with its kickoff rules after the so-called "dynamic kickoff" didn't achieve the results the league expected during the 2024 regular season. And the Dallas Cowboys are set to greatly benefit from it. Let's recap: The league wants more return attempts because touchbacks are boring. Duh. As a result, they made touchbacks result in offenses taking the field at the 30-yard line, hoping this would deter kicking teams from trying to kick the football into oblivion. That didn't quite happen in 2024, as the league's return rate was on par with the previous five years. Now, the NFL is proposing the ball is set at the 35-yard line for touchbacks, a small yet impactful change. Keep in mind, when the dynamic kickoff was invented for the XFL in 2020, touchbacks were set at the 35-yard line. Suddenly, the trade-off becomes much more difficult for kicking teams. Allowing the offense to start at the 35-yard line is less enticing because tackling them deeper into their territory becomes much more doable. According to the NFL's Competition committee, the league is projecting the return rate to skyrocket to 60-70%. In the XFL, the kickoff return rate sat at 93% in 2020 (spot of the kick was different). The rule change still needs to be voted through but given the league's goals, it appears the change imminent. KaVontae Turpin and the Cowboys are set to benefit from this rule change if it happens All of the above is great news for the Cowboys, who happen to have one of the best returners in the NFL. In three years in the league, Turpin has become a two-time Pro Bowler and was named first-team All-Pro in 2024. He led the league with 904 kick return yards and had a 99-yard touchdown return against the Washington Commanders. Turpin's speed is elite at the NFL level and he'll get to show it more often if the touchback rules indeed change later in the year. Though he's expected to take on a bigger role on offense, the majority of his contributions are still likely to happen as a return specialist. Now granted, the Cowboys lost special teams coordinator John Fassel to the Tennessee Titans and are replacing him with Nick Sorensen. Fassel was considered a strong asset for returns as he was on the NFL's committee to adapt the kickoff rules. However, the Cowboys players on special teams will be largely the same so expect the transition to be smooth.
Scottie Pippen upset Michael Jordan made $10 million from The Last Dance doc while he and his Bulls teammates received nothing: ‘Another reminder of the pecking order from the old days’
NBA icon Michael Jordan made $10 million from The Last Dance doc, which came out in 2020. Scottie Pippen and the rest of his Chicago Bulls teammates received nothing. Pippen, who won six rings with Jordan, isn’t pleased about MJ getting all that money. “To make things worse, Michael received $10 million for his role in the doc while my teammates and I didn’t earn a dime, another reminder of the pecking order from the old days,” Pippen wrote in his book. “For an entire season, we allowed cameras into the sanctity of our locker rooms, our practices, our hotels, our huddles, our lives.” The Last Dance was sold as a ten-part docuseries about the Bulls’ final championship season in 1997-98. However, the documentary was a Jordan puff piece and Pippen was incensed. “Michael was right,” Pippen wrote in his book. “I was upset with him. It was because of The Last Dance. … The final two episodes aired on May 17. Similar to the previous eight, they glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates. Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director.” Jordan and Pippen won six championships together and three-peated twice while going undefeated in the NBA Finals during the ’90s. They are universally recognized as the greatest duo in NBA history. However, Jordan and Pippen are no longer on speaking terms. “On and on it went, the spotlight shining on number 23,” Pippen wrote. “Even in the second episode, which focused for a while on my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than a prop. His ‘best teammates of all time,’ he called me. He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried. “On second thought, I could believe my eyes. I spent a lot of time around the man. I knew what made him tick. How naive I was to expect anything else. Each episode was the same: Michael on a pedestal, his teammates secondary, smaller, the message no different from when he referred to us back then as his ‘supporting cast.’ From one season to the next, we received little or no credit whenever we won but the bulk of the criticism when we lost. Michael could shoot 6 for 24 from the field, commit 5 turnovers, and he was still, in the minds of the adoring press and public, the Errorless Jordan.” Jordan messaged Pippen after The Last Dance doc came out on ESPN. MJ found out that Pippen was upset with him. “The text was from Michael,” Pippen wrote in his book. “He didn’t reach out very often. ‘What’s up dude? I’m getting word that you’re upset with me. Love to talk about it if you have time.’ My schedule was packed that evening and I knew the conversation would take a while. I hit him back an hour and a half later: ‘Let’s talk tomorrow.'” Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks alongside Pippen, while Pippen averaged 17.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks next to Jordan. “I was disappointed in the documentary,” Pippen texted Jordan. “It didn’t shine a good light on me. You were promoting The Last Dance but switched it to the Michael Jordan documentary. I don’t know what you are selling. Was I great or was I villain?” Jordan and Pippen will never talk again, which is unfortunate considering they were amazing teammates on the Bulls.
Steve Kerr Announces Latest Steph Curry Injury Update
The Golden State Warriors need Steph Curry back, and they need him back quickly. While many believed the Warriors should have been able to handle the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat as Curry recovered from his pelvic contusion injury, that hasn't been the case. The team has desperately needed Curry to return, and they need him back quickly to keep their hopes of getting the sixth seed alive. Fortunately for the Warriors, it's looking like Curry's return is near. The Golden State Warriors practiced on Thursday afternoon, and head coach Steve Kerr revealed the latest on the injured superstar guard. Curry went through a six-minute team scrimmage, and Kerr remains optimistic that he'll return. Via @anthonyVslater: "Steph Curry went through a six-minute team scrimmage today in New Orleans. He is about to do an individual workout. Warriors will list him as questionable tomorrow at Pelicans, but Steve Kerr said he remains optimistic Curry will return." Additionally Kerr added that Curry "looked really good." The Golden State Warriors have only 10 games left in the regular season. Their last games are against the: New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, and LA Clippers. Six of the Warriors' last ten games are against teams with playoff hopes. With that in mind, losing against the New Orleans Pelicans would be absolutely unacceptable.
Chicago Bulls: LeBron James has 3-word message for Josh Giddey after buzzer beater
The night before playing the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James hit a buzzer-beater to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. On Thursday night, he defended and then watched as Josh Giddey’s half-court shot went in to give the Bulls a 119-117 win over the Lakers in front of 21,957 at the United Center. James made a huge contribution to the Bulls’ miraculous comeback win. An incredible Chicago Bulls win Following Patrick Williams’ three-point shot to bring the Bulls within two points with 9.8 seconds to play, James lazily threw an inbounds pass, which was stolen by Giddey. Giddey then found a wide-open Coby White, the back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week winner, who drilled a three-point bucket to put the Bulls up 116-115. Austin Reaves made a layup to give the Lakers a 117-116 lead with 3.1 seconds remaining. 3.1 seconds was enough time for Giddey to bring the ball up to half-court and hit a game-winning shot. LeBron James tips his hat to Giddey When speaking to reporters after the game, James took responsibility for his “horrible” play at the end of the game. He praised Giddey for making the buzzer beater. “I mean, we put ourselves in position to win,” James said of what transpired in the final minute. “Gave up a lot of threes in the fourth quarter. We still put ourselves in position to win. Horrible turnover by myself, bad miscommunication the play before that, and AR (Reaves) still had a big bucket and tried to save us and then tip your hat if someone makes a game-winner. The Bulls swept the series against the Lakers this season, winning their first matchup 146-115 on Saturday at crypto.com Arena during a night that was filled with heroics from rookie Matas Buzelis. Chicago has swept the Lakers and Nuggets this season, two of the top four teams in the Western Conference. Chicago has won four games in a row and are 1.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.
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