Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Former wrestler
Gable Steveson being released by Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. | Gable Steveson’s bid to switch careers from wrestling to pro football is on indefinite hold.
And the super heavyweight gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and two-time NCAA champion at Minnesota has work to do to even be considered an NFL practice-squad candidate following a three-month crash course with the Buffalo Bills.
A day after releasing Steveson, general manager Brandon Beane credited the 24-year-old for making a good impression for someone who had never played a down of football before signing with Buffalo in May. At the same time, Beane acknowledged, there was no room on Buffalo’s 17-player practice squad to fit an undersized defensive lineman still in the developmental stages of his career.
“To do what he did and the short runway that he had, I was impressed,” Beane said Wednesday. “I’m hopeful that he will stick with this. We wouldn’t close the door on bringing him back here at some point.”
Steveson has not provided any indication whether he will continue pursuing football since being released. He declined to speculate in June when asked to look ahead to September.
“If you’re looking all the way to September, you’re not going to get far because you’re looking for the future. I’m looking for the present,” Steveson said.
He turned to football after the Bills invited Steveson to a tryout weeks after he was released by the World Wrestling Entertainment’s developmental brand, NXT, in April.
Limited to playing with Buffalo’s third-stringers, Steveson appeared in all three preseason games and was credited for having a hand in three tackles and two quarterback hits over 43 defensive snaps.
Beane said Steveson showed signs of improvement and leaned on his wrestling techniques to help smooth the transition and make up for his 6-foot, 280-pound frame, which is considered small among NFL defensive linemen.
Ultimately, Beane went with size and experience when filling one of his practice squad defensive tackle spots with 6-foot-3, 325-pound Eli Ankou, a seven-year journeyman who is familiar with the Bills’ system. Also signed was undrafted rookie free agent Branson Deen, who at 6-foot-1 and 298 pounds has the same frame as Steveson but far more football experience, splitting his five-year college career between Purdue and Miami.
The chances of him making the immediate jump from wrestling to the NFL were slim, something even Steveson acknowledged in June.
“This is definitely a unicorn situation,” said Steveson, who considered it a personal challenge to see how far he could stretch his athletic abilities.
“I’m excited for this new adventure. I want to give Buffalo my everything,” he added. “I just want to be that person that, hey, here’s a guy who’s never done it and he’s going to do it. And I believe in myself.”
Caitlin Clark sets WNBA rookie record for 3s as Fever beat Sun
INDIANAPOLIS | Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points, Caitlin Clark had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, and the Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 84-80 on Wednesday night to snap an 11-game losing streak in the series.
It was Indiana’s first win against Connecticut since July 3, 2021. The Fever (15-16) have won four of five since returning from the WNBA’s Olympic break while the Sun saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
Neither team led by double figures in a game where Clark set a WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers, passing Rhyne Howard’s 85 in 2022, with a triple in the first quarter. Clark added two more 3-pointers before finishing 3 of 12, giving her 88 on the season.
For Mitchell, it was her fifth consecutive game with 20-plus points, a franchise record. Her connection with Clark continues to grow.
“I think the best part about it is that our chemistry continues to get better,” Mitchell said during a postgame interview with NBATV. “I value what Caitlin brings to the table because not only does she have the pace and the space, but she can shoot the lights out and you just got to be ready when your number’s called with a person like that.”
With Indiana leading 82-80, Clark had a long 3-pointer rattle out and Connecticut called a timeout with 38.6 seconds left. Marina Mabrey worked the clock down before passing it to Alyssa Thomas, who had it stolen by Indiana’s Temi Fagbenle with 24.1 remaining.
Lexie Hull, a 76% free-throw shooter, made two free throws with 19.4 seconds left to give Indiana a four-point lead. DiJonai Carrington was short on a 3-point attempt and Clark grabbed the rebound before running out the clock.
Hull, in her second start of the season, had 17 points and eight rebounds for Indiana. The Fever went 13 of 30 from distance, with four 3-pointers apiece from Hull and Mitchell.
Carrington scored 19 points, Thomas had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Mabrey added 16 points off the bench for Connecticut (22-8). DeWanna Bonner had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Indiana led 51-42 at halftime behind three double-digit scorers. Mitchell scored 13 points, and Hull and Clark each had 10. The Fever shot 55% in the first half as the teams combined for 21 turnovers.
Simone Biles, fresh off winning three more Olympic gold medals in Paris, was in attendance.
Packers claim
rookie Brayden
Narveson off waivers
GREEN BAY, Wis. | After having Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph compete for their placekicking job throughout training camp, the Green Bay Packers decided their best option was finding someone else.
The Packers claimed Brayden Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday and released Joseph. Those moves came one day after Green Bay cut Carlson, a 2023 sixth-round pick.
“We were monitoring the league,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “Brayden was a kid that we liked coming out, and then he had an excellent preseason there in Tennessee. As it unfolded and he was let go, we thought it was an opportunity to get a really good young kicker and give them a shot at it.”
Narveson had an impressive preseason for Tennessee, though he never had much of a chance of unseating Nick Folk. The rookie from N.C. State was 6 of 7 on field-goal attempts, including a 59-yarder. He also made a 46-yard attempt as time expired in a 16-15 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
The lone field goal he missed was a 58-yarder at the end of Sunday’s first half in New Orleans that was nearly returned for a touchdown. He made his initial attempt, only to have it nullified because a timeout had been called.
That wasn’t enough to win a roster spot at Tennessee, where Folk signed a new contract in March after making 96.7% of his kicks last season.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged that signing a rookie kicker from another team this close to the start of the season is “uncharted territory” for him. He said Green Bay’s uncertain kicking situation could impact his strategy early in the season, such as when he decides whether to attempt a field goal or go for the first down in particular fourth down situations.
“I think you’ve got to take into account all the circumstances,” LaFleur said. “No different, though, like when you go out and there’s inclement weather. Sometimes that affects some of the decision making you make. We’ll see. At least we’ll get a couple days with him to kind of get a feel for him as he performs. What’s hard is you just don’t have any game experience with him. But he did a nice job in Tennessee, I know that.”
Narveson had made 78% of his field-goal attempts (71 of 91) during his college career at Iowa State (2019), Western Kentucky (2020-22) and N.C. State (2023). Last season, he went 18 of 23 at NC State and set a school record with his 57-yarder at Duke.
“Certainly he had a great preseason where he hit a 59-yarder and then a game-winner at the end to handle that kind of pressure,” Gutekunst said. “You’re constantly monitoring that stuff, but until you get him in Lambeau Field and everything that that brings, not sure you ever know. I’m probably not as patient with specialists as I should be. I’m really not.”
Carlson went 27 of 33 on field-goal attempts — including just 7 of 13 from at least 40 yards — and 34 of 39 on extra points last season. He missed a 41-yard field goal as the Packers were trying to protect a fourth-quarter lead in an NFC divisional playoff game they eventually lost 24-21 at San Francisco.
He went 3 of 4 on field goals in the preseason and sent a 32-yard attempt wide right in the fourth quarter of a 30-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
“Kickers in this league, you know, some of them come out right away and they can handle it,” Gutekunst said. “And sometimes they’ve got to bounce around a few times before they land. I think Anders is probably gonna be one of those guys. He’s got a ton of talent.”
The addition of Narveson means this will be the 20th consecutive year that a rookie undrafted free agent has made the Packers’ season-opening roster, though the fact he started out with Tennessee adds a wrinkle to the streak. This is the first time during that 20-year stretch that the Packers have opened a year without a rookie undrafted free agent they hadn’t signed directly out of college.
Browns cornerback Denzel Ward is
back practicing
BEREA, Ohio | Denzel Ward has almost moved past another concussion.
Cleveland’s three-time Pro Bowl cornerback returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since suffering at least his fifth documented concussion while playing in the NFL.
Ward remains in the league’s concussion protocol, but he’s entered the final stage by being cleared to be back on the field.
“He’s doing well,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said following the workout. “As you know, he’s progressing. Certain benchmarks you need to hit and that type of thing, but he is doing well.”
Ward got hurt on Aug. 12 when he hit the back of his head on the ground while defending wide receiver Elijah Moore on a pass over the middle. He was wearing one of the soft-shell helmet covers known as Guardian caps that are now required by the league.
The 27-year-old Ward has developed into one of the game’s top cover cornerbacks since being drafted out of Ohio State with the No. 4 overall pick by the Browns in 2018.
But his concussions are a concern.
He’s had at least five as a pro, including one suffered in a game against Kansas City in the final exhibition a year ago. Ward wasn’t cleared to play in the season opener against Cincinnati until two days before the game.
When camp opened last month, Ward said he wasn’t concerned about an inordinate number of concussions.
“I know I got a few concussions, but I don’t go out there thinking about the concussions,” he said. “I did a lot of research over the season and the offseason on concussions and just how to treat them and stuff like that.
“I go out there, play fast, play hard and try to win games. You don’t know what’s going to happen out there.”
The Browns are hoping he’ll be available when they face Dallas in this season’s opener on Sept. 8. Ward likely will be matched up with Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb, who signed a four-year, $136 million contract extension on Tuesday.
Ward had two concussions as a rookie and another in 2022. Still, he has started 76 games in his six seasons, recording 15 career interceptions and returning two for touchdowns.
“Denzel’s that guy,” defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson said. “It means a lot to see him back out here healthy and everything, running around. Just you’re happy to see your guys get back on the field, your brothers you play with and everything. All of us are happy to be back out here.”
As the league has put a major emphasis on safety in recent years, Tomlinson said there is more talk inside locker rooms about head injuries along with added measures taken to ensure players are better protected.
“It’s a whole different awareness in that field in this day and age,” he said. “And we have different helmets they upgrade to every single year. We get head scans. We do all the things necessary for that. We’re playing a very violent, physical game and we do the best of our ability to protect ourselves from that.”
While Ward returned, the Browns are still without their starting offensive tackles.
Right tackle Jack Conklin was not on the field during the portion of practice open to media members. Conklin practiced for the first time Tuesday after suffering a season-ending knee injury in last year’s opener.
Stefanski said the Browns are still taking it slow with Conklin by “ramping him up.”
Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. remains sidelined as he also works his way back from a season-ending knee injury. He passed his physical and was activated from the injured list Monday.
Ryan Tannehill, Xavien Howard are among NFL’s notable free agents
Joe Flacco watched football from his couch last season before joining the Cleveland Browns in November, leading them to the playoffs and earning the AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
Several accomplished free agents are in a similar position waiting for a call this season.
Ryan Tannehill, who went 30-13 while leading Tennessee to the postseason from 2019-21, has remained unsigned since his contract with the Titans expired. The 36-year-old quarterback started eight games last season and said last month that he’s staying in shape and will be ready if the right situation comes along.
Trevor Siemian, who was 2-1 in three starts for the New York Jets last season, also has been available for months.
Desmond Ridder began last season as Atlanta’s starting quarterback. The 2022 third-round pick was released by Arizona on Tuesday after failing to beat out Clayton Tune for the backup job behind Kyler Murray.
Mike White, Bailey Zappe and Brett Rypien also are among the QBs who became available when rosters were trimmed to 53 players on Tuesday.
—From AP reports
