In a surprising turn of events, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released a veteran safety to make room for a recent training camp addition.On Sunday, the Steelers released former Green Bay Packers first-rounder Darnell Savage Jr. to make room for the training camp signing of 32-year-old safety Rayshawn Jenkins.The Steelers announce theyve signed S Rayshawn Jenkins to a one-year contract and released S Darnell Savage. Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 2, 2026Savage, who played with the Packers from 2019 to 2023, also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2024-2025), Washington Commanders (2025) and Buffalo Bills (2025).Savage's brief stint with Pittsburgh got off to a rocky start, as his signing was delayed by months due to medical issues.Despite showing promise early at training camp, Savage is now heading to free agency in search of his next NFL opportunity.For up-to-dateSteelerscoverage, including any training camp news and updates, follow us on X@TheSteelersWireand give ourFacebook pagea like.This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers surprisingly release veteran safety after training camp signing

The Los Angeles Dodgers shook the MLB on Saturday night when they acquired two-time Cy Young Award-winner Tarik Skubal. Now, we know when he will take the mound for the reigning champions. On Saturday night, Skubal was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Dodgers in exchange for three prospects, highlighted by outfielder Zyhir Hope. Right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith are also headed to the Tigers. Skubal was by far the best player available at the MLB trade deadline, and the reigning champions got him. When Will Skubal Make His Dodgers Debut? The left-hander's first start for his new team will come on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field in the second game of a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. Skubal has faced the Cubs three times in his career. Over 19 2/3 innings, he has a 4.12 ERA, having allowed nine runs on 22 hits and two walks while striking out 18. Last season, Skubal faced the Cubs and dominated on June 6, 2025, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The southpaw allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings while striking out six. He dominated and got the win in Detroit's 3-1 victory. This will be Skubal's first career start at Wrigley Field. Skubals last start for the Tigers was last Wednesday, when he started a loss against the Orioles. He pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six. During the start, Skubal registered his 1,000th career MLB strikeout. Skubal has made 16 starts this season, and he has allowed more than three runs in just three of those games. In his last six starts with the Tigers, he had a 1.95 ERA over 37 innings.

Robert Valentin met the media Saturday after his win over Dusko Todorovic at UFCFight Night 283.Valentin (13-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) submitted Todorovic (13-7 MMA, 4-7 UFC) in the first round on the main card atBelgrade Arena in Serbia. After some scrambles on the canvas, Valentin capitalized when Todorovic made a miscalculation and soon after had him tapping to a guillotine choke.The Swiss fighter, who won for the second straight time after three straight losses to open his UFC run, said the plan all along was towin the fight on the canvas."I had the same submission a little bit earlier in the fight, but it was not 100 percent," Valentin told the UFC after the fight. "I knew I needed to make some adjustments with my hip. I knew when we got to the same position again, I'd have it 100 percent."I was very confident in my grappling for this fight and my striking, wrestling, everything. But I always say if you fight me, most likely, I'm going to submit you. I called it in the (pre-fight) interview first-round submission. That's what happened. Don't let menear your neck."The crazy thing, Valentin said, is that on his current two-fight run, he's still, essentially, the same version of fighter as he was when he had his three-fight skid.But he's been working with Dewey Cooper at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, and he said when that 2.0 version is unleashed, look out."With Dewey Cooper, we're cooking up some stuff, and right now, my opponents let me keep the gun in the holster," Valentin said. "But once we get the gun out and we use those weapons (I'm learning with Cooper), it's going to be ferocious, it's going to be violent, it's going to be brutal."But if you want tokeep hugging me and try to takeme down, I'm just going to have to submit you guys. We'll keep those weapons until we really need them. We haven't shown anything yet. We just keep doing what we're doing: hard and honest work, good energy, positive mindset and the sky's the limit.""I was very confident in my grappling for this fight."Robert Valentin (@RobzillaTV_MMA) earns his second win in a row by submission after defeating Duko Todorovi at #UFCBelgradeMain Card Results https://t.co/4EZGgXm4d7pic.twitter.com/TAs6dTUZpX UFC News (@UFCNews) August 1, 2026Check out Valentin's post-fight interview in the video above.This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Robert Valentin says UFC Belgrade win wasn't his new-and-improved version

Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson already 'flourishing' before 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here."Flourishing" is the kind of word you want to hear associated with your favorite NFL team. That's exactly what they're calling the relationship between Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams before the Chicago Bears' season. So beautiful, right?Johnson is starting his second year with the franchise. Williams is starting his third. Both of these guys have been around long enough to get to know the franchise. Both have already thrived here. Now, it's time to turn up the heat.In a feature for Bleacher Report, NFL expert and analyst Alex Kay rattles off one reason each NFL team shouldn't be overlooked in 2026. For the Bears, he loves the "flourishing" relationship between these two.NFL expert gives Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams PropsIn the piece, Kay says that Johnson certainly "lived up to the immense hype surrounding the Chicago Bears' decision to hire him as their head coach last year."That's definitely the case. The team went first in the NFC North. That's beyond impressive."Johnson's work with Caleb Williams was the driving force behind Chicago's success," he adds. "The coach's system elevated the second-year quarterback to the cusp of stardom and could push him into the league's upper echelon this season."If you needed another reason to believe in the Bears this season, there it is. Since the Bears already have bragging rights after being the NFC North champion and made it to the postseason, they're poised to only build on that success when they hit the field in September.More NFL news:Deshaun Watson sends strong message toShedeur SandersBengals, Joe Burrow get encouraging news as training camp continuesDolphins get harsh reality check after cutting ties with Tua Tagovailoa

Whatever changes are made by the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the trade deadline, several of the club's best, young assets for the future led the way in the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Red roughed up the Pirates in a 10-2 victory at Great American Ball Park, and won three games in the four-game series.It's possible that by the 6 p.m. deadline Monday night, the Reds will have dealt from the 2026 roster via trade. The hope will be some of the return on those trades can supplement another run at contention in the next baseball season, be it in 2027 or later.Key pieces are already in place for Cincinnati. Several of them are young in their MLB careers, and they're already delivering for the club. National League All-Star and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Sal Stewart homered in the first inning to put Cincinnati up 2-0. The homer was his 24th of 2026, which tied him for 11th in MLB in home runs. His 85 RBIs were tied for the MLB lead.Fellow NL All-Star Chase Burns slogged through rain into the fourth inning and had his outing interrupted for 25 minutes for weather-related issues, which ended up being somewhat controversial. After the unofficial rain delay, Burns returned to the mound. He ended up lasting six innings to improve to 13-2 on the year. His ERA dropped from 2.35 to 2.31 as Burns allowed just two hits, two walks and a hit batter. Elly De La Cruz's named was tied to reports of failed attempts to trade for him, but any discussion of the Reds' future in the coming season undoubtedly includes him, and his two-run single in the third inning put the Reds up, 7-0.The only run to cross against Burns came during a stressful fourth inning in which rain was pooling on the infield and weather appeared to impact the game for a second consecutive day at Great American Ball Park. Pittsburgh's run came prior to members of the grounds crew being called out to try to sop up the rain water and tidy the infield, which forced the 25-minute stoppage. Pirates manager Don Kelly appeared to be ejected for arguing about the playing conditions during the stoppage. When play resumed, Burns finished off the fourth inning. It was a long series for Kelly's Pirates, who didn't help themselves much in Cincinnati, and left 2.5 games out of the third NL wild card spot.For the Reds, it was their fourth series victory in five tries, and second series win against an NL Central foe in a week after winning a road series in St. Louis on July 26. While the club's record improved to 10-6 since returning from the All-Star break. Cincinnati was still expected to make moves ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. As of post-game on Aug. 2, about 24 hours remained ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline at 6 p.m. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds top Pirates behind some of their best young stars

The Minnesota Vikings are making some moves to bolster their secondary for training camp. On Sunday, the team signed UDFA cornerback Jarod Washington and waived rookie running back Kejon Owens with a non-football illness designation. Washington went undrafted this past draft cycle after coming out of South Carolina State. He had previously been with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their minicamps.The former South Carolina State defender won the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2025 and was "impressive" to folks during the Shrine Game week practice. Essentially Sports' Tony Pauline wrote before the draft, "Jarod Washington, who stood out during Shrine Bowl practices, was impressive. Washington measured six feet, 190 pounds, four more pounds than his weight from the Shrine. He timed 4.42 seconds in the 40 and looked good in position drills."From NFL Draft Daily: Here are four HBCU prospects to keep an eye on Jarod Washington, CB, SC State Erick Hunter, LB, Morgan State Quincy Ivory, EDGE/OLB, Jackson State Curtis Allen, RB, Virginia Union pic.twitter.com/hg2YQoduNx Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) February 20, 2026He will join a cornerback group that is led by Pro Bowler Byron Murphy Jr. and new free agent signing James Pierre. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings sign reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year

Texans reunite with former No. 1 overall pick from Cowboys originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney is heading back to where it all started. The veteran edge rusher agreed to terms with the Houston Texans on Sunday, bringing his career full circle after stops with six other franchises.Clowney comes off a strong one-year run with the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him after Week 2 last season once they'd traded away Micah Parsons and needed help off the edge. He didn't debut until Week 4 but grew into the role, finishing 2025 with a team-high 8.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble across 13 games.Houston drafted Clowney No. 1 overall out of the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2014. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Texans, racking up all three of his Pro Bowl nods there and helping the franchise reach the playoffs three times.He left the team in 2019 via a trade to the Seattle Seahawks and has since bounced through several other teams, never staying anywhere for more than a season or two.Now, at 33, he's back in Houston as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted, "Reunion: The Texans are signing their own former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney.Clowney, who played last year for the #Cowboys, stays in his hometown to play."Clowney had 29 sacks with the #Texans during the early part of his career there. Now, at 33, back for more. https://t.co/vGDalYp10d Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2026NFL Networks Mike Garafolo confirmed the deal was locked down by Clowneys agent, Andrew Ross of UpperEdgeSports. Before deciding on Houston, Clowney actually visited the Cleveland Browns and got some serious interest from the Seattle Seahawks, but the Texans ultimately won the sweepstakes.According to contract details from KPRC2s Aaron Wilson, it is a one-year deal with a $5.5 million base salary that can reach up to $8 million if he hits his incentives.It's a $5.5 million base value for Jadeveon Clowney and a maximum value of $8 million, per a league source, for three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher with #Texans@KPRC2 Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 2, 2026Clowney slots into a Texans defense already loaded up front, joining Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who combined for 27 sacks in 2025. With Houston's pass rush already among the league's best, Clowney gives the franchise a proven defensive asset as they chase another playoff run just weeks before their Week 1 kickoff against the Buffalo Bills on Sep. 13.More NFL news:Aaron Rodgers gets surprising CBS mention with Tony Romo sidelinedJerry Jones softens hard line on Cowboys stadium flaw he long refused to fixMicah Parsons' projected return date lines up perfectly with Cowboys revenge matchupJerry Jones wants his 'most prolific' star to be NFL's top WR this seasonCowboys' Jerry Jones shares 'overcome adversity' message for Tony Romo

Garca will bring left-handed power to a lineup that desperately needs it

SportsLine simulated the new NFL season 10,000 times and identified Fantasy football busts 2026 to fade during your Fantasy football draft prep

The New York Yankees have reached a deal to acquire slugging Washington Nationals infielder Luis Garca Jr., ESPNs Jeff Passan reports.The Yankees will send four prospects to the Nationals in return, per the report. The names of those prospects were not initially reported. The report of the deal confirmed earlier reports that the two sides were discussing a trade. Garcia was a late scratch for Sunday's Nationals game against the Atlanta Braves amid those reports. Garcia, 26, is in the midst of a breakout season in his seventh MLB campaign provides the Yankees with another productive bat. Through 104 games, Garca is slashing .283/.313/.560 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI. His .560 slugging percentage leads the National League.It's not clear where hell play for the Yankees. He's played primarily at first base this season, but has also played at shortstop and second base during his Nationals career.