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🏈 Good morning to everybody however particularly to …

CALVIN RIDLEY

On the primary official day of NFL free company, solely the Patriots and Jaguars have been rumored to be in on the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes. Then, the Titans got here busting via the wall just like the Kool-Assist Man with a $92 million contract of their fingers. Ridley’s four-year cope with Tennessee consists of $50 million in assured cash, and probably the most highly-coveted free agent huge receiver is off the market.

After spending one season on the sphere with the Jaguars, Ridley joins a Titans offense with a brand new head coach and a few intriguing items. DeAndre Hopkins signed with the crew final yr, 2023 second-round decide Will Levis has emerged because the quarterback of the long run, and Tony Pollard has additionally signed with Tennessee as a member of this free agent class. They is probably not Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, however first-year head coach Brian Callahan has some weapons at his disposal in Nashville.

Ridley, the No. 26 general decide within the 2018 NFL Draft, flashed an especially excessive ceiling in his 4 seasons with the Falcons. He seemed poised to turn into one of many NFL’s elite huge receivers from 2018 to 2020.

• 2018: 64 receptions, 821 yards, 10 touchdowns
• 2019: 63 receptions, 866 yards, eight touchdowns
• 2020: 90 receptions, 1,374 yards, 9 touchdowns

In 2021, Ridley stepped away from soccer to concentrate on his psychological well being. After which in 2022, Ridley served a year-long suspension for violating the NFL’s playing coverage. Final season, Ridley hoped to reassert himself as a real offensive risk, and he did simply that.

In 17 video games, Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards, and eight touchdowns. In his two video games towards the Titans, Ridley exploded for a mixed 13 receptions, 209 yards and three scores. Tennessee might need signed Ridley simply so it will not have to protect him in 2024.

There was extra motion in NFL free company on Wednesday, and listed here are probably the most notable signings:

Sustain with each transfer all through the NFL’s free agent frenzy with our stay tracker at CBS Sports activities.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏀 And never such a superb morning for …

THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Hopefully nobody rock chalked up No. 16 Kansas‘ second-round matchup towards Cincinnati as a win. The Jayhawks entered the Huge 12 Match with out stars Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson, however a quarterfinal matchup towards Baylor on Friday nonetheless seemed to be within the playing cards. That’s, till Wednesday night time when Kansas laid an egg in a 72-52 loss to Cincinnati.

The Jayhawks obtained off to a gradual begin towards the Bearcats and have been by no means in a position to flip the swap. In reality, the sport obtained away from them within the second half. It was a gross loss for a Kansas crew stumbling towards the end line.

• As a crew, the Jayhawks shot 33.9% from the sphere and 15.0% from past the arc.
• Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson and Nicolas Timberlake mixed to shoot 1-for-12 from 3-point vary.
• Kansas obtained out-rebounded 49-38 and had half as many offensive rebounds (8) as Cincinnati (16).

If the purpose is to play your finest basketball presently of yr, Kansas has a variety of work to do earlier than the NCAA Match begins. After this loss, the Jayhawks have now misplaced 4 of their final 5 video games. Their final two losses, which features a 76-46 dismantling by the hands of Houston, have come by a mixed 50 factors.

Going into Wednesday, CBS Sports activities bracketologist Jerry Palm had Kansas as a No. 3 seed within the East Area. Final night time’s outcomes definitely will not assist that seeding, and this current stretch might imply a much less favorable feed for the Jayhawks when March Insanity ideas off subsequent week.

If there’s a silver lining for Kansas in all of this, it is that it now has loads of time to relaxation and regroup. McCullar and Dickinson are anticipated to be again for the NCAA Match, so these two might present a much-needed spark for the Jayhawks.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

⚾️ Padres land Dylan Stop in cope with White Sox

Our personal Matt Snyder seemed borderline prophetic Wednesday when the Padres acquired beginning pitcher Dylan Stop in a commerce with the White Sox. Snyder had the Padres listed as a top-three potential suitor for Stop, and that is precisely the place he wound up going.

In trade for Stop, San Diego despatched pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, outfield prospect Samuel Zavala and reliever Steven Wilson again to Chicago. This can be a key pickup for a Padres crew that appears like it is going to lose defending Cy Younger winner Blake Snell to free company, and Stop will assist them reload on the mound. He is already confirmed he is usually a high-end pitcher.

• In 2022, Stop completed second to Justin Verlander in AL Cy Younger voting when he posted a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts.
• Stop, 28, is one in all solely 5 pitchers to document at the least 200 strikeouts in every of the final three seasons.

Whereas Stop did take considerably of a step again in 2023, CBS Sports activities’ personal R.J. Anderson believes Stop can bounce again and supply San Diego with high quality beginning pitching. Anderson handed the Padres an “A” for this commerce due to Stop’s nasty slider and the possibilities he improves in a extra pitcher-friendly setting.

• Anderson: “Stop’s sweeping slider, his major pitch final season, has generated 40% or extra whiffs in every of the final three years. In 2023, his slider allowed opponents to hit .216 — and that represented the worst mark of his profession. Get Stop away from the White Sox and right into a extra pleasant pitching setting — by way of the ballpark, the protection, and the infrastructure — and also you would possibly see him rapidly enhance upon his profession 113 ERA+.”

Together with Joe Musgrove and Mike King, Stop ought to give the Padres a trio of beginning pitchers. Will that get San Diego, a crew that completed 82-80 within the 2023 season, into the playoffs this yr? That continues to be to be seen, however the doubts about he Padres’ rotation would possibly stop after this deal.

As for different groups which may have been within the combine for Stop, they must pivot to different choices. The one crew that instantly involves thoughts is the Yankees, who may very well be with out ace Gerrit Cole for the foreseeable future. Our Mike Axisa laid out some choices for the Yanks, which embrace making a run at Snell.

🏈 NFL mock draft: Our QB plan for the Vikings

Kirk Cousins is now a Falcon, and that left the Vikings out there for a brand new beginning quarterback. Their answer in free company was … Sam Darnold. Yeah, he in all probability is not the long-term reply at that place. Neither is he the man who’s going to maintain star huge receiver Justin Jefferson glad as he approaches a brand new contract.

Concern not, Vikings followers, CBS Sports activities draft analyst Chris Trapasso has a plan for you. In his newest NFL mock draft, Trapasso has Minnesota buying and selling with the 49ers to get the No. 31 decide, the place it takes Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

• Trapasso: “They added Sam Darnold however are presumably nonetheless all for a quarterback within the draft. The one drawback is that they’ve the No. 11 general decide, and there is at the least 4 golf equipment in entrance of them who clearly need a quarterback, too. After which there’s the Broncos instantly behind them at No. 12. It’d take some draft maneuvering for the Vikings to get what they need within the first spherical.”

Anybody who watched faculty soccer the final couple of years is aware of precisely how electrical Penix will be when he is on his sport. In 2022, Penix led the Huskies to the School Soccer Playoff title sport and he completed second in Heisman voting. Penix accomplished 65.4% of his passes for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns towards 11 interceptions.

Penix would give the fan base much more optimism than Darnold, and he already has loads of purple in his wardrobe.

The highest 5 picks in Trapasso’s newest mock are as follows:

• 1. Bears | Caleb Williams | QB | USC
• 2. Commanders | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU
• 3. Patriots | Drake Maye | QB | UNC
• 4. Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State
• 5. Chargers | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State

🏀 DeMar DeRozan’s 46 factors push Bulls previous Pacers — and three legends on NBA’s all-time scoring record

The Bulls are combating for playoff place down the house stretch of the NBA common season, and DeMar DeRozan put them on his again Wednesday. DeRozan posted a season-high 46 factors in a key sport towards the Pacers, and the Bulls wanted each single one in all them in a 132-129 time beyond regulation win.

This conflict between Jap Convention foes was a back-and-forth affair, and DeRozan actually placed on his cape on the finish of regulation. With simply 0.1 seconds remaining within the fourth quarter, DeRozan knocked down a bounce shot to tie the sport at 117-117. In time beyond regulation, DeRozan scored 9 of Chicago’s 15 factors, capping off a really sensational efficiency.

• DeRozan obtained to 46 factors whereas going simply 1 for six from 3-point vary by capturing 14 for 18 on two-point photographs and 15 for 17 from the charity stripe.
• On this one sport, DeRozan handed Elgin Baylor, Dwyane Wade and Adrian Dantley on the NBA’s all-time scoring record.
• DeRozan now sits in thirty seventh place all time, proper behind Warriors famous person Stephen Curry.

DeRozan’s effort helped the Bulls preserve their grip on ninth place within the East. Chicago is now 3.5 video games again of the Warmth within the battle for eighth place.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday

🏀 Huge 12 Match: No. 20 BYU vs. No. 25 Texas Tech (M), 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Huge Ten Match: Ohio State vs. Iowa (M), 6:30 p.m. on Huge Ten Community
🏀 SEC Match: Ole Miss vs. Texas A&M (M), 7 p.m. on SEC Community
🏒 Panthers at Hurricanes, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
🏀 Suns at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Maple Leafs at Flyers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
🏀 Mavericks at Thunder, 9 p.m. on TNT