Category: Sports News

The worst position group for the Cleveland Browns last year was arguably the wide receiver group. GM Andrew Berry took on the assignment to improve this group and get them out of the hole of being ranked #32 last year. In case you are scoring at home, that is dead last.  

In the April draft, Berry selected KC Concepcion of Texas A&M in Round 1, and then with his very next pick he chose Washington’s Denzel Boston.  

RELATED: 2026 GAVE FANS WHAT THEY WANT

Each NFL club usually retains five or six receivers. For the Browns, Jerry Jeudy and the two rookies are a lock. The coaching staff really likes the development of Isaiah Bond. That leaves two spots.

Berry signed Tylan Wallace from the Baltimore Ravens, who is a receiver but was inked for his return skills. But still, he would count as one of the six spots.

That leaves one. The competition is between Cedric Tillman, Larvadain, Luke Floriea, Malachi Corley, and undrafted rookie Ben Patterson.

Tillman was released before “The Turk” shows up on August 30. That means the one roster spot is down to one guy.

Floriea was signed to a reserve/futures deal in January. Jamari Thrash and Corley were tendered in March. Wallace came to Cleveland during the free agency period. Undrafted rookies Aaron Anderson and Kole Wilson were inked right after the draft.

Anderson and Thrash ended up injured and were waived with an injury designation. Undrafted rookie Ben Patterson was then signed to fill the void.

The Ohio kid

Back to Floriea, which is pronounced as “Flo-REE-uh.” He is an Ohio player. He grew up in Mentor, Ohio, and attended Mentor High School, where he played basketball and football despite only being 5’-8” tall and weighing 179 pounds. Floriea was an exceptional basketball player, playing 101 contests and averaging 11.5 points a game, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 4.4 assists. 22 times in his final three seasons, he was named the “Player of the Game.”

In football, he played receiver and ran a 4.48 in the 40 with a vertical leap of 32”. As a senior, he had 52 receptions for 939 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named Second Team All-Ohio, First Team All-District, and First Team All-County. He was listed as a three-star recruit. Athletics run in the family, as his sister Paige was a track star.

He had plenty of offers, but chose Kent State.

His career totals are 48 games played, 100 receptions for 1,321 yards, 12 TDs, a 13.2 yards-per-reception average, and four rushes for 23 yards with a single score. Floriea was also a return man with seven kickoffs for a 17.8 yards-per-return average, plus 21 punt returns with an average of 7.6 yards per return.

After his junior and senior seasons, Floriea was named First Team All-MAC and received a Hula Bowl invite. As a senior, he caught 44 receptions for 699 yards with seven touchdowns. He ranked fifth in the conference in yards per catch (15.9).

The sixth and final receiver spot on the Browns’ roster is up for grabs. Last year, Floriea was a bubble guy as well, was waived, and then spent the year on Cleveland’s practice squad.

Versus the Patriots

Going into the final preseason game with the New England Patriots, it was made known that the starters weren’t going to play, and this contest was for the bottom third of the roster to prove that they deserved a roster spot.

Like Floriea.

Against New England, Floriea was lined up with the second team. The final catch of the first drive impressed.

Cleveland had driven down to New England’s seven-yard line with a first-and-goal. Rocket Sanders had gotten most of the yardage to finally get the offense down close. With Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, he found Floriea who had come from the left slot to the right flats, alone at the 9-yard line.

He then headed to the right pylon despite three defenders bearing down on him. Staying in-bounds by inches, he fought his way to the pylon for the game’s first touchdown with CB Kindle Vildor and S John Saunders all over him.

Luke powering it in for 6!#NEvsCLE on @NFLonPrimepic.twitter.com/b8BAvwthgP

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 28, 2026

It wasn’t the crossing route, or getting wide open, or his decision to turn upfield, or his speed. It was the fight to get into the end zone for points that was the most impressive.

Make that two touchdowns in two weeks.  

On the next possession, the pass was to WR Greg Larvadain with 7:31 left in the first quarter. Larvadain caught the ball while Floriea then walled off his man, which gave the receiver an extra six yards on the completed pass. It’s plays like this that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

Let’s discuss his second touchdown of the game.

The Browns drove down to New England’s fourteen-yard line. Dillon in shotgun, with Floriea now as the right slot receiver. He did a right juke, then immediately cut to the inside and headed towards the left center of the end zone. He pretty much shrugged off his man, CB Marcellas Dial, but still had a safety man deep. The pass hit him perfectly at the seven-yard line with two steps now on Dial.

His speed got him to the three as S Dell Pettus approached, Floriea gave him a right-turn head bob. This caused Pettus to pause, which gave Floriea a millisecond. Then the two met at the one with a fight to cross the goal line.

DG + Luke = TD 🙌#NEvsCLE on @NFLonPrimepic.twitter.com/mYVj4n5MnH

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 28, 2026

Yes, both scores were against the Patriots’ second-team defense. We get that. However, receivers have the job of catching passes and trying to score. Floriea is doing both. He doesn’t drop balls. He doesn’t throw his arms up when he doesn’t make a contested catch. He accepts incompletions. He runs crisp routes. He sells his fakes. He does his job.  

This year, it just seems different for Floriea. His routes have more meaning. He is giving extra deception and is selling it more.

I’ll be completely honest: What you saw from Luke Floriea tonight is what we see every day in practice. He consistently gets open, makes plays, works hard and is a great teammate.

This isn’t a feel-good story anymore. I talked about him last year, and he continues to produce.… https://t.co/yL72FhBOJm

— Lance Reisland (Coach Riz) (@LanceReisland) August 28, 2026

Take Floriea’s touchdown-not-touchdown in the second quarter. The throw was bad and died heading towards the ground. Yet Floriea made the effort with both hands and was one inch away from his third touchdown of the game. In fact, the initial call was touchdown, but the replay showed a small skip off the turf.   

Is it enough?

Patterson did some good things in the Patriots game, including the 52-yard gain and leading all receivers. He seems destined for the practice squad. Larvadain has had a roller coaster in training camp as well as in preseason games. That might become two down.

Sources: Former #Jets WR Malachi Corley is signing with the #Browns.

I’m told Corley had multiple opportunities on the open market, and ultimately chose Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/bHXDWo8MGn

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 27, 2025

Corley is a guy who failed to wow anybody in preseason, but the coaching staff loves him. He offered more as a complete player last year, even though that was with another staff. But he has a lot of potential, has genuine juice, and came from a college program that was on full throttle every game on offense. He is a weapon once he catches the ball and is an above-average kickoff returner, adding to his versatility. The last receivers on the depth chart usually have to also play on punt and kick coverage units as well, something Corley has experience with.

---

Preseason Comparison:

vs. Chicago Bears

Corley: 2 targets, 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0.0 average, 0 TD

Floriea: 2 targets, 1 reception, 35 yards, 35.0 average, 0 TD

Larvadain: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 37 yards, 9.3 average, 0 TD

Patterson: 0 targets, 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0.0 average, 0 TD

vs. Buffalo Bills

Corley: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 27 yards, 13.5 average, 0 TD

Floriea: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards, 15.5 average, 1 TD

Larvadain: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards, 2.5 average, 0 TD

Patterson: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards, 5.0 average, 0 TD

vs. New England Patriots

Corley: 2 targets, 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0.0 average, 0 TD

Floriea: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards, 9.7 average, 2 TDs

Larvadain: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 48 yards, 9.6 average, 0 TD

Patterson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 71 yards, 35.5 average, 0 TD

---

What do you think about Floriea’s chances of making the roster? Should the Browns choose WR talent over special teams contributions to keep the Mentor native?

Hello all! Fantasy football is back for yet another year! Can you believe it? The NFL has been given the go-ahead for another season! This plucky upstart of a league may just make it after all. And as long as the NFL is still churning out football games, I’ll have my drafting tiers for all of you fake footballers. There is plenty of drafting software out there now that can help when you sit down to pick your team, but will they be FREE like my tiers? Will they! No. They probably won’t.

My tiers are like other tiers you’ll find out there in the wild, but these are in PDF form and are printable! This new fangled technology has disrupted the whole fantasy football market! I always draft from printed tiers because it’s easier to see the whole picture of the draft with all the positions and players on one page grouped into tiers of similar value. Give it a go!

2026 Fantasy Draft Strategy

First off, I really want to grab two running backs from Tier 2. If I get the first or second pick, I’ll grab Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson. That gives me tremendous fantasy floor and upside and lets me go with the best pick between a wide receiver and running back.

Secondly, I love the first three tiers of wide receivers. After I get my two running backs, I want to go hard in grabbing wide receivers from Tier 3 or Tier 2 if any have fallen.

Thirdly, tight end is deep this year and I don’t feel the need to use a top pick on one of the true studs. I will most-likely grab someone from Tier 3. If I happen to miss all the TEs through Tier 3, I’ll probably grab two tight ends to stream, unless I have really short benches and then I’ll stream from the waiver wire.

Fourthly, I see quarterback as deep as well. Sure, I’d love Josh Allen, but I think the strategic move is to wait, especially in home leagues that often grab QBs early. Which QB I get will probably depend a lot on how the draft goes. If we get into the 6th or 7th round, and someone from Tier 2 has fallen, I’ll grab him. If not, I’ll feel pretty good about getting someone from Tier 4. Jaxson Dart, who is in Tier 4, has a caveat in that I want to make sure I have a usable backup for him, as he spends way too much time in the medical tent.

Fifthly, I almost always wait until the final two rounds for kicker and defense. This is tried and true and I stick by it, but, if somehow Brandon Aubrey falls far enough, and I’m in a league that only starts QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, FLEX, K, D/ST, then kicker takes up a decent portion of your total score each week. Aubrey is going to have some 20 point weeks and average in the double-digits. That can be an edge. Also, be sure to check kicker scoring. If they give you a big boost for 50 and 60 yard field goals, try to get Aubrey.

Lastly, have fun!

Google Doc: PPR Tiers

PDF: PPR Tiers

Ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight title fight between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic, both fighters showed face for the final press conference before their fists start to fly. Itauma, who has the opportunity to become a world champion at just 21 years old, makes it clear that he’s focused on the belt more than any record.

“I’m not trying to become the second youngest heavyweight champion of the world, I’m trying to beat Filip Hrgovic and become a heavyweight champion,” Itauma said. “Second of all, listen, this fight is what I’ve wanted. I’ve asked Queensberry for so long. I think it’s a style matchup that I reckon I can thrive on, the pressure I can thrive on. Now, it’s just waiting until fight night.”

Hrgovic, 34, hasn’t shied away from the moment himself, having expressed a lot of confidence and being somewhat dismissive of Itauma during their promotional run up to this fight.

“I just telling you facts,” Hrgovic said. “I’m not playing games. I just tell you what I think in the moment. Like I said, I’m not so smart to play these mind games…I think he’s a kid, he’s not mature enough. I think I’m the man, I’m in much better age, much more experienced, and that’s it. No mind games…God willing, I’ll beat him. I’ll smash the kid on Saturday, I’ll send him back to high school.”

Hrgovic would continue to goad Itauma over the course of the event, and you can check out full highlights from the press conference in the link below!

Missouri and Learfield have partnered together for a “historic” sponsorship, the school announced on Friday. With it bring a jersey patch for the Tigers, coming to an agreement with Ambetter Health. This is just the latest college football program to add a patch ahead of the 2026 season.

“In less than three years, we have more than doubled our sponsorship revenue with over 130% growth, establishing significant NIL resources to help our teams secure the talent to compete for championships,” Mizzou athletic director Laird Veatch said in a statement. “That investment reflects the momentum and strength of the Mizzou brand and demonstrates the value we’re creating for our partners. We have asked the major corporate brands in our great state to seize this opportunity to partner with us to continue elevating our university brand and state economy – and many of those brands are responding in record fashion. We are incredibly grateful to these partners, and to our Learfield colleagues at Mizzou Sports Properties, and proud of the momentum we’re building together.

“As we continue to build these powerful partnerships across Missouri, we’re grateful for the incredible alignment we have with state leadership, particularly Gov. Kehoe and Sen. Schmitt, who have clearly demonstrated their support and recognition of the economic impact and brand development power of Mizzou Athletics for the State of Missouri.”

Football is not the only program to work alongside Ambetter Health. Missouri says Olympic sports will also have a patch on their jerseys moving forward. This includes men’s and women’s basketball, along with the baseball program.

[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]

Remember the days when rookie tight ends took a year or two to get up to speed with the offense and contribute in fantasy football? Those days are over. Last season three rookie tight ends cracked the the fantasy tight end top 12. If the player is good and the situation is right, coaches are going to get them on the field.

This year the rookie tight end class isn’t as deep as previous years, but there is talent there. And if things break the right way, we could again see a rookie tight end have fantasy value.

Kenyon Sadiq, Jets

Sadiq went in the first round to the Jets and is easily the best tight end prospect in the draft. Unfortunately, Sadiq had to deal with a hernia which slowed down his progress. He will be available Week 1, but he’ll likely be eased back in. But this is dynasty, and Sadiq is the clear first tight end off the board in rookie drafts.

Eli Stowers, Eagles

Stowers went in the second round of the draft and is the heir apparent to Dallas Goedert in Philly. But Stowers has true receiving chops and is quicker and more versatile as a route runner than Goedert. It will be hard to keep him off the field. Sadiq and Stowers are in their own tier for rookie tight ends.

Eli Raridon, Patriots

Raridon has gotten praise in camp this year and he appears to be next in line for the starting job after Hunter Henry. Raridon can block, but his hands and ability out of the slot are what we are banking on in fantasy. The rookie should get on the field in 2TE formations and be a possible fantasy asset this season if Henry misses any time.

Marlin Klein, Texans

The Texans have Dalton Schultz, but Klein has the upside to develop into a starting tight end. It won’t be this year most-likely, but his elite athleticism and Day 2 draft capital give him a real shot to for a starting job after Shultz is gone.

Captain Lawrence Shankland insists the Rangers players must take responsibility for the "sickening" and "embarrassing" European exit - but denied the club are in crisis.

Rangers are out of Europe before the league phase after defeat in the Europa League qualifiers to Jagiellonia Bialystok was followed by a shootout loss to Jablonec in the Conference League play-offs.

Since leaving Hearts to take charge at Ibrox in June, Derek McInnes has won just two of his first seven games in all competitions and his side already trail Premiership leaders Celtic by five points.

Speaking after Thursday's night's defeat in the Czech Republic, Shankland said: "There's not been too many times in my career where I've had to apologise to our travelling support, but tonight it's certainly one for the team to give them that apology.

"It's obviously been a difficult start to the season and ultimately going out of Europe, it doesn't get much lower than this.

"It's sickening, to be honest, and we need to take responsibility for that as players.

"Obviously we're trying to learn as we go. When results aren't coming, sometimes you can get away with it, and you get results along the way, but that's not happened for us.

"We're getting punished on all fronts, so it is difficult, but we need to keep working hard at it.

"I wouldn't say crisis, but it is obviously a concern. We know that as a team, and for this club to not be in European football, it's an embarrassing moment for us as a team and in that changing room.

"You can't hide behind it, there's nothing to hide behind. The proof is there, it's just not good enough."

Shankland started on the bench in both games against Jablonec and the striker's dream move to the club he supports has not gone as planned.

He admits the European exit is one of the lowest points of his career, while there is no escape from the scrutiny as a Rangers player.

"Everybody's trying to do well, but right now it's not happening, myself included," he added.

"It's just not been at the level required for the start of the season and we're trying to find that form individually and collectively.

"It's difficult, you're judged on everything you do and of course I would have loved to have come here and had a better start, but it's not been the case so far.

"I don't lose belief in what we're doing. Right now it's a horrific feeling, it's a bad moment, but we're going to need to move on at some point. We've got a league campaign to go into."

The 2026 wide receiver draft class wasn’t filled with transcendent players, but that’s not going to stop us from grabbing some high upside rookies this year. In dynasty, I want my rookie running backs to get on the field quickly and show that they can be fantasy relevant sooner than later. With receivers, I’m willing to take a longer look but I still don’t want them to be buried on the depth chart going into their rookie season.

I like this group of receivers. It’s been fun watching them throughout training camp and preseason. And during that time, we’ve seen a few shine and raise their profile. Below, I’ll go through some of the receivers making a move toward playing time this season and hopefully secure a spot on your fake teams for years to come.

Ja’Kobi Lane, Ravens

The Ravens need help at receiver behind Zay Flowers, which pushed them to draft Lane in the third round and Elijah Sarrat in the fourth. So far, Lane has showed well in camp. He gets compared to Michael Thomas, with his sure hands and big frame. Rashod Bateman is the current WR2, but off field issues and just an inability to consistently put up numbers has that No. 2 job up for grabs.

Cyrus Allen, Chiefs

Kansas City needs help at wide receiver. Rashee Rice is good, but he’s not a strong WR1. Add in his off-field issues and injury concerns, and there is room for another receiver to rise in the depth chart. Allen could be that guy or an approximation of that guy. He’s played well in preseason and has gotten plenty of praise from beat writers. I’m willing to take him ahead of his ADP due to his opportunity and offensive environment in KC.

Chris Bell/Caleb Douglas, Dolphins

The Dolphins are in full tank mode, but they’ll still play football games and the players want to win. They lack any veteran wide receivers worth a darn, so their rookies, Bell and Douglas have plenty of room to win playing time. Douglas has been consistent this summer, already winning a starting job come Week 1. Bell is coming off a knee injury, but has finally returned to practice and shed his no-contact jersey. Both receivers could win starting jobs with Jalen Tolbert and Malik Washington as their main competition.

Antonio Williams, Commanders

The Commanders offensive line is in shambles at the moment. The loss of Laremy Tunsil couldn’t have been bigger. Of course, one way to combat the pass rush are quick hitters and the rookie Williams specializes in just that. His ability after the catch should give him chances early on to be useful to the offense.

Germie Bernard, Steelers

Bernard hasn’t done enough this preseason to give us much hope he’ll be a useful fantasy player quickly, but I like his ability and think he can succeed in this offense. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have the hutzpah to go deep like he used too, which means he needs his receivers to catch passes close to mid-range and then make something happen.

The 2025 draft was not brimming at the seams with offensive talent that will quickly transition into big time fantasy football, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t quality running backs to be had from this group. Unfortunately, none of the top backs landed somewhere they’ll quickly be asked to be a bell-cow back. Last year Ashton Jeanie landed with the Raiders to be the no-doubt starter his rookie year, but that didn’t work out quite as well as many, including myself, hoped.

This re-draft year we won’t want to draft a rookie running back in the first round, and with Jeremiah Love’s high-ankle sprain, we’ll need to be a little wary how early we get him. Yes, these are dynasty rankings, but what happens in their rookie years is extremely important in projecting their career. We want that least be able to imagine a pathway to a starting job sooner than later. Running backs don’t have long careers and we want them to get their fantasy stats early and often.

Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals

Love is the no-doubt No. 1 rookie pick in dynasty and the first rookie to go off the board in re-draft. His ability coming out of college is on par with the top backs around the league and if healthy, should have a productive career. He’s very much ahead of the pack as far as draft capital and skill. I’m fine with trading rookie picks, as unproven is still unproven, but if you can’t get a good deal, Love looks like the real deal.

Jonah Coleman, Broncos

The Broncos backfield looks crowded, but JK Dobbins is injury prone and closing in on the end of his career, while RJ Harvey isn’t as effective between the tackles as Coleman. If Dobbins were to go down, Coleman would most likely be the lead back and he has three-down ability. I like his upside and he could get there quicker than you’d think.

Mike Washington, Raiders

Washington has all the attributes to be a starter in this league. He fell in the draft, but his physical make up is right up there with the best in the business and he’s shown well in preseason. If Ashton Jeanty can’t play in Week 1 due to his ankle, Washington would be the next man up and I’d be more than happy to start him in fantasy right from the start.

Emmett Johnson, Chiefs

Johnson lasted until the fourth round, but he’s quickly become the RB2 behind Kennth Walker in Kansas City. That’s a situation I like, as Walker has some trouble staying on the field. This is a situation where I’d be super happy to have both backs on my team.

Kaelon Black, 49ers

The 49ers make some odd picks at times, but they also sometimes work out. Kyle Shanahan is a master at scheming his offense, and rookie backs, if called upon, can take advantage of that. Black hasn’t secured the RB2 job behind Christian McCaffrey, but he’s shown the coaching staff enough to be right in the thick of it.

Rookie running back dynasty rankings

You may have heard that there’s a family reunion happening in Green Bay this week. Have you heard about this? Apparently Matt LaFleur and his younger brother Mike are both NFL head coaches, and their teams are playing each other for the first time.

I’m sure this is news to everyone reading this.

The LaFleur family storyline is fun, but both of these organizations need to focus on finalizing their rosters after Friday night’s game. For Packers fans, that should be the biggest priority here — identifying what the team’s last roster moves will be and getting a bit more clarity on how the lower levels of the depth chart stack up.

Of course, the family angle plays much better for big media sources, so that will surely be a main area of focus during the game broadcast and preview coverage leading up to the preseason finale. So, are you ready for a bunch more fawning coverage about the LaFleur family? We sure hope so, because here it is (along with some other newsy bits).

Football and family go hand-in-hand for the LaFleurs | Packers.com
Here we go.

First Packers-Cardinals LaFleur matchup: From Michigan brothers to NFL head coaches | ESPN
This one at least has an amusing anecdote: that the LaFleur family home has what Matt and Mike’s parents refer to as the “Focker Wall,” in reference to the movie Meet the Parents.

5 things to watch in Packers vs. Cardinals: The final wide receiver battle | Packers Wire
Here’s some actual discussion of what to watch on the field tonight, starting with the battle between J. Michael Sturdivant and Isaiah Neyor for a potential WR7 spot.

Grading Packers’ Signing of Jonnu Smith And Examining How He’ll Fit Offense | SI.com
It’s worth remembering who the offensive coordinator was in Jonnu Smith’s second NFL season: that’s right, Matt LaFleur.

2026 NFL 53-man roster deadline: Cut candidates, trade targets | NFL.com
Packers fans should keep an eye on the running back and tight end cuts from around the league.

The league is making it clear that you can’t just go back and forth between college and pro football whenever you want. That’s probably for the best, but the recent legal rulings have the sport in a very strange place.

Spilled pallets of cheese balls cause traffic mess on 105 Freeway in Lynwood | ABC 7
This is an absolute travesty.

---

The Feed is the place for you to share whatever it is you want to talk about, big or small. Head over to the editor to start writing today!

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

• Fewer ads
• Create community posts
• Comment on articles, community posts
• Rec comments, community posts
• New, improved notifications system!

Anyone who has followed the Jets at any sort of detailed level over the years knows they have seen their fair share of preseason standouts. For the most part, these players don’t work out.

For every Wayne Chrebet, there have been countless guys who Jets fans have gotten excited about, only for them to never make much of an impact at the NFL level. Zach Sudfeld, Rontez Miles, Chris Streveler, Ryan Spadola, Clyde Gates…well, you get the point.

Preseason normally doesn’t tell us much, and unfortunately, beating up on a bunch of backups and fringe roster players doesn’t necessarily translate to making valuable contributions during the regular season. However, what if I told you there was a player on the 2026 Jets who might actually be able to make an impact going forward because of his intriguing profile and history?

Listen, listen. I know how this sounds.

I just gave you a complete warning about why you cannot delude yourself into buying into positive preseason performances. I’m always reminded of Tobias Fünke’s hilarious line from Arrested Development whenever I start talking myself into one of these guys:

That pretty much sums it up. It never works. Or, at least, it hardly ever works in NFL terms. But as fans, we delude ourselves into thinking there’s a chance.

This year, my guy is Nate Lynn.

Lynn is a recent acquisition who stood out in the Jets’ preseason opener last week. And while it would be incredibly premature to suggest he’s going to become some sort of impact player (or even make the team), there are enough things about his background and profile to make me at least a little more interested than I normally would be in a preseason standout.

Let’s take a look at Lynn’s history and why there might be something here.

Background

Lynn is a 24-year-old edge rusher entering his third season in the NFL.

He originally came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2024 after a strong collegiate career at William & Mary. Known for his versatility, Lynn played all over the defensive line in college, often moving inside despite weighing around 255 pounds.

That versatility was a big part of what made him interesting. He had impressive speed for someone who spent so much time lined up around the B-gap, although his testing numbers were much more modest when viewed strictly through the lens of a stand-up edge rusher.

Still, Lynn evidently did enough to impress then-Lions general manager Brad Holmes and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

After a solid offseason and training camp, Lynn’s rookie season was unfortunately cut short in his very first preseason game against the Giants. He suffered a torn ligament in his shoulder, which was particularly discouraging considering he had already flashed with a sack in the game.

Lynn spent the entire 2024 season on injured reserve. Then came 2025.

Once again, Lynn generated buzz throughout the offseason, with Brad Holmes publicly describing him as “impressive.” And his preseason performance backed that up. In four preseason games (the Lions played in the Hall of Fame Game) Lynn accumulated 10 total pressures and a sack. Those 10 pressures ranked among the top three of all edge rushers that preseason, while his PFF grade and pass-rush win rate were both in the 99th percentile among qualified pass rushers. Despite all of that, Lynn was cut.

That came as somewhat of a surprise. A quick look at the Lions 53-man roster projections from beat writers that summer shows that Lynn was generally expected to make the team. The overall sentiment seemed to be that he had done enough to stick around. Instead, he ended up signing with the Titans’ practice squad.

Then came another regime change, and Robert Saleh ultimately opted not to keep him around. That brings us to the Jets.

So, What Do We Make of Him?

Lynn has played just one preseason game with the Jets, but he immediately looked like one of the best players on the field, even if he was doing it against backups. He finished with two sacks against the Steelers and was the Jets’ second-highest graded defensive player in the game. One of those sacks came against Steelers starting tackle Broderick Jones.

Obviously, none of this means Lynn is suddenly going to become a star. If anything, he might still be more likely not to make the Jets’ 53-man roster. That’s the reality of being an undersized, relatively unproven edge rusher who has bounced around the league. The intriguing part though, is Lynn has now produced in essentially every preseason setting in which he’s been given an opportunity. In 2025, he was one of the most productive pass rushers in the entire preseason and still couldn’t crack the Lions’ roster. Now, a year later, he has joined another team and immediately flashed again.

Maybe this is just another case of a guy dominating against players who won’t be on NFL rosters in a few weeks. There are certainly plenty of reasons to believe that. But unlike some of the classic Jets preseason stars we’ve fallen in love with over the years, Lynn at least has a track record that makes me a little more interested. He has collegiate production, legitimate versatility, and he has already flashed on multiple occasions in preseasons.

Now he has one more preseason game to make his case. He’s got a lot to play for tonight. And I’ll be rooting for him.

The 2012 edition of the famed Madden game was graced by Peyton Hillis. He earned that honor after a season where he rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns. What followed was a season where he missed six games, he ran for less than half as many yards (587), and only found the end zone three times. In fact, after his double-digit touchdown season, he only found pay dirt six more times for the rest of his career. 

This is just one example of what is known as “The Madden Curse.” A phenomenon where NFL players are destined for a terrible season (and, in the case of Hillis, a terrible career) whenever they are bestowed with the privilege of being on the cover of the sport’s most popular game.

Why am I bringing this up? The NBA has something of a curse of its own brewing. You’ve likely heard some variation of this stat: there has not been a back-to-back champion since 2018. We’ve had eight brand new teams hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the last eight years. Even more damning, no reigning champion has even made it back to the NBA Finals in their title defense.

The reason for this is mainly due to the introduction of aprons making it hard to maintain your core for very long, but that’s besides the point. Right now, the New York Knicks are the top dogs in the association, staring down the brutal Curse of a Champion. But do they have what it takes to end this nonsense once and for all?

What’s Changed?

The Knicks do have quite a bit of continuity. Eleven of their 13 top players in total minutes played from last year are back. However, one of the two guys missing from that group is Mitchell Robinson – the second-best offensive rebounder in the NBA (Steven Adams is the king of the crop) and the heart and soul of a team that has finished top-six in the advanced version of that stat in four of the last five years. And the other loss was his heir apparent: Ariel Hukporti.

Their big addition is Andre Drummond – a veteran journeyman who is also known as a chairman of the boards. He should be able to mitigate some of the loss felt by Robinson. And offensively, their perfectly-fine tuned machine should keep running smoothly. 

The East has become more challenging. Both Robinson and Hukporti went to contenders, and the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Cleveland Cavaliers all made trades in the last six months that should (theoretically) improve their teams. The San Antonio Spurs – the final boss for the Knicks this past postseason – are another year older and more battle-tested. The Oklahoma City Thunder are still a looming giant, and, for their sake, hopefully the injury gods aren’t so cruel this go around. The Los Angeles Lakers are re-tooled and frisky.

Can The New York Knicks Go Back-To-Back?

The big question for me is how much of last title run was real. According to Spotrac, the Knicks had the second-fewest dollars lost due to injury last season. Their postseason strength of schedule wasn’t exactly a Murderers’ Row, either. Before the Spurs (2nd in net rating), they beat the Atlanta Hawks, 76ers, and Cavaliers, who ranked 12th, 18th, and 9th in net rating, respectively.

These points aren’t intended to dismiss the scope of their accomplishments. All past champions have benefitted from luck in some form or the other, but that doesn’t change the fact that luck played a part, and that luck isn’t something you can consistently bank on.

Even more than that, the Knicks unlocked were in a special kind of flow state for the final 16 games of the postseason – winning 15 of those contests by an average margin of victory of 17.1. Their ball movement and variance in attack points was exquisite, while their defense moved together like five puppets on a string in harmonious fashion. 

The New York Knicks have outscored their opponents by 272 points in the past 12 games

That's the best 12-game stretch from any team in NBA history, regular season or playoffs pic.twitter.com/BxQEJjDUca

— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) June 4, 2026

Did the Knicks crack the code and find basketball nirvana? Is this just who they are now? Or was this just lightning in a bottle – brought upon by a perfect confluence of factors? 

On FanDuel, the Knicks currently have the third-highest odds (best odds in the Eastern Conference) of winning the 2027 NBA Championship at +900 (an implied probability of 10%). I’m personally bullish on the Toronto Raptors and think they have the best blend of two-way balance on their roster of any East team, but even with that view, I still think they are only slightly better than the Knicks. And to me, I’d say that the oddsmakers are right to rank them as a top tier Eastern Conference team.

At the end of the day, it’ll come down to how well they can overcome the loss of Robinson, how much their continuity gives them an edge over the teams playing with new toys, how much of their postseason success carries over to next year, and if they can get another relatively clean bill of health. 

If those storylines end up falling in their favor, I certainly wouldn’t be shocked to see the Knicks repeat as champions and put an end to this dreaded curse once and for all. 

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers were off yesterday.

Evan Grant writes about a huge series against the best team in baseball and why it could have a lasting impact even beyond 2026.

MLB dot come assesses the situation in the AL Wild Card race.

Jack Leiter came out of the bullpen in his third rehab appearance.

And Evan also answered a bunch of Rangers questions in a YouTube live stream.

That’s all for this morning. The Rangers start up a series against the Brewers tonight at 6:40 with Cody Bradford on the mound for Texas.

Happy Friday!