World number two Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the US Open as he recovers from ankle surgery.
The German went under the knife after tearing all three of the lateral ligaments in his right ankle during his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.
Zverev will not make his comeback at the final grand slam of the year in New York, as his withdrawal was announced on Monday.
The 25-year-old reached his only major final at Flushing Meadows two years ago, losing to Dominic Thiem.
Zverev stated after his operation that surgery was "the best choice" to ensure his ligaments heal properly and he could return to competition "as quickly as possible."
The US Open gets under way next Monday, with doubts remaining over whether Novak Djokovic will be able to play due to the 21-time grand slam champion opting against receiving a coronavirus vaccine.
A heavyweight unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk "will be made", says promoter Frank Warren, who also did not discount the possibility of an all-British bout between Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Usyk retained his WBA, WBO and IBF titles, and also claimed the Ring Magazine belt with a split-decision victory over Joshua on Saturday to take his record to 20 professional bouts undefeated.
WBC champion Fury appeared to reaffirm his retiremenet ahead of the fight, but subsequently suggested promoters and fans "get [their] cheque book out" after the Ukrainian's win.
Warren, who handles Fury's bouts, has suggested the pair could square off next - and finally deliver the division's first undsputed champion since 1999.
"He and Usyk would be a really good fight," Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's a fight that I think will be made because both teams would like to see that happen."
Britain's Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield to become the last undisputed heavyweight champion over two decades ago, but there has not been a bout with all four belts on the line since the WBO title was included in 2007.
"Usyk said after the fight that it's the only fight he's interested in, and it's certainly the same case with Tyson," Warren added.
"It's just a matter of where it will generate the most income because it's a unique fight, a historic fight.
"It's the first time for God knows how long that the four belts are on the line. Both fighters are undefeated. The whole world of boxing will be captivated by this fight."
Warren has also not ruled out seeing the long-awaited clash between Fury and Joshua, though the likelihood of such a fight following the latter's third defeat in his past five fights seems questionable.
Joshua first lost the WBA, WBO and IBF titles to Andy Ruiz Jr, though despite winning them back in the rematch, subsequently lost them to Usyk again last year.
The prospect of an all-British unification bout between Joshua and Fury was floated at multiple points during their reigns but ultimately never materialised, and Warren said Joshua will have to win some more fights before he can be considered a contender for Fury.
"If AJ manages to get a couple of wins under his belt - and I believe Tyson will beat Usyk - that may be a fight to be made," Warren added. "But AJ's got to re-establish himself before you can even think about fights like that."
Udonis Haslem has confirmed he will be back for another year, and what will be his 20th season in the NBA.
The Miami Heat forward, who is the franchise's all-time leader in rebounds, has agreed a one-year deal worth $2.9million.
Haslem had raised doubts as to whether he would return or retire, with the Heat putting the offer on the table almost two months ago.
The 42-year-old has ultimately chosen to continue, saying at his basketball camp in Miami on Sunday: "I have decided to follow through with what me and my father had talked about, and I will finish what I started and I will play 20 years.
"I will play this year, because I talked about that with my father and that's what we said we would do.
"It won't be the same. Won't be as easy. But the goal still remains the same. Win. Win a championship. Leave it on the line and hold your head high when it's all over."
Haslem has won three NBA championships with Miami, and made 13 appearances last season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
New York Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux left Sunday night’s 25-22 preseason win against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second quarter after apearing to suffer a knee injury when a blocker took out his legs.
Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was hurt on a cut block from Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss on a running play early in the second quarter. The 21-year-old was able to walk off the field under his own power and to the team’s sideline medical tent before being taken to the locker room.
The Giants later announced Thibodeaux would not return to the game, though Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports the team’s initial belief is that he avoided a major injury. After the game when walking through the tunnels, Thibodeaux responded to reporters saying "I'm good... good news".
New York selected Thibodeaux with the first of two top-10 choices in this year’s draft following a standout three-year career at Oregon. The six-foot-five, 258-pound edge rusher amassed 19 sacks in 32 games for the Ducks, earned 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honours and was a unanimous All-American in 2021.
Thibodeaux has been running with the first-team defense during training camp and is being counted on to boost a unit that tied for 22nd in the NFL with 34 sacks last season.
The New York Mets won a barnburner on Sunday as they came from behind in the ninth inning to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-9 on the road.
It looked early on like it would be a fun night for the Philly fans in attendance, with the hosts jumping ahead 3-0 through a three-run Alec Bohm home run before they recorded a single out.
Philadelphia ended up with their first five batters reaching base, and Nick Maton batted in the fourth run of the frame with his single.
The Mets showed fight in the middle innings, with Michael Perez bringing in two runs with his base hit in the second, before Daniel Vogelbach trimmed the margin to one with his RBI double in the third, and Starling Marte tied things at 4-4 in the fourth with a single.
Just when the Phillies started to feel the pressure, Bohm came through with his second three-run homer of the night to jump back ahead 7-4 later in the fourth inning, and that score would hold until the seventh.
After Pete Alonso and Tyler Naquin got on base, Mets left-fielder Mark Canha tied things up with a single swing as his 345-foot shot barely scraped over the left-field wall, and there were plenty of fireworks still to come.
Jean Segura sent the home fans into raptures with his solo home run in the eighth inning, giving the Philles an 8-7 lead, before Canha delivered once again, connecting on a two-run shot for his second home run of the game. Brandon Nimmo then launched his own solo homer to add one more insurance run for the Mets.
That extra tally would be needed, as the Phillies were able to score once in the ninth inning through a sacrifice fly, but they could not manufacture a 10th run to force extra innings.
Bohm finished with six RBIs and Canha had five, while eight more players had multiple hits as the two sides combined for 30 knocks.
Yankees steady the ship
The New York Yankees collected a much-needed 4-2 victory at home against the Toronto Blue Jays, avoiding a series sweep, although they have now lost six consecutive series after dropping the first three games.
New York had won three of their past 17 games entering Sunday's contest, and they benefited from a strong start by pitcher Nestor Cortes, who finished with one earned run from three hits and one walk in his six innings.
With the bat, D.J. LeMahieu batted in two of the four runs, although one was not credited as an RBI due to a fielding error, before newly acquired lead-off hitter Andrew Benintendi came through with the scores tied at 2-2 with his first home run as a Yankee to grab the winning break.
Lou Trivino shut the door out of the bullpen, pitching the last two-and-a-third innings for the Yankees, giving up just one walk and no hits.
Ohtani struggles on the mound
A disappointing pitching performance from Shohei Ohtani doomed the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-0 away loss against the Detroit Tigers.
Ohtani, who has struck out no fewer than five batters in each of his past 11 starts – averaging 9.1 per game over that span – finished with just two strikeouts as he was only able to make it through four innings, making it his second-shortest start since April.
He allowed five hits, but a season-high four walks in a showing that got off to the worst possible start, with Tigers lead-off hitter Riley Greene sending Ohtani's very first pitch of the game 448 feet over the right-field wall.
Patrick Cantlay entered Sunday's final round of the BMW Championship with the outright lead, and he ended it with his second consecutive win at the event after birdieing his 17th hole to pull ahead by one stroke, finishing at 14 under.
He is the first player in the 16-year history of the FedEx Cup playoffs to successfully defend one of the playoff events.
On a tough scoring day where only three players shot better than 68, Cantlay kept his cool, taking advantage of Scott Stallings' missed birdie putt on 18 that would have also moved him to 14 under, draining his own final birdie moments later to head onto the 72nd hole with the lead.
Things threatened to heat up after Cantlay's last tee shot veered right into the bunker, but with a few branches hanging over his direct line to the flag, he played it safe and landed his approach on the open left-side of the green, leaving a 15-yard two-putt to win the tournament.
In his typical stoic fashion, he stepped up and nearly birdied it, lipping out for a tap-in par to secure back-to-back victories at the BMW Championship.
It is Cantlay's 11th top-10 finish of the season, giving him the most for this PGA Tour season, leading Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler with 10.
Speaking to The Golf Channel after stepping off the 18th green, Cantlay said it takes a little bit of luck to win events like these, highlighting his tee shot on the 17th hole which looked destined for the bunker, only to bounce over and land in the middle of the fairway to set up his winning birdie.
"I hit a lot of solid shots, and then I got a couple of good breaks," he said. "Obviously on 17, that isn't a break I'm expecting, and it was really big for me to take advantage of it.
"I've played a lot of great golf this week, and I'm happy to come away with the win.
"I made a lot of clutch five and four-footers today, the putter felt really good today, really solid, and I'll hopefully carry that into next week."
Stallings finished in outright second at 13 under, jumping up from 46th in the FedEx Cup standings to 12th, comfortably landing inside the top-30 to book his spot in the coming week's Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Course.
In the two-way tie for third at 11 under was world number one Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, and in a tie for fifth at 10 under was Canada's Corey Conners, South Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon, and Australia's Adam Scott.
Lee and Scott had plenty to play for on Sunday, as Lee shot the round of the day with a 65 to leapfrog into the top-30, while Scott needed a bunker save on the 18th hole to book his spot in the Tour Championship, and he did so, finishing 29th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Rounding out the top-10 at nine under was a group that included Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, while Shane Lowry was one of three players to finish at eight under, and he was the unlucky player to fall out of the top-30 as Scott jumped in.
Sahith Theegala's tie for 15th at seven under was good enough to finish 28th in the FedEx Cup standings, Jordan Spieth was at six under, and Cameron Young, who looked like a potential winner heading into the weekend, ended up at five under after back-to-back 72s on Saturday and Sunday.
Maximilian Kieffer was left lost for words after claiming his first DP World Tour victory at the Czech Masters.
The tournament was reduced to 54 holes because of heavy rain on Saturday in Prague.
But nothing could dampen Kieffer's delight after he overhauled overnight leader Gavin Green.
Kieffer carded seven birdies and just one bogey for his final-round 66.
He finished 16 under par, one stroke ahead of Green, who ultimately paid the price for a double bogey six at the par-four 14th.
"It's tough right now to say what it means. It's great, I am lost for words a little bit," said Kieffer.
"I wanted to be ready in case he [Green] made birdie. When the guy from the TV said 'you've won it' the feeling was ridiculous.
"I don't know how I feel, I think it will need a few days. I just love golf, I just love to play golf. Even if I had not won I still have a great life, I still enjoy playing golf. So now to win it's even better."
"Hard work, always keep going and keep grinding," the 32-year-old Kieffer said when asked what he attributed his win to.
"You have good days, you have bad days, you have to enjoy the good days and on the bad days you just have to dig deep and keep going."
Anthony Joshua admitted emotions got the better of him after he launched an impassioned rant in the aftermath of his split-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outclassed Joshua to clinch the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in London last year, and produced another polished performance to deal the 32-year-old a further defeat in Jeddah on Saturday.
While Joshua's improved display saw one judge surprisingly score the fight 115-113 in his favour, Usyk retained his titles after the other two adjudged him to be the victor of an absorbing bout.
Joshua responded to the defeat in bizarre fashion, throwing the Ukrainian's belts to the ground before returning to the ring to give a speech in which he discussed his background and hailed Usyk's abilities.
Joshua, who has lost three of his last five fights, subsequently declared: "When you're angry you do stupid things."
On Sunday, he moved to explain his actions.
"I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ," he wrote on Twitter.
"Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.
"I'll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain't great.
"I love this sport so so much and I'll be better from this point on. Respect."
Usyk declared a desire to face Tyson Fury after sealing impressive back-to-back wins over Johsua, saying: "I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."
Sam Bennett made it back-to-back stage wins to cement his place as a dark horse outsider on Sunday at the Vuelta a Espana.
The 31-year-old Irishman claimed victory on Saturday amid a mass sprint in Utrecht, and backed up his points classification credentials with a second Grand Tour stage in as many days in Breda.
As the Vuelta packs up to make the transfer to Spain following its start in the Netherlands, it means Bennett – left out of the Tour de France for a second successive year – leads the points standings.
With such a strong performance to date, the BORA-hansgrohe rider is not ruling out a sustained push for the green jersey, but Bennett acknowledges the riders have barely scratched the surface of this year's race.
"There is a long way to go [and] anything can happen," Bennett said, quoted by Cycling News. "But we want the sprint jersey and we will start to commit more to look at points.
"We have two stages now, so we can make bigger decisions on when to take points and when to leave them. Hopefully we can compete for the green – that would be really nice."
Mads Pedersen nabbed second for the second day in a row, while Briton Dan McLay improved his day-by-day performance from sixth to third.
The race will resume on Tuesday, starting from Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country, with Edoardo Affini leading a top-six lockout for Jumbo-Visma in the general classification standings.
Affini is tied on the clock with three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic, plus Sam Oomen, Sepp Kuss, Mike Teunissen and Robert Gesink.
STAGE RESULT
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 4:05:53
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Dan McLay (Arkea-Samsic) same time
4. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) same time
5. Fabian Lienhard (Groupama-FDJ) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) 8:20:07
2. Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) same time
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-hansgrohe) 117
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 80
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) 34
King of the Mountains
1. Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) 3
2. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) 2
3. Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-Samsic) 1
Elite 1 Horizon are the champions of the inaugural P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League after defeating Elite 1 Storm 82-71 in the championship game at the National Arena in Kingston on Saturday.
In a rematch of the final preliminary round game which saw the Horizon win in a blowout on Wednesday, the Horizon once again used solid defensive effort to get the job done and end the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
Guard Bobby Gray was named man-of-the-match for his 26 points, four assists and four steals.
“This means everything. It’s the first one out here, so, it’s very big and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Gray who was also named International MVP of the tournament.
“Happy that I was with a group of guys that bought in together and we won it,” he said.
The MVP award felt extra special, according to Gray.
“It means a lot man. I stopped playing basketball for a minute then I got back into it because I figured out I was coming out here. I know how much hard work I put in and now it’s all showing,” he said.
Gray’s teammate Nicholai Brown was named local MVP.
For the Storm, guard Joel Bailey led them in scoring with 23 points while also dishing out eight assists.
He put the loss down to an inability to take care of the basketball.
“Just turning over the ball the last couple minutes of the game. That cost us. We should’ve been more careful with the ball,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Elite 1 Rivers beat Elite 1 Waves 88-83 to secure third place.
Guard Patrick Robinson scored 20 points to help the Rivers exact revenge on the Waves who beat them in their final preliminary round outing on Wednesday.
Gemaal Davis led the Waves with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Tom Brady's return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is imminent.
Just days after saying he didn't have a definitive return date for the future Hall of Fame quarterback, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters Sunday he will be back with the team early this week.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported he is expected to return on Monday.
Brady left training camp on August 11 for an absence Bowles said was planned in advanced so he could "deal with some personal things" and he was scheduled to re-join the team after their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans this past Saturday.
Two days before the Bucs' second preseason game, however, Bowles admitted he didn't know exactly when Brady would return.
"We'll see. We'll talk about it next week," Bowles said on Thursday, via The Athletic. "I'm not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee. There's no definitive date for me. We'll keep in touch and find out."
His noncommittal update seemed to contradict what he said the previous week about Brady's scheduled absence, and his uncertainty about when he would return created a bit of a stir.
A few days off wasn't entirely shocking for a 45-year-old quarterback who has had plenty of practice reps over a pro career that began in 2000, but an extended absence without a definite return date was more unusual.
Bowles, though, seemed to quell any concern on Sunday by saying he will be back with the team shortly.
Brady famously retired briefly this offseason before announcing in mid-March that he would return for a third season with Tampa Bay and 23rd in the NFL after leading the league with a career-high 5,316 passing yards in 2021, while also ranking first in passing touchdowns with 43.
He led the Buccaneers to a 13-4 regular-season record and NFC South crown last year, but their season ended with a 27-20 loss to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Tampa Bay begin this season at the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, and Bowles said last week Brady's absence would not affect the seven-time Super Bowl champion's availability for the opener.
Roger Federer looks bang on course to launch his comeback next month after the 20-time grand slam winner posted an encouraging video of a practice session on Sunday.
The Swiss turned 41 on August 8 and has not played a match since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year.
He has undergone knee surgery in the meantime, his third such operation inside two years, but is determined to resume his playing career and looked to be enjoying being back on court in a short clip posted to Instagram.
Federer is due to play in the Laver Cup, which will be staged in London from September 23 to 25, with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic set to join him in an illustrious Team Europe line-up.
It will be a reunion for the 'Big Four', who were once so dominant as a group, with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud also on the European team, which will be captained by Bjorn Borg.
Federer is then entered for the Swiss Indoors in his home city of Basel, where he has been champion 10 times previously and holds a remarkable 75-9 win-loss career record.
It remains to be seen whether that October 24-30 tournament is a farewell appearance, or another step towards playing regularly on the ATP tour once more.
At Wimbledon in July, Federer appeared at a parade of former champions and said he wished to play at the All England Club again, which points to him planning to play in the 2023 season.
"I hope I can come back here one more time," said Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon champion.
Joan Mir fractured his right ankle after crashing on the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix, but the Suzuki Ecstar rider "feels lucky" to have escaped further injuries.
The 2020 world champion was thrown off his bike and onto the gravel at turn four in Sunday's race and was taken to the Spielberg medical centre.
That was Mir's sixth abandonment of the season – more than in his two previous campaigns – with the Spaniard having now gone 14 races in a row without a podium finish.
While the incident did not appear too serious at the time, the extent of Mir's injuries was made clear shortly after the race, which was won by Francesco Bagnaia.
"I had a very big crash at turn four," he said. "I lost the rear and it was a high side. It could've been a lot worse, so I feel lucky.
"Initial checks show some bone fragments and fractures in my ankle. Tomorrow I'll go for further checks and an MRI to check the ligaments."
Bagnaia's victory was his third in a row – the first time he has achieved that in his MotoGP career – and saw the Italian close the gap on leader Fabio Quartararo to 44 points.
He is the first Ducati rider to secure a hat-trick of victories since Casey Stoner in 2008, and only the second Italian to do so after nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi.
There was a tinge of disappointment for Bagnaia, however, as Quartararo recovered from sixth to finish in second place and minimise the damage.
"I have to be happy," Bagnaia said in his post-race interview. "My team have done an incredible job.
"It was a long race today. I made too many mistakes in the first part of the year, so it was time for me to be more smart.
"When I looked at the gap, I tried to be cautious with the time laps as I was sure that my pace was good enough to open the gap, and in the last two laps I just tried to be calm."
Francesco Bagnaia made it three wins in a row for the first time in his MotoGP career by storming to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix to further boost his title hopes.
The Ducati rider came off the five-week break 66 points behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo, but that gap now stands at 44 points with seven races to go.
It could have been closed even further but Quartararo finished strongly to clinch second, while closest challenger Aleix Espargaro – 16th on Sunday – is 32 points adrift.
Bagnaia was quick off the mark to take the lead from Enea Bastianini, who was starting on pole for the first time in his career but failed to finish due to a deflated front tyre.
There was further drama on the opening lap as Joan Mir, starting in eighth, crashed out at turn four – his sixth abandonment of the season, and the most of any rider.
Jack Miller temporarily took the lead from Bagnaia with 21 laps to go, but the Italian instantly hit back and his fifth triumph of the season – a personal record – was never in doubt.
But in what could yet prove a big moment in the championship battle, Quartararo produced a late rally to climb from an early sixth into an eventual second place.
The reigning world champion climbed above Miller, who held on for third, while Jorge Martin recovered slightly from a crash early on the final lap to finish 10th.
Quartararo did not quite have enough left to catch Bagnaia, however, with half a second separating the pair in the end to ensure the title battle remains alive and well.
TOP 10
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.492
3. Jack Miller (Ducati) +2.163
4. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +8.348
5. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +8.821
6. Alex Espargaro (Aprilia) +11.287
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +11.642
8. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +11.780
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) +16.987
10. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +17.144
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) - 200
2. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) - 168
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) - 156
4. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) - 125
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) - 123
Teams
1. Ducati - 279
2. Aprilia Racing - 253
3. Monster Energy Yamaha - 226
4. Pramac Racing - 212
5. Red Bull KTM - 192
The Los Angeles Rams will be without their top draft pick for the 2022 season after Logan Bruss tore his ACL and MCL against the Houston Texans.
Bruss headed to Los Angeles as a third-round selection from Wisconsin and arrived with great potential as a right guard, starting the first two preseason games as competition for places heated up.
However, the 22-year-old will not feature in the upcoming campaign after sustaining a season-ending injury to his right knee in the second quarter on Friday against the Texans.
"We obviously drafted him with confidence that he could be a guy that could potentially contribute for us this year," Rams coach Sean McVay said.
"Unfortunately now, as a result of what's occurred, that won't be the case. But [you] put your arm around him, you help him attack the rehab the right way.
"And I trust that he's going to do everything in his power to come back better next year than he was this year."
Bruss had been competing with Coleman Shelton for the starting right guard spot, though it will be the latter who appears in Week 1 at home to the Buffalo Bills on September 9.
While McVay believes Shelton's versatility will help the Rams, the Los Angeles coach expects his other players to step up and seize their opportunities in the absence of Bruss.
"It's an unfortunate thing for Logan, but guys have to be able to step up," McVay added.
"And that's the unfortunate part about this business and this game is that injuries do occur and let's go ahead and respond the right way with the way we attack our rehab.
"I hate it for Logan, but I am encouraged and very excited and optimistic about what we can be up front this year."
Tremayne Anchrum Jr., AJ Jackson and Bobby Evans were all cited by McVay as those who have shown development in preseason and could excel in 2022.
"I've seen incredible strides from Tremayne Anchrum, he's been outstanding in the preseason," McVay said.
"I think he's really done an outstanding job in these first two preseason games of showing that he absolutely belongs and he's a guy that could play and be ready to go if need be. And then the same thing with AJ Jackson.
"Those guys have stood out, and then you've got a guy in Bobby Evans that has started at guard, he's started at tackle in meaningful games that we've won over the last couple of years.
"And then you've got some young intriguing prospects in guys that have been here."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dealt another blow to their offensive line after Aaron Stinnie suffered a knee injury in preseason on Saturday.
Ryan Jensen had already sustained a serious knee issue as Tampa Bay began their preseason camp, and Pro Bowler Tristan Wirfs soon joined him in the treatment room with an oblique injury.
The Bucs have already lost Ali Marpet to retirement, with Alex Cappa also becoming a free agent, and Stinnie gave his franchise more reason for concern after limping off against the Tennessee Titans.
Stinnie has been making a case for the starting left guard spot in quarterback Tom Brady's offensive line, but sustained the issue to his left knee after colliding with Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Adrian Colbert.
With Shaq Mason making the starting right guard spot his own, Luke Goedeke, Nick Leverett and Stinnie are fighting for the position on the opposite side.
Stinnie was said to have a strong chance at securing the role, having started three postseason games for the Bucs in 2020, but coach Todd Bowles now has another injury problem to contend with.
"We won't know until we get X-rays. But Goedeke – I've got to see the tape and looked like we couldn't move the ball at all, regardless of who was in there," Bowles said after Saturday's 13-3 defeat to the Titans.
"We'll look at the tape. My concern isn't as great right now. I'll see the tape and I'll go from there."
The Bucs have one preseason game to go against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday before their NFL campaign starts on the road at the Dallas Cowboys on September 12.
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