The American Athletic Conference tournament begins on Wednesday with a clear favorite in Memphis, which is locked into the NCAA men’s tournament regardless of what happens this week but could rise to a No. 7 or even a No. 6 seed with three more league wins.

The Tigers could be challenged by North Texas or Alabama-Birmingham — uh, maybe. Memphis went 7-0 against every fellow AAC team to finish with a winning record in league play, showing the gap separating the class of the conference from the other top contenders.

Making a third tournament appearance in a row under coach Penny Hardaway shows the Tigers’ evolution into a more consistent national player. And wins in non-conference play against Missouri, Connecticut, Michigan State, Clemson and Mississippi shows that Memphis won’t be an easy out come March Madness.

American Athletic tournament schedule, bracket, scores

Wednesday, March 12

First round

Charlotte 64, Rice 61

Second round

Thursday, March 13

South Florida vs Wichita State, 12:30 p.m.

Florida Atlantic vs. Charlotte, 2:30 p.m.

Tulsa vs Temple, 7 p.m.

Texas-San Antonio vs East Carolina, 9 p.m.

Quarterfinals

Friday, March 14

Memphis vs. South Florida-Wichita State winner, 1 p.m.

Tulane vs. Florida Atlantic-Charlotte winner, 3:30 p.m.

North Texas vs. Tulsa-Temple winner, 7 p.m.

Alabama-Birmingham vs. Texas-San Antonio-East Carolina winner, 9:30 p.m.  Semifinals

Sunday, March 15

Memphis-South Florida-Wichita State winner vs. Tulane-Florida Atlantic-Charlotte winner, 3 p.m.

North Texas-Tulsa-Temple winner vs. Alabama-Birmingham-Texas-San Antonio-East Carolina winner, 5:30 p.m. Championship

Sunday, March 16

Semifinal winners, 3:15 p.m.

American Athletic tournament favorite

It’s Memphis, then a large gap, and then everyone else. Maybe Alabama-Birmingham can sneak up and top the Tigers after losing twice during the regular season. North Texas stubbornly hung around in a 68-64 loss at Memphis in early January, playing the Tigers to a draw before being undone by a weak shooting performance from deep. Based on how things unfolded to this point, it would be a surprise to see anyone other than Memphis celebrating on Sunday afternoon.

American Athletic tournament top players

➤ PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis – The league’s top scorer (21.2 points per game) has been on a roll since a sloppy performance in an overtime loss to Wichita State on Feb 16, scoring at least 20 points in four of five games and making 34 of his 40 free-throw attempts.

➤ Yaxel Lendenborg, F, Alabama-Birmingham – The box score-stuffing senior is averaging 17.1 points, an AAC-best 10.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He could carry the Blazers into contention for the tournament title.

➤ Quincy Ballard, C, Wichita State – Ballard showed his potential impact in last month’s upset of Memphis, scoring 19 points, pulling down seven rebounds and making four blocks while hitting five of his six attempts from the line.

➤ Atin Wright, G, North Texas – The league’s top shooter from deep (41.7%), Wright could get a hot hand and drive UNT past Memphis. He dropped 42 points on 12 of 17 shooting in last week’s 75-64 win against Charlotte.

➤ Rowan Brumbaugh, G, Tulane – Brumbaugh (15.5 points per game) has scored in double figures in every game since Nov. 19 and closed the regular season with a double-double (11 points, 11 assists) in an 85-68 win against Alabama-Birmingham.

NCAA tournament bubble storylines for the American Athletic tournament

The only team even sniffing the bubble is North Texas, which is 60th in the NET rankings with zero Quad 1 wins heading into Friday’s quarterfinals. In other words, the only way for a team other than Memphis to reach the 68-team field is by winning the AAC tournament. That leaves the conference in the potential role of tournament spoiler should UNT, Alabama-Birmingham or another underdog upset the Tigers at some point this weekend. (Don’t bet on it.)

Things are heating up in the final stretch of the NBA season.

The Houston Rockets were hosting the Phoenix Suns at the Toyota Center Wednesday night when the intensity suddenly boiled over. The Rockets’ Steven Adams and Suns’ Mason Plumlee were involved in a scuffle and ejected during the first half of Houston’s 111-104 victory.

Here’s what you need to know:

Steven Adams-Mason Plumlee fight

The second-quarter scuffle led to both big men being ejected from the game after receiving double technical fouls.

After a made basket by Jalen Green, Plumlee and Adams got tangled up in the key with one another. The duo fell on the court together with Plumlee landing on top of Adams.

A photograph showed a cut above Plumlee’s eye.

Up Next

The Rockets will host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday while the Suns host the Sacramento Kings. It remains unclear if Adams or Plumlee will be available for their respective teams as they potentially face supplemental discipline.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses. It’s the Johnsons you have to worry about.

At least that’s what Amon-Ra St. Brown would have you believe.

The Detroit Lions’ receiver watched his offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, depart for the Chicago Bears’ head coaching job this offseason. Now he has to watch as Chicago flexes its financial muscle, spending at will through trades and free agency to improve their squad.

‘Bro, I feel like the Bears have unlimited (expletive) money,’ St. Brown said on the St. Brown Podcast. ‘This (expletive)’s crazy.’

The Bears are trying to close the gap between them and the kings of the NFC North in Detroit, using their available cap space to vastly improve the team – on paper.

Still, St. Brown isn’t thrilled seeing a rival team add so many pieces without seemingly making a dent in their spending power.

‘They’re just signing new (expletive) for 40, 50 million dollars,’ St. Brown said. ‘Joe Thuney, boom. Jonah Jackson, bang. Drew Dalman, bang. … Dayo Odeyingbo, crazy amount of money. Grady Jarrett, bang. They’re just breaking everybody off. They have unlimited money, what the (expletive) is this?’

It’ll take a little more than just spending money to turn the Bears into a contender, but their offseason moves have clearly started getting the attention of their direct competitors.

After the Lions saw their coaching staff raided, losing both coordinators, there is a chance the gap has closed.

And St. Brown might know it.

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A woman has filed for a protective order against Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy following a domestic dispute that resulted in Worthy’s arrest earlier this month.

The woman was granted a temporary ex-parte protective order against Worthy in a Williamson County District Court on Wednesday, according to court records obtained by the Austin American-Statesman. A temporary ex-parte protective order can last up to 20 days, Williamson County states.

‘Today, (the woman) filed an application for a protective order against Xavier Worthy, based (on) his violent actions against her culminating on the night of March 7, 2025,’ the woman’s lawyer said Wednesday in a statement to the Statesman. ‘Based upon the truthful information provided… a judge has granted a temporary protective order on her behalf. She is fully cooperating with law enforcement as they continue to actively investigate the violence that occurred that night.’

The order was granted nearly a week after Worthy was arrested and charged with assault against a family or household member by impeding their breathing or circulation in Williamson County, Texas. Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick declined to press charges at the time after speaking with multiple witnesses, although his office reserves the right to file charges at a later time, if warranted.

XAVIER WORTHY: Chiefs rookie arrested on assault charge; authorities decline to press charges

‘We will continue to evaluate the case,’ Dick’s office said at the time. ‘As is our practice with all declines, should you develop additional information indicative of probable cause in this case, our office will consider that information and may present the case at that time to a Williamson County Grand Jury.”

It is not immediately clear if the temporary ex-parte protective order against Worthy will lead to any criminal charges. Dick declined to comment on the matter, instead telling the Statesman on Wednesday: “Our office will continue to work through with the Sheriff’s Office on the follow up of their continued investigation.’

Worthy’s lawyers called the allegations against their client ‘baseless.’ His lawyers said Worthy was involved in a dispute with a woman who refused to leave his home and accused her of scratching his face and property damage. Worthy, via his lawyers, maintained his innocence on Wednesday.

“We are aware of the civil court (not criminal court) filing by (the alleged victim) and her criminal defense team. Mr. Worthy denies each of the allegations,’ his lawyers told the Statesman on Wednesday. ‘Unfortunately, false allegations continue to be made, this time in civil court. Today the accuser returned items stolen from Mr. Worthy’s residence while he was in jail and there are items still missing from when he was incarcerated. Mr. Worthy maintains his innocence and stands by the conclusions of the District Attorney after law enforcement’s review of (the woman’s) unfounded allegations.”

Sometimes, in a world full of lies, you will get the occasional kernel of truth. That’s what happened when ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was asked about a smear campaign against Shedeur Sanders.

Sanders, the University of Colorado quarterback, will likely be a first round pick and could go in the top five in the upcoming NFL draft. There’s been persistent talk that Sanders is brash or arrogant. Some of this reportedly came from an anonymous NFL quarterbacks coach. The talk has become so loud that various people in the media began addressing it. Before Riddick talked about this issue on the ‘Dan Patrick Show’ this week, Josina Anderson, one of the most respected NFL insiders in the business, addressed it as well.

“I am disappointed to hear that a quarterbacks coach from a team drafting in the top 7 referred to Shedeur Sanders as coming off ‘brash’ and ‘arrogant’ in his team interview and making his assessment known to a number of people, per source,” Anderson wrote on X on March 3.

“This coach’s personal assessment is the direct opposite from how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the Combine,” Anderson wrote. “Sanders appeared to go out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless if they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful along with being confident (as many athletes are).”

“According to league sources, said QB coach seems to have issue with ‘the culture’ of athletes who have broad fame and financial success before entering the NFL, and in their opinions, appears to them to have a problem certain athletes — I’ll leave it at that,” Anderson wrote.

This is where Riddick comes in with a remarkable piece of truth.

“Are you sold that Shedeur Sanders is a first-round quarterback?” Patrick asked.

“He’s a top-half of the first round player,” Riddick said.

“Where is this negativity coming from?” Patrick said. “It feels like it was a smear campaign.’

“People have been at this game … trying to talk certain prospects down for years,” Riddick said. “Deion is a lightning rod. That’s where it starts — it doesn’t even start with Shedeur, this starts with his father and then it just trickles down to him.

“It’s been that way since I played with Deion back in 1992. People don’t like flashy guys like that who can back it up. They just don’t. With Deion, he’s always been a polarizing player to the people who don’t know him. With Shedeur, he has some of his father in him, there’s no question. How could he not? He’s the man’s son.

“A lot of it comes from who he is and what his last name is.”

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

That is where this is all coming from. It emerges from a dislike of Deion and that dislike is transferred down to his son.

Riddick is a greatly respected NFL presence. He’s a former player, former team executive and longtime analyst. When he speaks, you listen.

Deion hasn’t always been likeable. When he dumped water on the head of analyst Tim McCarver, well, that wasn’t cool. Deion has said things I don’t agree with.

But Deion has also proven to be an exemplary coach and leader. His son is professional, smart and tough. There is literally no rational reason now not to like Shedeur. None. Zero.

This story is of course layered. Some people may genuinely dislike Shedeur as a player. They may believe he’s not as good as others think. That’s all fine. But as Riddick points out there are other factors here as well.

Also, to be sure, some of the disinformation is a smokescreen. It’s extremely common for teams to lie about prospects in order to drive down their value, so they can get them later in the draft. This rarely works but that doesn’t stop teams from trying. This is why draft season is called ‘lying season.’

There’s also the fact that this type of thing has happened historically to Black draft prospects. This was a point ESPN analyst and former NFL player Ryan Clark said on ‘First Take.’

‘They plant these certain reports, and you do hear these certain things, and you hear the word ‘arrogant.’ Why is he arrogant? Because he won’t walk into the meeting and bend the knee, or he won’t sit in the meeting and question himself or his abilities or his knowledge and experience in the game?’ Clark said. ‘I don’t believe that’s arrogance – I want a quarterback that’s self-assured. I want a quarterback that can cut the film on, and when you ask him a certain question about ‘why did you make this mistake’ or ‘why did you make this throw’ or ‘why was this the right read,’ I want him to be able to regurgitate that to me like he’s in the play at the moment the same way a coach or offensive coordinator would, because that’s what he’s gonna have he to do. I’ve had conversations with Shedeur Sanders, and he can do that.’

Clark added: ‘It’s not just about him being Deion Sanders’ son. It’s about the bravado he carries. It’s about the fact that he looks a certain way. It is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at the position can be questioned. And I believe Shedeur Sanders is going to have to deal with that until he gets on the field.’

What’s also clear is that Shedeur has a number of allies. One of them is Patrick.

“Shedeur Sanders hasn’t thrown a football, hasn’t played a game in a couple of months. But you’re starting to get the feeling, I don’t want to say ‘smear campaign,’ but it does feel like you start to pile on,” Patrick said. “And sometimes, the insiders are following insiders, and they want to make sure that they don’t miss on this. And it’s an echo chamber, it’s a circle. Now you start to hear, ‘hey nobody’s sold necessarily on Shedeur Sanders being a first-round draft pick.’ Where did that come from? That was quick.”

‘Show me a quarterback who’s not arrogant,’ said NFL analyst Mark Schlereth on FS1. ‘You ever sit with a guy who’s going to be a star quarterback? Most of them are arrogant. Most of them have a lot of belief in what they do.’

‘He’s incredibly accurate,’ Schlereth continued. ‘He really understands not only offensive football, but he understands what you’re doing as a defense. So he’ll pick you apart that way. He processes quickly. Like, all those things to me are big-time attributes.’

Yes, it’s lying season.

But Riddick told the truth.

This story was updated with new information.

It has become fashionable to say that Arkansas surging from 0-5 in the SEC to an almost certain NCAA Tournament constitutes one of the best coaching jobs in John Calipari’s 33-year career, which is the kind of thing you’d put out into the world only if you have the memory of a firefly or a desperate need to defend something that never should have happened in the first place. 

Here in the land of reality, Arkansas needing to beat South Carolina in the Wednesday lunchtime game at the SEC tournament to lock up an at-large bid is not much to brag about. Given the millions upon millions of dollars Arkansas spent to hire Calipari and then load up his roster with impact transfers and blue-chip freshmen, it should have never been in doubt. 

But all that said, let’s fast forward to Selection Sunday. If you’re the fan of a No. 6 seed and you see Arkansas pop up as your first-round opponent? We’re not going to judge you for whatever swear words come out of your mouth. 

Because even though Arkansas isn’t exactly a good team — and we saw why in its bizarre 72-68 win over South Carolina — there may not be a double-digit seed in the field with the potential to be as dangerous for any given 40-minute period. 

It’s the frontcourt size that can beat you up on the boards. 

It’s the ability to get downhill off the dribble with athletic wings.

It’s the experience of a few key players, including one who’s been in a Final Four and another who played in last year’s Elite Eight. 

And let’s face it: It’s Calipari, who is in the rare position of entering an NCAA Tournament with nothing to lose. 

Remember the last time that happened? It was 2014, when Kentucky left the SEC tournament as an underwhelming No. 8 seed and played for a national title three weeks later. 

With the caveat that anything can happen in March, this Arkansas team doesn’t seem built for that kind of run. 

Not only have the Razorbacks struggled to compete with the SEC’s top-tier teams this year outside of one magical night in Calipari’s homecoming to Kentucky, you need offense to go deep in the tournament. The reality is this Razorbacks team will statistically be one of the most inefficient in the entire NCAA field. Even against South Carolina on Wednesday, it went through a second half stretch of nearly 12 minutes without making a basket and almost blew the game. The next time the Razorbacks do something like that, their season will be over. 

But if a few shots go down next week, Arkansas could absolutely be a surprise Sweet 16 team — which is kind of what they were supposed to be all along. 

Despite the revisionist history around this Arkansas season, Calipari did not bring in players like Johnell Davis from Florida Atlantic, Jonas Aidoo from Tennessee and his Kentucky trio of D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic just to squeak into the tournament. 

This is a serious roster, including one key holdover in skilled big man Trevon Brazile and three freshmen who could have gone just about anywhere. 

It didn’t come cheap, either. Though nobody but folks at Arkansas know the real numbers, the Razorbacks are believed to have spent more in NIL to put this team together than all but a handful of teams in the country. 

Everyone can judge for themselves whether it should be considered a success for that group to get its act together after starting 0-5 in SEC play and get on the right side of the bubble late in the season.

It’s certainly better than the alternative. But when you’re talking about one of the most successful coaches of the modern era who has had some truly incredible coaching years at UMass, Memphis and Kentucky, we can go ahead and dispense with the fiction that this was one of them. 

But now that the Razorbacks are in, it only takes two or three tournament wins for the narrative to flip entirely. That’s how the tournament goes. And that’s why Calipari, for all the times he underwhelmed in March, is not the coach you want to see when he’s on this side of it. 

Because the one thing Calipari has always known is that the odds usually favor talent in this sport. When Arkansas shows up in the NCAA Tournament next week, it’s highly likely Calipari will have the more talented team — regardless of what the seeding says. 

“Everyone put us in a coffin after 0-5, they just forgot the nails,” Calipari said on his postgame radio show last Saturday after beating Mississippi State.

Not only is it a great quote, it represents his greatest gift. No matter what, he fights, and his team usually follows. 

If you really want to dig through the records and find Calipari’s best coaching jobs, it’s willing UMass from nowhere to the national spotlight. It’s going to an Elite Eight at Memphis with a team that didn’t have a single first-round draft pick. It might be his second year at Kentucky when he did not have a great roster by Kentucky standards and upset Ohio State and North Carolina to get to a Final Four. 

That’s the stuff people don’t remember. They think about the dominant teams, some of whom got tripped up in March when it seemed like the path was clear. But it’s an entirely differently mindset for him in a situation like this where it’s practically a free roll in the NCAA Tournament and there’s no real consequence to losing early. 

That’s not to say Arkansas is primed to do something special next week. This is a deeply flawed team, and it hasn’t shown the ability all season to beat elite teams despite having a lot of opportunities to do just that in the SEC. 

But it’s still a group with more talent than similarly seeded teams and a coach who has pulled off some pretty impressive stuff before in March. Whoever draws the Razorbacks in the first round shouldn’t be happy about it. 

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Kansas City Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was forced out of Wednesday’s spring training game against the Seattle Mariners after being hit by a pitch on the forearm in the fifth inning.

Last season, the Royals made the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015. They even won their first round playoff series against the Baltimore Orioles. Expectations for the team are high heading into 2025, with some even believing an AL Central title could be on the table.

Much of the Royals’ success in 2024 came from Witt. He led the team in basically every category you can think of en route to a second-place finish in American League MVP voting.

Bobby Witt Jr. injury update

While trailing 5-1 with two outs and no one on in the top of the fifth inning, Witt was hit in the forearm by a 95.9 mph sinker from Seattle’s Andrés Muñoz.

Witt was promptly replaced on the basepaths by Tyler Tolbert, who would end up scoring after stealing second base and coming home on a Vinnie Pasquantino double.

The Royals said Witt would ‘undergo further evaluation.’ Later Wednesday, they said Witt ‘has a left forearm contusion. X-rays are negative for a fracture. He will be reevaluated in the morning.’

Bobby Witt Jr. stats

Heading into Wednesday’s action, Witt had played in 10 spring training games, posting a .296 batting average and .996 OPS, with two home runs and four RBI.

Witt was one of the best players in baseball during the 2024 regular season, posting career highs in batting average (.332 – led AL), OPS (.977), home runs (32), RBI (109), hits (211), doubles (45) and runs (125). Witt was honored with his first All-Star selection, as well as his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.

How long will Bobby Witt Jr. be out?

It is unclear at this point. The Royals said Witt would be reevaluated Thursday morning.

Opening day for the Royals is scheduled for Thursday, March 27 at 3:10 p.m. local time, a home game against the Cleveland Guardians.

This story has been updated with new information.

The start of NFL free agency is often chaotic, but the 2025 edition of it brought a new meaning to the word.

The day before the NFL’s ‘legal tampering’ period was much busier than usual. DK Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers; Myles Garrett and Josh Allen signed record-breaking extensions with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, respectively; and wide receiver Davante Adams landed on the West Coast with Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams.

Once the tampering period began, many high-quality players began flying off the board and changing teams. It started with Haason Reddick joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal and will continue ahead of the 2025 NFL draft, as teams look to shape themselves into contenders.

Which NFL teams have had the best start in free agency? A handful of squads are already looking significantly better after plugging some of their biggest holes on the free agent market.

Here’s a run-down of the most improved teams after the first wave of free agency.

NFL free agency: Most improved teams

New England Patriots

The Patriots entered free agency armed with the most cap space in the NFL. They have put it to good use to kickstart the Mike Vrabel era, landing one of the top players on the free-agent market, Milton Williams, and signing other starting-caliber players with ties to the team’s current coaching staff.

Notably, the Patriots upgraded every level of their defense with their signings. Williams and Harold Landry will give the team a significant pass-rushing boost; Robert Spillane will be a strong starter and provide valuable leadership at linebacker; and Carlton Davis will give the Patriots a high-end No. 2 cornerback across from Christian Gonzalez.

Some Patriots fans will be frustrated the team hasn’t yet added a top receiver or left tackle on offense, but getting right tackle Morgan Moses for $8 million per year was a good value. He will be a major upgrade over Demontrey Jacobs, who finished the 2024 NFL season ranked last among Pro Football Focus’ 81 qualified tackles last season.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders have swung two of the biggest offseason trades that should significantly impact their offense. First, they landed Deebo Samuel to serve as a No. 2 receiver and versatile complement to top-tier deep threat Terry McLaurin. Then, they surprised many by landing Laremy Tunsil in a trade with the Texans.

Getting Tunsil was a particular coup for the Commanders. The 30-year-old committed a league-high 19 penalties but remains one of the best pass-blocking tackles, grading fourth overall among 141 tackles to play in 2024. That will be an upgrade over Brandon Coleman, who ranked middle of the pack at No. 72 overall.

In addition to those trades, the Commanders inked veteran Jonathan Jones to a one-year deal to fight for the slot cornerback job while bringing in Javon Kinlaw at defensive tackle after he logged a career-high 4.5 sacks in 2024. Add in the veterans they have re-signed (Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, John Bates, Marcus Mariota) and this seems like a strong start to the offseason for the NFC runner-up.

Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times during his rookie season. The Bears took steps to ensure that shouldn’t happen again in 2025 by pouring significant resources into their offensive line.

It started with a couple of trades for high-quality guards. The Bears first added Jonah Jackson, who is familiar with new coach Ben Johnson from their time together in Detroit, before acquiring All-Pro Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs. Chicago capped off its offensive line spending spree by landing the top free-agent center Drew Dalman to give the team a completely new interior offensive line.

The Bears made similar upgrades to their defensive front, signing Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett to provide some pass-rushing power. The attention those two will draw should allow Montez Sweat to improve upon his team-leading 5.5 sacks from last season.

Minnesota Vikings

Speaking of teams that have upgraded the trenches, the Vikings fall into that category. While much of the attention surrounding the team has been on them losing both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones in free agency, Minnesota pivoted to add some high-quality linemen on both sides of the ball.

On defense, the Vikings added veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to their defensive line. On offense, they inked a couple of former Colts – center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries – to provide upgraded protection in front of quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

The Vikings also retained top cornerback Byron Murphy while adding Isaiah Rodgers as a speedy No. 2 option across from him. Brian Flores should be able to get the most out of Rodgers and the team’s other new additions, so Minnesota fans should feel good about the direction of their team as the McCarthy era begins.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos had the NFL’s No. 1 defense in EPA per play last season. They added to that unit 2022 All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga and three-down linebacker Dre Greenlaw to the fold early in free agency.

Hufanga has played in just 17 games over the last two seasons due to injury while Greenlaw appeared in just two last season after tearing his Achilles in Super Bowl 58. That said, if both remain healthy, they will provide playmaking prowess in the middle of Denver’s defense, with Greenlaw being one of the league’s best run-stoppers and Hufanga having seven interceptions in 32 games dating back to the 2022 NFL season.

The Broncos also added a mismatch tight end, Evan Engram, to give Bo Nix another reliable target while retaining starting defensive tackle D.J. Jones. Their roster keeps improving and should position Denver to make a second consecutive playoff run.