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USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Top free agent options at tackle after Cowboys avoid season-ending injury to LT Guyton
For around 45 minutes, the expectation was that the Dallas Cowboys were going to be without left tackle Tyler Guyton for the year. Now that things aren't nearly that bad, he'll miss the next 4-6 weeks, the front office still needs to re-consider their backup plans. No matter the player, teams with quality front offices have contingencies in place before entering training camp should the unthinkable happen. When concern was heavy that Guyton had torn his ACL in the team's second padded practice of training camp, they likely started thinking about Plan B. Initially, Plan B will look like giving a shot to the in-house options. Asim Richards and Nate Thomas had been taking the backup snaps at left tackle behind Guyton. Hakeem Adeniji has experience at left tackle, but through the first week of camp the team had been working him exclusively as the backup right tackle as it looked like the new coaching regime preferred dedicated sides of the field. Much was made of how the team didn't sign any mid-level veteran during free agency, somewhat giving a vote of confidence to Guyton, who struggled in his rookie season after moving over from playing right tackle at Oklahoma. But now that leaves the team with little experience at the spot meant to protect their $60 million per year quarterback Dak Prescott. After such a scare, it's probably prudent for the team to start to make those calls, in cause Guyton's recovery and rehab takes longer than expected. The problem is this year, more than any other season, going outside of the building doesn't offer many quality options. Tyron Smith Flashing back to March, the club re-signing their future Hall of Famer in order to give him his proper goodbye, allowing Tyron Smith to retire as a Dallas Cowboy. They might want to pick up the phone and see if watching people report to training camp has stirred some juices up. It's a long shot, but Smith started 10 games last year, and his 23 combined starts over his last two years is technically the most he's seen in a stretch since 2018-2019. It's not like Smith is coming back for the dog days of August, but perhaps there's a world where the team talks him into returning after camp, giving him a six-week window to get himself back in game shape to help for the stretch of the season. Jedrick Wills The best option might be the most difficult to pull off. Wills is a recent top-10 overall pick, selected by Cleveland in the 2020 draft. He's never lived up to the billing, but he has been a serviceable tackle in the past. The problem is that Wills declared he intended to sit out all of 2025 to give himself a year away from the game to heal up. He's dealt with a series of knee issues and wants to see if taking a year off will allow things to strengthen to the point he can return to the field full healthy. Of course, Wills has played his entire career in Cleveland. The Browns are absolutely bad enough to turn someone off from football. Wills is a free agent though and could've signed elsewhere, but there's zero reason why the Cowboys shouldn't call him to gauge his current interest in returning to the game. Germain Ifedi Ifedi may be the most sane and possible option. Despite sitting out all of 2023, Ifedi had a really strong close to his 2024, with 80+ pass blocking grades against Miami and Baltimore in the final two weeks of the season. The first two-thirds of his season were an abject failure, but perhaps things are on the upward swing for the eight-year veteran. George Fant A truly break-glass-in-case-of-emeregency, Fant's starting days are likely well behind him. However, bringing him in for a trial run to see if there's anything left in the tank for the nine-year veteran might be wise. Fant started his career with Seatle and has spent time with the New York Jets, Houston Texans before returning to Seattle for two games last season. Fant has never been a consistent performer, but he's waiting for a call and there isn't much else on the market at this point.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pair of Oklahoma Sooners named to Maxwell Award watch list
The Oklahoma Sooners boast some offensive firepower at the helm heading into 2025. And both are out of the transfer portal. John Mateer and Jaydn Ott were big-time additions for Brent Venables and Jim Nagy, and the two former West Coast stars provide a lot of the optimism for what should be a resurgent season in 2025. Fall camp will kick off on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the 2025 season. With the Season just over a month away, watch lists will begin rolling out, and the Sooners' backfield mates landed on the Maxwell Award watch list. The Maxwell Award is given to the most outstanding player in college football. Three former Sooners have won the award. Tommy McDonald won the Maxwell back in 1956. Jason White won the award during his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2004. Baker Mayfield is the most recent recipient of the national honor, winning the award in 2017. In 2018, when Kyler Murray won the Heisman, the Maxwell went to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Mateer is coming off a 2024 season in which he led the nation in total touchdowns with 44 and had nearly 4,000 yards of total offense for Washington State. Ott is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season, but back in 2023, he ran for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns for Cal. He's hoping he can have a bounce-back year this year ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. Mateer and Ott will need to have big years for the Sooners in 2025 to be in the running for the prestigious award. If they do, the Sooners could be on their way to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams. This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: John Mateer, Jaydn Ott named to Maxwell Award watch list
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners pitcher transferring to LSU Tigers
Former Oklahoma Sooner softball pitcher Peytn Monticelli announced she was committing to the LSU Tigers on Monday. Monticelli arrived in Norman following the 2023 season and spent two years with the Sooners, helping Oklahoma win its fourth-straight title in 2024. Monticelli appeared in 34 games over two seasons and held a 2-0 record in her time with Oklahoma. After posting a 1.09 ERA across 19.1 innings in 2024, the former Wisconsin Badger had a down year in 2025. She had a 3.94 ERA in 21.1 innings this season and threw just one inning in the NCAA Tournament. She'll join an LSU Tigers squad that lost pitcher Sydney Berzon to Oklahoma via the transfer portal. In addition to Berzon, the Oklahoma Sooners will also welcome the No. 1 pitcher in the 2025 recruiting class, Alyssa Parker, as well as the No. 5 pitcher in the cycle, Berkley Zache. Senior Kierston Deal and sophomore Audrey Lowry will be back for 2026 as will redshirt freshman Sophia Bordi, who took some time away from the team toward the end of the season, but will be back with the team this fall. Monticelli joins an LSU squad that finished ninth in the SEC in 2025. She provides the Tigers with a veteran arm out of the bullpen and brings heat to the circle. She released a statement on social media thanking Sooner Nation for the memories. Monticelli said, "Thank you, Sooner Nation, for supporting me these past two years. This was not an easy decision to make. I have loved everything about being a Sooner and am so grateful for every single person I have met along my journey with this program. Norman will always be a special place to me." Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
