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USA Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
41 days until the Texans' 2025 season opener: Who has worn No.41?
The Houston Texans are less than 50 days away from kicking off the 2025 season in Los Angeles against the Rams at SoFi Stadium and we're counting down the days until a victory ensues on the west coast. Texans Wire will daily inform you which player has worn the number of the day leading up to kickoff and select the player who best represented the number during their time at NRG Stadium. As for today, let's take a look at who has worn No. 41 since the inaugural season in 2002. Texans players to wear No. 41 No. 41 currently belongs to veteran cornerback Damon Arnette. Selected 19th overall by Las Vegas in 2020 out of Ohio State, Arnette, 28, was released by the Raiders less than two years later after a video surfaced of the former Buckeyes standout brandishing firearms and making death threats. Although Arnette had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins on a practice squad that year, he never returned to an active roster on Sunday. In 13 games, Arnette recorded 29 tackles, one tackle for loss and three pass deflections. He signed with the Chiefs in 2022 but was cut nine days later after he was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and other gun charges. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said following the retirement of Ronald Darby that the team would look at multiple options and apparently, Arnette is one of them. Last season, while playing for the Roughnecks in the United Football League, Arnette racked up 18 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception. Best Player: Zach Cunningham Although his time was cut short due to a change in the program's direction, Cunningham became a staple of the Texans' front seven and a reliable tackler who took over games as a run-stopper. The Vanderbilt product eventually surpassed Brian Cushing as the new leader at the second level and a solid running mate to Bernardrick McKinney during Houston's peak in the Bill O'Brien era. A second-round pick, Cunningham quickly proved to be the right fit for a 3-4 unit in both coverage and against the run. He posted three 100-tackle seasons, including an NFL-leading 164 stops in 2020 as the lone bright spot at linebacker amid a 4-12 finish. The Texans believed Cunningham's best years were ahead of him, which is why they inked him to a four-year, $58 million contract extension with $23.5 million guaranteed ahead of the 2020 season. After that, things went downhill due to injury and personnel changes. In his final season, Cunningham only totaled 67 tackles before being waived in December. Since his departure, he's bounced around the league, playing for Tennessee, Philadelphia, Denver and now Detroit on one-year contracts. Still, Cunningham's impact in the late 2010s, plus his three triple-digit tackle seasons, warrants a spot on the list as the G.O.A.T. of No. 41.


USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
See where Rams QB Matthew Stafford ranks in NFL's top-100 list
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford once again made the NFL's top-100 list, which is voted on by the players. Stafford came in at No. 59, which is 17 spots worse than he was in 2024 at No. 42. Here's what Coral Smith had to say about Stafford and hi ranking: Stafford has been playing in the NFL since some of his teammates were in elementary school, and yet the 37-year-old quarterback has shown he still has the chops to compete with the best. Though his stats took a bit of downturn from his Pro Bowl season in 2023, Stafford led the Rams back to the playoffs last season, defeating the Vikings before falling just short of taking down the eventual Super Bowl-champion Eagles in snowy conditions. Stafford's future in Los Angeles appeared murky in the early stages of this offseason as the QB put out feelers to see if moving on was the right move. But he eventually decided to stick with the Rams, taking a hometown discount to stay in Los Angeles for at least 2025, his 17th NFL season. And as head coach Sean McVay has said, if the Rams had it their way Stafford would keep on playing in L.A for a least a few more years. Matthew Stafford executed 67 designed rollouts this past season, the second-most in the NFL, completing 48 of 66 passes (72.7%) for 437 yards (second-most) and an NFL-leading nine touchdowns without a single interception. When he's healthy, Stafford is still among the best quarterbacks in the NFL. In 2024, he completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 pass yards, 20 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. As noted by the Rams' desire to retain him, Stafford is perhaps the key cog in the Rams' 2025 contention machine. The team was awful without him in 2022 and didn't have a clear succession plan for him if he didn't come back this year. Jimmy Garoppolo would be the immediate heir to the starting job if Stafford were to miss time or change teams — but that's not something the team needs to worry about at the moment. For now, Stafford is a top-60 NFL player leading one of the best offensive units in the league. That's enough to keep L.A. in the conversation for the NFC West as well as the playoffs this year.


Fox Sports
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill vows to show 'the best version' of himself this season
Associated Press MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — All offseason, Tyreek Hill has heard the clip of himself frustratingly declaring 'I'm out' on the Miami Dolphins after last season's disappointing finish. The Dolphins star receiver doesn't feel that way anymore. He regrets making those comments. And he said among his goals this season is to reveal a version of himself — a more subdued, mature one — that he hasn't shown yet in his career. 'I literally heard that all offseason some kind of way on YouTube shorts because my kids stay on YouTube." Hill said Tuesday as Dolphins veterans reported to training camp. "And I'm like, 'I don't want to put that out there for my boys to see." Hill has made headlines — good and bad — throughout his career. Last season's outburst that included taking himself out in the second half of Miami's regular-season finale against the New York Jets was an example of antics the All-Pro receiver said can't continue to happen. He has since had talks with teammates and coach Mike McDaniel on how to be more of a leader moving forward, especially as he hopes to help the Dolphins deliver the playoff win that has eluded them for more than two decades. 'That's why this year, this whole entire offseason, I've been busting my tail,' Hill said. 'I told my dad, I said, 'I want to see what it looks like whenever I focus just on football, and I just focus on myself and family. Because I feel like I really haven't been giving the best version of me, of Tyreek, my whole entire career. ... I just want to see what that version of myself looks like. I'm looking forward to it.' Hill is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro in 2024. He finished with 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his fewest receptions and yards since an injury-filled 2019 season when he played for Kansas City, and a steep drop-off from his NFL-leading 2023 season in which he caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. He said he's finding motivation for the upcoming season in a few places, such as family. 'My kids are Justin Jefferson fanatics,' Hill quipped. 'They really enjoy Justin Jefferson a lot. I was talking to my son on FaceTime last night, and his mom told me 'One of the kids came up to him and was like, 'You're Tyreek Hill's son?'' And he was like, 'No, Justin Jefferson's my dad.'' 'We play jokes with each other,' Hill added, 'so I know it's in the spirit of just playing jokes and just having fun. That's what keeps me hungry, man. Just trying to continue to stay at the top, continuing to be a leader in my household for my kids.' Hill has spent the offseason recovering from the wrist injury that limited him in 2024 and becoming more lean. His offseason training also included winning a 100-meter race in 10.15 seconds last month in California — a sign that he still possesses all of his trademark speed as he enters his 10th NFL season. 'Today was our conditioning test," Hill said, "and at 31 years old, I must say, I haven't lost a step.' ___ AP NFL: recommended Item 1 of 3 in this topic


Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill vows to show ‘the best version' of himself this season
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — All offseason, Tyreek Hill has heard the clip of himself frustratingly declaring 'I'm out' on the Miami Dolphins after last season's disappointing finish. The Dolphins star receiver doesn't feel that way anymore. He regrets making those comments. And he said among his goals this season is to reveal a version of himself — a more subdued, mature one — that he hasn't shown yet in his career. 'I literally heard that all offseason some kind of way on YouTube shorts because my kids stay on YouTube.' Hill said Tuesday as Dolphins veterans reported to training camp. 'And I'm like, 'I don't want to put that out there for my boys to see.' Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's training camp, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Hill has made headlines — good and bad — throughout his career. Last season's outburst that included taking himself out in the second half of Miami's regular-season finale against the New York Jets was an example of antics the All-Pro receiver said can't continue to happen. He has since had talks with teammates and coach Mike McDaniel on how to be more of a leader moving forward, especially as he hopes to help the Dolphins deliver the playoff win that has eluded them for more than two decades. 'That's why this year, this whole entire offseason, I've been busting my tail,' Hill said. 'I told my dad, I said, 'I want to see what it looks like whenever I focus just on football, and I just focus on myself and family. Because I feel like I really haven't been giving the best version of me, of Tyreek, my whole entire career. … I just want to see what that version of myself looks like. I'm looking forward to it.' Hill is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro in 2024. He finished with 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his fewest receptions and yards since an injury-filled 2019 season when he played for Kansas City, and a steep drop-off from his NFL-leading 2023 season in which he caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. He said he's finding motivation for the upcoming season in a few places, such as family. 'My kids are Justin Jefferson fanatics,' Hill quipped. 'They really enjoy Justin Jefferson a lot. I was talking to my son on FaceTime last night, and his mom told me 'One of the kids came up to him and was like, 'You're Tyreek Hill's son?'' And he was like, 'No, Justin Jefferson's my dad.'' Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Mike McIntyre | On Sports Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. 'We play jokes with each other,' Hill added, 'so I know it's in the spirit of just playing jokes and just having fun. That's what keeps me hungry, man. Just trying to continue to stay at the top, continuing to be a leader in my household for my kids.' Hill has spent the offseason recovering from the wrist injury that limited him in 2024 and becoming more lean. His offseason training also included winning a 100-meter race in 10.15 seconds last month in California — a sign that he still possesses all of his trademark speed as he enters his 10th NFL season. 'Today was our conditioning test,' Hill said, 'and at 31 years old, I must say, I haven't lost a step.' ___ AP NFL:


Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill vows to show ‘the best version' of himself this season
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — All offseason, Tyreek Hill has heard the clip of himself frustratingly declaring 'I'm out' on the Miami Dolphins after last season's disappointing finish. The Dolphins star receiver doesn't feel that way anymore. He regrets making those comments. And he said among his goals this season is to reveal a version of himself — a more subdued, mature one — that he hasn't shown yet in his career. 'I literally heard that all offseason some kind of way on YouTube shorts because my kids stay on YouTube.' Hill said Tuesday as Dolphins veterans reported to training camp. 'And I'm like, 'I don't want to put that out there for my boys to see.' Hill has made headlines — good and bad — throughout his career. Last season's outburst that included taking himself out in the second half of Miami's regular-season finale against the New York Jets was an example of antics the All-Pro receiver said can't continue to happen. He has since had talks with teammates and coach Mike McDaniel on how to be more of a leader moving forward, especially as he hopes to help the Dolphins deliver the playoff win that has eluded them for more than two decades. 'That's why this year, this whole entire offseason, I've been busting my tail,' Hill said. 'I told my dad, I said, 'I want to see what it looks like whenever I focus just on football, and I just focus on myself and family. Because I feel like I really haven't been giving the best version of me, of Tyreek, my whole entire career. ... I just want to see what that version of myself looks like. I'm looking forward to it.' Hill is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro in 2024. He finished with 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his fewest receptions and yards since an injury-filled 2019 season when he played for Kansas City, and a steep drop-off from his NFL-leading 2023 season in which he caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. He said he's finding motivation for the upcoming season in a few places, such as family. 'My kids are Justin Jefferson fanatics,' Hill quipped. 'They really enjoy Justin Jefferson a lot. I was talking to my son on FaceTime last night, and his mom told me 'One of the kids came up to him and was like, 'You're Tyreek Hill's son?'' And he was like, 'No, Justin Jefferson's my dad.'' 'We play jokes with each other,' Hill added, 'so I know it's in the spirit of just playing jokes and just having fun. That's what keeps me hungry, man. Just trying to continue to stay at the top, continuing to be a leader in my household for my kids.' Hill has spent the offseason recovering from the wrist injury that limited him in 2024 and becoming more lean. His offseason training also included winning a 100-meter race in 10.15 seconds last month in California — a sign that he still possesses all of his trademark speed as he enters his 10th NFL season. 'Today was our conditioning test,' Hill said, 'and at 31 years old, I must say, I haven't lost a step.' ___ AP NFL: