Browns coach Todd Monken has spent much of his career in the college ranks. Things have changed dramatically since then, however.
He currently has a first-year player on the roster who has entered the transfer portal, after winning an injunction this week that has given him another year of college football.
“Man, isn’t this shit crazy?” Monken told reporters after Saturday’s preseason contest against the Bills, a game in which Wright didn’t play. “I don’t even know what to say. As far as I know, he’s had a medical issue that wasn’t allowing him to practice. That’s a medical issue. It has nothing to do with me. He was cleared, so we dressed him just in case we had to have him. . . .
“I don’t know what to say. I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out to me a week ago, now I know. I didn’t call him back; I guess I should have.”
Kiffin’s LSU is indeed one of the programs that has been trying to set the stage to create room for first-year NFL players who could return to college for another season.
Because even though the system craves a return to something that seems normal, the coaches want to win now. Those who can take advantage of the current chaos can acquire a legitimate edge in the quest to do so.
Sometimes, the Globetrotters lose to the Washington Generals. And, sometimes, Team USA loses a competitive flag football game.
It has happened in Dusseldorf, Germany, at the 2026 World Flag tournament. The Americans lost for the first time in 14 years, falling to American Samoa, 38-32.
The loss comes less than two years before flag football debuts as an Olympic sport. And it undercuts the presumption that the USA has an automatic gold medal waiting for it in L.A.
Among the players for American Samoa is Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Taulia played college football at Alabama and Maryland. He also has played in the CFL and the UFL.
The role of a longtime tackle football player in taking down Team USA will do nothing to counter the notion that traditional football players, if given the time to learn the ropes, can dominate flag-football players.
It’s actually good for flag football to have the USA not be so dominant. It shows that other countries are becoming competitive. The more competitive other countries become, the more interesting and exciting flag football will be.
Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold, with the assistance of attorney Harvey Steinberg, managed to persuade a judge to release Arnold on bail while awaiting trial on felony charges for armed robbery and kidnapping. Arnold got an assist from one of his former coaches.
Via Mike Rodak of 247Sports.com, former Alabama coach Nick Saban sent a letter to the presiding judge vouching for Arnold’s character.
“I write this letter because of the exceptional character I witnessed in Terrion Arnold over the more than six years I have known him,” Saban wrote.
“Over the years, I have welcomed Terrion into my home and around my family. He has consistently treated my family and my staff with respect, humility and kindness. In all the time I have known him, he never once gave me cause to question his conduct, his integrity, or his respect for others. I don’t ever recall him being involved in any behavior that would be described as aggressive or irresponsible.”
Saban, who coached Arnold from 2021 through 2023, nevertheless gave himself an out, in the event that Arnold ultimately did something that would conflict with Saban’s impression of him.
“Based on my experiences with Terrion, I remain committed to supporting him,” Saban wrote. “While I’m not overly familiar with or educated on the charges he is facing, and understand the seriousness of his situation before the court, I would respectfully ask the Court to take into account my experience with Terrion, his character, history and the positive impact he had on our program.”
Saban’s letter is technically irrelevant to the question of whether sufficient evidence existed to justify keeping Arnold in custody until trial. However, judges have discretion in many issues. And the exercise of discretion can be influenced by many things.
Whatever it was — and it could have been a variety of factors — the judge agreed to release Arnold on $1 million bond.
That doesn’t mean Arnold walked out of jail. As Greg Auman of Fox Sports noted on Monday, Arnold remained in custody as of 9:45 p.m. ET on Monday night.
While Arnold wasn’t released from jail, he was released by the Lions on Monday.
Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell tore an ACL in the Cardinals’ 38-6 loss to SMU on Nov. 22. Dr. Dan Cooper, the Cowboys’ team physician, performed the surgery in Dallas soon after.
Bell is hoping to get back for the start of the season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Bell is ahead of schedule in his rehab, running at more than 18 mph.
He was considered a potential first-round pick before his injury and is now expected to go in the second round.
A former teammate of Tyler Shough, the Saints quarterback has hopes of a reunion.
Bell made 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns before injuring his knee last season.
In four college seasons, he made 151 receptions for 2,166 yards and 12 touchdowns.
With just over a week left before this year’s draft, receiver Makai Lemon is spending time with an AFC East team on Monday.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Lemon is visiting with the Dolphins.
Lemon, who played his college ball at USC, has had several reported pre-draft visits, including the Chiefs, Jets, Giants, and Commanders.
The Dolphins currently have two first-round picks in this year’s draft at No. 11 and No. 30 overall.
Lemon won the Fred Biletnikoff award in 2025 as the most outstanding receiver in college football. He caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards with 11 touchdowns last season.
