Month: September 2022

Houston is reportedly signing the former Tampa Bay tight end.

Free agent tight end OJ Howard has found a new home in the NFL.

The Texans are reportedly signing the former Buccaneers and Bills tight end, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Houston will be Howard’s third NFL team. His reported signing comes after Buffalo released him on Tuesday, followed by a meeting with the Bengals that did not turn into a deal. Following the meeting and Cincinnati’s addition of tight end Devin Asiasi to its roster, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Houston was in the running to sign Howard, stating that he was taking a physical at the team’s headquarters.

Howard joins a tight end group that includes Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown. Prior to Howard’s stint in Buffalo, he spent five seasons in Tampa Bay. In his first two years with the franchise, Howard combined for 997 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. But  after the arrival of Rob Gronkowski as one of Tom Brady’s weapons, Howard saw limited action.

In 2020, Howard ruptured his Achilles in the Buccaneers’ win against the Chargers in Week 4 and was placed on the team’s injured reserve list. Last season, Howard played in 17 games but only recorded 135 receiving yards and one touchdown. 

More NFL Coverage:

• Report: Cardinals Player Had Cooking Accident, Is Out Four Games
• Panthers Sign Quarterback Jacob Eason to Practice Squad
• Sutton Had Awesome Reaction to Russell Wilson Contract
• Texans Daily: Preseason Problems: Is Houston Texans Offense In Trouble? 

For more Houston Texans coverage, go to Texans Daily. 

Peraza is considered to be a potential shortstop of the future in New York.

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The Yankees are promoting shortstop Oswald Peraza to the major league club as a member of their September call-ups, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Major League rules stipulate that rosters can expand by two players on Sept. 1, and Peraza is slated to occupy one of those two additional spots on the roster.

Peraza is the No. 2 prospect in the organization according to Baseball America, and is considered to be a significant part of the team’s future in the middle of the infield. 

Peraza ranks just behind Double A Somerset shortstop Anthony Volpe, who is also a prominent infield piece for New York.

General Manager Brian Cashman was asked last week why Peraza had not been promoted yet.

“There hasn’t been a lane yet for, ‘Hey, this opportunity has opened up and does he fit this category?’ The answer hasn’t been yes for that yet,” Cashman said.

Peraza was frequently mentioned as a potential player who could be moved in prospect-centric trade packages at the trade deadline. However, Cashman and the rest of the front office refused to include the shortstop in potential trade packages.

Peraza has hit .258 in Triple-A with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with 18 home runs and 49 RBI in 427 plate appearances this season.

More MLB Coverage:

• Ohtani Becomes First MLB Player to Reach Impressive Milestone
• What History Tells Us About Aaron Judge’s Pursuit of 61 Home Runs
• Timmy Trumpet Makes Return to Citi Field, Introduces Edwin Diaz

Driver Ryan Vargas cooked up a creative nod to the star Chanticleers quarterback for an upcoming race in South Carolina.

With his flowing mullet and dynamic style of play, Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall has become something of a college football folk hero over the past two seasons. Now, he’s achieved a new level of fame as an auto racing icon.

McCall will be featured on the car of NASCAR driver Ryan Vargas in this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington County, S.C. McCall will appear behind the rear wheels in cartoon form, the latest—and possibly among the most creative—instance of NIL opening up ways for college athletes to capitalize on their ever-growing platforms.

The deal was made possible via Myrtle Beach-based apparel printing company Native Sons, which is the primary sponsor for Vargas’s car. The company signed McCall to an NIL deal in August.

“I’m excited to partner with Native Sons. They have been great to work with, they are a local company and big supporters of Coastal Carolina,” McCall said of his partnership with Native Sons, per Dean Straka of 247Sports. “Being able to participate in designing my signature line of apparel is very exciting and is a dream that myself and every 21st-century athlete have today.”

McCall has helped guide the Chanticleers to unprecedented success in his two years as the starting quarterback. Coastal Carolina has gone 22–3 since the start of the 2020 season, and finished ranked No. 14 in the AP poll that year. Last season, Coastal Carolina went 11–2 with a win over Northern Illinois in the Cure Bowl. McCall has thrown 53 touchdowns with just six interceptions in that span, winning Sun Belt Player of the Year honors twice.

More CFB Coverage:

• The Pressure’s on at Ohio State. That’s How Ryan Day Likes It.
• Sleeper Class of 2023 QB Recruits Worth a Late Look
• SI:AM | College Football Starts for Real

Daily Cover: Predicting All 272 Games of the 2022 NFL Season