Sports
Dolphins trumpet return of Tua Tagovailoa as Cardinals land in Miami
Sep 12, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the football against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Miami Dolphins own the least productive offense in the NFL, but they feel one player could make a big difference.
The Dolphins are expecting a sudden increase in points as they count on standout quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to pick up their pace on Sunday when they battle the Arizona Cardinals at Miami Gardens, Fla.
Miami (2-4) ranks last in the NFL at 11.7 points per game. The freefall began when Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
Tagovailoa returned to practice on Wednesday and officially cleared concussion protocol on Friday to be activated from injured reserve. Tagovailoa’s last snap came in the third quarter of a 31-10 loss to the Bills on Sept. 12.
It was the fourth documented concussion in Tagovailoa’s football career, including two in 2022. After the latest one, he spent a lot of time talking to doctors, neurologists and other health experts, a decision and discussion head coach Mike McDonald said the Dolphins left to the experts.
Tagovailoa concluded moving forward with his career was the right call.
“Just got to be smart,” Tagovailoa said. “My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is or was sort of my edge when I would run from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. This is the professional level, the best of the best, you just can’t be doing that.
“So definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”
And right now, Miami’s results show the team needs an immediate jolt from the quarterback position.
“I don’t think for myself I put any pressure on myself coming back and having to save the team,” Tagovailoa said.
An explosive attack that was one of the best in the league has struggled to find the end zone without him. Miami scored 40 total points in the four games Tagovailoa missed.
Standout Miami receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for 191 receptions, 2,813 yards and 17 scoring receptions last season. They have 46 catches, 563 yards and one score through six games this season.
Hill has 24 catches for 294 yards and one touchdown. He caught one pass for 8 yards in last week in the Dolphins’ 16-10 road loss against the Indianapolis Colts.
Waddle (22-269-0) had one catch for 11 yards against the Colts.
Hill, though, was highly optimistic Wednesday.
“We’re back, baby,” Hill told reporters. “Strike up the (expletive) band. We’re back.”
Arizona (3-4) is coming off a 17-15 home win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
Running back James Conner led the way with a season-high 152 yards from scrimmage (101 rushing, 51 receiving). He set up Chad Ryland’s decisive 32-yard field goal by catching a short pass in the final minute, breaking a tackle and racing 33 yards to the Los Angeles 22-yard line.
Conner has rushed for 504 yards and three touchdowns this season.
“He energizes the offense, the sideline, the defense and the whole team,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said of Conner. “The stadium feels that. That’s what he is for us. Not only a playmaker but a guy that guys can lean on. He gets people going for sure.”
Murray scrambled for a 44-yard touchdown in the contest. He has 325 yards and two scores on the ground while passing for 1,331 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
Murray said the offense was sloppy against the Chargers.
“We ended up winning that game, which is great,” Murray said, “but the expectations are higher for me offensively.”
The Cardinals sustained a big blow against the Chargers when outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck sustained a torn ACL in his right knee. Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck) and defensive lineman Roy Lopez (ankle) missed practice due to injuries on Wednesday.
Three Miami players sat out Wednesday due to injury: quarterback Tyler Huntley (right shoulder) and cornerbacks Kader Kohou (neck) and Storm Duck (ankle).
The Dolphins have won 10 of the teams’ 13 all-time matchups.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope joining 76ers after Grizzlies buyout
Feb 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is set to reunite with former teammate LeBron James after agreeing to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and planning to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Caldwell-Pope, 33, who played with James on the 2020 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, must clear waivers before signing with Philadelphia.
Per the report, the Grizzlies and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — Caldwell-Pope’s agent — finalized the buyout on Saturday, a day after Sixers agreed to sign James to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Caldwell-Pope, who also won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, missed the last 31 games of the 2025-26 season after surgery to fix a misalignment on his right pinkie finger. He finished with averages of 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 21.3 minutes in 51 games.
A 13-year veteran selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft, Caldwell-Pope has averaged 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 29.2 minutes with the Pistons, Lakers, Washington Wizards, Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Grizzlies in 963 games (784 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trey McBride says Cardinals fans not so bad after all
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride speaks to the press during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 25, 2026. Arizona tight end Trey McBride made some waves with criticism of the Cardinals’ fan base earlier this offseason. On Saturday, he attempted to walk back some of his earlier remarks following training camp practice.
In a June appearance on Will Compton and Taylor Lewan’s podcast “Bussin’ with the Boys,” McBride noted that a significant portion of Arizona’s population is transplants, and he criticized the Cardinals’ fan base for being too focused on other teams.
“Living in Arizona, no one’s from Arizona,” McBride had said. “Everyone has kinda moved in from another state, so they’re all fans of their own teams, so now you have the Arizona that sits there and there’s no Arizona fans in Arizona.
“So, it’s a tough deal. Hopefully, we start winning some games and we can bring some of those fans back.”
Saturday, possibly because of some backlash, McBride was singing a different tune.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” McBride said. “It came out wrong, and obviously the fanbase is great. We have a tremendous fanbase. Arizona’s been here, loyal fans to all the sports teams here, and we’re very lucky to have a lot of these guys, and we’re going to have a great season.
“I love it here in Arizona, and I hope they love me too, but it’s a special place. The fans are great, and I’m excited for this year to give them something to be proud of.”
In 2025, McBride signed what was the richest deal for a tight end in NFL history, re-signing with the Cardinals for four years and $76 million.
He backed that figure up last fall, posting career highs with 126 receptions for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Cardinals in each category while earning his second straight Pro Bowl berth and being named first-team All-Pro.
A second-round draft pick in 2022, the 26-year-old has exceeded 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last two seasons.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France drives in 3 as Padres sustain Marlins losing streak
Jul 25, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) hits a two-run single against the Miami Marlins during the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Ty France drove in three runs to help the visiting San Diego Padres hand the Miami Marlins their franchise-record tying 11th straight loss, 7-2, in the middle game of their three-game series on Saturday.
The Marlins have dropped 11 in a row three other times in team history, most recently in June of 2011.
Jackson Merrill had two doubles, a single and scored two runs, and Jake Cronenworth had a single, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored for the Padres, who improved to 4-5 coming out of the All-Star break.
Randy Vasquez was used as an opener for San Diego and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run and one hit with no strikeouts and two walks.
JP Sears (3-3), who was originally scheduled to start, followed with 3 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
Esteury Ruiz had two hits and scored twice for Miami.
Marlins right-hander Eury Perez (5-8) went seven innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. He struck out two and walked one on a season-high 104 pitches.
Perez walked Cronenworth with two outs in the third. Manny Machado followed with a check-swing double just inside the right-field line, putting runners on second and third. France then lined a two-run single to left, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead.
Ruiz was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half of the third and he took third on a single by Jakob Marsee. Otto Lopez followed with a sacrifice fly to right to cut it to 2-1.
Merrill went the other way for a double to start the seventh, moved to third on a flyout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Sheets to extend the lead to 3-1.
Cronenworth walked again to start the eighth and immediately stole second off left-hander Dax Fulton. France stepped to the plate with one out and grounded an RBI single up the middle to make it 4-1.
The Padres loaded the bases later in the inning off Fulton and pinch-hitter Jase Bowen lined the first pitch he saw into right field for a two-run single, extending the lead to 6-1.
Kyle Stowers delivered an RBI single in the eighth to cut it to 6-2, but Lopez was thrown out going from first to third for the second out.
San Diego got the run back in the ninth on an RBI single by Cronenworth to make it 7-2.
–Field Level Media
Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope joining 76ers after Grizzlies buyout
Trey McBride says Cardinals fans not so bad after all
