49ERS BOLSTER INJURY-HIT BACKFIELD BY ACQUIRING BRIAN ROBINSON FROM WASHINGTON
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers added a proven running back to their injury-depleted group by acquiring Brian Robinson from the Washington Commanders for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.
Two people familiar with the deal said the trade will be finalized once Robinson passes a physical. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade hadn’t been announced.
ESPN first reported the deal.
San Francisco was in need of adding healthy running backs behind starter Christian McCaffrey after Patrick Taylor, Corey Kiner and Ameer Abdullah all got placed on injured reserve this month.
Fifth-round rookie Jordan James is also out with a broken finger, and second-year back Isaac Guerendo just returned to practice this week after missing time with a shoulder injury.
Robinson was one of a few players left who were drafted by Washington’s previous regime led by Ron Rivera. A third-round pick in 2022, he was the Commanders’ leading rusher among running backs last season with 799 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. He has 2,329 yards rushing and 15 TDs the last three seasons.
General manager Adam Peters, who came from San Francisco, drafted Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round this year, and the rookie known as “Bill” was expected to share carries with Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez Jr. after Robinson appeared to fall out of favor with the coaching staff.
Robinson didn’t play in Washington’s preseason game on Monday night and was excused from practice earlier this week. Coach Dan Quinn said an organizational decision had been made to hold Robinson out of practices and games and to keep players informed of the situation so they did not hear about it elsewhere.
Robinson’s time with the organization is perhaps best known for being shot twice in the right leg as part of a carjacking attempt in the summer of 2022 before making his NFL debut. He missed the first month but returned to rush for nearly 800 yards and five TDs in 12 games, and a year after said he felt night and day from the aftermath of the shooting.
McCaffrey typically handles most of the load for the 49ers when healthy. He led the NFL with 339 scrimmage touches and 2,023 yards when he won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2023. McCaffrey played at least 75% of the offensive snaps 15 times that season, including the playoffs.
But the 29-year-old McCaffrey played only four games last season because of injuries to both Achilles and his knee. He also missed significant time due to injuries in 2020 and 2021 with Carolina.
Robinson is the second veteran player added this week by San Francisco in a trade. The Niners also swapped late-round picks in 2027 with Kansas City in a deal to acquire receiver Skyy Moore.
MULTIPLE CANDIDATES STILL IN THE MIX IN BENGALS’ RIGHT GUARD BATTLE
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals coach Zac Taylor doesn’t have a timeline when it comes to naming a starting right guard for Week 1. The position battle between Lucas Patrick, Cody Ford and Jalen Rivers continues as training camp reaches its end.
Even if Taylor had mapped out a plan for the competition, injuries would have prevented that plan from taking shape.
“We’ve had guys battling through injuries almost the entire time,” Taylor said. “I don’t think any schedule we would have had on would have been able to stand up because guys have been fighting through different stuff.”
Taylor announced Wednesday that Cordell Volson will have season-ending shoulder surgery. Volson had been the second-team right guard before he got hurt. He was a starter from 2022 through 2024, but he was slated to fill a bench role before he was injured.
“All he has ever done is come to work and try to be the best Cincinnati Bengal he can be,” Taylor said. “Not always agreeing with what we are doing in terms of him not being a starter anymore, but just handled it in such a professional way and been a team player through and through. That’s what he has been his entire life.”
Patrick and Ford are day to day with undisclosed injuries. As a result, Rivers has been receiving the first-team reps at right guard ahead of Cincinnati’s final preseason game on Saturday against Indianapolis.
The Bengals selected Rivers in the fifth round of April’s NFL draft to be the team’s swing tackle. But when Rivers struggled at that spot early in training camp and multiple guards suffered injuries, Rivers learned he would be playing guard going forward.
“They drafted me to be a versatile lineman for them,” Rivers said. “I’m showing that I can do that. Showing that I can play right guard and that they can trust me means a lot. I’ll keep working at it.”
While Patrick has missed time with two different injuries during training camp, he has received the most first-team reps at right guard. The eight-year veteran has played in 112 NFL games. Patrick has been a backup for most of his career, but the Bengals are hopeful that he can raise the floor of the team’s offensive guard group.
Patrick assessed his performance in training camp as up-and-down, but he feels himself getting more comfortable in a new scheme.
“I’ve tried to put my best foot forward and play as good as I can, but I’m still adjusting to the nuances and really getting those down,” Patrick said. “I’ve got some work to do. There’s always work to do.”
Ford had been spending most of his time at tackle over the last two weeks, but he’s better at guard and has started games for the Bengals at that position in the past. Taylor said Ford is still in the mix in the right guard battle.
When asked about the potential of adding another offensive lineman before the start of the season, Taylor didn’t shoot down the possibility.
“We’re still working through it,” Taylor said. “We’ve got guys who are competing for a lot of the jobs there and I’m excited to see how that shakes out over the next couple of weeks.”
PANTHERS RE-SIGN LONGTIME RT TAYLOR MOTON TO A 2-YEAR, $44M EXTENSION, AP SOURCES SAYS
CHARLOTTE N.C. (AP) — Taylor Moton is staying in Carolina.
The Panthers announced Friday they’ve given their durable longtime right tackle a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2027 season.
Moton will make $44 million over the next two years including $40 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team typically does not release financial details of contracts.
The deal means the Panthers have all five starting offensive linemen under contract at least through the 2026 season.
A second-round pick in 2017, Moton has been an extremely consistent player in Carolina playing in 129 games with 113 starts. He has missed only three games, all of those last year with an elbow injury, which ended a streak of 104 consecutive starts.
During training camp, Moton got emotional when asked if this might be his final year in Carolina and indicated he wanted to stay.
“All the blood, all the sweat, all the tears, right? I’ve been through so much here; being a Panther means a lot to me,” Moton said on July 30. “The city means a lot to me. I found my family here, I found my son here, you know? So much sacrifice has gone out on the football field, the practice field here at Bank of America Stadium.
NFL ROUNDUP: TYSON BAGENT PLAYS HERO AS BEARS TOP CHIEFS
Two days after signing a two-year, $10 million extension, Chicago quarterback Tyson Bagent capped a monster night by throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with three seconds left as the visiting Bears beat the Kansas City Chiefs 29-27 on Friday night.
Bagent, whom the Bears signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, spent his first year in the league backing up Justin Fields and then sat behind 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams last season.
After Williams opened the Friday game with his own strong performance (11-for-15, 113 yards and one touchdown), Bagent went on a tear after entering the game midway through the third quarter and the Bears (2-0-1) trailing 27-10.
Bagent went 20 of 28 for 212 yards overall and three TDs, all in the fourth quarter. The final touchdown capped a 10-play, 87-yard drive and ended when Bagent found undrafted free agent rookie Jahdae Walker in the end zone from 6 yards out for the winner.
Bagent opened the Bears’ onslaught with a 2-yard scoring pass to Royce Freeman two minutes into the fourth to make it 27-16 (the extra-point attempt was blocked), then made it 27-22 with a 3-yard strike to tight end Joel Wilson. A failed two-point conversion attempt left the Bears needing the touchdown at the end to win it.
Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw action in the final week of the preseason and looked ready for the regular season. He led Kansas City to 17 points in his three drives, connecting with Rashee Rice on a 4-yard scoring strike on the first play of the second quarter to make it 17-0. That ended the night for Mahomes, who was 8 of 13 for 143 yards and the one score and gained 18 yards on his lone carry.
Tight end Travis Kelce caught two passes for 32 yards for the Chiefs, while Isiah Pacheco ran for 21 yards on three carries and opened the scoring with a 2-yard run on the game’s first drive.
Titans 23, Vikings 13
No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward got the start in his final preseason game and led Tennessee to a touchdown on his second and final drive of the game as the Titans beat Minnesota in Nashville.
Ward finished 3-for-4 with 36 yards passing. After both teams exchanged punts to start the game, the Vikings (1-2) got on the board with a 42-yard Will Reichard field goal. But the Titans (2-1) answered with a 13-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard scoring run by Julius Chestnut with 12:15 left in the first half.
With Will Levis out for the season due to a shoulder injury, expectations are that Ward, who finished fourth in the Heisman voting in his lone season at Miami in 2024, will start Week 1 at Denver on Sept. 7.
Minnesota’s Week 1 starter behind center, J.J. McCarthy, did not play in the game. A rookie in 2024, McCarthy missed all of last season after sustaining a knee injury in the preseason. Max Brosmer, who is a rookie this season, continued his strong preseason with 161 yards and a touchdown pass for the Vikings.
Eagles 19, Jets 17
Montrell Johnson Jr. ran for 57 yards and Philadelphia’s lone touchdown as the Eagles ended the preseason with a victory over New York in East Rutherford, N.J.
An undrafted free agent rookie out of Florida, Johnson scored from 15 yards out with 8:04 left in the third quarter to make it 13-3 after the teams combined for three field goals in the first half.
Fellow rookie Kyle McCord, taken in the sixth round out of Syracuse, played the entire game for the Eagles (2-1). He went 15-for-35 for 136 yards and an interception.
Brady Cook got the start behind center for the Jets (1-2). The rookie quarterback out of Missouri threw for 99 yards and an interception while Adrian Martinez, who spent last season on the New York practice squad, threw 86 yards and an interception in relief.
Cowboys 31, Falcons 13
In his last chance to state his case for being Dallas’ backup quarterback, Joe Milton III accounted for 165 yards and two touchdowns and led the Cowboys to 14 points in their first two drives as they easily defeated Atlanta in Arlington, Texas.
Milton, who has flashed one of the strongest arms in the league in the preseason, opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run after the Falcons missed a field-goal attempt in the game’s opening drive. Rookie fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue made it 14-0 on the next drive with a 1-yard scoring run.
Milton then opened the third quarter with 29-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brooks. Milton, whom the Cowboys (1-2) acquired from the New England Patriots in April, completed 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards and added 33 yards on four carries.
Veteran quarterback Easton Stick led the Falcons (0-3) with 198 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception. Running back Elijah Dotson had a game-high 74 rushing yards on 12 carries.
