New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club has signed defensive tackle Kahlil Saunders and placed offensive lineman Dillon Radunz on injured reserve. The 6-foot-4, 287-pound Saunders, a rookie out of Kentucky, was initially signed by Miami as an undrafted free agent but was waived by the Dolphins in late July. His signing adds depth to a position that lost a projected starter during the first practice of training camp, when Bryan Bresee tore a major knee ligament that required season-ending reconstructive surgery. Radunz, a reserve lineman entering his sixth season, tore his anterior cruciate ligament on Saturday.

A high school football player in Arkansas had every right to be rattled after finding a venomous snake inside his helmet during practice. The Maumelle High student felt unusual movement inside his headgear following warmups last week and brought his helmet to an assistant coach for inspection. A slithering 2-foot cottonmouth was discovered behind some padding. The pit viper was so reluctant to exit the helmet that animal control officers had to submerge the helmet in water and forced the snake out, grabbing it with tongs. Officers identified the snake as a deadly cottonmouth. It was released in a wooded area.

Spencer Fano nailed down the Cleveland Browns' starting job at offensive left tackle after holding his own against Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse on the field and in a scuffle. Coach Todd Monken on Monday said Fano, the ninth overall pick in the NFL draft, would now be lining up exclusively with the first team after splitting time between the first and second teams with Dawand Jones the first two weeks of camp. Monken still has not determined if Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders will start Saturday’s first preseason game at Chicago. He expects the starters on offense and defense to play at least one series.

A possible contract extension for running back Chase Brown has been one of the underlying questions during Cincinnati Bengals training camp. With Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs, Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson receiving new deals earlier this week, Brown is hoping he can follow suit. If Brown gets an extension before the Sept. 13 season opener against Tampa Bay, it must be completed by Labor Day.  Brown, entering his fourth season, is in the same mold as Gibbs and Robinson. All three are talented running backs who are also skilled at catching the ball out of the backfield. Brown was one of five NFL players with at least 1,000 rushing and 400 receiving yards.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has signed a two-year contract extension worth $44 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person requested anonymity because the team had not made an official announcement and does not release contract terms. The deal keeps Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champ, off next spring's free agent market. Taylor had repeatedly said he wanted to remain with the Colts for the rest of his career. Last week when he reported to training camp, Taylor said he was optimistic a deal would be completed before Indy's Sept. 13 season opener against Baltimore.

The Cleveland Guardians have made three trades to bolster their lineup and surprisingly their rotation as they seek a third consecutive AL Central title. Cleveland acquired All-Star pitcher Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals for four players, strengthening one of baseball's top rotations. Cleveland also made moves to land outfielder Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds. The Guardians have been over .500 for most of the season, but are 6-10 since the All-Star break, tied for the third-worst mark in the American League. They are three games behind the first-place White Sox in the AL Central and have a one-game lead over Minnesota for the league's final wild-card spot.

Breece Hall has a new contract with the New York Jets and a strong desire to prove himself. Hall is among several NFL players with something to prove this season. Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield feels disrespected by the Buccaneers for not getting the contract extension he wanted. Meanwhile, quarterbacks such as Cleveland's Deshaun Watson, Minnesota's Kyler Murray, Miami's Malik Willis and Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. are trying to show they're the answer for their teams. Wide receivers such as New England's A.J. Brown, Buffalo's Keon Coleman and Kansas City's Rashee Rice also face pressure to perform.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the biggest prize on the trade deadline market, getting two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed the deal Saturday night. The two-time defending World Series champions added another big piece to their-star high-priced roster that already big-name players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts. The Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and were already the favorites to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 before adding Skubal.

While BJ Hill is opening Cincinnati Bengals training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury, the Bengals have the benefit of entering the year with the deepest group of defensive tackles that the team has had in years. Hill was banged up for much of last season. Coach Zac Taylor said on Monday that he doesn’t expect Hill to miss all of training camp and said that Hill is doing as well as the team had hoped. In March, the Bengals signed a projected starting defensive tackle in Jonathan Allen. Then in April, an unexpected opportunity to trade for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence came up.

Denzel Ward has agreed to a two-year extension with the Cleveland Browns that will make him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The five-time Pro Brown cornerback will sign a two-year extension worth $62.2 million — including $52.3 million guaranteed, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been publicly announced. The $31.1 million average surpasses the $31 million average when Trent McDuffie signed a four-year, $124 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams after being traded by Kansas City in March. The 29-year old Ward had two years remaining on a five-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2022.