Off the wire

Dallas signs Cooper

The Dallas Cowboys have signed guard Jonathan Cooper, hoping the top 10 pick from 2013 can provide depth in the playoffs on the injury-plagued left side of the line. La’el Collins has been out since Week 3 with a torn ligament in his right big toe but could be pulled off injured reserve for the divisional playoff Jan. 15. The Cowboys are the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have a first-round bye. Ron Leary, a former starter who replaced Collins, has been battling a bad back. He was active but didn’t play in the regular-season finale at Philadelphia. Cooper was the seventh overall pick out of North Carolina by Arizona in 2013 but was traded in March to New England. He was most recently with Cleveland. The Cowboys also waived guard Ryan Seymour and signed receiver Shaquelle Evans to the practice squad.

Caldwell to stay

Jim Caldwell has been retained to coach the Detroit Lions for the 2017 season. The team announced the move Wednesday morning, a day after Caldwell fielded questions about his job security. Caldwell helped the

Lions earn a spot in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Detroit lost its last three games of the regular season, dropping Caldwell’s record to 2721 with the franchise. He led the Indianapolis Colts to the Super Bowl in his first of three seasons and was fired after his third year with a 26-22 record after the 2011 season. Sixth-seeded Detroit plays at third-seeded Seattle on Saturday night. Caldwell

Tannehill unlikely

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn’t take part in the Miami Dolphins’ practice Wednesday, making it unlikely he’ll return from a left knee injury for the team’s playoff game Sunday at Pittsburgh. Tannehill has missed the past three games. Ten-year veteran Matt Moore, who is 2-1 as Tannehill’s replacement, is expected to make his first career postseason start. Tannehill threw on the side last week, and the Dolphins hoped he could return to practice this week. But Coach Adam Gase has said he won’t do anything that jeopardizes Tannehill’s long-term health. Miami’s first practice of the week was Wednesday afternoon.

NFL to discuss Chargers to LA

The NFL’s finance and stadium committees will meet in New York on Wednesday to discuss the potential relocation of the Chargers from San Diego to Los Angeles. Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos has indicated he will move the team into the $2.6 billion stadium being built by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and scheduled to open for the start of the 2019 season. Spanos has until Jan. 15 to exercise his option to do so, which would give Los Angeles two franchises next season. The two committees have been busy lately, first with the Rams’ move from St. Louis for the 2016 season, and then with the Chargers’ and Raiders’ situations. Oakland owner Mark Davis is planning a move to Las Vegas, where $750 million in taxpayer money has been committed for a $1.9 billion facility that would open in 2019 or 2020.

Titans fire receivers coaches

Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey is changing up his coaching staff, firing wide receivers coach Bob Bratkowski and assistant wide receivers coach Jason Tucker. The Titans announced the moves Wednesday. Mularkey thanked Bratkowski and Tucker for their work and said he respects them both. But Mularkey says he’s looking for a new assistant to coach wide receivers and to help on offense. Free agent signee Rishard Matthews led the Titans with a career-best 945 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, and rookie Tajae Sharpe ranked fourth on the team with 41 catches and 522 yards. But veteran Kendall Wright was a healthy scratch in the regular-season finale, and the Titans also released Justin Hunter while trading Dorial Green-Beckham. The Titans (9-7) ranked 25th in passing.

TENNIS Williams sisters out

Serena Williams was knocked out of the ASB Tennis Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday, reducing her match practice for the upcoming Australian Open, while sister Venus withdrew due to injury. Top-seeded Serena was frustrated by a swirling wind, her inability to find her A-game, and a tenacious opponent as she went down 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4 to 72nd-ranked American compatriot Madison Brengle. Older sister Venus withdrew from the tournament with an arm injury ahead of her scheduled second-round match. The Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, begins Jan. 16.

Djokovic advances

After Novak Djokovic won his second-round match Wednesday at the Qatar Open, his opponent asked him to pose for a selfie. The 12-time Grand Slam champion cheerfully obliged. “I just have to mention that making a selfie after the match was over, that was the first time that I ever had this kind of experience in my career,” Djokovic said on court after beating Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-3, 6-4. “So, Horacio, well done. Very original.” Djokovic managed to break the Argentine once in each set while never facing a break point on the other side. “Credit to Zeballos for playing some fearless tennis,” said Djokovic, the defending champion. “He was stepping in and trying to go for his shots. He wasn’t backing up to the baseline.” With the victory, the second-seeded Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals and will next face Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic. Also, Fernando Verdasco needed six match points, three in the second set tiebreaker, to beat fourth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-1, 7-6 (6).

Recovery going well

Petra Kvitova’s recovery from surgery after a knife-wielding intruder attacked her inside her home and injured her playing hand has been going well. Kvitova’s spokesman, Karel Tejkal, said the twotime Wimbledon champion has gradually started doing exercises with her injured fingers and “all have been going according to the plans and expectations.” Kvitova had surgery Dec. 20 following injuries on her left hand in the attack at her home in the town of Prostejov the same day. She is expected to be out for up to six months. Kvitova’s fellow players from the Prostejov tennis club have offered a reward of $3,850 for information leading to the arrest of the attacker, who remains at large.

GOLF

Woods at Torrey Pines

Tiger Woods is starting the new year at a familiar place — Torrey Pines, where he has won eight times as a pro. The Farmers Insurance Open announced Wednesday that Woods has committed to playing Jan. 26-29. It will be his first official PGA Tour event since he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. Woods missed all of 2016 recovering from two back surgeries, returning last month at the Hero World Challenge. He finished 15th in a 17-man field in the Bahamas. He won the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines seven times, and his last major victory was at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods previously announced he would play in the Genesis Open at Riviera, three weeks after Torrey Pines.

HOCKEY U.S. tops Russia

Troy Terry scored on all three of his shootout attempts, the last in the seventh round to give the United States a 4-3 victory over Russia on Wednesday in the world junior hockey semifinals at Montreal. Canada faced Sweden later Wednesday in the other semifinal. Terry scored the winner right after Russia’s Alexander Polunin hit the crossbar. The University of Denver forward beat Ilya Samsonov through the legs for the third time. Boston College’s Colin White scored twice and Wisconsin’s Luke Kunin added a goal in regulation for the Americans. Tyler Parsons stopped 33 shots. Parsons plays for London in the Ontario Hockey League. Denis Guryanov had two goals for Russia, Kirill Kaprizov also scored, and Samsonov made 40 saves.

CYCLING Centenarian sets record

Nearly a century ago, Robert Marchand was told by a coach that he should give up cycling because he would never achieve anything on a bike. He proved that prediction wrong again on Wednesday. In a skin-tight yellow and violet jersey, the 105-year-old Frenchman set a world record in the 105-plus age category — created especially for the tireless veteran — by riding 22.547 kilometers (14 miles) in one hour at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. Marchand had ridden faster in the past on the boards of the Velodrome National. But he had been warned before his latest attempt that his current form was not as good.