Tua, OSU’s Chase eligible for draft
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor were among 99 juniors granted eligibility by the NFL into the draft.
The NFL on Tuesday released the official list of 120 players who gave up college eligibility to enter the draft. Most, such as Tagovailoa, Young and Taylor, previously made their intentions public.
Players less than four years removed from high school who have not completed a degree need to be granted special entry to the draft by the NFL.
Among the 120 are 16 players with college eligibility remaining who notified the NFL they had completed degree requirements and were therefore eligible to be selected in the April 23-25 draft to be held in Las Vegas.
That group of 16 includes Clemson All-America linebacker Isaiah Simmons and Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. Five more players with eligibility remaining inquired about draft status but did not need special entry.
The total of 120 players who left behind college eligibility to enter the draft is down from the record 132 last season. The 99 juniors granted early entry by the league is also down from 103 last year.
More trouble for Brown
Free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown, who played in just one game after being cut by two teams last season, was the subject of an active police investigation on Tuesday for possible battery outside his Hollywood, Fla., residence.
A police spokesman confirmed to ESPN that the oftcontroversial Brown, 31, is a suspect in an alleged incident related to a moving truck that is parked outside Brown’s home and the moving company’s employees.
TMZ, which first reported the story, has added that a police source says that Brown is being accused of battery and burglary by the driver of the moving truck.
OBJ on the mend
Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to make a full recovery following surgery on a core muscle injury that limited the star wide receiver during his first season with the Browns.
Beckham had the operation Tuesday to repair a sports hernia that curtailed his speed and production with Cleveland. The threetime Pro Bowler played in all 16 games, but he didn’t make the same kind of gamebreaking plays that made him so dangerous for the
New York Giants.
Dak’s contract No. 1 priority for Cowboys
No matter what other moves the Dallas Cowboys decide to make in their quest to improve from 8-8 to a Super Bowl contender, there remains the question of quarterback Dak Prescott and his lack of a long-term contract with the team.
Speaking on Tuesday to reporters in Mobile, Alabama, the site of the Senior Bowl, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that a new deal for his prized passer is the club’s “No. 1 priority” this offseason.
The two-time Pro Bowler Prescott made $2.12 million in the 2019 season, working on the final season of his rookie contract. After being unable to agree on a long-term deal last summer, the 26-year-old enjoyed the best season of his career, throwing for a career-high 4,902 yards and 30 touchdown passes in leading the Cowboys’ topranked offense (431.5 total yards per game).
A franchise tag for 2020 would cost the Cowboys more than $33 million, with the salary going past $40 million in 2021 on a potential second franchise tag if no agreement is reached.
Jones added that the team’s second-biggest priority was to re-up the contract for wide receiver Amari Cooper, who along with Prescott could become free agents in unsigned by March, which is unexpected. Cooper, 25, has flourished in Dallas upon arrival after a midseason trade from Oakland last season, leading the Cowboys in catches (79), yards (1,189) and TD receptions (8) in 2019.
Fourth-and-inches
• The Miami Dolphins announced the hiring of Chan Gailey as offensive coordinator Monday, and promoted Josh Boyer to defensive coordinator.
• The New York Giants are adding another New England Patriots assistant to their coaching staff with Bret Bielema set to join the NFC East team, according to multiple media reports on Tuesday.
Bielema, who was New England’s defensive line coach in 2019, will be on the staff run by recently hired head coach Joe Judge, who was formerly the special teams coordinator of the Patriots.
• New England wide receiver Julian Edelman underwent shoulder surgery last week and is expected to be ready for the team’s offseason program in the spring, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.