Off the wire
Raiders ink ex-Chief
The Oakland Raiders officially signed free agent linebacker Derrick Johnson to a one-year contract. Coach Jon Gruden said last week the sides agreed to terms but the contract became official Monday. Oakland waived defensive back Darius
Hillary to make room on the roster. The Raiders also signed three players after tryouts at rookie minicamp over the weekend. Oakland gave deals to former Texas running back Chris
Warren, Michigan fullback Henry Poggi and tight end Paul Butler from California of Pennsylvania. The 35-year-old Johnson spent his first 13 NFL seasons with the rival Kansas City Chiefs and will likely fill the role at middle linebacker that NaVorro
Bowman played the second half of last season. Johnson is a four-time Pro Bowler and the career tackles leader for the Chiefs. He appeared in 182 games with 169 starts since being drafted in the first round in 2005. He has 1,262 tackles, 27½ sacks and 14 interceptions in his career.
Panthers land RB
Former Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson has signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. Anderson played for five years for the Broncos before being released in April. He has run of 3,051 yards in his five-year NFL career, fumbling only three times in 693 carries. He also had 103 catches for 859 yards and 4 touchdowns. Anderson has been to one Pro Bowl in 2014 and ran for 90 yards and a touchdown in Denver’s 24-10 victory over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50. He was an undrafted free agent when Denver signed him in 2013 after he played two seasons for California in college.
Saints cut Fleener
A person familiar with the decision says the New Orleans Saints have released veteran tight end
Coby Fleener. The person spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because the roster move has not been announced. Fleener has played two seasons for New Orleans, with whom he signed a five-year, $36 million freeagent contract in 2016 — two seasons after the Saints had traded away star tight end Jimmy Graham. The 6-6, 251-pound Fleener caught 72 passes for 926 yards and 5 touchdowns in 27 games with the Saints before his 2017 season was cut short by a Week 12 concussion. With Fleener’s departure, the Saints most accomplished tight ends are Ben Watson, Josh Hill and Michael Hoomanawanui.
Fleener began his NFL career in 2012 with Indianapolis. In 2014, he was among Colts quarterback Andrew Luck’s top targets, with 774 yards and eight touchdowns receiving.
$1.2M payday on Derby
Justify’s win in the 2018 Kentucky Derby capped a $1.2 million payday for a central Texas woman. Margaret Reid of Austin was at Retama Park, near San Antonio, watching and wagering the day’s racing Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Reid wagered $18 on a Pick 5 bet, picking which horses she thought would win the Derby and the four Churchill Downs races leading up to it. And she hit each one: Limousine Liberal in the Churchill Downs Stakes, Maraud in the American Turf Stakes, 39-1 long-shot Funny Duck in the Pat Day Mile Stakes, 9-1 long-shot Yoshida in the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes, then Justify in the Derby.
Djokovic advances Novak Djokovic got the type of victory he needed to boost his confidence and get his game back on track. He beat 20th-ranked Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Monday, his highest-ranked win in 10 months. Djokovic broke serve late in each set to get past Nishikori. Coming back from a right elbow injury, Djokovic hasn’t made it to the quarterfinals in his previous five tournaments this year, admitting he returned to tennis too quickly. In his last event, he lost in the third round in Monte Carlo, where Nishikori reached the final. Djokovic was aggressive from the start, hitting 26 winners against Nishikori, who has made at least the Madrid quarterfinals for the past five years. He was a finalist in 2014, losing to Rafael Nadal. Maria Sharapova, who won in Madrid in 2014, made it to the last 16 by defeating Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-1 in only her second match since the Australian Open. She has been dealing with a left forearm injury. Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki edged past Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 Sloane Stephens cruised past Samantha Stosur 6-1, 6-3 in a matchup of U.S. Open champions. Milos Raonic defeated Nicolas Kicker 6-3, 6-2 to set up a second-round encounter with third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, while Richard Gasquet beat Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-2 to advance to play qualifier Dusan Lajovic, who got past Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2.