QB McCown ends retirement, joins Eagles
PHILADELPHIA — Josh McCown’s retirement lasted two months.
The Philadelphia Eagles signed the 40-year-old quarterback to a one-year deal Saturday. He is coming out of retirement to join his 11th team and play his 17th season.
McCown provides insurance behind Carson Wentz, who has finished the last two seasons on the sideline because of injuries. Philadelphia already has lost two quarterbacks in the first two preseason games. Nate Sudfeld broke his left wrist and is expected to return in September. Cody Kessler left Thursday night’s game with a head injury.
Rookie Clayton Thorson was the only healthy quarterback on the roster behind Wentz before McCown ended his brief retirement.
McCown was 23-53 as a starter, including 5-11 with the Jets over the last two seasons. He has completed 60.2 percent of his passes, has thrown 98 touchdowns, 82 interceptions and has a 79.7 passer rating.
ESPN hired McCown to be an NFL analyst on the day he announced he was calling it quits. Now he will put his broadcast career on hold for one more year.
In other pro football news:
• Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James will have foot surgery and miss several games. James will undergo surgery next week to repair a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and likely will be out three to four months. He was hurt Thursday during a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints.
• The New York Jets placed linebacker Avery Williamson on seasonending injured reserve and signed former Baltimore and New England linebacker Albert McClellan. Williamson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the second quarter of the team’s 22-10 preseason win at Atlanta on Thursday night. McClellan was released by the Ravens last October and signed with the Patriots.
• Jarrett Stidham threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Damoun Patterson with 4:12 left, rallying New England to a 22-17 preseason victory over Tennessee at Nahsville. The former Baylor and Auburn quarterback was 14-of-19 passing for 193 yards, helping the Patriots come back from a 17-8 halftime deficit. Marcus Mariota started for the Titans and shook off a pair of three-and-outs before capping a 10-play, 87-yard drive with an 11-yard TD pass to tight end Delanie Walker.
• Garrett Gilbert threw two touchdown passes in the first half, and David Blough added another TD pass in the second half, leading visiting Cleveland past Indianapolis 21-18.
MOTOR SPORTS Hamlin spoils DiBenedetto bid
Denny Hamlin spoiled Matt DiBenedetto’s shot at his first career victory — just days after DiBenedetto learned he had been fired — with a late pass at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hamlin was the first Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing driver to start from the pole this season, but his race was a roller-coaster that began when his car was damaged when he bounced off of Jimmie Johnson. He later had a loose wheel, fell down a lap and seemed out of contention for his second career victory at Bristol.
At the same time, DiBenedetto was working his way toward the front and put his Toyota out front for a race-high 93 laps. Leavine Family Racing told him earlier this week that he will not be back for a second season, and a win would have been ultimate redemption.
It would have put DiBenedetto into the playoffs and shown he truly is a victim of the logjam of talent at Joe Gibbs Racing. Leavine is a Gibbs partner, and Gibbs needs DiBenedetto’s seat next year to promote Christopher Bell from the Xfinity Series.
Hamlin and DiBenedetto raced side by side for several laps before Hamlin completed the decisive late pass and sealed his fourth victory of the season.
DiBenedetto was a career-best second, and Hamlin was immediately empathetic for the driver and crew chief Mike Wheeler, who won a Daytona 500 with Hamlin.
“I’m so sorry to Matt DiBenedetto, Mike Wheeler. I hate it. I know what a win would mean to that team,” Hamlin said as soon as he exited his car. “But I’ve got to give 110 percent.”
DiBenedetto was near tears standing next to his car.
“I wanted it to bad,” DiBenedetto said. “I’m sad. Congrats to Denny, raced hard and I’ve been a fan of his since I was a kid. To be racing door-to-door with him at Bristol in front of a great group of fans — I’m trying not to get emotional, but it’s been a tough week and I just want to stick around and want to keep doing this for a long time to come. I am not done yet. Something is going to happen.”
In other news:
• IndyCar points leader Josef Newgarden will start on the pole for Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., after rain washed out qualifying. The field was set on points, so Alexander Rossi starts second, followed by Simon Pagenaud and Scott Dixon. With four races left this season, Newgarden holds a 16-point advantage over Rossi in the championship standings. Pagenaud is 47 points back while Dixon, the reigning IndyCar champion, trails by 62.
TENNIS Kuznetsova keeps Barty at bay
Ashleigh Barty’s chance to move back to No. 1 was only one victory away. At the end of an up-and-down week, she didn’t have another comeback left.
Neither did Novak Djokovic, who came away with yet another disappointment at Mason, Ohio.
Barty lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open. Djokovic then ended the day with another stunner, getting overwhelmed by Daniil Medvedev’s serve as the Russian pulled out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.
PRO BASEBALL New Britain tops Skeeters
Akeel Morris allowed two hits and no runs in 61⁄3 innings to help lead New Britain to a 5-1 Atlantic League victory over the Skeeters at Constellation Field in Sugar Land.
Morris struck out eight and walked two.
Sugar Land’s only run came on Juan Silverio’s RBI single in the ninth.