McVay downplays Stafford’s arm issue
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is dealing with pain in his right arm, resulting in limited work in training camp, but head coach Sean McVay said Stafford will be ready to face the Bills in Los Angeles’ Sept. 8 season opener.
“Anytime that you’ve played as long and are as tough as he is, I don’t know if you’re ever truly pain-free,” McVay told the Los Angeles Times. “But the goal would be for Sept. 8 and, really looking toward 17 games and then hopefully some games after that if we earn that opportunity.
“That’s kind of the perspective, the big-picture approach we want to be able to take.”
The Cardinals activated tight end Maxx Williams from the physically unable to perform list . ... The Titans placed backup center Daniel Munyer on injured reserve because of an injury suffered Tuesday.
Lawsuit update: A judge quickened the time it will take to rule on whether or not NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gets to decide the merits of racial discrimination claims made by Black coaches against the league and its teams, saying that it appears an effort to gather more evidence is a try at “an impermissible fishing expedition.”
U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni said in a written ruling that lawyers for coaches Brian Flores, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton cannot gather additional evidence from defendants to support their arguments that the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court should remain in court rather than go to arbitration.
Flores, who was fired in January as head coach of the Miami Dolphins and is now an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers, filed the lawsuit in February, saying the league was “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it. The other coaches later joined the lawsuit, which sought unspecified damages and class-action status.
New deals: Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson agreed to a two-year, $36.7 million extension through the 2024 season with the Steelers.
Johnson, 26, caught a careerbest 107 passes for 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for Pittsburgh.
The Broncos signed former Green Bay wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, who played this spring for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL. Shepherd takes the roster spot that opened when the Broncos’ leading receiver, Tim Patrick, was placed on the injured reserve Wednesday after suffering a torn ACL.