Ezekiel Elliott has found a new home.

The 28-year-old running back is expected to sign with the New England Patriots on a one-year deal worth up to $6million, according to a report from NFL Media on Monday.

The 2023 NFL regular season is less than a month away, and Elliott has been a free agent since the Dallas Cowboys released him in March.

Drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys in 2016, Elliott was a two-time rushing champion in Dallas, including in his rookie year when he tallied a career-best 1,631 yards over the ground.

He also won a rushing title in 2018 and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, but hasn't earned that honour since 2019.

After averaging 96.52 rushing yards per game and 4.62 yards per attempt in his first four seasons, he's averaged 60.79 yards per game and 4.01 yards per carry in the last three years.

He still has a nose for the end zone, tallying 12 rushing touchdowns in 2022 - only four players had more - but wasn't a threat to break off a long run, averaging a career-low 3.79 yards per carry.

Of the 31 players with at least 175 carries last season, Elliott's rushing average beat out only Leonard Fournette's mark of 3.53.

He struggled mightily to move the ball in Dallas' two playoff games last season, rushing for a mere 53 yards on 23 attempts.

In March, he became expendable when the Cowboys designated Tony Pollard as a franchise player for the 2023 season.

Pollard emerged as the Cowboys’ best running back and earned his first Pro Bowl nod with an outstanding 2022 campaign in which he rushed for 1,007 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. His 5.22 yards per rush attempt ranked second in the NFL among players with at least 175 carries.

Elliott now joins a Patriots backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson, who rushed for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 with an average of 4.95 yards per rush - fifth highest among qualifiers.

Elliott's first regular-season game with New England will come against a familiar foe, as the Patriots open the season September 10 against the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, a divisional rival of the Cowboys.

In Week 4, Elliott will get to face his former team with New England visiting Dallas on October 1.

The Atlanta Falcons are entering the 2023 season without one of their leading tackers from last year.

In a surprise move, the Falcons opted to waive 2022 starting linebacker Mykal Walker on Sunday.

Atlanta made the decision to release Walker two days after he started and had four tackles in Friday's 19-3 preseason win over the Miami Dolphins.

Earlier Sunday, the Falcons signed linebacker Frank Ginda, the 2023 USFL defensive player of the year.

Walker played in 16 games and started 12 for the Falcons last season, finishing with a career-high 107 tackles - the third most on the team. He also had two interceptions, a sack and four tackles for loss.

A fourth-round draft pick by the Falcons in 2020, the 25-year-old Walker had 174 career tackles in 49 games.

Walker thanked the Falcons in a social media post.

Damar Hamlin is just one step away from completing one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the sporting world.

The Buffalo Bills safety reached another milestone in his recovery on Saturday, playing for the first time since suffering cardiac arrest mid-game and needing to be resuscitated on the field on Jan. 2.

Hamlin suited up for the Bills’ preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts and saw his first live action since his startling and public medical emergency.

After the exhibition kicked off, Hamlin wasted no time getting back to business.

Hamlin made three tackles, including a fourth-and-1 stop of Colts running back Evan Hull for no gain, while playing parts of three defensive series.

Hamlin, 25, received support from players on both sidelines before kickoff, and the Highmark Stadium crowd cheered each time his name was called.

The Bills won the game 23-19, but Hamlin’s successful overshadowed the outcome.

Assuming Hamlin makes the Bills’ final roster, the last hurdle he faces is playing in his first regular-season game – a milestone that will be undeniably emotional.

After participating in full-contact practices about two weeks ago, Hamlin told reporters about the mental obstacles of returning to NFL football.

“I made the choice to play. But I’m processing a thousand emotions. I’m not afraid to say that it crosses my mind of being a little scared here and there,” Hamlin said at the time. “My faith is stronger than any fear. That’s what I want to preach up here.

“And that’s the message I want to spread on to the world that as long as your faith is stronger than your fear, you can get through anything.”

Hamlin’s long-awaited return to the field was delayed a bit longer as a thunderstorm pushed back the start time of Saturday’s exhibition by a little over an hour.

The Bills open the regular season on the road against the New York Jets on Sept. 11.

Buffalo’s home opener is on Sept. 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Tom Brady and Michael B Jordan investing into British football clubs shows "everybody wants a piece" of the beautiful game, so says Justin Kluivert. 

A-list Hollywood actor Jordan invested into Bournemouth last year, while NFL great Brady, one of the most successful sportspeople on the planet, recently put money into Championship club Birmingham City.

Jordan's investment helped Bournemouth stave off relegation from the Premier League last season, and the Cherries have made some big signings this transfer window.

Kluivert, son of former Milan, Barcelona and Newcastle United star Patrick Kluivert, has been among those additions, with the 24-year-old joining from Roma.

While he has not yet met Jordan, Kluivert believes the superstar's investment is evidence of football's attraction.

"Of course, football is the most beautiful sport there is," Kluivert said in an exclusive interview with Stats Perform.

"So everybody knows that and everybody wants a piece of that, and that's beautiful."

Kluivert also referenced the growth of women's football, as well as the influx of star players to the Saudi Pro League, as proof that football is continuously developing.

"You see it also with women's football how big that's getting, and it's only getting bigger and bigger," he added.

"Now you can see in Saudi Arabia, this league is going to be very good. I think in America [too], so it's going global, very big.

"I think everybody's going to want a piece of that and love football, and love to watch it and love to be part of it. Yeah, that's nice."

Jordan is not the only Hollywood star to have invested into a club, with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney having grown Wrexham into a global brand following their takeover of the Welsh team in 2020.

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs was sentenced Wednesday to three to 10 years in prison for killing a woman and her dog while driving drunk in November 2021.

Ruggs pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of driving under the influence causing death in the accident that killed 24-year-old Tina Tintor near the Las Vegas Sunset Strip on Nov. 2, 2021, as well as a misdemeanour count of vehicular manslaughter. 

The 2020 first-round pick will be eligible for parole after three years.

Police reports stated that Ruggs was driving at speeds of up to 156 mph before his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray rear-ended an SUV driven by Tintor. Tests taken after the incident revealed Ruggs' blood alcohol content to be over 0.16 per cent, more than twice the legal limit in Nevada.

Tintor and her dog, Max, died from thermal injuries as a result of the accident, according to the Clark County cornorer's office.

The Raiders released Ruggs from the remainder of his four-year, $16.7 million contract less than 24 hours after his arrest.

Ruggs read a prepared statement during Wednesday's hearing in which he apologised to Tintor's family and expressed remorse for his actions.

"To the parents and family of Ms. Tintor, I sincerely apologise for the pain and suffering my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021 have caused you, your family and those who knew Ms. Tina and Max," he said. 

"I let my family, my teammates and those who believed in me down with my actions and hurt so many."

The Raiders selected Ruggs with the 12th overall pick of the 2020 draft. The 24-year-old appeared in 20 games with Las Vegas and totalled 921 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 50 catches. 

The New Orleans Saints are beefing up their roster just days ahead of their preseason opener.

The Saints plan to sign running back Kareem Hunt and linebacker Anthony Barr, pending the former Pro Bowlers pass their physicals.

The news was first reported Tuesday by Dianna Russini of ESPN, one day after both veteran free agents visited the team.

Hunt spent the past four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and joins a Saints team looking to find a suitable replacement for Alvin Kamara after the five-time Pro Bowl running back was suspended for the season's first three games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller are also in the mix to get the start in New Orleans' season opener against the Tennessee Titans on September 10.

The 28-year-old Hunt played in all 17 games last season as Nick Chubb's backup, rushing for 468 yards and three touchdowns on 123 carries for an average of 3.8 yards per attempt.

A third-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, Hunt earned Pro Bowl honours and was named the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, amassing career highs of 1,327 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns with 53 receptions for 455 receiving yards in his first year.

The 31-year-old Barr played in 14 games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, registering 58 total tackles and a sack, after spending his first eight pro seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

A first-round pick by the Vikings in 2014, Barr has been selected to four Pro Bowls - most recently in 2018 - and is expected to help with linebacker depth after Andrew Dowell was lost for the season due to a torn ACL while Demario Davis is nursing a calf injury.

The Saints, who finished 7-10 last season to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row after winning four consecutive NFC South titles, play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in their preseason opener.

Justin Houston will be lining up for the Carolina Panthers' defence in 2023.

The four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker signed a one-year contract with the Panthers on Sunday.

Houston spent the past two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and registered 9 1/2 sacks in 2022 to give him 111 1/2 in his career - fourth most among all active players.

Selected in the third round by Kansas City in the 2011 NFL draft, Houston's best season came for the Chiefs in 2014 when he earned All-Pro honours by racking up 22 sacks - just one-half sack shy of the NFL single-season record.

After spending his first eight pro seasons with the Chiefs, Houston spent the next two years with the Indianapolis Colts before signing with Ravens prior to the 2021 season.

Houston will be reunited with first-year Panthers coach Frank Reich and joins Carolina's new 3-4 defensive scheme to play opposite Brain Burns, a Pro Bowl selection in 2022.

The 34-year-old Houston, who has 182 quarterback hurries and 19 forced fumbles in 163 career games, previously played for Reich in Indianapolis.

The Cincinnati Bengals have come to terms with linebacker Logan Wilson on a four-year extension worth up to $37.25 million, according to sources.

Wilson, who was entering the final year of his rookie contract, will make an average of $11.2 million over the first two years of the deal.

Wilson has 123 tackles, 2 ½ sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in 15 games last season as Cincinnati captured its second straight AFC North title.

In three seasons with the Bengals, the 27-year-old Wilson has 256 tackles, seven interceptions and 4 ½ sacks in 40 games.

The Bengals have given Wilson and defensive end Trey Hendrickson extensions, and star quarterback Joe Burrow is soon to get what could be the richest contract in NFL history.

The NFL has suspended New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and Indianapolis Colts defensive back Chris Lammons for three regular-season games for their role in a February 2022 fight in Las Vegas.

Both players pleaded no contest to misdemeanour charges on July 11 as part of a plea bargain with Nevada prosecutors, avoiding any potential jail time.

The league announced its discipline on Friday, after Kamara was granted a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week.

Kamara, the Saints’ leader in yards from scrimmage in five of the last six seasons, will miss games against the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.

Kamara spoke publicly for the first time since the start of training camp, taking questions Friday after practice but before the NFL’s punishment was announced.

“I never want to be involved in something where someone gets hurt or severely injured or anything. Poor judgement on my end, definitely a bad decision,” Kamara said. “I was completely wrong, embarrassed the Saints, embarrassed my family, my mother. Embarrassed myself.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tough,” Kamara continued. “I’ve lost a lot throughout this ordeal. I’m definitely not looking for any pity and not looking for somebody to give me a pat on the back and say, ‘It’s OK.’ I know what I did. ... And I definitely take responsibility. That’s part of being a man and growing. From here, I just got to make the right decisions and make the right choices.”

Kamara, Lammons and two other defendants were accused of beating a Houston man unconscious. As part of their plea bargains, Kamara and Lammons agreed to each pay $100,000 towards the victim’s medical bills, as well as an undisclosed amount from a separate civil lawsuit that was settled.

Kamara admitted Friday that he had a hard time focusing on football while the NFL’s discipline was pending.

“It’s hanging over you,” Kamara said. “Obviously, it’s self-inflicted. But nonetheless, it’s still something that’s, you know, it’s like a dark cloud. ... It’s hard to kind of enjoy some of the smaller things.”

A third-round draft pick out of Tennessee, Kamara was the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year and has been among the NFL’s most versatile weapons since entering the league.

In six seasons, all with the Saints, Kamara has amassed 5,135 rushing yards and 49 rushing touchdowns while adding 430 receptions for 3,753 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Kamara has averaged 101 scrimmage yards over 88 career games, second only to Christian McCaffrey (113.1) among active players with at least 75 games played.

Los Angeles Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp left practice early Tuesday with a hamstring injury, and the team is not sure how long he could be sidelined.

Kupp’s final play of the day came on a route that he ran into the end zone. He appeared to come up slightly lame after finishing the route and walked over to the training staff before leaving the field.

Rams coach Sean McVay didn’t have any updates on Kupp.

“Obviously we’re much better when he’s here, and we hope he’s going to be OK,” McVay said. “If he’s not, we’ll see what happens, but the practice had to go on.”

McVay saw the play where Kupp appeared to injure himself but had no other details.

“He looked like he came up a little bit in a red zone route, and then I just knew they told me he was out of practice,” he said. “I have no more information than that.”

Kupp, 30, has been one of the league’s best receivers, but his season was cut short last year after he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss the Rams’ final eight games. He still finished with 75 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.

Kupp won the NFL’s triple crown of receiving in 2021, leading the league in catches (145), yards receiving (1,947) and touchdowns (16).

Training camp opened less than a week ago, and the Indianapolis Colts are suddenly short on running backs.

Zack Moss suffered a broken bone in his forearm during Monday's practice and will undergo surgery.

The recovery time is expected to be six weeks, which means he'll miss the rest of training camp and puts his availability for the Colts' Week 1 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 10 into question.

Moss had been working as the Colts' No. 1 running back in training camp with Jonathan Taylor absent.

Taylor, who was the NFL's rushing leader in 2021, has been seeking a contract extension, prompting him to request a trade.

He is currently on the physically unable to perform list, but the Colts are considering moving him to the non-football injury list after it was reported he failed his physical due to a back injury that was sustained while away from the Colts. He is also working his way back from an ankle injury that forced him to miss six games last season.

Last November with Taylor injured, the Colts traded for Moss from the Buffalo Bills, and in the season's final four games, he rushed for 334 yards on 69 carries with one touchdown while averaging 4.8 yards per attempt.

With Moss injured and Taylor clashing with owner Jim Irsay and the front office, Deon Jackson and rookie Evan Hull are next men up at running back for Indianapolis.

Pass rusher Danielle Hunter has agreed to a new contract with the Minnesota Vikings for the 2023 season that could be worth up to $20 million and guarantees the three-time Pro Bowl selection $17 million, NFL Network reported Sunday.

Hunter was slated to earn $5.5 million this season, and this new deal reportedly has a clause that prevents Minnesota from using the franchise tag on Hunter – making him an unrestricted free agent next year.

Hunter was selected by Minnesota in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has 71 sacks in 102 games, including a team-best 10.5 last season when the Vikings won the NFC North with a 13-4 record.

The Cincinnati Bengals will likely be without their franchise quarterback for the rest of training camp, and his status is in jeopardy for the team’s season opener.

Joe Burrow will be out “several weeks” with a strained right calf, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Friday.

When asked to clarify Burrow’s timeline for a return, Taylor repeated his previous phrasing.

“It will take several weeks, and that’s all the information we have,” Taylor said.

Burrow came up limping after scrambling during a play in Thursday’s practice. He eventually went to the ground, where he was examined by training staff before riding off the field on a cart.

Burrow was wearing a compression sleeve on his right calf, but Taylor said he was unaware of any pre-existing injury or symptoms before the play.

Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian handled quarterbacking duties in Friday’s practice with Burrow out.

The first overall pick in the 2020 draft, Burrow is still in negotiations with the Bengals on a long-term contract extension that will likely make him one of the league’s highest-paid players.

After a shortened preseason in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, injury rehab in 2021 and appendicitis during last year’s training camp, Burrow had said earlier this week that he was hoping to play a full preseason schedule this year.

“Joe got more days this July than he’s ever had in the NFL,” Taylor said Friday. “So I feel really good about the progress we made during those July practices with Joe, and if he’s able to get back, we’ll be able to keep working with him.”

A 2022 Pro Bowl selection, Burrow has 11,774 passing yards, 82 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in 42 career games.

The Miami Dolphins will have to play a portion of the season without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey after he was carted off the field at the end of Thursday’s practice.

According to reports, Ramsey will undergo surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. The good news is that Ramsey’s ACL is intact and the injury isn’t season-ending.

He collided with receiver Tyreek Hill during an 11-on-11 drill and went down grabbing his left knee. Ramsey was helped up but didn’t appear to put any weight on his leg and was carted back to the locker room as Miami’s second full-team practice of training camp closed.

“I’ll be back on that field stronger than ever… in due time!” Ramsey tweeted Thursday evening. “This SO minor for God’s child? I trust fully & know He got me! I’m forever grateful to worship his name!”

The Dolphins acquired Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams in March for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long.

Ramsey had a career-high 88 tackles and four interceptions in 17 games last season for the Rams. He is a six-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and Super Bowl LVI champion.

The Bengals intend to keep Trey Hendrickson in the fold for another three seasons after watching the star defensive end regularly disrupt opposing offences during his first two years in Cincinnati.

The Bengals signed Hendrickson to a one-year contract extension on Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not revealed.

Signed to a four-year, $60million contract with the Bengals prior to the 2021 season, the 28-year-old Hendrickson is now tied to the Bengals through 2025.

In his first two seasons in Cincinnati, Hendrickson proved to be one of the NFL's top edge rushers, earning Pro Bowl selections each year.

After finishing fifth in the NFL with a career-high 14 sacks in 2021, Hendrickson registered team highs of eight sacks and 24 quarterback hits in 15 games last season.

During Cincinnati's playoff run following the 2021 regular season, Hendrickson notched 3 1/2 sacks - including one in the Bengals' Super Bowl loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

A third-round selection by the New Orleans Saints in the 2017 NFL draft, Hendrickson has 42 sacks, 36 tackles for loss and 94 QB hits in 76 career games.