NFL notebook: Bucs QB Winston adjusting to benching


Reuters | Updated: 02-11-2018 08:33 IST | Created: 02-11-2018 08:33 IST

Jameis Winston will be watching from the sidelines when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, and it will represent a surreal feeling for the 24-year-old.

Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the team's starting quarterback, the job that typically belongs to Winston.

"I don't think I've ever been benched," Winston told reporters on Thursday. "I just have to keep working hard. Like I've said, every year my goal is to get better and better, and right now, I'm not getting the job done, so I have been replaced and I'm moving forward, yeah."

Winston has thrown 10 interceptions in just 148 attempts while passing for 1,181 yards and six touchdowns.

--Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving was carted off the field with an ankle injury during practice.

X-rays were negative and Irving was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain after undergoing further testing. He was added to the team's injury report, and it remains possible that he could play in Monday night's game against the Tennessee Titans.

Irving has played in just two games this season. He was suspended for the first four due to a violation of the NFL's policy on substances of abuse and then missed a game due to a personal issue.

--Caesars Entertainment has secured a 15-year partnership with the future Las Vegas Raiders and the stadium under construction, the two sides announced.

The Raiders are set to move from Oakland to Las Vegas for the 2020 season with the 65,000-seat stadium set to open in July of that year. The deal does not include naming rights for the $1.8 billion stadium, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the agreement, the stadium will have a Caesars-branded stadium entrance and drop-off zone, digital signage and other media recognition.

--Oakland coach Jon Gruden says players are "dying to play for the Raiders" whenever their chance becomes available.

He made those comments in an interview with former Raiders star Howie Long that aired before Oakland played the San Francisco 49ers. Gruden's Raiders entered the game with a dismal 1-6 record.

Gruden is in the first year of a 10-year, $100 million contract he signed over the offseason to return to coaching. The year has been marked by struggles, including the holdout and subsequent trade of pass rusher Khalil Mack -- a two-time, first-team All Pro -- to the Chicago Bears. The Raiders also traded former first-round draft pick Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

--Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston returned to practice in a limited capacity after missing three games with a hamstring injury.

The 29-year-old linebacker has not played since the Chiefs' Week 5 win against Jacksonville. His availability for Sunday's game at Cleveland has not been determined.

Houston, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, has 3.0 sacks in five games this season and 72.5 sacks since the Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2011. He led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2014.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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