The NFL and its players are ready to step in to help the troubled Browns quarterback, but the league can’t make him seek treatment. MORE: Players show concern for Manziel | What’s next for QB? “We wish to give Johnny as much support as he is willing to receive. We can’t make anyone do anything,” NFL executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent told The Associated Press on Saturday. “I’ve seen his father make a statement, reach out to the family to make sure the family knows the National Football League, the Cleveland Browns, the players association — everyone’s here to support you, but you have to embrace it....

Chris Nowinski, executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, dropped by for the NFL’s annual health and safety update ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Broncos and Panthers to listen as league-affiliated Dr. Mitchel Berger downplayed the link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. MORE: NFL players diagnosed or showing symptoms of CTE or ALS Nowinski has been critical of the NFL’s decision last month to cut funding to Boston University’s research efforts to develop testing that would diagnose CTE in patients who have not yet died....

The NFL is not playing its 2020 season with a bubble concept like those the NBA and the NHL have used so successfuly, so COVID-19 infections among team and league personnel are all but inevitable over the next five-plus months. That’s the bad news. The good news, based on early coronavirus testing results through August, is the NFL has managed to keep the number of positive tests relatively low. Which is remarkable given the massive number of people required to operate 32 NFL teams....

NFL Media reports Washington is looking to trade the fourth-year wide receiver, but if there’s no interest, they’re expected to release him. This is certainly not the outcome the Redskins envisioned when they drafted Doctson with the No. 22 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. But the talented wideout has never lived up to his draft status, as he’s been hampered by injuries and inconsistency. The Redskins told Doctson in May they were not picking up his fifth-year option, and the receiver seemed to welcome a chance to get out of Washington next year, telling ESPN in July, “I think I’m hitting free agency next year....

We’ll look to improve this week with a trio of high-floor RBs to along with the aforementioned WRs, plus what looks to be a can’t-miss defense. WEEK 9 DFS:Yahoo GPP lineup | Y! cash | FD GPP | FD cash | DK GPP | Values | Stacks | DFS lineup builder NFL DFS Week 9 Picks: DraftKings cash lineup QB Jacoby Brissett, IND @ HOU ($5,200): The Texans allow the most points and third-most pass yards when averaging every teams’ past three games....

MORE RANKINGS: QB | WR | TE | DEF DeMarco Murray, Cowboys at Packers. Murray is the highest-priced RB ($8,400) on DraftKings this weekend, and for good reason. Not only is he fantasy’s top RB, the Cowboys are going to lean on him heavily to control the clock and keep the rock out of Aaron Rodgers’ hands. Murray may not offer the best value this weekend, but if you’re looking for big points, he’s worth the investment....

He's a good fit to help any defense, regardless of their front seven alignment. Interested teams to watch in the first round include Dallas, Arizona, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and New England. Sporting News caught up with Ealy early on draft week to talk about what he does best on the field, who inspires him off the field and what it meant to have Michael Sam as a Mizzou teammate: SN: What have your emotions been like leading up to the draft and what do you expect them to be like on Thursday night?...

Winners: Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater. Good things came to those who waited a long time in the green room. Sure, it’s a big money hit to go No. 22 and 32 instead of the top 12, but Manziel (Browns) and Bridgewater (Vikings) won because they still landed with the teams that most wanted them and the teams with which they fit best. MORE: Browns trade up to get Manziel | Bridgewater sneaks in at No....

“I sat down with my family, sat down with the support staff at Clemson,” Lawson told Fox 26 Houston on Wednesday while in Texas for the Lombardi Award announcement. “I enjoyed being at Clemson, but it’s time. I’m ready for the next level.” MORE: Here’s what a 16-team playoff would look like | Michigan’s Jake Butt not entering draft Lawson, who said the move to the NFL was a “tough decision,” leads the nation with 22....

SIGN UP to stream the NFL Draft LIVE on DAZN in Canada Not that Rosen cares one iota where he was picked. Asked by NFL Network before the draft if he thought he would go No. 1, he responded, “I don’t care.” Rosen said, “I’m not paying attention to all that stuff very much. I’ve always been the No. 2 guy.” Stop right there. Rosen wasn’t the No. 2 guy....

The league on Wednesday announced that teams will make their Saturday selections from unique locations around their states, including landmarks, museums and military bases. Per the NFL: “To honor the NFL’s 100th season, Round 6 will also highlight the League’s 13 ‘Original Towns,’ and with that, its 14 charter teams. To do so, select pick announcements on Day 3 will be coming from these historic cities.” The league noted that seventh-round picks later Saturday would be made by local fans in Nashville....

During the most recent episode of the “ESPN Daily” podcast, Kiper spoke to Pablo Torre about several topics, including his strange eating habits. Kiper told Torre that he eats pumpkin pie “as many times as I possibly can” and will even kick off his morning with pumpkin pie for breakfast. He doesn’t eat pumpkin pie every day, but that’s only because it is not always available to him. NFL MOCK DRAFT: What Kiper, other experts are saying about first round...

Although pro days and team visits have been shut down, team evaluators have been viewing more tape and referencing NFL Combine results, and several prospects have risen or fallen. This big board is a look at the most draftable players through all seven rounds, but it also provides more clarity on who is most likely to be selected on Days 1 and 2 through the third round. NFL MOCK DRAFT 2020:49ers, Vikings take advantage of new picks...

Ankou will visit the Green Bay Packers next week, a source tells Sporting News. He also is scheduled for an April 23 workout with the Indianapolis Colts. MORE: NFL Mock Draft 2017 Ankou recorded 38 tackles with the Bruins last year as a senior, including six tackles against Texas A&M and five against USC. At his Pro Day in March, Ankou at 6-3, 331 pounds showed off his athleticism with a 5....

The NFL announced Friday afternoon that the first round on Thursday night drew 12.6 million viewers, which was a combination of both TV and digital platforms. Just four days earlier, the Academy Awards drew an audience of 9.85 million people. Thursday night was the second-best opening round of the draft, second only to 2020, which drew 15.5 million viewers who saw NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conduct the draft from the basement of his New York home....

The Patriots coach, who is known for cutting off the sleeves to his sweatshirts, changed up the way he wears a mask, too. During Sunday’s Patriots vs. Seahawks game, the coach appeared to have some issues with the face covering. MORE: Here are the NFL quarterbacks getting paid more than Cam Newton in 2020 NFL fans had a lot of jokes about the Belichick’s mask struggle:

Just ask the Broncos’ Vic Fangio, Seahawks’ Pete Carroll and 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, who were reportedly fined $100,000 apiece after they were seen not wearing masks on the sidelines of their respective games Sunday. The NFL also fined their teams $250,000 each, resulting in a total of $1.05 million in fines in Week 2. Those penalties come after the league sent a strongly worded memo to teams on Sept. 14 mandating coaches wear some form of face covering while on the sideline....