The National Football League will begin considering diversity among owners to be a critical factor amid a flurry of discrimination claims. In a statement released on Monday, 32 NFL member clubs announced their commitment to maintaining a diverse workforce, including team ownership. The new initiative is directly aimed at ownership groups instead of individual ownership. “The NFL member clubs support the important goal of increasing diversity among ownership,” the statement read....

On Monday following Week 17, the league gave those teams a clearer picture at which to look when it announced each team’s opponents and division matchups for the 2017 season. While the schedule for the 2017 NFL season won’t be released until the spring, teams and players at least can get a jump on scouting their opponents and thinking about the cities they’ll visit in the fall. Here are the division matchups and a complete list of each team’s home and away matchups for the 2017 NFL season....

Double-digit favorites merit close scrutiny On the first Sunday of November 2014, the NFC’s two best teams of 2013 were prohibitive favorites at home. Neither club covered, and one lost outright. So what does it mean when the Seahawks (-13.5) get a big scare from winless Oakland in a 30-24 win? And what to make of the 49ers (-10) falling 13-10 to a far-from-imposing Rams club? Some handicappers might say the struggles of the Seahawks and Niners are part and parcel with being heavily expected to win....

Falcons fading fast When a team suddenly can’t rely on its greatest strength, look out below. So it goes with the Falcons, who have lost and failed to cover in four consecutive games. Moreover, all four of the defeats have been by double digits. The Falcons’ last two losses are especially telling — and chilling — for the Atlanta faithful. The offense has regressed, leaving the Falcons vulnerable. In lopsided defeats to Chicago (27-13) and Baltimore (29-7), the Falcons were limited to fewer than 300 yards of offense....

Jackson in recent weeks has raised his draft profile from a likely Day 2 pick to a possible first-round quarterback. It’s funny to think that a month ago teams supposedly were thinking he should try a new position. MOCK DRAFT 2018:Bills jump Jets for preferred QB Several teams at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis reportedly wanted to watch Jackson work out with wide receivers, not just quarterbacks. Mayfield was and is among those who defend Jackson’s ability to play QB....

Carey continued his dominance as a sophomore during his stellar junior season. In 2012, he produced 1,929 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns, including a Pac-12 record 366-yard game against Colorado. He was consistent again in 2013, adding 1,885 yards and 19 more touchdowns. The school lists Carey at 5-10, 207. He is a local product from Tucson, Ariz., near the Wildcats campus. “I’m excited for the next phase of my career and to enter the NFL Draft,” Carey said in a statement issued by Arizona....

If you missed it, you were one of the few. The first-round coverage received a 6.8 overnight rating, the highest ever for ESPN (records go back to 1998). PHOTOS: NFL Draft fans | All-access with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix It peaked in the 15-minute window between 9:45 and 10 p.m. with an 8.0 rating when the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock . The Cowboys were anticipated to take quarterback Johnny Manziel with the No....

Cal confirmed on Friday that Moala would be the fourth player to leave school early. MORE: List of early entrants Moala joins defensive back Kameron Jackson, linebacker Khairi Fortt and tight end Richard Rodgers as underclassmen entering the NFL draft. The deadline for deciding whether to declare for the draft is next Wednesday. Moala started 11 games last season and had career highs of 37 tackles, four tackles for loss and 1½ sacks on a defense that allowed the second-most points in the FBS on the way to a 1-11 record, including 0-9 in Pac-12 play....

No matter where teams are in the first round, dealing with other teams hungry for specific players is always worth exploring in exchange for a cache of draft picks. And some teams value draft picks more than others. Finally, certain teams simply have so much leverage, moving down is too much to resist. TUCKER: First-round QBs need to be ready right away | Latest Mock Draft | Best-ever picks These teams are worth watching to move in the other direction: 1....

The Jets took Sam Darnold at No. 3 overall, and so far have gotten limited returns. The Cardinals took Josh Rosen at No. 10 overall, only to give up on him after one season and take Kyler Murray at the same spot as Mayfield one draft later. While Mayfield is doing well to bounce back from a sophomore slump in Cleveland, Darnold is on the verge of going in Rosen’s direction after Year 3....

SN’s NFL DRAFT HQ:Live pick tracker | Day 1 winners & losers | Day 2 mock draft Just because a player is still available as the NFL Draft moves to Day 2 does not mean he isn’t as likely to succeed as a first-rounder — far from it. Many second-round picks have gone on to Hall of Fame-caliber pro careers. The same can be said for third-round picks. Below are the best players available at each position as the 2019 NFL Draft moves to the second and third rounds....

Arians, who took over the organization in January, currently has the fifth-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and plans to take the best player available — whether he fits into Tampa Bay’s system or not. “You can’t draft for need,” Arians said ahead of Thursday’s draft, via the team’s official website. “You draft for need, you get fired. “Draft the best player, and if you’ve got two of them now you’ve got three of them....

The explosive wide receiver, who surprisingly went unpicked in the first round, waited as pick after pick dropped off the board in the second. Finally, with the final pick of the second round (No. 64 overall), the Seahawks selected Metcalf (Seattle acquired the pick via a trade with the Patriots). In Metcalf, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gets a big target (6-3, 228 pounds), who ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine....

That’s because for NFL teams, telling the truth is as much a game show as it is serious business the week of the draft. Sifting through the half-truths and conjecture that other GMs spill into the draft sphere is part of the gig, and it’s a poorly kept secret that while every team is working diligently on their draft boards, they’re trying to throw other teams off the scent at the same time....

The best teams across the league have to routinely ace Days 2 and 3 of the draft in order to ensure that their rosters are deep and talented. After all, the NFL is more of a battle of attrition than anything else. So, the teams that are able to find quality sleepers in the mid-to-late rounds of each draft class are often the ones that have sustained runs as contenders....

New York worked out three running backs Tuesday, according to a report from ESPN. The most notable player in the group was Benny Cunningham, who appeared in 15 games for the Bears in 2018. He began his career with the Rams and has recorded seven total touchdowns over his six NFL seasons. Fozzy Whittaker and Zach Zenner also met with New York, the report says. The Giants have a need at running back after star Saquon Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Buccaneers last week....

The Pro Football Hall of Famer is currently resting in his home after being released from the hospital Wednesday. The open-heart surgery was required in order to repair blockages, per the release. MORE: 10 ugliest NFL uniforms of all time | Every team’s worst-ever starting QB “I spoke to John yesterday,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “He sounds great, but is frustrated about being on injured reserve for the time being....

But less than eight months later, Berry was cleared to play. At the NFL Honors awards show on Saturday night — six months after his return — Berry was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. MORE: Cam Newton quiz: Are you a lover or a hater? | Favre more Newton than Manning “I’m truly honored, truly blessed to be standing here,” Berry said after the announcement was made by Texans defensive end Devon Still and his 5-year-old daughter, Leah, who overcame her own bout with cancer....

If you’re an NFL fan, you might notice something looks a bit off when you’re watching games this season: Receivers with single-digit numbers, running backs with numbers in the 80s, tight ends with numbers in the teens. Your eyes don’t deceive you: These are all legitimate numbers now for wide receivers, tight ends and backs, with the NFL relaxing the rules on which position groups can wear certain numbers moving forward....