Saints' Pete Werner: Returns to practice Thursday

Ben Roethlisberger typically likes to wait three seasons before making any declarations on a quarterback. While Joe Burrow's third season is technically not over yet, Roethlisberger is ready to declare the Bengals' 26-year-old quarterback as the real deal. A year after leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl, Burrow's continued...

Good morning to everyone but especially to... PATRICK MAHOMES AND THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS... When Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jaguars, it didn't look good. Not for the rest of that game, and not for any potential games going forward. Yet, as he so often does while...

The San Francisco 49ers will aim for their 13th consecutive victory and a trip to the Super Bowl when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the 2023 NFC Championship Game. San Francisco (15-4) hasn't lost since Week 7 against Kansas City, reeling off 12 straight wins to match the franchise single-season record set in 1984. The NFC West champion 49ers are playing for the conference championship for the third time in four years after defeating Dallas 19-12 last weekend in the 2023 NFL playoffs. Philadelphia (15-3), which won its third NFC East title in six years, rolled past the division-rival New York Giants 38-7 in the Divisional Round of the 2023 NFL playoff bracket.

Some team is going to trade with the Chicago Bears at No. 1 overall to select one of the marquee quarterback prospects in this draft class. Last week, my mock featured the Panthers doing it. This week, let's run a simulation with the Raiders doing so. Also in this mock,...

Despite his impressive work as the Panthers' interim head coach, Steve Wilks was not chosen to be Carolina's permanent coach. The job instead went to Frank Reich, who was fired by the Colts nine games into the 2022 season. Wilks expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be the Panthers head coach for their final 12 games of the season, saying he will always be a fan of the team in a statement he tweeted on Friday morning.

The Jets found their new offensive coordinator this week, hiring former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett. The move reunites Hackett with coach Robert Saleh, more than a half-decade after the two worked together with the Jaguars. But what does the staffing change mean for the Jets moving forward? Easy: a splashy quarterback change.

Duffy signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday. The veteran infielder will be given an invitation to major-league spring training. It's a good landing spot for Duffy, as the Royals recently freed up the potential for more playing time in the infield when they traded Adalberto Mondesi. Duffy was solid for the Cubs in 2021 but struggled last season with the Angels, putting up a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances.

Wilson (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Thursday's showdown with the Penguins, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports. Wilson exited in the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche and did not partake in Thursday's morning skate, but is officially a game-time call. The 28-year-old winger has two goals and three points in eight games -- alongside a paltry minus-7 rating.

Happy Wednesday, everyone. We're just four days away from learning which teams will square off in Super Bowl LVII. Word is that John Breech demanded to take this day off so he could stitch an "LVII" patch onto his Joe Burrow jersey, but we're still waiting for confirmation on that. In the meantime, you've got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL.

Vaughn rushed 17 times for 53 yards and secured three of four targets for 19 yards across 15 games in 2022. The third-year back was a forgotten man on offense most of the season, logging just 35 snaps from scrimmage. Vaughn did garner active status for a career-high 15 games, but rookie Rachaad White beat him out for the No. 2 running back job and only increased his snap share as the campaign unfolded. The fact that Vaughn received so few opportunities even with veteran Giovani Bernard missing significant time due to injury doesn't bode well for the Vanderbilt product's prospects heading into the final year of his rookie deal, especially with Leonard Fournette still projected to be on the roster in 2023 alongside White.

Dallas signed Callaway to a reserve/future contract Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Callaway reached an injury settlement with the Chiefs at the end of August, and after clearing the knee injury, he latched on with the Cowboys' practice squad in mid-November. He was never elevated during the regular season and hasn't seen regular-season NFL action since 2020, but with his new contract, he'll be able to stick around Dallas' organization and compete for a roster spot during the offseason.

Castano (shoulder) cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Jacksonville by the Marlins on Thursday, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Miami designated Castano for assignment last week as the corresponding 40-man roster move for its completion of a free-agent agreement with veteran starter Johnny Cueto. The 28-year-old left-hander holds a 3.89 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 45:28 K:BB ratio in 85.2 career innings at the MLB level.

For the second year in a row, the 49ers are knocking on the door of the Super Bowl. Last season, their dreams of a title slipped through their fingers as they couldn't hang on to their fourth-quarter lead over the eventual-champion Rams. Fast forward to this year's campaign, and you'll...

Hardman (pelvis) will practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports. Coach Andy Reid noted that Hardman, who last suited up in Week 9, "feels better than he did the last couple weeks" and "seems to be in a good place" as Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bengals approaches. The Chiefs' upcoming injury report will clarify Hardman's official participation level, but the wideout appears to be trending in the right direction at this stage of the week.

Wilson (lower body) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Avalanche. Wilson blocked a shot off of his right leg in the second period, which is the opposite leg from the one he had ACL surgery on last spring. He can be considered day-to-day for now, and he'll likely be evaluated further when the Capitals return home to face the Penguins on Thursday.

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!. The NFL regular season ended on Jan. 8, which means we've now gone 18 days without a coach being hired. There are five open coaching jobs and not one has been filled yet. It's been so long that I'm starting to think that some of these teams are planning to go into 2023 without a coach, which might actually be better than what they had last year.

Turner is questionable for Friday's game against Milwaukee due to a right ankle sprain. Turner has appeared in the Pacers' last six matchups and has averaged 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game during that time. If he's unavailable against the Bucks, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson and Terry Taylor would be candidates to see increased minutes.

Adams (knee) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game at Golden State. The veteran center sat out Monday's matchup with the Kings due to right knee soreness and will be sidelined Wednesday for the second straight game. Xavier Tillman started in Adams' place Monday and could do so again versus the Warriors.

The Brooklyn Nets suffered a surprising 130-122 loss to the lowly Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, and have now lost six of their last eight games to fall to 29-19 on the season, which puts them in a tie with the Cleveland Cavaliers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Andersen (upper body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Stars, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. Andersen was hurt in the first period and didn't return to start the second. Antti Raanta took over in goal and could see an uptick in playing time if Andersen is out for any length of time. Pyotr Kochetkov could also be recalled if Andersen's injury is anything more than just a minor bump. The Hurricanes' next game is Friday versus the Sharks.