The Dallas Cowboys have not been particularly active in free agency over the past several years. Last year, they were not even all that active in re-signing their own players, instead allowing starters Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Tony Pollard, Dorance Armstrong, Stephon Gilmore and more to leave and be replaced by (for then most part) mid-to-late round draft picks.
This offseason, they have another crop of important players hitting free agency — with the majority of them on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa is the most notable among those, but veterans like cornerback Jourdan Lewis and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence are also among the that group.
Lawrence, for his part, would like to stay in Dallas, but recognizes that it’s not only up to him.
“The ball is in their court. I’m not only going to play in Dallas,” Lawrence said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m going to have other options, but I’d like to stay here. It would be a glorious thing.”
The Cowboys currently have just over $3.8 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap, but would create approximately $58 million more with simple restructures of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s contracts. An extension for Micah Parsons would free up around $18.3 million and another for Daron Bland could create an additional $3.3 million.
In other words, if they get their work done early, the Cowboys could create plenty of space to retain their own — including Lawrence — and even add outside free agents. The question is whether they are actually willing to be aggressive in making the money work, and in doing things like “signing your most important players to contract extensions before free agency opens rather than waiting until the last week of training camp so you can get months of attention out of the process,” which is the kind of stuff the Cowboys of recent vintage have not been willing to do.
Lawrence has some injury issues (he missed almost all of last season), and he’s less of a pure pass rusher than some teams might like coming off the edge, but he remains an elite run defender and he’s good at rushing the passer, if not great. If Dallas doesn’t come with an agreeable deal, some other team will benefit from his services.
No NFL team will have more spending power this offseason than the New England Patriots. According to Over the Cap, the Pats are set to enter the new league year with over $127 million in cap space — the most in the league by over $30 million.
It’s a good thing they have all that cap room, too, because the Pats have an absolute ton of needs. That’s especially the case on the offensive side of the ball, where last season rookie quarterback Drake Maye was forced to overcome one of the worst supporting casts in the league.
It makes sense, then, that New England is expected to be aggressive in the free-agent market. One place the Patriots will look, according to ESPN, is the offensive line, where they are expected to pursue Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley.
At the NFL scouting combine, one rival NFL executive said some of the buzz going around was that the Patriots would aggressively pursue veteran Baltimore Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley should he make it to unrestricted free agency…
Sorting through what is legitimate and what is smoke is an evolving process, but the idea that the Patriots would be connected to Stanley hits at arguably the top theme head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf drilled home in on-the-record interviews last week.
The Patriots spent most of last season with Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs as their bookend tackles, and the pair struggled badly, to say the least. They yielded a combined 82 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and were somehow even less effective as run blockers than they were in pass protection.
Stanley finally stayed healthy last season after three years of injury-plagued campaigns stemming from his 2021 torn ACL, and he got back to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2019. He is considered the top tackle on the market, and if the Patriots want to protect their investment in Maye, it makes a lot of sense to pursue him.
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine came and went this past week in Indianapolis. While on its surface the combine is a place for teams to get a look at — and talk to — draft prospects they’ll spend the next two months poring over, it is in truth one big NFL convention and where a whole lot of league business gets done.
That means we learn some valuable information about each and every team throughout the week — and not just as it related to the draft. In the space below, we’re going to examine one thing we learned about each NFC team. (Jordan Dajani already covered the AFC.)
NFC East Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones is being un-Jerry Jones-like New York Giants: They really, really want a quarterback Philadelphia Eagles: Free agency might look strange at first Washington Commanders: They got their No. 2 wideout Have you ever heard of Jerry Jones passing up an opportunity to talk to reporters? Well, it happened this week. Jones didn’t hold his traditional media availability during combine week, and also declined to talk when leaving the team hotel ahead of the weekend. VERY curious stuff.
We know the Giants tried to get in on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. There are already rumors that they could be interested in someone like Aaron Rodgers or Sam Darnold. And recently, reports have indicated that they are perhaps the most interested team in moving up to the No. 1 overall pick to land their choice of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
Howie Roseman asked Eagles fans to show patience (good luck with that, Howie) when it comes to the team’s moves this offseason, which he said might not look like how the conventional wisdom expects them to.
Washington landed Deebo Samuel from the 49ers in a trade, surrendering only a fifth-round pick in the process. Our own Tyler Sullivan graded the trade here.
Aaron Rodgers to Giants? QB made multiple calls to team; New York now interested with Stafford back with Rams Garrett Podell Aaron Rodgers to Giants? QB made multiple calls to team; New York now interested with Stafford back with Rams NFC North Chicago Bears: Looking to upgrade the offensive line Detroit Lions: Confidence high in new coaching staff Green Bay Packers: Jaire Alexander could be on the block Minnesota Vikings: Vikes won’t break the bank to re-unite with Sam Darnold Head coach Ben Johnson said the Bears are confident they’ll be able to reshape the line in free agency and the draft: “There are a number of teams that did that last year,” he said, via the team’s official website. “The Panthers come to mind; when they went out in free agency and got a couple of top guards (Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis), [it] really changed the dynamic of their offense. You saw them clicking there in the second half of the season once they really started to gel.
“I made the statement in my opening press conference, that’s an area we have to get better. That doesn’t necessary mean we need five new starters because all it takes is one individual to blow up a play. So we’re just identifying where we can get a little bit better and we’re going to continue to raise that floor and we’ll find the right mix of five to eight, nine, 10 guys.”
Dan Campbell told the Lions’ official website that he did interviews with 24 different coaches before landing on the new additions to his staff. He expressed confidence in new coordinators John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard, as well as running backs coach Tashard Choice and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.
The Packers star cornerback is reportedly on the trade block. Cody Benjamin broke things down and highlighted some potential landing spots for Alexander’s services.
According to ESPN, the Vikings are open to bringing Darnold back, but at the right price. Otherwise, they might come into next season with a quarterback room of J.J. McCarthy and Daniel Jones, whom the team signed down the stretch of last season.
NFC South Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins isn’t long for Atlanta Carolina Panthers: Expected to pursue high-level free agents New Orleans Saints: Expect to be “active” in free agency Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Godwin is a priority All the buzz coming out of the combine is that the Falcons (unsurprisingly) won’t be able to find a taker for Cousins via trade and he’ll be released, at which point he would be free to sign with the team of his choice.
ESPN reports that the Panthers want to complete an extension with Jaycee Horn before players like Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner get their deals, while the Panthers could also be in the mix for safeties Jevon Holland and Camryn Bynum, defensive tackle Milton Williams and edge rusher Chase Young.
I’m not entirely sure how it’s even possible considering their salary-cap situation ($47 million over the cap as of this writing), but NOLA.com reports that the Saints expect to be more active after having a quiet offseason a year ago.
The Buccaneers got their quarterback and No. 1 receiver re-signed last offseason, and now want to make sure their No. 2 wideout is locked in as well. Godwin is coming off a dislocated ankle suffered late last season, but according to ESPN, Tampa is hoping to get a deal done with the slot receiver before he hits the open market.
NFC West Arizona Cardinals: High hopes for 2024 rookies Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford isn’t going anywhere San Francisco 49ers: The Deebo Samuel era is over Seattle Seahawks: There could be some changes at wide receiver Arizona didn’t get all that much out of its first- and third-round picks during their 2024 rookie seasons. Darius Robinson only played six games due to injury, and he finished with just one sack. Trey Benson worked way behind James Conner in the backfield. But Jonathan Gannon talked up both players to the team’s official website, saying he has “no doubt” that Robinson will be an impact player and that Benson should “light it up” and become the team’s second RB1.
Stafford agreed to a new contract and will remain in Los Angeles, despite weeks of trade rumors.
Samuel, as mentioned, was traded to Washington. Brandon Aiyuk is also supposedly available for trade. That means things are going to change in a big way in San Francisco. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall will presumably be heavily involved in the receiver room, but still more changes could be on the way.
General manager John Schneider simply said “I don’t know” when asked if Tyler Lockett will be on the Seahawks next season. And there have been rampant trade rumors surrounding DK Metcalf. We know Jaxon Smith-Njigba will still be around next year, but we don’t know all that much more than that.
It is exceedingly rare for an NBA game in November to qualify for must-watch status, but Tuesday features one of the most exciting pre-Christmas matchups in recent history: the unbeaten Cavaliers vs. the reigning champion Celtics. The Celtics, thus far, have been just as good as advertised. Through 14 games they are on pace to match last season’s win total of 64, and their net rating of plus-10.2 is just a shade below last year’s historic plus-11.7 figure that came with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis. In a normal season, Boston’s repeat dominance might be the story of the fall. But it isn’t a normal season, because Thanksgiving is around the corner and the Cavs haven’t lost yet.
At 15-0, the Cavaliers have tied the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols for the second-best start in NBA history. A win gives Cleveland sole control of second place and officially starts Warriors Watch as the Cavaliers attempt to chase Golden State’s record of 24-0.
That alone should represent pretty significant stakes. There’s plenty more to consider here. For starters, this is an NBA Cup game, and after Boston lost its opener to Atlanta, Cleveland has a chance to functionally knock the Celtics out of contention for a mid-December trip to Vegas. A Boston win puts the Celtics in control of their group thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker with Cleveland. Speaking of tiebreakers, we have to at least acknowledge regular-season seeding where two teams this good are concerned. A Cleveland win gives the Cavaliers a four-game lead in the loss column over Boston and an early head-to-head victory that could prove meaningful. With two of their three remaining contests at home, Cleveland could take a huge step towards securing home-court advantage in a possible playoff series against Boston with a win on Monday.
So what are we waiting for? Here’s how you can tune into Tuesday’s heavyweight clash and some best bets to consider before tipoff.
Where to watch Celtics vs. Cavaliers Time: 7 p.m. ET | Date: Tuesday, Nov. 19 Location: TD Garden — Boston TV channel: TNT | Live stream: Max Live updates: Follow along
Cavaliers vs. Celtics best bets All lines from DrafKings. Fans can take action on the NBA all season long with the latest DraftKings promo code.
I don’t necessarily believe Cleveland extends the streak against Boston on Tuesday, but I want the 5.5-point cushion that comes with a Cavaliers pick. Three of Boston’s last four wins have been by six points or less, and while they ran away with the fourth in the second half (139-114 over the Nets), the Celtics led that game by only five at halftime. The Celtics have been better on the road than at home this season, and their plus-5.6 home net rating ranks only 12th in the NBA as of this writing. Cleveland, meanwhile, has a plus-10.1 net rating on the road. Lastly, Cleveland has played Boston as well as any team in the NBA over the last few years. All three of last year’s games were determined by single digits, and Cleveland has won four of the seven regular-season games they’ve played against Joe Mazzulla-coached Celtics teams. All in all, this game just figures to be close. In that scenario, the points are the wiser pick. The Pick: Cavaliers +5.5
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Here’s the simple reason to expect a high-scoring game: the Cavaliers have the NBA’s No. 1 ranked offense at 122.1 points per 100 possessions and the Celtics have the NBA’s No. 2 ranked offense at 121.4 points per 100 possessions. The Celtics don’t play with much pace, but Cleveland does, and the Cavaliers notably rank fifth in pace off of made shots. If the Celtics are scoring, the Cavaliers are going to try to create transition looks off of their made shots. That pushes the point total. The Celtics don’t need to play at a fast pace to play in high-scoring games though because of their shot diet. They’re taking 51.1 3’s per game, nearly six more than any other team. Boston will be incentivized to fire away from deep in this game, because while Cleveland’s rim-protecting duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is available, Cleveland’s wing rotation is fairly thin at the moment. Dean Wade and Max Strus remain injured. Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill are game-time decisions. Obviously Merrill and LeVert are offense-first players, but more broadly, you never want to dig that deep onto a bench when you’re playing against Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday. The signs here therefore point to offense. The Pick: Over 235.5
Cleveland may not have its full complement of wings available defensively, but historically speaking, its best wing defender against Boston has been Evan Mobley. In five playoff games a season ago, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to shoot 17-of-43 (39.5%) from the field with Mobley as their primary defender, according to NBA.com tracking data. Where Cleveland will really feel the pain of their limited wing depth is in defending Derrick White, who is averaging just under 19 points per game this season and has quietly absorbed a chunk of the aging Jrue Holiday’s ball-handling duties this season. If Boston sees either Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell defending White, they are going to run White-Tatum pick-and-rolls knowing Boston can’t switch it and give Tatum mismatches. Bottom line: White should be at the center of what Boston does offensively in this game. The Pick: Derrick White Over 16.5 Points
Russell Westbrook owns just about every meaningful record relating to triple-doubles in NBA history. In 2021, he broke Oscar Robertson’s career record of 181. He was the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double over the course of a full season, and he’s done so four times. During his MVP 2016-17 season, he set a new record by recording 42 triple-doubles in a single year.
Where triple-doubles are concerned, Westbrook more or less has written the record book. It’s fitting, then, that he would become the first player in NBA history to record 200 of them in a career.
He did so on Tuesday, racking up 12 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in a Denver Nuggets 122-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Afterward, Westbrook imitated Wilt Chamberlain’s famous photograph after his 100-point game with a sheet of paper showing the number “200.”
History made pic.twitter.com/0BUWc5k53F
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 20, 2024 A few years ago, it looked like 195 might have been off of the table for Westbrook as he aged into the twilight of his NBA career. He had 190 of them when the Los Angeles Lakers moved him to the bench for the 2022-23 season, and his playing time and on-ball opportunities declined from there. He recorded only one triple-double in his entire tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, and prior to Tuesday, he hadn’t yet earned one as a Nugget. However, with Nikola Jokic out for personal reasons, Westbrook had the opportunity to both play and posses the ball enough to get the elusive No. 200.
Jokic’s absence helping Westbrook reach No. 200 feels appropriate since he is the active player that is by far the likeliest to potentially break Westbrook’s record. Jokic, who is 29, has 136 triple-doubles for his career and is currently primed to average a triple-double for the 2024-25 season with 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists.
Jokic may one day make a run at the record, but it currently belongs to Westbrook, and the sheer volume he’s accumulated will be remarkable whether or not the record stands for the long haul.
Only six players in history have reached even 100 triple-doubles: Westbrook, Jokic, Robertson, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Jason Kidd. Legends like Michael Jordan (28), Kobe Bryant (21) and Stephen Curry (10) haven’t even come close to Westbrook’s total. It takes a rare versatility to hit double-digits in three statistical categories in a single game, and Westbrook has proven he’s had it 200 times now.
The New Orleans Pelicans will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland is 15-1 overall and 8-0 at home, while New Orleans is 4-11 overall and 1-6 on the road. On Tuesday, Cleveland suffered its first loss of the season, a 117-120 setback on the road against the Boston Celtics. The Pelicans, meanwhile, limp into tonight’s contest having lost eight of their last nine games.
The Cavaliers are favored by 13.5 points in the latest Cavaliers vs. Pelicans odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 223 points. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Cavaliers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 5 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 109-74 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning more than $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on New Orleans-Cleveland. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Cavaliers vs. Pelicans spread: Cavaliers -13.5 Cavaliers vs. Pelicans over/under: 223 points Cavaliers vs. Pelicans money line: Cavaliers: -926, Pelicans: +621 Cavaliers vs. Pelicans picks: See picks here Cavaliers vs. Pelicans streaming: FuboTV (Try for free) Why the Pelicans can cover The Pelicans will look to avoid a repeat of their last match, where they got behind early and never recovered. They were dealt a punishing 132-91 loss at the hands of the Mavericks on Tuesday. New Orleans was surely aware of its disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Pelicans struggled to work together and finished the game with only 19 assists. They were destroyed by their opponents in that department as the Mavericks posted 26. Despite the lopsided loss, the Pelicans will be confident they can keep this game close. That’s because New Orleans is 4-2 against the spread in its six games on the road against Cleveland. See which team to pick here.
Why the Cavaliers can cover Meanwhile, the Cavaliers’ undefeated season came to an end after 15 games on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Celtics by a score of 120-117. Despite their defeat, the Cavaliers saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays.
Evan Mobley, who dropped a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. What’s more, Mobley also racked up six offensive rebounds, the most he’s had since back in November of 2023. Another player making a difference was Donovan Mitchell, who had 35 points and eight rebounds. For the season, Mitchell is averaging 25.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pelicans vs. Cavaliers picks The model has simulated Cavaliers vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under the total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
