Alex Smith is gone and Patrick Mahomes takes over as the quarterback in Kansas City, after one year of Mahomes sitting on the bench. That time waiting, watching, and learning could be very useful to Mahomes.

“Patrick couldn’t have paid Alex Smith enough to have been in that room with him,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told PFT Live during the league meetings in Orlando. “The amount of knowledge that he absorbed last year, not so much the X’s and O’s, but how you go about your day-to-day business. I think we’ll allow Patrick to take a step forward this year. Greater than what he would’ve coming in just as a rookie and playing. We’re not going to cut back a bunch. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re going to start off where we left off and expect him to jump in and go.”

It was clear last April when the Chiefs moved from No. 27 to No. 10 in order to get Mahomes that the Chiefs view Mahomes as the future. The future is definitely right now for Mahomes, and the Chiefs could end up having an even better offense in 2018 than they had in 2017.

“As an athlete, being competitive, you just have that urge of wanting to get back out on the field and compete,” Doctson said at TCU’s Pro Day on Friday. “I’ve been in the TCU rec playing with some guys. It’s not as competitive as it is on the NFL level, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting back out there.”

Washington coach Jay Gruden said earlier this week he expects Doctson to benefit from Smith’s arrival.

“I think Josh will get more opportunities to make plays on 50-50 type balls, which is Josh’s strength,” Gruden said, via Kimberley Martin of the Washington Post. “He’s not a guy that’s going to get that five or six yards of separation right away. He’s a guy that builds up his speed. He can run. He can adjust to the ball like no other. His 41-inch vertical is documented, so that’s where he gets his separation — by leaping and adjusting to the ball.”

Doctson figures to benefit from a healthy offseason. He had a lingering Achilles after Washington took him as the 22nd overall choice in 2016, and it cost him most of his rookie season. Doctson had a hamstring injury during training camp last year.

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is being immortalized in bobblehead form. The $40 figure, which is being sold through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, features Kelce dressed in the Mummers costume he wore while delivering his epic speech during the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade. When people are telling their children and their children’s children and their great-grandchildren about this team and its amazing season, Jason Kelce and his victory speech will be one of those stories that lives on forever, Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, told Grace Dickinson of Philly.com. It was certainly a bobblehead-worthy moment.

We were candid with Matt that we made the trade for financial reasons, Zaidi said. But he told us is that all he wanted was an opportunity. He loved being with the Dodgers before and he just wanted a chance to earn a spot on the team and earn playing time. So far both sides have kept up their side of the bargain. We’ve been open-minded about him and he’s been terrific on and off the field.

Where do we stand in the move toward the legalization of sports betting in the United States Here is ESPN Chalk’s one-stop shop of all relevant content, as we await to Supreme Court’s ruling on the New Jersey case.

Las Vegas has become a March destination for fans of four different college hoops conferences, while bettors spill out of Vegas sportsbooks during NCAA tournament week. The NCAA still wants nothing to do with Vegas — but the tide could be turning.

Fifty years later, the NFL has avoided any major gambling scandals. Hundreds of players, coaches, league officials, referees and trainers have come and gone through the league, and no one has revealed concrete proof of any game being manipulated for gambling purposes. Player and coach contracts have grown to the point that they far exceed betting limits, and technology has improved the ability to efficiently and accurately monitor betting markets. Right now, the NFL seems safer than ever from a fix; yet, anytime a controversial call affects the final score or point spread, social media lights up with conspiracy theories and accusations of foul play.

The Colts are among the clubs with interest in free agent center Mike Pouncey, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Pouncey hasn’t been wanting for interest since earning his release from the Dolphins earlier this week. In addition to the Colts, both the Buccaneers and Chargers are reportedly eyeing Pouncey, although Tampa Bay’s current level of intrigue is unclear given that it signed fellow interior lineman Ryan Jensen. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is reportedly meeting with Pouncey today.

On paper, there’s a lot to like about the Chiefs landing Sammy Watkins. He’s a physically talented deep threat with No. 1 receiver ability, and he’s capable of giving new quarterback Patrick Mahomes another big-play threat in the passing game. The Chiefs could be deadly on offense if all the pieces come together in 2018.

But Watkins has always been better on paper.

His injury history is frightening (just ask the Buffalo Bills), and he didn’t produce big numbers in Sean McVay’s offense in Los Angeles last season, catching only 39 passes for 593 yards over 15 games. He did catch eight touchdowns and average over 15 yards per catch, but the Chiefs are now paying $16 million per season for a receiver who averaged 39.5 receiving yards per game in 2017.

They may have to make another one, and renew and old acquaintance to execute the next one.

With the Jets making a bold move Saturday to trade to the third overall pick, the Bills are faced with the prospect of falling too far down the pecking order for the quarterback they need so badly (despite their claims of affection of A.J. McCarron).

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane now has to realize that there’s a chance at least two if not three quarterbacks will be off the board in the top five (the Browns at first and fourth, the Jets third and the Broncos fifth), so sitting tight with his first pick 12th overall (acquired from the Bengals for left tackle Cordy Glenn and the 21st pick) might leave him picking through the leftovers, the same way he did in free agency.

That’s where a call to an old friend might be in the offing.

Robinson is only 24 years old with the skill set to be a true No. 1 receiver in the Bears offense.

“We’re trying,” coach Frank Vogel said. “Nobody’s happy with how we’re playing, and we know we’ve got to dig ourselves a little bit out of a rut here.”

The NHL’s disclosure policy allows teams to define player injuries as “upper or lower body” and keep the details to themselves; in theory, this is for the benefit of the injured player.

The Dallas offense needs Ezekiel Elliott — The Cowboys running back ran for 93 yards on 27 carries and was the only Dallas running back to get any touches against the Chiefs until there were 13 minutes remaining in the game. Alfred Morris had one carry for 11 yards. With a potential six-game suspension still hanging over Elliott’s head, the Cowboys are getting high productivity from the NFL’s 2016 rushing leader and it’s clear the Cowboys need him on the field.

Sources told ESPN the system used in recent years will remain in place this offseason. A system with some modifications will take effect next offseason.

Minnesota’s defense started the second half by forcing four punts in a row by the Rams (7-3), whose four-game winning streak in which they scored 144 points was finished in convincing fashion. The Rams led the league entering the weekend with a third-down conversion rate of 46.7 percent, but were just 3 for 11 against the Vikings.

The Los Angeles defense was trampled in the second half for 288 yards, and Keenum went without a sack for the sixth game this season. Thielen handed him the longest touchdown pass of his career, by turning a simple curl route early in the fourth quarter into a game-breaking score after spinning past Rams cornerback Dominique Hatfield.

The Saints are starting to be grittier instead of prettier, and the new identity suits them. They can be the more black-and-blue-like team here as they go for a third straight win over an NFC North foe. Mitchell Trubisky and John Fox won’t get away with zero passing offense against Drew Brees on the other side.

From a coaching perspective, what is the process like trying to take a great player and get him to that superstar level where he’s doing it every night?

I think it comes down to listening, trust and his ability to work. And he has all those components, so it makes it really easy to be around and coach [him].

“The last three races have been pretty tough, and I knew that we needed to come out here with a good run,” Sauter said. “We got some points, I guess. I just really wanted to get that win and get it out of the way. … We just didn’t execute.”

Remember when music was awesome and scary, when you could read lyrics from an album and literally open up a gate to the demon world? Turek used variations of Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie, on his masks, including this one on which heavy metal met the Blues.

Nabokov’s masks would feature snarling, evil skeletons next to great white sharks, which made them doubly scary. Most famous for having inspired the SyFy original movie “Sharkeleton,” starring Tara Reid.

The sophomore’s evolution in Rich Rodriguez’s offense is going to be a lot of fun to watch. A while back, I spoke with Tate’s coach at Junipero Serra (Calif.) High, Scott Altenberg, who said Tate probably could be an NFL wide receiver if he wanted and that he might be the most competitive guy he’s ever had. Notable recent Serra products include Adoree’ Jackson, Marqise Lee and Robert Woods.

The Seattle Seahawks are placing Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril on injured reserve, coach Pete Carroll said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday.

The team has not formally announced the move, and it wasn’t listed on the NFL’s transaction report for Wednesday.

“For most of us, the last thing on our mind was a touchback,” cornerback Morris Claiborne said. “I thought at least it would [be] down on the 1 and we’d still have the ball and still have a chance to score a touchdown.

“In my 10th year, I want to celebrate the awesome opportunity I’ve had to play football by giving back to the communities that have given me that gift,” Long said in his statement. “Educational opportunity and equity are the best gateway to a better tomorrow for everyone in America.”

The inspiration behind Long’s donations came after the white supremacist rally in his hometown of Charlottesville in August.

“In August, we watched people fill our hometown streets with hatred and bigotry,” Long said in a press release from September. “Megan and I decided to try to combat those actions with our own positive investment in our community.”

Long — much like Colin Kaepernick, Malcolm Jenkins, Anquan Boldin, and others — continue to make efforts to creative positive change in the world.

After two games, it looked as if the Saints were going to offer Brees more of the same league-worst defense, which has dragged New Orleans down to 7-9 each of the past three years. The Saints were carved up by Sam Bradford on Monday Night Football in the opener and then toyed with by Tom Brady at the Superdome in Week 2. The Patriots and Vikings combined for 65 points through two games, and that was with the Pats mostly taking off the fourth quarter on offense. Same old, same old.

Limiting concussions has become a major focal point for the NFL in recent years, but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady isn’t nearly as worried about them.

“I’m not oblivious to them,” Brady said in a CBS Sunday Morning interview, via the Associated Press. “I mean, I understand the risks that come with the physical nature of our game.”

Brady, 40, is not among the most mobile quarterbacks in the league, which makes him susceptible to heavy hits. His wife, Gisele Bundchen, stated earlier this year that she is worried about Brady’s long-term health.

Fresh off a Super Bowl win, Brady does not have retirement on his mind just yet. But when he does hang up his cleats, he’d like it to be his own decision.

Beckham returned to practice Thursday for the first time since getting hurt on Aug. 21, but was a limited participant ahead of the team’s home opener Monday night against the Lions. Although the three-time Pro Bowler worked on individual drills, coach Ben McAdoo said there is more optimism than last week that Beckham will play in Monday’s matchup.

Still, Lions coach Jim Caldwell is preparing for the game as if Beckham will play.

“We anticipate he will play. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t, and we adjust,” Caldwell said.

Beckham sprained his ankle in the Giants’ second preseason game against the Browns when cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun hit him just above the right knee as Beckham landed from a leaping attempt to catch a high pass from quarterback Eli Manning.

Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season features a number of pivotal divisional matchups along with some interesting matchup between the league’s leading teams and early underdogs. In the AFC West, Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers will be an important decider in a division with four strong teams.

The Oakland Raiders play the Washington Redskins in primetime in an interesting inter-conference matchup.

Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears, shoulder: Howard entered last week’s contest with the questionable designation after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 1. His production was extremely limited, but whether that was due to the injury, the offense or a combination of both is difficult to gauge. Howard was wearing a sling after the game, so there was little doubt the shoulder was still an issue to some degree. He remained limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but he was upgraded to full participation Friday and was removed from the game status injury report.

The message from his status upgrade is that the Bears expect him to play; the unknown is just how much he will be relied upon in the team’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday.

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills, wrist: McCoy was on the injury report because of his wrist last week (and a late-occurring groin issue) but played without incident. His limited production was not related to the injury, according to both McCoy and head coach Sean McDermott. As a veteran, he is expected to get additional rest during the week, which explains the off day Wednesday. After full practices both Thursday and Friday, McCoy’s removal from the game status injury report is no surprise.

Matt Forte, New York Jets, knee: Forte remains on the injury report because of his knee but also remains in line to play after fully practicing each day and being removed from the game status injury report.

I’m not entirely sure what head coach Ben McAdoo is trying to accomplish with this backfield, but the three-man committee is simply not working. Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, and Orleans Darkwa combined for 55 yards on 16 carries, averaging a “robust” 3.4 yards per carry. The biggest run of the night was a 12-yard end-around by wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

The Giants haven’t had a 1,000-yard running back since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2012, and it doesn’t look like that will be changing any time soon. Eli Manning has a hard enough time without his backfield being unable to take any pressure off the passing game.

Of course, it’s not like the running game is getting helped by the offensive line, which is giving the Seattle Seahawks a run for the title of “worst line in football.”

Can we just end this experiment already? The 2015 first-round pick was a raw project coming out of college, and he’s just getting worse by the year. Flowers was an abject disaster on Monday, giving up three sacks to Ezekiel Ansah and getting beat like a drum all night:

Jones’ second sack came on the last play of the third quarter when he was lined up on the other side of the center as the left three-technique on the outside shoulder of Eagles right guard Brandon Brooks.

I expect him to unleash it against the Eagles.

Reid is 8-3 against his former assistants who have become head coaches and has won six of the last seven such meetings and three in a row.

This is the No. 1 reunion game in the NFL this weekend. There is little chance Reid will lose it.

Their own QB is a key variable. What is Carson Palmer at this stage of his career? Most QB tiers voters thought he was trending downward into the third tier, but if he’s better than that, so are the Cardinals.

Quite a few QB tiers voters thought Carson Wentz could ascend to the second tier and eventually threaten Tier 1, but they had him eighth out of 12 QBs in Tier 3 for now. That’s an interesting spot for him as the Eagles prepare to play a league-high eight games against Tier 2 QBs, including four within the division, not counting games against Dallas (Dak Prescott sat atop the third tier).

Ryan Fitzpatrick’s first-half stat line: 2-of-7 passing, 6 yards. He’s still in the league, somehow.

The Bucs’ offense was absolutely impotent all night, and Washington sealed the deal with a pick-six off Sefo Liufau in the fourth quarter. Liufau saved a little face with a touchdown pass later on.

The Steelers struggled to do much on offense for most of the first half, but Josh Dobbs got them the lead in the second quarter with a 58-yard bomb to Justin Hunter.

Dobbs led the game-wining drive, leading the Steelers on a perfect two-minute drill and getting the victory with a 1-yard touchdown with just seconds left.

Mitchell Trubisky was brutal in the first half, completing just 2 of 5 passes for 10 yards before making way for Connor Shaw. Mike Glennon has all but secured the Week 1 starting job.