Dez Bryant agrees to deal with Saints

NFL

Bryant agrees with Saints

Dez Bryant has found a new team, agreeing to contract teams with the New Orleans Saints Wednesday.

The former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, who has been looking for an NFL home since becoming a free agent, will join one of the top offenses in New Orleans (7-1). A person familiar with the decision confirmed the move.

Bryant, 30, Bryant spent his first eight years in the NFL with Dallas and last season caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns, including a 50-yard scoring play, for the Cowboys.

However, his professional reputation has been marred at times by public confrontations with coaches and teammates during games and practices.

Seeking salary cap relief, the Cowboys released Bryant after last season with two years remaining on the receiver’s five-year, $70-million contract.

Last season was Bryant’s best since he caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 16 TDs in 2014, which at the time was his third consecutive season with at least 1,200 yards receiving. He signed his last contract right after that but has not approached that level of production since — a central reason Dallas released him in April.

Bryant was among several receivers to work out for the Saints on Tuesday. He’d previously met with Cleveland and Baltimore.

Tannehill still out

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Green Bay because of a right shoulder injury, and replacement Brock Osweiler will make his fifth consecutive start.

The Dolphins have a bye next week, which means Tannehill won’t be back until Week 12 at the earliest. Coach Adam Gase said the goal is for Tannehill to return for the Indianapolis game Nov. 25.

Miami is 5-4 overall, and 2-2 with Osweiler starting.

Tannehill is throwing but hasn’t participated fully in practice in more than a month. The Packers game will be the 25th he has missed out of the past 30 because of injuries.

Falcons add DE Irvin

The Atlanta Falcons have signed defensive end Bruce Irvin to a one-year deal, reuniting the veteran with coach Dan Quinn.

Irvin, cut by the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, became a free agent after clearing waivers on Tuesday with $3.8 million remaining on his contract. The Falcons, who play at Cleveland on Sunday, did not release terms of the deal.

Irvin, 31, is an Atlanta native. He celebrated his return home by posting on his Twitter account “Man it’s time! You can’t put a price on the chance for me to play for my people and city! It’s bigger than money!”

Irvin (6-3, 250) played two seasons with Seattle when Quinn was the team’s defensive coordinator.

The Falcons rank 27th in the league with 17 sacks. Takk McKinley has a team-leading 5 1/2 sacks, but Vic Beasley has only one. Beasley led the league with 15 1/2 sacks in 2016.

Irvin had three sacks with Oakland but recently had been on the field only in the team’s nickel defense. He played nine snaps in a 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Maryland fires two trainers

The fallout at Maryland following the death of Jordan McNair continued with the dismissal of two trainers involved in the player’s treatment after he collapsed on the practice field in late May.

Coach DJ Durkin was fired last week after being reinstated from paid administrative leave for one day.

Maryland has not formally announced the firing of the two trainers who were on paid leave, and has never released their names. However, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press in August that football athletic trainer Wes Robinson and director of athletic training Steve Nordwall had been placed on leave following McNair’s death.

Athletic department spokesman Dustin Semonavick said Wednesday, “The trainers that were previously on administrative leave are no longer employed at the university.”

Robinson and Nordwall were put on leave while the school launched an external investigation into the death of McNair, an offensive lineman who was overcome by heat and exhaustion on May 29 and died on June 13.

Rick Court, the head of strength and conditioning, resigned in August.

GOLF

Suwannapura’s 68 leads Blue Bay LPGA

Two golfers from Thailand were at the top of the leaderboard after Wednesday’s first round of the Blue Bay LPGA tournament in Hainan Island, China.

Thidapa Suwannapura shot a 4-under 68 to lead the tournament by one shot from her compatriot Ariya Jutanugarn and Alena Sharp of Canada.

Six other players, including three other Thai players, were two shots back and five others were three off the lead in the 72-hole tournament, which concludes the LPGA’s Tour’s Asian swing.