Sports

Tyler Boyd is a Pittsburgh native. He played college football at Pitt. After nine NFL seasons, he'd like to continue his pro career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Absolutely," Boyd told Pittsburgh Sports Now on Saturday, via Bryan DeArdo of CBSSports.com. "You know, all my family is here. I'd be able to have the majority of them be able to support me."

He expressed interest in signing with the Steelers a year ago, after eight seasons with the Bengals. He landed with the Titans instead.

Boyd is once again making it known he'd like to come home.

"I'm real cool with [coach Mike] Tomlin," Boyd said. "He's always been a good person. . . . When I was at Pitt, we had a good relationship. After practice, I'd walk over there, talk to [Antonio Brown] and those guys, talk to Tomlin, and he'd just pick at different things, where I could get better and get some guidance. I think we had a great friendship."

The Steelers could use another veteran receiver. They haven't added one since trading George Pickens to the Cowboys in May.

Boyd had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018-19. In 16 games last year with the Titans, he had only 39 catches for 390 yards.

Newcomers for 2025 are DK Metcalf and Robert Woods. Calvin Austin III will be expected to step up. And the Steelers are hoping to get something/anything from 2024 third-rounder Roman Wilson in his second season.

The death of longtime Colts owner Jim Irsay had an impact in the locker room, and defensive captain Zaire Franklin says he and his teammates want to honor Irsay with their play.

Franklin said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that Irsay's death put the Colts' purpose for 2025 into focus: They want to play in a way that would make Irsay proud.

"I would really just say we're a team with a purpose," Franklin said. "With the passing of Jim Irsay, a great man who's done not only so much for the city, but the state of Indiana, this season, and just honoring his legacy and continuing to bring his dream to fruition, is definitely extreme motivation. It's one of those things that gets everybody on the same page where everybody is fighting and pulling in the same direction, for the same purpose."

The Colts finished 8-9 last season, but Franklin looks at that team as a couple plays away from being a playoff team. And he says this year's team should be better. And playing with some extra motivation.

Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain was the league's best defensive player last season. The NFL honored him with the defensive player of the year award, and PFF recently dubbed Surtain "the most valuable non-QB in football."

So, how does Surtain top what he did last season?

He has an idea, he told reporters at his camp Saturday.

"There's always something out there to do better," Surtain said, via video from Zac Stevens of DNVR Broncos. "I mean, why not get another one? Why not get more All-Pros further on into my career, but I think the main goal is to win a Super Bowl. At the end of the day, that's what I play the game for is to win, so I think that's the angle for me."

The Broncos upgraded on defense in free agency after ranking seventh in yards and third in points on defense last season. They signed two former 49ers defenders, safety Talanoa Hufanga and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and drafted cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick.

Greenlaw and Hufanga have played in a Super Bowl, so they know what it takes to get there.

"We added some key additions obviously in those guys," Surtain said. "They're going to come in and bring that winning atmosphere. They've been at Super Bowls. They know how to win at a high level. So, adding that to our team will only make our team greater."