Dallas, TX
It's prove-it time for Rams QB Stetson Bennett in preseason start against Dallas
Stetson Bennett has not taken a game snap since the Rams’ final preseason game last year at Denver.
So the quarterback is looking forward to Sunday’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.
“I’m excited to play football again,” Bennett said.
Bennett, a two-national champion at Georgia and 2023 fourth-round draft pick, struggled in that defeat at Denver. Soon after, the Rams placed him on the NFL’s nonfootball injury/illness list and he spent the season away from the team.
During the spring, Bennett rejoined the Rams for offseason workouts, acknowledged that he had dealt with mental-health issues and worked his way back into a position group that includes starter Matthew Stafford and backup Jimmy Garoppolo.
Stafford and other starters will not play in preseason games, and coach Sean McVay said Friday he had not decided whether Garoppolo would play.
Regardless, Bennett is expected to get the majority of work, while McVay cedes play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
Bennett has “a nice swagger and a charisma about himself that is fun to watch,” McVay said. On Sunday, McVay wants to see Bennett command the huddle, manage the offense and enjoy the opportunity.
“When I’ve seen him at his best, he’s having fun and that’s really consistent with all players,” McVay said. “So just go cut it loose, play and enjoy it.
“I thought we felt that in the first preseason game, a little bit last year when he was flashing and doing those kinds of things. So that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing.”
Bennett said “fun for me” is being prepared and executing plays.
“It’s not running around and skipping and jumping,” he said. “It’s playing quarterback — playing it well and throwing good passes and making good decisions.”
After a joint practice with the Cowboys on Thursday, McVay said he was leaning toward not playing Garoppolo, but would have a conversation with the veteran to gauge whether he wanted to play before making a decision.
Under normal circumstances — McVay does not play starters or other key players during the preseason — it would not be an issue. But Garoppolo is suspended for the first two regular-season games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. So the preseason is Garoppolo’s only opportunity to take game snaps before a Sept. 22 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I’m pretty open either way,” Garoppolo, who began his career with the New England Patriots, said of playing during the preseason. “I’ve been on both sides of it. With the Patriots, you kind of never knew if you were going to play or if you weren’t going to play, so I’m always ready.
“Whatever [McVay] decides I’ll be ready for. I think it’s good, though, to get out there and let the guys feel you in the huddle. It’s just different, that game-day feeling and the energy of being out there. You try to replicate it, but it’s just different.”
If he does not play during the preseason, Garoppolo said he would be prepared when eligible in Week 3.
“It comes back pretty quickly,” he said. “It’s more about just getting on the same page with the guys, the receivers especially, the timing, things like that. But we do so much of it out here, all those little things, they’re adding up.”
Other things to watch for Sunday:
Editor’s note: See World Cup standings and scenarios updated in real time
Ivory Coast is headed to the knockout round at the 2026 World Cup.
With everything on the line Thursday afternoon, the Ivory Coast played perhaps its best match of the tournament so far to lock down second place in Group E and advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. Ivory Coast will head to Dallas where they will play their first elimination match on Tuesday, June 30 against the second-place team from Group I.
SHOP: Ivory Coast round of 32 World Cup tickets in Dallas
While we don’t yet know Ivory Coast’s opponent, we do know that it will either be France or Norway, meaning either way the African squad will have to defend against one of the best goal scorers in the world.
Here is everything you need to know in order to buy Ivory Coast World Cup tickets in Dallas.
Shop Ivory Coast Round of 32 tickets
Ivory Coast round of 32 World Cup tickets
As of publication, the cheapest round of 32 ticket to see Ivory Coast in Dallas on Tuesday, June 30 is $895, making this one of the cheapest tickets for the round of 32.
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Ivory Coast Round of 32 opponent
As the runner-up of Group E, Ivory Coast will take on the second-place finisher from Group I. Ivory Coast’s opponent will be finalized on Friday, but given the current standings it will be either France or Norway.
Shop Ivory Coast Round of 32 tickets
Ivory Coast World Cup schedule
- Sunday, June 14 – Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador – WIN 1-0
- Saturday, June 20 – Ivory Coast vs. Germany – LOSS 2-1
- Thursday, June 25 – Ivory Coast vs. Curacao – WIN 2-0
- Tuesday, June 30 (Round of 32) – Ivory Coast vs. Group I runner up at AT&T Stadium in Dallas – Shop tickets
World Cup Group E standings
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Oftentimes, it’s a good idea to extend players early. The Dallas Cowboys have learned this the hard way as they’ve allowed negotiations with key contributors such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons to get out of hand.
Prescott was able to use his leverage to land a contract worth $60 million per season, which was a record at the time. Lamb held out during that same offseason, eventually landing a deal worth $34 million annually, whereas Parsons forced his way out after his negotiations stalled.
To their credit, the Cowboys might have tried to avoid more issues by signing a few players early. That includes guard Tyler Smith, who landed a four-year, $96 million extension in 2025. That has proven to be a home run, but the same can’t be said for another one of their big extensions.
Dallas decided to lock up cornerback DaRon Bland, signing the former fifth-round pick to a four-year, $92 million extension. This was a surprise move from the Cowboys since Bland was coming off a frustrating season, which was marred by a foot injury. The Cowboys were banking on Bland returning to the form we saw in 2023, but that wasn’t the case.
Bland continued to struggle with durability and wasn’t the impact player we saw during his breakout season when he was on the field. Now, he enters his fifth season in the league with a hefty price tag, and there are questions about his long-term status with the team.
DaRon Bland’s cap hit in 2026 is a problem
According to Over The Cap, Bland has the fifth-highest cap hit on the team this season. Bland, who is earning an annual average salary of $23 million, has a hit of $17 million this year.
The good news for the Cowboys is that they seemed to protect themselves slightly with this deal. While they can’t feasibly move on in 2026, even if Bland loses his starting job, they do have a way out of his deal next year.
Dallas can release Bland ahead of the 2027 season while absorbing a dead cap hit of $12.941 million. That would essentially make his deal a two-year contract for $36.355 million. That’s still not an ideal situation for the Cowboys, but that’s also what happens when the front office rolls the dice.
It’s also an unfortunate trend, as the Cowboys decided to extend Michael Gallup and Terence Steele while coming off injury-plagued seasons, and the results weren’t much better.
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Why Gabby Williams chose to play for Golden State Valkyries
Valkyries’ Gabby Williams shares with USAT’s Meghan L. Hall why she chose Golden State in the wild WNBA free agency.
Sports Seriously
When the Dallas Wings travel to Las Vegas for a clash with the Aces on Thursday night, they’ll be without one of their key players.
Alanna Smith is listed as out for Thursday on the latest WNBA injury report as she is in concussion protocol.
Smith seemingly suffered an injury to her face on Saturday night during the Wings’ 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky. In the first quarter, Smith was shaken up after a head-to-head collision with Gabriela Jaquez as Smith was defending the Sky rookie’s drive to the basket. At halftime, the team announced that Smith would not return to the game.
On Monday, Smith didn’t play in the Wings’ 112-110 overtime win over the Seattle Storm, listed as being out due to a face injury. Smith has worn a protective face mask after she suffered a nasal fracture in the Wings’ preseason game against the Aces on May 3.
Smith is the highest-paid player on the Dallas roster, signing a three-year deal worth about $3.7 million this offseason. Last season with the Minnesota Lynx, she was the co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the award with A’ja Wilson.
A 6-foot-4 forward from Australia who played collegiately at Stanford, Smith found a consistent role over the past two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, starting in all 81 games she appeared in for Cheryl Reeve’s squad. Across two seasons in Minnesota, Smith averaged 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, helping the Lynx make back-to-back playoff appearances — including a trip to the Finals in 2024.
With the Wings, she’s started in just seven of the 15 games she’s appeared in, playing an average of 15.1 minutes per game. She’s posting 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
Dallas has instead turned to Jessica Shepard in the frontcourt, who also arrived via free agency after spending last season with the Lynx. The Notre Dame product is posting career-highs in points (14.2), rebounds (11.1) and assists (5.6) per game while shooting 57% from the floor.
Still, Smith brings an imposing presence on defense, one that would have come in handy against the Aces.
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