MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will return to practice this week after missing the team's past four games, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.

Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve after he was diagnosed with a concussion in Week 2, the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career. In his absence this season, the Dolphins lost three of their four games and are two and a half games behind the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills with a 2-4 record.

McDaniel said medical experts have deemed it safe for Tagovailoa to return; barring any setbacks, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are aiming for him to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Tagovailoa spent the past month resting and meeting with neurologists in order to determine the viability of resuming to play.

Sources told ESPN that he hasn't displayed concussion symptoms in weeks, and Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert said Tagovailoa felt well enough to attend a Disney on Ice event with him, tight end Jonnu Smith and their families the weekend he was diagnosed with a concussion.

McDaniel reaffirmed Monday that the decision to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve was based on medical experts' recommendation. He said in September that the decision to place him on injured reserve removed the temptation for Tagovailoa to try to return as soon as possible, rather than allowing himself to heal.

Tagovailoa was injured when he initiated contact at the end of a scramble during Miami's loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. McDaniel said Tagovailoa will return to the field with an understanding of his responsibility to protect himself in similar situations in the future.

Tyler Huntley has started the past three games for the Dolphins but left Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts with an injury to his right shoulder. McDaniel said it's currently unclear who will be Tagovailoa's backup should he clear concussion protocol in time to play Sunday.

Miami's offense, which led the league in yards last season, has struggled without its starting quarterback. The Dolphins are averaging a league-worst 11.67 points per game and rank 23rd in passing yards per game.

Tagovailoa missed five games in 2022, including Miami's playoff loss to the Bills, and sustained a third blow to the head that ultimately led to the NFL altering its policy on how concussions are reported.

The NFL's leader in passing yards last season didn't miss a game in 2023 and signed a four-year, $212.1 million contract this offseason.

Michigan is not yet naming a starting quarterback ahead of its rivalry game against Michigan State, as coach Sherrone Moore said a decision will be made depending on how practices go this week.

Jack Tuttle, who replaced Alex Orji in an Oct. 5 loss to Washington, on Saturday became the third quarterback to start for the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) this season. Tuttle struggled with his accuracy early but finished with 209 passing yards -- a season-high total for U-M quarterbacks -- in a 21-7 loss to Illinois.

Michigan failed to score 10 points for the first time in 131 consecutive games, dating to a shutout loss against Notre Dame in 2014.

The Wolverines opened the season with Davis Warren, a former walk-on, at quarterback, but he was replaced by Orji following a three-interception performance against Arkansas State.

Orji, primarily used as a running quarterback in 2023, struggled with his accuracy and tallied only 118 total passing yards in wins against USC and Minnesota before being replaced vs. Washington.

Sources said Tuttle, who received a seventh year of eligibility from the NCAA in February, had been viewed as the team's best option at quarterback, but his return from an injury to his throwing elbow continued to be delayed. He didn't receive full practice reps until the open week before Illinois.

Moore said Tuttle's arm strength is back to around "95%."

"Taking care of the ball, that's going to be the No. 1 priority, the biggest thing," Moore said. "You want big plays, you want efficiency, but we have to take care of the football."

Moore said offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell will remain the Wolverines' playcaller and might again call plays from the sideline, as he did vs. Illinois.

Moore did not have injury status updates on standout cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Marlin Klein, but he did say offensive tackle Myles Hinton was trending in a positive direction.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Coach Steve Sarkisian on Monday said the Texas Longhorns' "passionate fanbase" needs to use "better discretion" after the school was fined and threatened with further sanctions by the SEC.

Texas fans pelted the field with water bottles and trash in the third quarter of Saturday night's loss to Georgia after an apparent pass interference penalty against the Longhorns. The game was briefly delayed for cleanup before the penalty was ultimately reversed.

Sarkisian went on the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to implore fans to stop throwing things.

"I know that we've got a passionate fanbase and I think that showed Saturday night," Sarkisian said Monday. "I think we all were a little upset in that moment. I just think that we've all got to use a little better discretion in moments like that.

"We don't want that to be the narrative that that's what DKR is all about. It was too good of a football game for that to be the focal point of it all. I think in the end they got it [the penalty reversal] right."

School administrators and SEC officials condemned the fans' acts Sunday.

The SEC fined Texas $250,000 and said the school must meet requirements assigned by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey that include using available resources to find and suspend fans who threw debris, reviewing alcohol availability policies and providing a report of the school's findings to the SEC.

The SEC did not suspended Texas' alcohol sales, but said it can if the Longhorns don't meet those requirements.

Texas issued a joint statement from Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife, UT president Jay Hartzell and athletic director Chris Del Conte that condemned the bottle-throwing and apologized to Georgia players and staff, the SEC and game officials.

"This type of behavior will not be tolerated," the statement said. "We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again."

Texas has not said what those steps will be.

An MRI revealed that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has a season-ending ruptured right Achilles tendon, the team announced Monday.

Coach Kevin Stefanski had said after his team's 21-14 loss to the Bengals on Sunday that it appeared Watson had suffered a season-ending injury.

Stefanski said Monday that Watson will have surgery this week. He was unaware of the exact type of procedure Watson would undergo.

After New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles in the 2023 season opener, he underwent a SpeedBridge repair that allowed him to return to practice 11 weeks later. By the spring, Rodgers was cleared to practice with no restrictions.

"We feel bad for Deshaun," Stefanski said. "In this case, feel bad to lose him for the season. And we also know as a football team, this is where you have to step up. Guys have to step up, and that's just how it goes."

Stefanski did not commit to a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. He said he was waiting to get more information on the severity of Dorian Thompson-Robinson's injured finger on his throwing hand.

The Browns will add a quarterback this week, but Stefanski was unsure whether it would be to the active roster or practice squad. Cleveland currently does not have a quarterback on its practice squad.

Watson suffered the injury when his leg appeared to get hyperextended on a noncontact play as he tried to carry the ball on the first snap after the two-minute warning. Watson immediately gave himself up and fell to the ground.

Shortly thereafter, a cart came onto the field and carried off an emotional Watson. The entire Browns sideline came onto the field as he was placed on the cart.

Multiple players expressed frustration postgame with fans who appeared to cheer after Watson's injury. Watson was met with boos in pregame introductions, which were quickly drowned out by cheers for running back Nick Chubb, who made his season debut after last year's severe knee injury.

"We don't boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out," defensive end Myles Garrett said after the game. "We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall."

Said Stefanski: "I don't think it's ever OK to cheer when someone's injured. I'm sure it's not every person in the building doing that, but that's disappointing."

The Browns had made Jameis Winston inactive Sunday as the emergency third quarterback, so Thompson-Robinson entered the game to replace Watson and was 11-of-24 passing for 82 yards and two interceptions. He suffered a finger injury in the fourth quarter, however, and was replaced by Winston, who was 5-of-11 passing for 67 yards and a touchdown to David Njoku.

Watson has struggled this season, posting the lowest QBR of all qualified passers. He was 15-of-17 for 128 yards Sunday before the injury.

The injury ends another disappointing season for Watson, his third since the Browns traded three first-round picks and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract to bring him to Cleveland before the 2022 season.

He suffered a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder that required him to miss the final eight games after season-ending surgery last November.

Watson, 29, has a history of serious leg injuries in college and the NFL. While at Clemson, he played through a torn ACL in his left knee. As a member of the Houston Texans, he tore the ACL in his right knee and missed the final nine games of his rookie year in 2017.

Watson will finish the third year of the five-year deal he signed upon being traded from the Texans to the Browns with just 19 cumulative starts. He served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.

The Browns still owe Watson $46 million in each of the next two seasons. He has a salary cap hit of $72.9 million for 2025.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III has agreed to a four-year, $112 million rookie contract extension with the franchise, sources told ESPN.

The deal includes no incentives and no player option, sources said.

Murphy, 24, averaged 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game primarily in a reserve role last season.

The 6-foot-8 Murphy has established himself as an outstanding 3-and-D wing. He is a 39.2% career 3-point shooter, including 38.0% on 7.8 attempts per game last season. According to ESPN Research, Murphy and teammate CJ McCollum are the only players in franchise history to make at least 150 3s in multiple seasons.

Opponents shot only 42.2% from the floor when Murphy was the closest defender last season. That was the fifth-lowest percentage among 201 players who were the closest defender on at least 500 shots, according to Second Spectrum data.

Murphy is likely to miss the start of the regular season due to a right hamstring strain. New Orleans opens at home Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.

Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton is expected to miss Wednesday's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The three-time All-Star will be out to start the NBA season as he rehabs from offseason ankle surgeries, and the Bucks are cautiously progressing Middleton toward a return, sources told ESPN.

Middleton did not appear in a preseason game and still hasn't been cleared to participate in the team's 5-on-5 scrimmages at practice. He had participating in 3-on-3 scrimmages for most of the preseason, but Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters over the weekend that Middleton has been limited in practice since Wednesday.

Taurean Prince has been filling in in the starting lineup during the preseason during Middleton's absence.

Middleton sprained his left ankle in a Feb. 6 game against the Phoenix Suns after he landed on Kevin Durant's foot following a jump shot. Middleton then missed the next 16 games with the injury, which he called the worst ankle sprain of his career; it lingered all season.

Middleton, who averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 points and 5.3 assists during the regular season, underwent surgery on it shortly after Milwaukee's season ended in May.

The right ankle injury occurred during Game 2 of the Bucks' first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers. The injury kept him from practicing during the playoffs, but he played through it to average 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in helping Milwaukee fight in the series without an injured Giannis Antetokounmpo. He had surgery on it in June.

Middleton, 34, has only appeared in 88 regular-season games across the past two seasons because of a number of lingering injuries. In April 2022, he sprained his knee during the Bucks' first-round playoff series and then had wrist surgery during the 2022 offseason.

In the summer of 2023, he had right knee surgery and was kept on a strict minutes restriction for most of the first half of the season.

ESPN's Jamal Collier contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- When Nestor Cortes was placed on the injured list on Sept. 25, the New York Yankees weren't optimistic about his chances of pitching again in 2024. Elbow flexor strains often lead to significant elbow injuries. Even if this one did not, the Yankees would have to make a deep postseason run for his return to even be a consideration. Chances were slim.

But the Yankees have made that deep postseason run. And now Cortes will likely be on the Yankees' roster for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday -- exactly one month after he was put on the injured list.

"I think there's a good chance of it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a call with reporters Monday.

Cortes' availability is predicated on him emerging healthy from a live bullpen session Tuesday. The left-hander threw a 20-pitch live bullpen session Saturday in Cleveland before Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. The Yankees beat the Guardians that night to win their first AL pennant since 2009 -- and give Cortes an opportunity to contribute.

Cortes, 29, posted a 3.77 ERA in 31 games during the regular season. Of those appearances, 30 were starts. He finished second on the club with 174 innings pitched. But if he returns for the World Series it'll be as a reliever, which would've been his role for the postseason before the injury regardless since teams only need four starters for seven-game playoff series and the Yankees had decided to go with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil in their rotation.

Still, his return would be a significant development for New York. Cortes would give the Yankees another reliable left-hander after Tim Hill pitched in all five ALCS games. He could also potentially give the Yankees some length out of the bullpen, though Cortes' workload could be limited coming off the injury. Cortes tossed 4 hitless innings in his only relief appearance this year against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 7. He then gave up one run in 11 innings over two starts before landing on the injured list.

A few years from now, when the New York Mets have become the powerhouse they're bound to be, they will look back on the 2024 season as where it all started. Something special happened in Queens this year. And the fact that it ended in disappointing fashion, with the Los Angeles Dodgers dispatching them from the National League Championship Series on Sunday night with a 10-5 victory in Game 6, in no way lessens what the Mets achieved.

As much as this year was outwardly about Grimace and OMG and a lucky pumpkin, more important were the dramatic, substantive changes arriving in an organization that for far too long had operated less like a leviathan and more like a mid-market team cosplaying as a big-market spender. The internal transformation, delivered by owner Steve Cohen hiring David Stearns as president of baseball operations and Carlos Mendoza as manager, brought to the organization a pair of leaders who immediately flipped a culture long known for its brokenness. Nothing in baseball fosters success like the marriage of money and stability -- a Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series matchup suggests as much -- and after decades of unserious ownership and early-tenure stumbles by Cohen, the Mets were positioned to assert themselves overnight.

That all of it came to fruition this postseason, against the backdrop of the Mets carrying themselves as the ultimate meme team, provided for a delightful contrast. As the organization began to grow up, it experienced on the field and in the clubhouse a simultaneous glow-up.

"The culture that we live in and that we're building," infielder Jose Iglesias said, "is going the right way."

To a fan base that fell in love with these Mets after their 0-5 and 24-35 starts gave way to comeback after dramatic comeback, this season will be remembered less for its disappointments than the joy it provided. Grimace, the McDonald's character whose first pitch before a June game at Citi Field coincided with an early run of success, was the mascot. Iglesias' song, "OMG," was the soundtrack. Outfielder Harrison Bader's clothing was the aesthetic. First baseman Pete Alonso's pumpkin was the amulet. Outfielder Jesse Winker's celebrations were the personification of Mets fans' long-concealed id, a desire to be exuberant and outlandish that was eternally curbed by the feeling that it would be repaid with something bad.

"This is the craziest team I've been on. We laugh about it," Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez said. "We just never know what's going to happen. Iggy might come in with some new song, and Bader's coming in with some new outfit, and Pete's saying some crazy things. It's just fun."

To see Citi Field turn into the biggest singalong in New York every time shortstop Francisco Lindor came to bat -- the fans belting his walkup song, "My Girl," and finishing the warbling even when the music went silent -- brought a different dimension to the stadium than in recent years. At the same time, to attribute the Mets' success to vibes rather than the construction of a team of solid baseball players does a disservice to the work of Stearns in talent acquisition and Mendoza in extracting the best versions of his players.

Lindor, who called the late-May players-only meeting that catalyzed the Mets far more than the purple creature or pop song, reinforced his Hall of Fame bona fides and will finish second in the NL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani. From the day of the meeting on, the Mets were the best team in baseball, going 67-40. And over that four-month juncture, Lindor logged the most wins above replacement in the NL, even more than Ohtani, who hit 40 home runs and stole 46 bases in that time.

After the final scheduled day of the regular season, the Mets seemed to only get more clutch. Lindor's home run in the Mets' 161st game, part of a doubleheader moved to the Monday after the originally scheduled finale, clinched New York's spot in the postseason. In the wild-card round, Alonso delivered a seismic, go-ahead, ninth-inning home run to oust the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. The enchantment continued in the division series, as Lindor's grand slam propelled them past the rival Philadelphia Phillies and allowed New York for the first time to celebrate a playoff clinch at Citi Field.

Then they ran into the team they ultimately would like to be. The Dodgers -- who won 98 games to the Mets' 89 -- spoiled the possibility of a Subway Series by feasting on a bullpen that tired and faltered throughout the series. Over 32 innings, Mets relievers allowed 57 baserunners and 24 earned runs. That Mendoza extracted as much out of them as he did leading up to the NLCS demonstrated his deft touch extends beyond exemplary communication with players.

It's not like the Mets will forever be stuck in bullpen purgatory, either. One of Stearns' strengths in Milwaukee, where he shepherded a small-market team to five playoff appearances in six seasons, was building a lockdown bullpen. He's primed to do the same with the Mets, particularly considering the financial leeway with which he'll enter the winter looking to build around a talented core.

Lindor remains the linchpin. In addition, third baseman Mark Vientos emerged as a force this season, Brandon Nimmo is a stabilizer in the outfield and 22-year-old Francisco Alvarez remains the full-time solution at catcher. Kodai Senga should be healthy come Opening Day, Edwin Diaz fought through a midseason slump to reemerge as a closer capable of going multiple innings and David Peterson put up a 2.90 ERA over 131 innings. On top of that they can throw in a few more bats (Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte) and some powerful arms (Reed Garrett, Tylor Megill, Jose Butto).

The Mets have somewhere in the range of $190 million in salaries coming off the books this winter, including some difficult decisions to make: Alonso, one of the franchise's most popular players, enters free agency after a postseason with four home runs and a .999 OPS. Potentially gone as well are Iglesias, Martinez, Winker and Bader, who all contributed on the field and in the shift in clubhouse culture, and left-hander Sean Manaea, who can opt out of the deal he signed in January.

Without any of those players their payroll currently clocks in around $160 million, and for a roster that needs augmentation more than reimagination.

It's a great place to start. Especially for Stearns, perhaps the best in the business at finding value around the edges to complement a team of stars. But the assumption is also that a team that for three consecutive years has run out a payroll in the $300 million-plus range will remain among the game's highest-spending teams.

Which is fitting timing this winter. Because rarely does a player of Juan Soto's caliber and age reach free agency. The Yankees right fielder will spend his 26th birthday playing in Game 1 of the World Series, and after a champion is crowned, the free agent sweepstakes for his services will begin. As much as the Yankees are favored to re-sign him on a deal of more than $500 million, especially after the run to their first World Series since 2009, Cohen and Stearns understand the rarity of high-floor, high-ceiling position players like Soto and how few will reach free agency over the coming offseasons.

In the winter of 2025, it's Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker. The season after is relatively barren. Come the 2027 offseason, catchers Adley Rutschman and William Contreras headline the class. This might be the Mets' best opportunity to land a true franchise superstar without having to deplete its farm system.

If Soto is the Mets' top priority, rebuilding their rotation isn't far behind. Manaea, right-hander Luis Severino and left-hander Jose Quintana, who combined to throw more than 37% of New York's innings this season, all are expected to be free agents. Right-hander Corbin Burnes, whom Stearns selected in the fourth round of his first draft overseeing Milwaukee, is a free agent. So are left-handers Blake Snell and Max Fried. Although Cohen has shown a proclivity for handing out excessive money to starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer -- both later traded -- he doesn't have an overwhelming amount of opportunity there, either, with future AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (after 2026), Houston left-hander Framber Valdez (2025), right-hander Zac Gallen (2025), lefty Garrett Crochet (2026) and righty Logan Gilbert (2027) the best options after this winter.

Maybe they get Soto, and if they don't, maybe they build their winter around Alonso, or perhaps Cohen shrugs and signs both and adds an ace on top of it. His willingness and capacity to dive headlong into free agency has made him a beloved owner less than five years into his tenure, a rarity around the game. Cohen is far more than money, though. He recognizes the power of a good management team, of moves on the margins, of investing in things beyond major league payroll. Teams are not built on superstars alone. They are the product of talent, work and especially -- unquantifiably, but without a doubt -- a kind of single-mindedness the Mets stumbled upon during their season.

"The guys are understanding the importance of competing -- competing every pitch," Iglesias said. "We just give everything we got, every pitch, every bat. And then usually the god of baseball -- he helps you when you go with the right energy and the right attitude."

From LOL to OMG, the Mets today strut about with a different mindset. Gone is the wobbliness of past seasons, replaced by the actualization of this year and these playoffs. No longer are the Mets a team constantly cycling through general managers and managers. They are here. And even if 2025 cannot match the miracle that was 2024, what happened this October has readied New York to take the next step.

Now comes the imperative part. Doing it again is tricky, and doing it again after that will reinforce that the Mets aren't taking anything for granted. They just don't plan on going anywhere. They found something this year, something they believe will last, something that if it does will make Dodgers vs. Mets a regular playoff series. Los Angeles won this time, but the lessons New York reaped have value. The dawn of the Mets' resurgence has arrived. It's just a matter of time until the full breadth of that reveals itself.