Eoin Morgan has revealed that he was moved to the verge of tears by Jos Buttler's words to mark his 100th T20I, before England took the field for their eight-wicket defeat of India on Tuesday.

Morgan became the first England men's player to reach the milestone - Danni Wyatt and Jenny Gunn had already done so for England Women - and the fourth man overall after Shoaib Malik, Rohit Sharma and Ross Taylor.

Morgan, who led England to victory in the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and now has his sights set on the T20 World Cup in India in October, was applauded by his team in a huddle after a short presentation by Buttler before the start of play.

"It nearly brought me to tears to be honest," Morgan told the host broadcaster after England romped to victory with 10 balls to spare, thanks to a seriously quick display from Mark Wood and a stunning 83 not out off just 52 balls from Buttler.

"It meant a huge amount, He's a great friend of mine, our families are quite close, and playing in 100 games is a proud moment for me. But just the words that he said, really did sort of warm my heart and I'm very grateful for it."

Morgan was pleased with the start his quicks, Wood, Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan, gave the side after a solid first over from spinner Adil Rashid, opening the bowling for the second time in three matches this series.

"The carry that we saw throughout the whole game was a bit of a surprise to us, " he said. "Our guys don't find that too hard to adjust to and enjoy it when there's a bit of pace and bounce, so I thought the first half of our bowling was exceptional. When you look at the lines and lengths that we bowled, the plans that we had, and obviously taking early wickets as well in such a long batting line-up, makes a huge difference in the game.

"Today, probably of all the games, the wicket stayed very similar, but I do think there is another challenge with setting a total, particularly when there's one short side on the ground, you just don't know what a good score is going to be. And I think if you lose early wickets on top of that, that raises another question, Obviously you have to play well to be in the game, and then take advantage of it.

"It's just the dynamics of T20 cricket, it just goes to show how strong every side in the world has to be and the preparation that goes into every series, obviously with the World Cup in seven months' time."

And he spoke highly of Buttler, who took on spinner Yuzvendra Chahal with two sixes in his first over and two fours in his second, helping himself to 14 runs off Shardul Thakur in between as he moved to 43 off just 17 balls by the end of the powerplay.

"Jos is a world class player," Morgan added. "We're very lucky to have him. Since he's taken on the role at the top of the order, he's averaged upwards of 50 and striking at 150, so he competes with the best in the world when it comes to opening the batting. He's been in incredible form, he's a great leader within our group. He's been around for an incredibly long time, and in the change-room obviously he has a huge influence."

Buttler, who shared an unbroken 77-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow, hailed the win as "a great team performance".

"Any time you take early wickets in a powerplay really sets you up, and we've got some good partnerships together to see us home," Buttler said.

"In a little way sometimes people don't expect me to attack the spin as well so I thought I'd like to try and take it on. Chahal's a fantastic bowler, had some good battles against him. But it's nice to chance my arm a bit today."

As for what he said to Morgan before the match, Buttler added: "I tried to get across what a special achievement it is and what he's done for English white-ball cricket.

"Today is about him and reaching that milestone. He's been a pioneer for England white-ball cricketers. As a leader he has taken English white-ball cricket to a place it's never been before.

"He's always been ahead of the curve, alongside Kevin Pietersen. They were the two guys that I always looked to in white-ball teams who could do it a bit differently."

Wood finished his first two-over spell with 2 for 10, as India limped to 24 for 3 in the powerplay, and ended with match figures of 3 for 31 off four, after Virat Kohli's unbeaten 77 had lifted his side to 156 for 6.

"I was just trying to bang into the wicket on a good length as fast as I can, trying to make something happen," Wood said. "He [Kohli] is a fantastic player, very hard to bowl at. Even some of my plans at the end, he played great shots off those and sometimes you have to say, 'well played'."

Before the start of India's five-match T20I series against England, Virat Kohli had stated explicitly that India's first-choice opening combination would be KL Rahul partnering Rohit Sharma. Since then, India are trailing 2-1 in the series and Rahul has strung together a binary score sequence of 1, 0, 0, having lasted a combined 14 balls across three innings.

India have other options at the top of the order - Shikhar Dhawan is in the squad, Ishan Kishan made a blazingly successful debut at the top of the order, and Mayank Agarwal is on the fringes too - but for now, Kohli and batting coach Vikram Rathour have unequivocally backed Rahul, describing him as among the best in the world, and in Team India.

Asked about Rahul's lean run at the post-match presentation, Kohli told host broadcaster Star Sports that form in T20 cricket could turn around very quickly, pointing to his own example where he shrugged off a run of poor scores to hit 73* and 77* in the last two T20Is.

"Well I was going through a lean patch about two games ago," Kohli smiled. "These things turn around very quickly. For us, he's been a champion player. If you look at his stats in the last two-three years, they are probably better than anyone in world cricket in T20s. He'll continue to be one of our main batters along with Rohit at the top of the order. We don't have any concerns there. T20 is a game which is a very instinctive game. We know once he starts playing positively and a few shots come off, it's a matter of five-six balls in this format and suddenly you're back in this zone."

Rathour echoed Kohli's words about Rahul's record in the format. Since January 1, 2019, Rahul's 2262 runs as an opener are the third-highest in the world. In that period, he has averaged 48.12 at a strike rate of 137.50 at the top of the order. In that same period, his returns for India are 761 runs at 38.05 with a strike rate of 138.11.

"Anybody can have a lean phase," Rathour said at the post-match press conference. "Last one year, I think KL has been our best batsman in the T20 format. He's averaging more than 40 with a strike rate of 145 [Rahul averaged 44.70 with a strike rate of 141.52 since January 2019 till the start of this series]. So three failures does not change that fact, that he's maybe the best batsman we have in that format, and he's done really well for us in the past year. I think this is the time that, as a team, we need to support him. Absolutely sure he will come out of this lean phase that he's going through."

Rahul was bowled by Jofra Archer while dragging on in the first T20I, poked at Sam Curran to be caught behind in the second T20I, and was castled through the gate by Mark Wood in the third. The extra pace by Archer and Wood contributed to two dismissals, while he was leaden-footed against Curran - all of which could point to rustiness too. Before this series, Rahul had last played a game on December 8, the third and final T20I against Australia in Sydney. He has spent the intervening four months mostly in bio-secure bubbles with the Indian team.

"They do get a little rusty when they're sitting out," Rathour acknowledged. "The best we can do is keep providing them practice. They've been having lot of net sessions and they've been batting in the middle also, nets session on the side wickets. That's all they can do and you just hope that one innings, one shot, and he'll be back in form."

Rathour also said that the team management were aware of what their best XI was, and intended to continue backing them.

"It's great that we have this kind of bench strength. People are doing well and we have lots of players who can fill up places in case we need them," he said. "But as a team management, we know and understand which is our best XI, and those are the players we need to back. So unless there is a real, real big fall in form or some injury, I think we should stick to our best XI and hopefully they'll come good.

"Whoever is the player we feel will do the job for the team should be playing. People go through lean phases, that happens in cricket. Sometimes you will get out early. But if you're talking about KL Rahul again, he's done so well for us in the past year, a couple of failures does not change the fact that he is one of the main players we have for this format."

The Jacksonville Jaguars and wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. have agreed to a a two-year, $14.5 million deal, including $9.2 million fully guaranteed, a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Jaguars also agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Saints to acquire defensive tackle Malcom Brown for an unspecified draft pick, sources confirmed to ESPN. According to NFL Network, which first reported the news, Brown, who turned 27 last month, signed a new two-year, $11 million deal with the Jaguars that includes $8 million guaranteed.

In Jacksonville, Jones will be reunited with former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who holds the same position on coach Urban Meyer's staff.

The 31-year-old Jones flourished in his five seasons with the Lions after signing with the team as a free agent in 2016, following the retirement of Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson. With the Lions, he had 289 catches for 4,296 yards and 36 touchdowns. He had his only 1,000-yard season in 2017, with 1,101 yards and an NFL-leading 18 yards per reception.

A fifth-round pick by Cincinnati out of Cal, Jones has played in 112 career games, making 423 catches for 6,025 yards and 51 touchdowns.

Brown -- who played one year for new Jaguars assistant head coach Charlie Strong at Texas -- is part of the Jaguars' defensive line rebuild that began on Monday when the team agreed to terms with former Chicago defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris on a three-year, $24.4 million contract with $14 million guaranteed.

The Jaguars have been one of the worst teams against the run over the past three seasons. Only Cincinnati (144.9 yards) have given up more yards per game than the Jaguars (136.5) from 2018-20. The Jaguars ranked 30th in run defense last season (153.3 yards per game).

Brown, who signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Saints in 2019, was a likely salary-cap casualty this year if New Orleans had been unable to trade him since they began the offseason nearly $100 million over the cap. He was due $5 million in the final year of his contract with the Saints.

ESPN's Mike Triplett, Michael DiRocco and Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs released running back Damien Williams, one of the stars of their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers, the team announced Tuesday.

The Chiefs last season drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round to be their featured back, and he led the team in rushing, despite missing time with injuries. And on Tuesday, they re-signed his leading backup, Darrel Williams, to a one-year contract.

Williams opted out of the 2020 season. But he led the Chiefs in rushing in 2019, and he topped 100 yards in the Super Bowl victory. He also had two of the Chiefs' signature plays in the fourth quarter of that game, a 5-yard touchdown catch that put his team ahead for good and a 38-yard run for the final score.

Williams joined the Chiefs in 2018 as a free agent after four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

The team posted a "THANK YOU" message to Williams on Twitter later Tuesday.

Former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor reached agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million with the Houston Texans, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Taylor will join Deshaun Watson as the only two quarterbacks on Houston's roster. Watson, who signed a contract extension less than six months ago that goes through the 2025 season, has told coach David Culley that he does not want to play for Houston going forward.

Watson was frustrated by the process Houston used to hire general manager Nick Caserio, as Schefter has previously reported. On Thursday, Houston said the Texans "are very committed to Deshaun [Watson] as our quarterback" and said the team did not have a contingency plan if Watson did not report to training camp.

By reaching a one-year deal with Taylor, Houston now has a contingency plan in place if the team opts to trade Watson or if the quarterback holds out.

Taylor signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Chargers in 2019 and, after playing behind Philip Rivers his first season there, was named the starter last season and was made a captain.

He had the starting job for just one game, however, after a team doctor accidentally punctured his lung with a pain-killing shot while attempting to treat a rib injury before the Chargers' Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. When he was healthy enough to return to action, he remained on the bench because of the emergence of quarterback Justin Herbert. Then-Chargers coach Anthony Lynn called the decision the hardest of his life.

Taylor, 31, later decided against filing a grievance against the Chargers.

He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2011 draft and after several injury-filled seasons he signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2015, earning the starting job for then-coach Rex Ryan. He started 43 games for the Bills and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 when he set career highs with 3,035 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes while throwing just six interceptions. He also rushed for 568 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Bills traded him to the Cleveland Browns in 2018, where he started the first three games before losing the job to Baker Mayfield in a Week 3 game against the New York Jets.

In 10 NFL seasons he has passed for 9,770 yards with 54 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and rushed for 1,850 yards and 16 touchdowns.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop and Shelley Smith contributed to this report.

The Chicago Bears and quarterback Andy Dalton have agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal, with the chance for the quarterback to earn another $3 million in incentives, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Chicago made "a very aggressive pursuit" of Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, sources said, but the Bears were told that Seattle is not trading him at this time.

The Bears were one of four teams Wilson's agent named as a place of interest.

Dalton, 33, spent 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys after a nine-year run as the Cincinnati Bengals' starter.

Signed as the backup, Dalton was pressed into duty when Cowboys starter Dak Prescott suffered a dislocated and compound fracture of his right ankle in Week 5 against the New York Giants.

In nine starts (11 appearances), Dalton had a 4-5 record, throwing for 2,170 yards and 14 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions. He had his best showing in a Week 16 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing for 377 yards and three scores.

Dalton had some health issues of his own during the season, missing a game after suffering a concussion against the Washington Football Team. The following week, he was put on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

At the end of the season, Dalton said his hope was to find a spot as a starter, and coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said he had shown enough to warrant consideration from teams.

He has that chance in Chicago. Although the Bears made the postseason with an 8-8 mark, the team got uninspired play at quarterback as both Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky were given opportunities to start.

Trubisky is now a free agent after Chicago elected not to pick up his fifth-year option on the former No. 2 overall pick ahead of last season. Foles is still on the team's roster.

After the Bengals selected Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Dalton became expendable and was released by Cincinnati. He posted a 74-66-2 record as the Bengals starter, taking the franchise to the playoffs five times but not winning a postseason game. He was also named to the Pro Bowl three times.

ESPN's Todd Archer contributed to this report.

TORONTO -- Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson aggravated his strained right groin during a bullpen session Tuesday, further decreasing the hard-throwing right-hander's chance of making Toronto's Opening Day roster.

"We do feel it's very mild in nature but want to re-asses that and then just take it a day at a time," general manager Ross Atkins said.

Pearson strained his groin in his debut spring training outing March 1. He felt fine after a bullpen session Saturday, his first since the injury.

Right-hander Ross Stripling is expected to replace Pearson in Toronto's rotation.

"Obviously Strip, with what he's done in his career, has a leg up on that spot," Atkins said.

A first-round pick in the 2017 amateur draft, Pearson is Toronto's top pitching prospect. He made his major league debut last season, going 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA in four starts and one relief appearances. He missed five weeks in August and September because of a sore elbow.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Infielder Maikel Franco and the Baltimore Orioles finalized an $800,000, one-year contract on Tuesday.

Franco hit .278 with 16 doubles, eight homers and a team-high 38 RBIs for the Kansas City during last year's pandemic-shortened season.

The 28-year-old would get a $200,000 performance bonus if he reaches 400 plate appearances. He would get a $250,000 assignment bonus if traded.

He earned $1,092,593 in prorated pay from a $2.95 million salary.

Franco has a .253 average with 110 homers and 381 RBI in seven major league seasons with Philadelphia (2014-19) and the Royals. He was originally signed for the Phillies by Koby Perez, now Baltimore's senior director of international scouting.

Right-hander Hunter Harvey was placed on the 60-day injured list with a strained left oblique, opening a roster spot.

Travis Shaw's second stint with the Milwaukee Brewers is off to an encouraging start.

The Brewers announced Tuesday they have added Shaw to their 40-man roster, making him one of the leading candidates for playing time at third base.

Shaw, who played for Milwaukee from 2017-19 and spent last season with Toronto, signed a minor league deal last month. The contract included terms stating he could request his release if the Brewers didn't notify him by Monday whether they intended to put him on the 40-man roster.

"It's pretty much everything I expected, pretty much everything they told me going into the process so nothing changes," Shaw said Tuesday from the Brewers' spring training site in Phoenix. "Nothing is surprising. It's all in a good spot."

Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, has a one-year contract paying him $1.5 million while in the majors and $250,000 in the minors. He can earn up to $1.5 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $50,000 each for 250, 275 and 300, $75,000 apiece for 325, 350 and 375, $125,000 for 400, $250,000 for 450 and $300,000 each for 475 and 502.

The Brewers made room for Shaw on the 40-man roster by placing utilityman Mark Mathias on the 60-day injured list with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that doesn't necessarily mean Mathias will miss the entire season.

Counsell also said reliever Bobby Wahl will open the season on the injured list after the right-hander left an exhibition game Monday with a strained oblique.

For Shaw, a return to Milwaukee represents a chance to revitalize his career at a place where he had some of his highest and lowest moments.

The Brewers don't have a clear-cut starting third baseman, giving Shaw a chance to step right in and regain his old job. Other options include Luis Urías and Orlando Arcia, who both are also working out at shortstop. The Brewers also have utilityman Daniel Robertson available to play third.

"Everything's in pencil over there, I guess is the best way to say it right now," Counsell said. "And I think those guys are all aware of that. Those guys know it."

Shaw, a left-handed hitter, batted .273 with 31 homers, 101 RBI and an .862 OPS for the Brewers in 2017. He followed that up by batting .241 with 32 homers, 86 RBI and an .825 OPS in 2018.

But he hit just .157 with seven homers and 16 RBI in 86 games or the Brewers in 2019 and wasn't offered a contract after the season. Shaw batted .239 with six homers and 17 RBI in 50 games for Toronto last year.

"The hope is that we get a really good version of Travis," Counsell said. "As he and I have talked about it, he's in a different place now, and I think it's important to just acknowledge that."

"I think that's what's going to help him have a good year, is just understanding where he's at, and understand this is different, going through what he's been through, getting better in going through that. So all those things should be helpful. He's going to get an opportunity to be a contributor," he said.

Shaw said he appreciates the familiarity that comes from returning to Milwaukee and noted that the Brewers' staff hasn't changed much since he last played with them.

"I've had a ton of success there, so I'm very excited to get back there," Shaw said. "I mean, look at our division. There's a ton of right-handed pitchers in our division, so that's another thing that benefits me, too. Kind of all the stars aligned with this whole process over the last two months, and I couldn't be more excited to get back to Milwaukee and get everything back on track the way that I feel like it can be."

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is joining Fenway Sports Group as a partner, giving him an ownership stake in its subsidiaries that include the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, Roush Fenway Racing and the regional sports network NESN, sources told ESPN.

James, 36, already owned 2% of Liverpool, the current English Premier League champion. In joining FSG and expanding his investment, James and his business partner Maverick Carter will become the company's first Black partners.

FSG is among the largest sports ownership entities in the world, and James' involvement will only increase its reach. In addition to James coming onboard, FSG received a $750 million investment from RedBird Capital Partners, according to The Boston Globe, which first reported James' ownership stake.

With league rules preventing current players from owning portions of the NBA or WNBA, James, who has earned more than $1 billion in his career, according to Forbes, branched out with a conglomerate that started by owning the Red Sox. FSG's broad footprint could expand even more with the infusion of cash from RedBird Capital.

FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 for $493 million -- and James joined in the investment for a reported $6.5 million. FSG turned down a $2.6 billion bid for the team in August 2018, leaving James with tens of millions in profit from his initial investment.

James has not been shy about his desire to own an NBA team. At the NBA All-Star Game in 2019, he told reporters that upon his retirement, "I believe if I wanted to, I could own a team or be part of a basketball team. I know I got so much knowledge of the game that I don't want to, once I stop playing -- I just [do not] want to get away from the game."

In January, when the WNBA's Atlanta Dream were put up for sale, James tweeted: "Think I'm gone put together an ownership group for The Dream." He proceeded to help Renee Montgomery, the former WNBA player and activist, meet with commissioner Cathy Engelbert before she joined with two partners to complete the purchase.

With the Red Sox, James gets limited partnership in one of Major League Baseball's jewel franchises. The team's estimated value is more than $3 billion, and while it's expected to lag behind in the competitive American League East division this season, Boston has significantly improved its farm system and should increase its payroll going into the 2022 season after paring back spending the past two years.

James' connection to FSG goes deeper than his investment in Liverpool. Among the executive producers of the comedy "Survivor's Remorse," which aired for four seasons on Starz: James, Carter and Tom Werner, the longtime television producer and chairman of the Red Sox and Liverpool. Werner owns the second-largest stake in FSG behind principal owner John Henry.