Mets, Phillies bolster bullpens ahead of MLB trade deadline; Dolphins defense in flux with Kader Kohou injury

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Before we dive in, remember the MLB trade deadline arrives today at 6 p.m. ET. So stay plugged into the action with everything from MLB trade rumors to completed deals.

⚾ Good morning to all but especially to …

THE PHILLIES' AND METS' BULLPENS

The NL East race just got a lot more competitive. Both the Mets and Phillies added high-profile leverage arms to their bullpens on the eve of MLB's trade deadline, preparing themselves for what should be a thrilling run to the pennant and beyond.

Philadelphia acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins in exchange for 18-year-old catching prospect Eduardo Tait and starting pitcher Mick Abel, and it is more than just a rental for the Phillies. Duran brings a 2.01 ERA and fantastic strikeout and ground ball rates with him and still has two years of team control ahead of him.

The Mets were even busier on Wednesday. They started with a move for veteran Giants righty Tyler Rogers and made an even bigger splash a few hours later when they landed two-time All-Star Ryan Helsley via the Cardinals. St. Louis got a three-prospect package in return for the flamethrowing reliever, who worked to a 3.51 ERA with 21 saves over the first half of the season and change.

Closer acquisitions at the deadline are a tradition as old as time, and the top two teams in the NL East got themselves some good ones. Relievers were not the only players on the move Wednesday, though. Here are the rest of the day's biggest pickups.

• Cubs: Mike Soroka
• Yankees: Austin Slater
• Reds: Ke'Bryan Hayes
• Mariners: Caleb Ferguson and Eugenio Suárez
• Angels: Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia
• Braves: Tyler Kinley

The trade market closes for business today at 6 p.m.

👍 Honorable mentions:

• Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson will reprise their roles on CBS Sports' top NFL broadcast team.
• "Everything went well" with Will Levis' shoulder surgery, Titans coach Brian Callahan said.
• Second-year Eagles edge rusher Jalyx Hunt is the "best thing since sliced bread."
• All-Star Game MVP Naphessa Collier may have wrapped up the season's MVP award as well.
• John Schneider inked a four-year contract extension after the Seahawks' general manager made a slew of major roster moves.
• The Bears are "tinkering" with an expanded role for D.J. Moore -- at an entirely new position.
• Kristaps Porziņģis says he upgraded situations with his move from the Celtics to the Hawks.
• BYU coach Kalani Sitake took the high road after quarterback Jake Retzlaff's move to Tulane.
• The ACC preseason poll is in, and a few surprising teams picked up first-place votes.
• Colorado players and coaches are fired up about Deion Sanders' return from his offseason cancer battle.
• Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has an optimistic view on his health during a cancer fight of his own.
• Tua Tagovailoa wants preseason snaps despite the injury risk.
• Aaron Rodgers stood up for Mike Tomlin in the face of "complete and utter bullshit."

🐬 And not such a good morning for …

KADER KOHOU AND THE MIAMI DOLPHINS' SECONDARY

The Dolphins will be without standout nickelback Kader Kohou for the entire 2025 season, coach Mike McDaniel said. Kohou will land on injured reserve with a partially torn ACL, which occurred Saturday in training camp.

"I was crushed until I talked to Kader," McDaniel said, "and honestly Kader made me feel a little bit better simply because of his mindset."

The Kohou injury alone would be a sizable hit to the Miami secondary, but the context in which it occurred is truly devastating. The Dolphins already saw Artie Burns go down for the year with a torn ACL, and safety Ashtyn Davis is in a walking boot and on crutches after he sustained a lower leg injury in Tuesday's practice. In turn, not a single starter from last year's defensive backfield will be in the lineup come Week 1.

Replacing Kohou's 45 tackles, two interceptions, eight passes defended, forced fumble and fumble recovery from a year ago is a tall order and one that Mike Hilton will attempt to fill following his arrival last weekend.

👎 Not so honorable mentions:

• The Bengals released Zack Moss amid his attempted comeback from a broken neck.
• 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe "hates college basketball."
• Austin Wells forgot how many outs there were in the bottom of the ninth, but the Yankees still managed to win.
• Fights broke out at Chiefs and Cowboys training camps, and Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer made his team run because of it.
• Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon faces reckless driving charges after a multi-car crash.
• The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga are still far apart in their contract talks.
• Mickey Mouse championship? 76ers executive Daryl Morey argues that the Lakers' 2020 NBA title comes with an asterisk.
• Xavier Worthy is in concussion protocol.
• Bills first-rounder Maxwell Hairston sprained his LCL in a "freak trip up."
• Marcus Morris Sr. vehemently denied fraud allegations in a series of candid social media posts.
• Candance Parker was not impressed with the effort she saw in the WNBA All-Star Game.
• Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested for allegedly operating an illegal gambling business.
• Fever fans booed DeWanna Bonner in her return to Indianapolis.
• Shohei Ohtani (the pitcher) left Wednesday's game with cramps. Shohei Ohtani (the designated hitter) remained in the game.

🏕️ NFL training camp takeaways

The first week of camp is in the books. Action is beginning to ramp up at practices as teams don full pads and prepare for the first week of preseason games, and even though it is still early in the summer, there is a ton to be made of what unfolded over the last few days. Jeff Kerr delivered his five biggest takeaways from across the NFL, and Cameron Ward's assessment of the "mid" Titans offense is chief among them.

"Just think we're very mid right now," Ward said to reporters on Wednesday. "Up front, to the receivers, and every position. But at the end of the day, it all starts with me. I just don't think we're at what we need to be, but we got a little bit of time."

Kerr is also buying the James Pearce Jr. hype. The new Falcons edge rusher made a statement thus far in his first offseason as a pro.

• Kerr: "Atlanta may have struck gold on the defensive side of the ball. James Pearce Jr., Atlanta's first-round pick, has been impressive through the first week of camp. Pearce has been beating his blockers on the regular, leading to several practice skirmishes once the Falcons put the pads on. His speed on the edge has been on display, along with the edge (pun intended) Pearce has provided on the defensive front."

🌎 NBA announces international games for 2026-28

Basketball continues to be a growth sport internationally, and the NBA Global Games seek to take the league's popularity to another level. Commissioner Adam Silver announced the next batch of overseas contests, which are set to unfold from 2026-28 in three European different countries.

• 2026: Grizzlies vs. Magic in Berlin (Jan. 15) and London (Jan. 18).
• 2027: Teams TBA in Manchester and Paris
• 2028: Teams TBA in Berlin and Paris

The six announced games are on top of a slate that already includes the Nov. 1 matchup between the Pistons and Mavericks this season in Mexico City. The NBA has held a game in Mexico in all but two years since 2014 when it began the series south of the border.

As for what this means for a potential new NBA Europe league, stakeholders from the NBA, FIBA and European countries remain in the "exploratory phase."

🍀 Notre Dame picks a side in the CFP debate

College football's power conferences are at odds with each other in the process of expanding the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten wants a 16-team model with a set number of automatic qualifiers per league: four for the Big Ten and SEC, two for the ACC and Big 12 and one for the Group of Five. The rest of the conferences are in favor of limiting the automatic bids to five total.

Not to be lost in the discussion, though, is Notre Dame, which under the current model cannot earn an automatic berth. The Fighting Irish stand to benefit from the 5+11 model, which three of the power conferences support, because it offers more at-large bids -- opening more avenues into the bracket for a program that, as an independent, cannot compete for a league title.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua stands with the SEC, ACC and Big 12 as a proponent of the 5+11 format.

"I think you have to earn it on the field. And those should be at-large berths," Bevacqua said of the 11 non-automatic bids. "I think that's the best way -- the most repeatable way -- to get the very best teams to compete for a national championship year in and year out. And I think most people agree with that. Both the decision-makers, the general public, football fans -- I think that's what people want to see."

📺 What we're watching Thursday

⛳ Wyndham Championship Round 1: Here's how to watch.
🏈 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game: Chargers vs. Lions, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏀 The Basketball Tournament semifinals, 6 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Braves at Reds, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Valkyries at Mystics, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ Leagues Cup: Cruz Azul at Seattle Sounders FC,10:30 p.m. on FS1