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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.

🏈 Good morning to everyone, but especially to ...

THE TENNESSEE TITANS

On a day that featured plenty of moving parts across the NFL, no one made a bigger move than the Tennessee Titans. The Titans moved quickly on a strange situation between Ernest Jones IV and the Rams and acquired the standout linebacker for almost nothing Tuesday, bringing a big boost to their defense.

  • Two days ago, it was reported the Rams gave Jones permission to seek a trade, even though he said he never asked for one. Jones, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal, had been seeking an extension, though, and he and Los Angeles weren't making much progress.
  • So in came Tennessee, who got Jones and a sixth-round pick in exchange for a fifth round pick. Again, that's almost nothing for a major upgrade.
  • Jones, who is only 24, had 145 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss last season. He also has a strong postseason resume with seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in Super Bowl LVI against the Bengals and nine tackles and two sacks in last year's wild card game against the Lions.

I don't know if he'll get to add to that resume this year -- I still have questions about Will Levis -- but there's no doubt the Titans have done an awesome job adding talent this offseason: Jones, L'Jarius Sneed and T'Vondre Sweat on defense and Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, JC Latham and Lloyd Cushenberry III on offense. I'm starting to come around on Tennessee in Year 1 under new coach Brian Callahan, and this augments that feeling.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for ...

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NFL PLAYERS WHO GOT CUT

The worst day on the NFL calendar has come and gone, and like every year, there was plenty of carnage as teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players. We have a full cuts tracker for every team, roster cut day takeaways and here are some notable names seeking new homes.

Tyler Sullivan played matchmaker for cut players and new teams -- rosters will continue to evolve over the coming days -- and here's one of my favorite fits.

  • Sullivan: "Samaje Perine -- Perine continues to be a reliable pass-catching option out of the backfield even as he enters his age-29 season. ... Last season, he caught 50 of his 56 targets for 455 yards. ... Potential landing spot: Packers. With the news that running back AJ Dillon is gone for the year, this makes too much sense for Green Bay. Perine could be an ideal addition to a depleted backfield behind Josh Jacobs to work in passing down situations."

Cody Benjamin, meanwhile, looked at quarterbacks looking for new homes. As for quarterbacks not looking for new homes, one of Garrett Podell's biggest takeaways was the Falcons keeping three signal callers.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Putting CFP title contenders into tiers

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One of the biggest pluses of expanding the College Football Playoff, in my opinion, is that it allows for more postseason magic. The BCS required winning one game. The CFP, until this season, required winning two. This year, it will require at least three and could require four, similar to how the NFL playoffs work. We're getting a lot more championship-defining games without losing the importance of the regular season. 

We've already discussed who our experts think will make it. But who's as close to a lock as it gets? Who's behind that, and who's right on the edge? Who's lurking in the shadows? Will Backus broke the race down into four tiers, and the top tier -- projected conference champions -- is full of the big dogs ... and 'Dawgs.

  • Georgia -- "The Bulldogs are as strong as ever on their defense. Now they can pair that with a likely first-round pick at quarterback in Carson Beck, arguably the best offensive line in the nation and some tremendous skill talent."
  • Ohio State -- "Coach Ryan Day welcomes a quality transfer class and convinced UCLA coach Chip Kelly to leave his job and join the staff as offensive coordinator."
  • Clemson --"Florida State was the preseason favorite to win the ACC, but the Seminoles have already put themselves behind the eight ball with a Week 0 loss to Georgia Tech."
  • Utah -- "Seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising is back to lead the offense, while the defense is stacked with one of the Big 12's best front sevens."

Meanwhile, in the dark horses category, Will includes ...

  • Backus: "Tennessee: There's a lot of optimism around Knoxville, thanks in large part to new starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the presence of bona fide superstars like edge rusher James Pearce Jr. Coach Josh Heupel has a very deep squad to work with outside of those two, one that could carry the Vols pretty far."

Remember, there's also one guaranteed Group of Five spot, and Will has top contenders for that.

🏀 WNBA Rookie Rankings: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese making history

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This WNBA season has been awesome, and that's thanks to so many players and so many factors. The recognition is long, long overdue, but there's no doubt the rookie class has helped push things along. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are in a Rookie of the Year battle for the ages.

On one hand you have Clark, who already broke the rookie assist record, is on pace to break the WNBA single-season assist record and will likely break the rookie 3-point record tonight. She has the Fever on the brink of their first playoff berth since 2016.

On the other hand you have Reese on pace to shatter multiple rebounding records and becoming the first player in league history with three straight 20-rebound games. She also just dropped a fire Reebok line, for which Isabel Gonzalez has the inside scoop. Like the Fever, the Sky would be in the playoffs if they started today.

So which one owns the top spot in Isabel's Rookie Rankings? It's close, but Isabel says ...

  • Gonzalez: "1. Caitlin Clark -- Clark nailed four 3-pointers in [Monday's] game, tying her with Dream guard Rhyne Howard for the single-season rookie record of 85. Clark is right behind Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride in total 3-pointers made this season (87). ... And if that wasn't enough, Clark is the only guard in the league this season to register 25+ steals and 25+ blocks."

And this rookie class isn't just two players, either. Rickea Jackson is coming on strong in Los Angeles.

📺 What we're watching Wednesday

🎾 We're watching the US Open. Here's how.
⚾ Yankees at Nationals, 6:45 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Sun at Fever, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Liberty at Sparks, 10 p.m. on NBA TV