What is Tim Tebow really doing back in the NFL? Plus, a night to remember for Russell Westbrook

It's hard to imagine that the Jaguars are bringing in Tebow to be a serviceable tight end

By Chris Bengel

May 11, 2021 at 9:32 am ET • 6 min read

Happy Tuesday ladies and gentlemen, it's Chris Bengel back once again to bring you the latest sports news. One of the biggest stories in sports right now is certainly a bizarre one.

Tim Tebow, who is now 33, will be returning to the NFL -- but not at the quarterback position. I certainly was never a Tebow believer and am of the belief that he was one of the worst first-round picks that the NFL Draft has ever seen. Now, I realize that's a well-defended title with the likes of JaMarcus Russell, Brian Bosworth, Charles Rogers, and my personal favorite, Philadelphia Eagles 1995 first-round pick Mike Mamula, all having a claim to such a throne.

Tebow was a brutal quarterback that completed just 47.9 percent of his passes in 16 career starts. Now, he's going to learn a whole new position after taking a swing at a baseball career didn't work out. I just don't see it.

Let's take a look at what else is happening in the sports world (unfortunately, this isn't the last you'll hear of Tebow in this newsletter.)

📰 What you need to know

1. Welcome back to the NFL, Tim Tebow 🙏

After six years and the aforementioned lackluster baseball career, Tim Tebow agreed on Monday to a one-year deal to play tight end for the Jaguars. Tebow last played in the NFL in 2015 with the Eagles. Following that preseason, the Eagles released Tebow and he signed with the New York Mets in order to pursue a baseball career.

It's hard to imagine that the Jaguars are bringing in Tebow to be a serviceable tight end. Most likely, head coach Urban Meyer wants to have a certain culture in place and -- say what you want about Tebow -- he's allegedly a great locker room guy.

The Jaguars current depth chart at tight end includes: Chris Manhertz, Luke Farrell, and Tyler Davis
Jags head coach Urban Meyer: "I have one job and that is to win games with the Jacksonville Jaguars. If Tim Tebow or Travis Etienne can help us win, then that's my job to get them ready to go play. That decision is certainly not made yet."
Tebow could serve as a mentor to No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence

Oh, and of course here's a reminder that Tebow and Meyer won a pair of national championships at Florida between 2006 to 2009. Meyer may be trying to rekindle that. While the Jags do have some rebuilding to do, that last bullet point above is an important one: Tebow has won with Meyer before. Signing someone who has that experience to mentor your QB is not the worst idea.

2. Why the NCAA's hold over college athletics is getting weaker

Getty Images

The NCAA is currently in the midst of a fierce debate revolving around the name, image, and likeness legislation for college athletes. This past weekend, NCAA president Mark Emmert suggested that he will recommend membership to approve name, image, and likeness legislation before July 1. On that specific day, NIL laws will take effect in five states, which has nothing to do with any legislation that the NCAA would propose.

As our Dennis Dodd noted in his latest deep dive on the topic, the NCAA's potential rapid decision is huge -- and is not a good thing for the body's power:

Dodd: "We're watching the NCAA's influence, power and leverage diminish before our eyes. It needs federal help to implement NIL. Whether or not it gets it, states' NIL laws will supersede whatever the NCAA has in place -- at least for a period of time."
A high-ranking source involved in NCAA governance to Dodd: "That's where we are. We've not taken care of business. The participants have gotten more litigious. You throw that all together and the only way you get answers is through federally-mandated standards."

The debate behind players being paid for their name and likeness is something that should've happened a long time ago. The NCAA and college athletics has made an insane amount of money off of high-profile athletes like Trevor Lawrence and Zion Williamson in recent years. Those players previously had to wait until they were professional athletes before cashing in on their own brand.

Hopefully come July 1, those rules will change forever.

3. Our latest MLB Power Rankings ⚾

One week of May baseball is in the books and there's been a lot of movement among some of the league's top teams. Many expected the Dodgers, Padres and Braves to be dominating the league, but that hasn't exactly happened thus far.

In this week's addition of MLB Power Rankings, CBS Sports' Matt Snyder offered a heartfelt apology to Cardinals fans after placing then at No. 18 in last week's Power Rankings. Quite a few teams have been inconsistent to start the year, so it's certainly understandable to see so much movement this week from the Cardinals.

It also seems insane that many were criticizing the Red Sox for being one of the worst-run teams in the league after trading Mookie Betts (which is still inexcusable!)... but take a look at Boston in the latest rankings:

No. 1 Boston Red Sox
No. 2 Chicago White Sox
No. 3 St. Louis Cardinals
No. 4 Oakland Athletics
No. 5 San Francisco Giants
No. 6 Cleveland Indians
No. 7 New York Mets
No. 8 San Diego Padres
No. 9 Tampa Bay Rays
No. 10 New York Yankees

While the Cards climbed a whopping 15 spots to come in at No. 3, notice that the reigning champion Dodgers are nowhere to be found in the top ten. That's because they fell 17 spots and sit at No. 19. Going 1-5 last week and 5-15 in their last 20 games will do that to a team.

4. Russell Westbrook sets NBA's triple-double record 🏀

Wizards guard Russell Westbrook has officially etched his name in the NBA record books. During Monday's game against the Hawks, Westbrook recorded his 182nd career triple-double and officially passed Oscar Robertson's record of 181.

Westbrook broke the record when he secured his 10th rebound of the evening. A was noted in yesterday's newsletter, Robertson certainly wasn't bitter about Westbrook having a shot at breaking his record and actually hoped that Westbrook achieved it.

Here's a closer look at what kind of pace Westbrook has been on this season:

Westbrook has 36 triple-doubles this season
He has 26 of those triple-doubles over his past 31 games
Westbrook is on pace to average a triple-double for the fourth time in the past five seasons
He has a chance to break his own record for most triple-doubles in a season

📝 Odds & Ends

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his left wrist on Monday and will miss the remainder of the regular season and Boston's impending playoff run.
Rapper J. Cole has signed a deal to play in the Basketball Africa League with Rwanda's Patriots BBC
Sabres star forward Jack Eichel is "a bit upset" about how the team has handled his neck injury.

📺 What to watch tonight

NHL: Washington Capitals at Colorado Avalanche — USATSI

🏒 Bruins vs. Capitals, 7 p.m. | WASH -109 | TV: NHL Network

⚾ Athletics vs. Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. | BOS -125 | TV: MLB.TV

🏀 76ers vs. Pacers, 8 p.m. | PHI -270 | TV: NBA League Pass

Best thing I saw on the internet 🏅

Ducks goalie Ryan Miller played in the final game of his NHL career over the weekend. Following the game, Miller shared an emotional hug with his parents, who were in attendance for his final game. Parents are the ones that drive players to the rink at 6 a.m. during their pee-wee days and support their children every step of the way. It was fitting to see Miller's parents there with him during his final moments on the ice.