What can we expect from the Washington Commanders' running backs in 2026? It's been an offseason of change for the group. Gone are Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez Jr. Returning are Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols. Washington has added three new running backs to the roster: Rachaad White, Jerome Ford and rookie Kaytron Allen.

White, who spent the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has received plenty of buzz this spring. Jayden Daniels' former college teammate could replace Ekeler as Washington's primary pass-catching back. But he is also out to prove that he can do more.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently named six storylines from some of the recently completed minicamps. Of the storylines, Sullivan would then determine which were overreactions and which were reality. One of his storyline picks revolved around White: "Rachaad White will be one of the underrated free agent signings."

He called this a reality for White and the Commanders.

Dan Quinn was complimentary toward several players for their work during Washington's offseason program, including veteran running back Rachaad White. The 27-year-old inked a one-year, $2 million deal with the Commanders this offseason, and that could prove to be one of the savviest/biggest bargains of this free-agent cycle. White impressed at minicamp and seems to be carving out a role as a pass catcher out of the Washington backfield. 

In his first four years in the NFL (all with the Buccaneers), White has proven to be a strong pass-catching back. Last season, he caught 40 of his 45 targets for 218 yards. Earlier in his career, White registered seasons where he caught 64 balls for over 500 yards receiving, so there is plenty of upside to complement Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the backfield. He could fill the Austin Ekeler role, if not exceed it. 

He's not wrong about Quinn. In his press conference to wrap up minicamp, Quinn, unprompted, mentioned White four times.

"Rachaad White was one I thought, you know, jumped out," Quinn said when discussing eight names who impressed him during the spring.

More from Quinn on White.

"I thought Rachaad's brought some things on the, you know, the catching and receiving phase of things."

He also later mentioned that White fit the culture and was an excellent teammate.

When Washington signed White, he was certainly going to have a role in 2026, but his contract made that far from a guarantee. But now that he's been with the team for a few months, he's already proving to be a valuable contributor.

Don't be surprised if Croskey-Merritt leads the Commanders in rushing again in 2026, but White will have a significant role.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Rachaad White will have significant 2026 role

A few years ago not many people would have had Colton McKivitz down as a player who could etch his name into 49er history.

McKivitz, a fifth-round draft pick in 2020, was waived in 2021 before being re-signed to the practice squad. He ultimately played a critical role in the 49ers making the playoffs that season as he stepped in for Trent Williams in the Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Rams, but that did not stop eyebrows being raised when he was handed the starting right tackle job in 2023.

He had just five starts to his name at a variety of positions on the offensive line going into that season, and the wisdom of the decision to hand McKivitz that role was often questioned amid a difficult start to his time at right tackle, even in a season that saw the 49ers go agonisingly close to winning the Super Bowl.

But McKivitz has steadily improved over the last two seasons and was last year handed a contract extension to keep him tied to the team through the 2028 season.

And, having battled to cement himself as a reliable starter up front, McKivitz has his sights set on securing a franchise honor reserved for players who display longevity while remaining with the 49ers.

“I want to be on that 10-year wall,” McKivitz said, outlining his ambition to remain with the 49ers for 10 years.

“I don’t want to leave here. Obviously being cut, I’ve got some scars there. But, there was a reason why I was drafted here, why I was cut here, and why I still play here. Now I’ve had three good seasons of starting and I’m going into the fourth.”

Explaining why he feels so at home with the Niners, McKivitz added: “There’s a sense of family. When you have a core group of players who understand a winning culture and understand the standard of what this franchise was built on… it’s hard for guys to turn that away.

“There’s a sole goal in mind in this building. And it starts from the top down.”

The team goal remains the same, to finally get over the hump and win that sixth Super Bowl for the 49ers. Yet, given the difficulty of actually climbing that mountain, there is obvious significance in individual achievements such as joining the likes of Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice on the 10-year wall.

Back in 2021, it would have been difficult see McKivitz realizing such a lofty goal, but his progress, his dependability and his durability have made him an asset to San Francisco and made the 10-year wall a distinct possibility for him.

The 2020 draft saw the 49ers make two first-round selections in the form of Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk and unearth a late-round gem in Jauan Jennings. Regardless of whether he makes the 10-year wall, McKivitz looks set to become the most successful member of that draft class, and that is an unexpected achievement that stands as a testament to his resilience.

In a season in which he will now face Myles Garrett twice in addition to going up against the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive front, McKivitz will need to show plenty of character to help make it a strong 2026 for San Francisco.

World Cup games on TV today: Schedule and start times for all matches on Sunday, June 21 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to electrify soccer fans not only across the three host nations USA, Canada, and Mexico, but across the globe as the biggest sporting event on the planet descends upon North America.

For five weeks in June and July, the greatest football tournament will be played throughout the three host nations, as 48 qualifiers do battle for the most famous trophy in the sport.

In the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, and the first-ever expanded edition of the competition, top teams from around the world will push to write their name in soccer history.

The Sporting News brings you a look at what games are on the docket today, and what the schedule looks like throughout the entire World Cup so you can plan your viewing experience accordingly.

2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets

The 11th day of the 2026 World Cup see the second round of group stage matches continue with Spain vs. Saudi Arabia.

Belgium take on Iran before Group H returns with Uruguay taking on Cape Verde.

New Zealand and Egypt close out the action for the day.

• TV channel: FOX, FS1
• Live stream: fubo,Fox One, Fox Sports app/website

2026 FIFA World Cup matches will be broadcast nationally on either FOX or FS1 in the United States, with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.

The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up a for a FREE trial.

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

* Kicking off 12 a.m. ET the morning of Sunday, June 14, which is 9 p.m. local on Saturday, June 13 in Vancouver

* Kicking off 12 a.m. ET the morning of Wednesday, June 17, which is 9 p.m. local on Tuesday, June 16 in California

* Kicking off 12 a.m. ET the morning of Sunday, June 21, which is 9 p.m. local on Saturday, June 20 in Monterrey

There are no FIFA World Cup matches on this day

There are no FIFA World Cup matches on this day

There are no FIFA World Cup matches on this day

There are no FIFA World Cup matches on this day

This is my full column from the BBC Football Extra newsletter.

• If you're outside the UK and would like to sign up, head this way.

America is waking up, rather groggily, to the fact that there is a World Cup on. Of course, it helps that the big stars have come out in Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane.

The US loves a superstar but they also love winners and have less time for 'plucky losers' in sport, or arguably in life. The US national team starting off with two impressive wins in a row has piqued the interest.

The acid test for any culture is to travel on public transport and listen to what the people are talking about. They are beginning to talk about the tournament now.

Be it cab drivers or those working on Amtrack trains, they want to engage more and more, day by day. New York is different, many of the public-facing people in the transport industry seem to have arrived straight from central casting and appear to believe they are in a movie 24/7.

Overacting isn't frowned upon in this scenario and I love it. A guy organising the cabs in the rank outside Penn Station talked to me for 30 minutes advising me against getting a cab over to Jersey City. Not only did he do that, he did that clearly thinking he was Al Pacino after 10 strong espressos.

On his advice, I walked to the subway, caught the Path train, it broke down, took 90 minutes but I saved $70. I think I was happy.

Back to Boston and I was able to enjoy a day off before the Scotland v Morocco game. On the way up we watched an off/on feed of the England opener against Croatia. It wasn't a shock that England won but it was mildly surprising just how many fellow travellers, some not wearing kilts, came over to check on the score.

Even the ticket collector was interested, though to be fair he only wanted to know who was playing not what the score was.

What was really surprising was the fact that England were enjoyable to watch, for most of the game.

It wasn't really a day off, I was DJing at the Del Amitri gig at the famous Royale venue downtown. No surprises that the Tartan Army of Scotland fans took over the building as they did every building serving alcohol in the city.

It was a fantastic night with the band on great form and the crowd being just as vocal, if not more. At times, it seemed like a friendly competition between the band and the fans for who was going to sing which songs.

I have rarely enjoyed one of my DJ sets more than this one.

This was all build up to the Scotland game against the crack Moroccan national team – and they did seem a talented outfit from the start. They were 1-0 ahead in less than two minutes, they refused to give Scotland a kick for the first quarter of the game, and a mauling seemed on the cards.

Steve Clarke's men fought back valiantly and by the end they could reasonably argue they deserved a share of the points, a result that would have seen them safely through to the next round.

The game hinged on a couple of refereeing decisions and neither went in Scotland's favour. Penalty claims by both Scott McTominay and John McGinn were waived and the chance of glory was gone. I think McGinn's was probably a penalty, but once more the word probably is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. It was a subjective call, that had the referee given it, then it wouldn't have been overturned.

As it was he didn't and it wasn't clear and obvious enough for the VAR to overturn.

On balance, Scotland did deserve a draw even if they didn't create a single clear-cut opportunity, but they did dominate the second half, no mean feat against such a talented side.

The Tartan Army will leave Boston with many great memories for themselves and for the locals, but their qualification hangs in the balance. As for Morocco, they are almost certainly through already as are Brazil after a cruise against Haiti, just as the experts would have predicted beforehand.

I am now ready to travel again to see France take on Iraq in Philadelphia before joining up with the Scots again in Miami for the crunch game against Brazil.

Brazil are through already barring some very extreme results and there is the hope they will send out a second-string team against my country, but it is only a hope.

I suspect the Brazilians will want to send a statement to their competitors in the future, so anything could happen. When we get to the final games of the group stage it is going to get very complicated.

To some degree this is when the World Cup really starts, there will be real jeopardy at last, which is as it should be.

I am also looking forward to seeing the French team again for a variety of reasons. Going forward, they look unstoppable and very entertaining. These competitions do however evolve and change with many unexpected twists and turns.

It seems likely France will go deep into the latter stages but you cannot take anything for granted. An injury to Kylian Mbappe or Michael Olise might have a huge negative effect even if they have some very special players ready and waiting to step into the breach.