Sports briefs
In the NFL
A reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will make his initial court appearance in Ohio on rape and kidnapping charges next month after waiving his arraignment in the case.
Josh Sills, an undrafted free agent who appeared in just one game this season, was scheduled to appear in Guernsey County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 16. He instead chose to waive his appearance, and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. Sills remains free on a $25,000 cash bond he posted and he’s is due to appear at a pretrial hearing March 9.
The rookie, who played at West Virginia and Oklahoma State, was indicted Jan. 31 by a Guernsey County grand jury. His attorney, Michael Connick, has said the allegations are false and that Sills will be aggressively defended.
• New Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon started clearing up some much-needed salary cap space.
The Titans announced they released three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan for a failed physical and also released veteran wide receiver Robert Woods and kicker Randy Bullock.
Lewan, the 11th pick overall in the 2014 draft out of Michigan, tore his right ACL last September. He tore the same ACL in 2020 and has played only 20 games combined over the past three seasons. The nine-year veteran had been due $14.8 million in the final year of his contract.