CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers have elevated rookie Bryce Young to the No. 1 quarterback spot, a move coach Frank Reich said Thursday is "the next step" in the top pick of this year's draft becoming the Week 1 starter.

While Young, as planned, had gotten more reps than veteran Andy Dalton with the first team during the first two weeks of voluntary offseason workouts, Dalton was listed as the starter and began each drill with the first unit.

That changed this week as the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner continued to show he had earned the respect of teammates and performed at a level worthy of getting first-team reps.

"It's just the next step," Reich said. "We had a couple of weeks to watch Andy. Andy has continued to perform at a very high level. We're just trying to get our team ready. Everything is about what's best for our team, and so this was just the next step."

Reich said that 5-foot-10, 204-pound Young will continue to get the first-team reps during next week's three-day mandatory camp and that Dalton will continue to work with the second team.

He noted this was the timeline he and general manager Scott Fitterer mapped out for the move after making Young the top pick.

Wide receiver DJ Chark, who was on the receiving end of one of Young's patented deep passes Thursday, said Young has been "fantastic" and has earned the respect of "everyone in the locker room."

"Everybody is here for him," Chark said. "And we believe he can take us to some really high places."

Chark said the way the organization has surrounded Young with a veteran offensive line, brought in proven offensive weapons such as himself and put him with a veteran coaching staff has made this "a match made in heaven for [Young]."

Young said being elevated to No. 1 won't change his approach, which has been to go out each day and get better and earn the respect of teammates.

"For me, it's about earning it," Young said. "I'm grateful to have the opportunity that I have. I still think it's a process. I'm grateful to be accepted by the team. It's an amazing locker room, a great group of guys. I want to continue with that.

"It's not something you're just entitled to."

Reich didn't tell Young about the move to No. 1 until the end of last week when they began discussing this week's plan.

"We could have shifted it, we could have moved it up," he said of the timeline. "I really didn't want to move it up because I thought things were going the way we wanted.

"At the end of last week, I pulled Bryce aside and Andy and just said, 'Hey, we talked about this from the beginning. You guys are doing it exactly like we wanted. We're gonna make this switch and move forward.'"

And while the plan is to have Young ready to be the Week 1 starter at Atlanta, Reich isn't ready to make that official until after he has seen Young perform in pads during training camp.

"He's showing everything you want to see," Reich said. "But this goes back to even the draft decision. We don't have to make a decision until you have to make it.

"So, we'll just keep giving him, and our team, the opportunity to get better and to earn that starting role. So far, he and a lot of guys have taken the step needed to earn that spot."

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has promised there will be "churn'' on the team's roster and plenty of it in the weeks ahead.

To that end, veteran defensive end Frank Clark agreed Thursday to a one-year deal with the Broncos, according to multiple team sources. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Clark's deal could be worth up to $7.5 million, including a $5.5 million base salary that is guaranteed.

Clark, who will turn 30 on Wednesday, was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on March 1 when they were unable to find common ground with his agent, Erik Burkhardt, on a reworked contract.

The Broncos have some room on the depth chart on the edge, given that linebacker Baron Browning, who has not participated in the on-field work in OTAs, recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair some cartilage damage and Randy Gregory had an injury-marred season in 2022 that included a knee injury.

Gregory was one of the Broncos' biggest free agent acquisitions a year ago when he was signed to a five-year, $70 million deal. But because of a Week 4 knee injury, Gregory played in just six games and finished with two sacks.

Payton has consistently said the team will make moves to retool a thin roster. The Broncos haven't made the playoffs since their Super Bowl 50 win to close out the 2015 season.

"I've said it, you're going to churn certain position groups based on getting a chance to look at other players,'' Payton said after Thursday's practice.

The Seattle Seahawks traded Clark to the Chiefs in 2019. He played in 58 regular-season games in his four seasons with the Chiefs, totaling 23.5 sacks.

Clark often had his most productive games in the postseason. Clark played in 12 playoff games for the Chiefs and had 10.5 sacks. He had three sacks in a divisional round game against the Houston Texans after the 2019 season. Counting his time with the Seahawks, Clark has 13.5 career postseason sacks, third all time.

Clark was suspended by the NFL for two games during the 2022 season for a violation of the league's personal conduct policy. Clark, in September, pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to two counts of misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon and was sentenced to one year of probation and 40 hours of community service.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, he has 58.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in his career.

ESPN's Adam Teicher contributed to this report.

MIAMI -- Heat guard Tyler Herro still hasn't been cleared to play in the NBA Finals as he continues to recover from a broken right hand, coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday.

Spoelstra said after Thursday's workout that Herro is going through all the necessary steps, but he hasn't been able to clear the final hurdle with Game 4 scheduled for Friday night.

"This is just part of the process," Spoelstra said. "You have to go through stages. First part of it was just shooting, then movement, then contact versus coaches, and then the next level of contact in practice. He has not been cleared for a game, and he is still not cleared yet."

The Heat trail the Denver Nuggets 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Herro, who broke his hand during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16, has been ramping up his workouts for more than a week.

"Obviously, he has been huge in what we have done all year long," Heat star Jimmy Butler said. "But I think his spirits are really high. He is doing everything that he can to come back and help. I don't know where he is in that process, but I see him working. I see him smiling. I see him being around the guys, which is good for him and even better for us.

"We want him out there competing with us. We always have. We always will. But whenever he is ready, he'll be back, and he will be better than ever."

With the shot clock running down, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic spun to his left, took two dribbles, stepped behind the 3-point line with his left foot while twisting his body to face the basket, cocked the ball behind his head and released a high-arching, one-legged fadeaway just over the outstretched 7-foot-6 wingspan of Los Angeles Lakers star big man Anthony Davis.

"Bang!"

ESPN play-by-play commentator Mike Breen shouted a few seconds later, his trademark call punctuating Jokic's clutch shot in the Western Conference finals closeout game that left the Lakers players, fans inside Crypto.com Arena and a TV audience of millions shocked because of its high degree of difficulty.

Dirk Nowitzki, however, was not surprised.

Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks' legend, Hall of Fame Class of 2023 member and godfather of the one-legged fadeaway, wasn't watching live as the Nuggets punched their ticket on May 22 to the franchise's first NBA Finals. Traveling internationally with family, Nowitzki has limited his recent viewing of the playoffs to catching highlights the next morning.

"[Jokic's] got a knack for making tough shots, so I was not really surprised that he ended up making that," Nowitzki told ESPN. "He can put the release point all the way behind his head and then shoot it super high in the air with unbelievable mark."

The "Sombor Sling" -- the nickname Nuggets coach Michael Malone and some local media members coined to describe the unforgettable bucket against the Lakers -- plays off of the "Sombor Shuffle," Jokic's signature move that is often compared to Nowitzki's fade.

Those types of shots, often delivered after the defense appears to have taken away all the decent options for Jokic, tend to deflate entire arenas while delivering staggering blows to even the best players in the league.

"I'm happy for him. He's amazing, one of the best players in the world," Nowitzki said. "And he's showing that right now on this stage."

Jokic's ability to make unorthodox look easy was on full display in the West finals, when the two-time MVP splashed a series of incredibly difficult shots just before the shot-clock or end-of-quarter buzzer while the Nuggets swept the Lakers.

"Even when you guard him for one of the best possessions that you think you can guard him," Lakers superstar forward LeBron James said, "he puts the ball behind his head Larry Bird-style and shoots it 50 feet in the air and it goes in, like he did four or five times this series."

James was draped all over Jokic when the center swished a bailout 26-foot stepback fadeaway in the second quarter of Game 4.

"So you do like this to him," James said postgame, taking the cap off his head and tipping it.

Jokic shot 63.2% from the floor during the regular season, a figure typically seen only from centers whose shot diet consists primarily of dunks and putbacks, despite frequently taking jumpers and floaters that are considered tough shots for even the purest of sharpshooters.

According to NBA.com tracking data, 727 of Jokic's 1,022 field goal attempts during the regular season qualified as tightly contested. He made a preposterous 64.6% of those shots. Jokic's efficiency has dipped a bit during this playoff run but remains elite, particularly for a player averaging 30.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 10.1 assists. He's shooting 54.6% from the floor and 57.7% on tightly contested shots, several of which have been some variation of Nowitzki's one-legged jumper and many coming with just seconds remaining on the shot or game clock.

In Jokic's mind, there's a benefit to having the ball in a situation where he needs to beat the buzzer. It eliminates any hesitation Jokic, a pass-first big man averaging a triple-double during the playoffs, might have to let it fly. All he has to do from there is figure out how to get up a shot, which often results in unorthodox releases.

"It's so easy to shoot when you know you've got to shoot it, so you just find a way to shoot it," Jokic said after sweeping the Lakers, recalling a possession late in Game 4 when he was called for a charge after driving instead of taking an open 3.

"Being off balance -- I'm off balance my whole life, so that's kind of normal for me."

Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway is such an iconic shot that it's honored both inside and outside Dallas' American Airlines Center. Silhouettes of the shot have been featured on the Mavericks' floor -- located in the midrange areas above the right blocks, one of his favorite spots -- since the season following Nowitzki's retirement after 2018-19. A nearly 24-foot white bronze statue of the shot was unveiled in the plaza in front of the arena on Dec. 25 this season.

Nowitzki's fadeaway was always launched off his left leg. The Sombor Shuffle, which Jokic developed in 2017 during shooting workouts while recovering from a sprained left ankle, is launched off his right foot.

"It's just something that works for him," Nowitzki said. "I never liked shooting off that right foot on that one. I thought I felt it was super hard for me just to coordinate. It was easier off the left foot, but it actually looks pretty smooth for him off the right leg.

"There's no way to get to it [as a defender] 'cause he's also 7 feet and moving away from the defender on that shot. It's just impossible to get to."

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, one of several players in the league who has incorporated Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway into his arsenal, said with a mix of admiration and disdain that he "hates" when Jokic hits such unorthodox shots.

"It's like, 'Oh yeah, that's a miss,' and then it goes straight in," Durant said after Jokic scored 53 points in the Nuggets' Game 4 loss in Phoenix, a performance highlighted by several tightly contested jumpers and floaters launched with unconventional angles and footwork. "He's incredible."

Nowitzki's fadeaway off the left foot has become part of Jokic's repertoire, along with all sorts of feathery midrange shots set up by unique footwork.

"He has the balance," Nowitzki said. "He's got the touch for it. He's got the high release point. He's got all the things you need to shoot that shot well. He found that.

"Obviously he's not the fastest, most athletic guy. It's not as easy to keep driving by people and grind all the time. That's just the shot that he can get off at any time, and he makes it look super easy."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Payments to minor leaguers in the $185 million settlement by Major League Baseball of a suit alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws are being held up over an appeal filed by four objectors to the attorneys fees specified in the deal.

Former minor leaguers Daniel Concepcion, Anthony Garcia, Sidney Duprey Conde and Aldemar Burgos are challenging the settlement filed with the court last July that was approved by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero in March. They want $6.5 million of the $55.5 million in attorneys fees reallocated to a certain class of player and asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide in their favor.

Spero ruled Wednesday the objectors have 45 days to submit to depositions with the lawyers who filed the suit.

"Objectors' counsel has repeatedly made the frivolous assertion that the appeal will not delay implementation of the settlement agreement -- a gross misrepresentation of the terms of the settlement agreement that may also have been made to the objectors," Spero wrote in a four-page order.

"These indicia that the objectors' appeal may be lawyer-driven and/or based on misconceptions about basic facts related to the terms of the settlement agreement provide a sufficient basis to support plaintiffs' request for an order compelling the depositions of the appealing objectors."

Under terms of the settlement, about 24,000 players are potentially eligible to share the money, with estimated payments to players averaging in the $5,000 to $5,500 range.

The settlement covers all players with minor league contracts who played in the California League for at least seven straight days starting on Feb. 7, 2010, through the settlement's preliminary approval last Aug. 26; players who participated in spring training, extended spring training or instructional leagues in Florida from Feb. 7, 2009, through last Aug. 26; and players who participated in spring training, extended spring training or instructional leagues in Arizona from Feb. 7, 2011, through last Aug. 26.

The New York Yankees placed left-hander Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left rotator cuff strain.

The designation is retroactive to Monday for Cortes, 28, who is 5-2 with a 5.16 ERA through 11 starts.

A first-time All-Star in 2022, Cortes has struck out 59 batters, walked 19 and allowed 10 homers in 59⅓ innings this season.

The Yankees recalled southpaw Matt Krook from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding transaction.

Krook, 28, has been pitching in the minors since 2016 and has yet to make his MLB debut. He is 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 13 relief appearances this season for the RailRiders.

After two laps in the Diamond League in France this week, British runner might tackle one lap at England U23 Champs

Keely Hodgkinson opens her season over 800m at the Diamond League in Paris on Friday (June 9) but the 21-year-old could follow this with an appearance over 400m at the England Athletics Under-23 Championships on June 17-18.

Earlier this year her coach, Trevor Painter, suggested that the 400m at the European Under-23 Championships in Finland in mid-July could act as a stepping stone ahead of racing 800m at the World Championships in Budapest in August.

Speaking at her press conference ahead of her race in Paris, Hodgkinson confirmed a 400m run-out at the England Champs is a possibility next week. The event looks almost certain to be in Chelmsford but could possibly move to Woodford due to organisers rushing to get the track ready following refurbishment.

Hodgkinson, the Olympic and world 800m silver medallist behind Athing Mu of the United States, has a 400m best of 52.41 which was set when finishing fifth at the British Championships in 2022. She also ran 52.42 last year when finishing runner-up to Jessie Knight at the British Indoor Champs.

It is not unheard of for 800m runners to drop down in distance at the European Under-23 Championships. Yuriy Borzakovskiy, for example, won 400m gold at these under-23 championships in 2001 before taking Olympic 800m gold in Athens three years later.

But first comes Hodgkinson’s 800m in Paris and she said: “I’m really looking for tomorrow and raring to go.”

As for her likely time? “I’ll let my legs do my talking but training has been going well and I’m looking forward to starting my season with a bang.”

“I’d be really happy if I could PB and also make the world podium, perhaps even become a world champion, who knows?” @keelyhodgkinson is in confident mood as she kicks off her outdoor season over 800m at @meetingparis ?

She had an amazing indoor season ?️

?️ @stuartweir pic.twitter.com/sgRfKhkKkl

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) June 8, 2023

In Paris she faces Ajee’ Wilson, Raevyn Rogers, Halima Nakaayi, Noelie Yarigo and Catriona Bisset, among others.

Earlier this year she set a world indoor 600m best of 83.41 in Manchester and said: “I forgot it was this year as it seems so long ago! I’ve worked very hard since then and am hoping to run really well this summer.”

Why is she opening her season relatively late in early June? Hodgkinson says she ended the indoor season feeling a little tired with some minor niggles. But training has gone well since and she is due to race in Lausanne on June 30 and also the London Diamond League on July 23.

Painter told AW: “We’ve definitely upped things in training. I’m hoping there will be some fast times and commanding races but we don’t want to see one-horse races. We want some challenges.”

The 400m aside, will Hodgkinson ever move up to 1500m? “She’s very reluctant and she is more of a 400m-800m runner right now. It’ll be a few years yet. Maybe LA (Olympics 2028) and onwards. Perhaps we can tempt her into it if she gets bored of the 800m and we can move her up.”

He added: “She definitely has the skills for it. If she ran one now she’d run about 4:04-05 but with more training maybe sub-4. Who knows. We have to persuade her to do it first.”

On coaching Hodgkinson, Painter describes her as a “gem to work with” and adds: “Whatever we say she never shirks it. She rolls her sleeve up and gets it done. She is also fantastic at being composed in races.”

Keep an eye out on the AW social media channels for video interviews with Hodgkinson and Painter by Stuart Weir in Paris

One year before French capital hosts the greatest show on earth, Friday’s Diamond League will act as a brilliant apéritif

The Diamond League in Paris on Friday (June 9) features line-ups that are every bit as strong as some of the Olympic finals we will see in the same French capital next year. Brits in action include Keely Hogkinson, Laura Muir and Dina Asher-Smith, while international stars include Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Faith Kipyegon, both of whom will be outside their comfort zone in events they don’t usually do.

“Running here is going to be amazing with one year to go before the Olympics,” said Asher-Smith at the pre-event press conferences on Thursday. “It’s an amazing opportunity. I know this might sound controversial but it’s only an hour from London it feels like a home Olympics. There are good vibes for next year and good vibes for tomorrow.”

Asher-Smith faces Abbey Steiner, Gabby Thomas, Marie-Josée Ta Lou and others in the 200m while Hodgkinson takes on Ajee’ Wilson, Raevyn Rogers, Halima Nakaayi, Noelie Yarigo, Catriona Bisset, to name a few, in her summer debut over 800m.

Muir, meanwhile, is in the most intriguing race of all as she tackles the 5000m for the first time in several years as she aims to smash her PB of 14:49.12, which was set indoors in 2017.

Also in the field is Kipyegon, fresh from her 3:49.11 world 1500m record in Florence. Like Muir she is making a rare step-up in distance, too, although she says it is part of a plan to eventually move to the marathon.

“It was a really beautiful night and smashing that record,” said Kipyegon, whose PB of 14:31.95 dates back to 2015. “I’m expecting a good race but I’m nervous as it’s really long and eight years since I ran it seriously. I want to graduate to 5000m first and upgrade slowly and slowly to the marathon in the future. I don’t know when or where but I have in my mind it will happen some day.”

An incredible field also sees world 5000m, 10,000m and half-marathon record-holder Letesenbet Gidey take part in her first race since her dramatic collapse at the end of the World Cross Country Championships in February.

The line-up also includes world steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, world 5km record-holder Ejgayehu Taye, world indoor 3000m champion Lemlem Hailu of Ethiopia, 2019 world silver medallist Margaret Kipkemboi, world cross bronze medallist Agnes Ngetich and North American 10,000m record-holder Alicia Monson

An expected crowd of 18,000 at the Stade Charlety will also see Jakob Ingebrigtsen attack Daniel Komen’s world two miles record of 7:58.61, which was set in Hechtel in 1997. Failing that, the European best is held by Mo Farah with 8:07.85, set in Birmingham in 2014.

Can the Olympic 1500m champion run two consecutive sub-four-minute miles? His opposition includes world under-20 cross-country champion Ishmael Kipkirui and recent Night of the 10,000m PBs winner Paul Chelimo.

After missing recent races with small injury issues, Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs takes on world 200m champion Noah Lyles, plus Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya, in the 100m. World 100m champion Fred Kerley is a notable absentee, though, with Jacobs saying on Thursday: “This thing ( recent trash talk) I have with Fred is a lot of fun as it gets people talking about a sport that needs more visibility. It’s good to have some hype.”

McLaughlin-Levrone, the world 400m hurdles record-holder from the United States, faces world No.1 Marileidy Paulino of Dominican Republic in her specialist event – the flat 400m. Watch out too for 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who is improving with every race following a suspension due to missing drugs tests. US heptathlete Anna Hall and Britain’s Ama Pipi are also in the race.

McLaughlin-Levrone said: “Everyone is expecting crazy, amazing things but my goal is to open up my season healthily and strong and see where I’m at as we continue to progress through 2023.”

Hall is also in the women’s high jump along with Brit Morgan Lake, American Vashti Cunningham and Australian Nicola Olyslagers, while French decathlon star Kevin Mayer is in a ‘triathlon’ (long jump, sprint hurdles and shot put).

Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, who broke Komen’s world indoor 3000m record earlier this year, is looking for a fast time in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Maybe the world record of 7:53.63 could be under danger too.

As if all this isn’t entertaining enough, there will be breakdancing exhibitions in between the track and field action ahead of that sport’s Olympic debut in Paris in 2024.

Czech player Karolina Muchova became one of the lowest ranked players to reach the French Open women's final as she edged a thriller against Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Muchova, 26, will play either Polish top seed Iga Swiatek or Brazilian 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia on Saturday.

Defending champion Swiatek faces Haddad Maia in Thursday's second semi-final.

Sabalenka's exit means 22-year-old Swiatek will remain world number one, a position she has held for 62 consecutive weeks, if she beats Haddad Maia and reaches the final.

Sabalenka, 25, served for the match in the decider but was overcome with tension as Muchova kept her composure to win an epic in three hours 13 minutes.

"I don't really know what happened," Muchova said. "It is unbelievable. I tried to keep fighting and it worked. I'm so happy."

Muchova keeps nerve as Sabalenka loses hers

Before play started on women's semi-finals day, many expected Swiatek would be trying to set up another final against Sabalenka when she walked out on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The pair have been the two dominant players in the world this year, already contested the Stuttgart and Madrid finals on clay, and both moved serenely through the Roland Garros draw to the last four.

But, in an unexpected twist, Australian Open champion Sabalenka came unstuck against the unheralded Muchova, who fell down the rankings after being ravaged by injuries.

Muchova reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 2021 before the physical problems stalled her progress, but has reminded everyone at Roland Garros of her undoubted talent.

Playing with her usual variety, Muchova caused problems for Sabalenka throughout and also showed her resilience to hang in when it looked as though she was heading towards defeat.

Sabalenka had started stronger in the decider, Muchova fighting off four break points for 1-1 before the Czech lost serve to trail 4-2.

Knowing two holds of serve would be enough to see her through, Sabalenka moved 5-2 ahead but was unable to close out victory when Muchova saved a match point.

But, serving for the set, Sabalenka became tight - an old failing which resurfaced at the worst possible time as she aimed to reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals.

A poor game allowed Muchova to restore parity, more nerves creeping in for Sabalenka when she served for a 6-5 lead.

From a commanding position of 40-15, the Belarusian produced back-to-back double faults, hit a heavy backhand long and then made another error to hand momentum to her opponent.

Muchova, with the crowd now behind her, retained her composure and served out to love before taking the warm acclaim of the Chatrier crowd.

A South Florida judge has denied a request from attorneys representing Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend to rehear a residential dispute that challenged a non-disclosure and acknowledgement agreement between Woods and Erica Herman.

Last month, a Martin Country (Fla.) judge upheld the NDA between Woods and Herman and in a three-paragraph ruling issued Monday, judge Elizabeth Metzger denied Herman’s request for a rehearing.

Herman’s attorney had argued that “the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that a party cannot be forced to arbitrate without a finding that she agreed to do so, which means that in this case – with no evidence in the record – arbitration should not be compelled, or, at a minimum, an evidentiary hearing should be held.”

Her attorneys also argued that she never conceded “the existence of an agreement to arbitrate,” but in Metzger’s 11-page ruling last month she held that Herman’s claims of authenticity of the NDA were not enough to force an evidentiary hearing.

Herman sued Woods and the trust that owns his South Florida mansion for $30 million, the amount of rent she said she would have to pay for a similar piece of beachfront property for six years.