Huge investment | Sports Daily Newsletter

Howie Roseman took a flier on Jordan Mailata in 2018, expending a seventh-round draft pick on a gigantic Australian rugby player who did not know much about football. That gamble has paid off in a big way. Mailata is now a 6-foot-8, 365-pound anchor on the Eagles’ offensive line at left tackle, and the team is rewarding him with a three-year, $66 million contract extension, according to league sources.

Mailata will earn roughly $22 million a year with the extension — up from the $16 million annually he was earning on his previous contract — making him the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid tackle in terms of average annual value.

Last season was a bit of a washout for Avonte Maddox as the veteran cornerback missed 13 regular-season games with a torn pectoral muscle. The Eagles released Maddox from his previous contract before the start of the new league year, making him a free agent, but he’ll back with the team after all. A source says Maddox has agreed to a one-year contract, giving the Eagles another option in the competition for the starting nickel cornerback role.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Joel Embiid’s return will have a bigger impact on the 76ers than simple counting stats. Like all of the greats, his presence has the potential to open up the floor for teammates and make the game easier. One Sixers shooter, Buddy Hield, is hoping that comes to fruition as he awaits the final stretch run and the first NBA playoff appearance of his career.

“I just think he does provide open looks,” Hield said. “He’s just so good in the short roll, and his big body, and he’s always [being double-teamed, so] teams overlook guys and you just have to be ready for the catch-and-shoot.”

Embiid had 29 points in Thursday’s win over the Miami Heat, a key victory that could help the Sixers bypass the Play-In Tournament.

Next: The Sixers continue their final road trip of the regular season against the Memphis Grizzlies at 8 p.m. Saturday (NBCSP+).

Ask the cold, soggy folks who waited through an interminable rain delay and then endured a bone-chilling Phillies loss on Wednesday how they feel about baseball in April. Probably the same way David Murphy does. If you turned on the television on Wednesday night, he writes, you may have seen why the Phillies seem to spend every April waiting for May.

Rob Thomson says he will let Brandon Marsh prove he can hit lefties, but the manager’s actions will convey his feelings about him as an everyday player. Scott Lauber has that and more observations coming off the Phillies’ 2-4 start.

Next: The Phillies open their first road series of the season at 6:45 tonight against the Nationals (NBCSP+). Aaron Nola (0-1, 12.46 ERA) will start against Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin (0-0, 8.31).

How does a team that lost five players to the WNBA last year — including three first-round draft picks — not just stay great, but go 36-0 this season? With nine wins over ranked teams? And in the ever-mighty SEC? The biggest reason why is pretty simple. It’s the Gamecocks’ Eagles jersey-wearing coach, the one whose North Philly accent is unmistakable. Dawn Staley is back in the Final Four, seeking her third NCAA title. And this might be her best coaching job yet.

The other side of the bracket features a marquee matchup in Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. The magnitude of the moment isn’t lost on the players or their coaches, Lisa Bluder and the Norristown-raised Geno Auriemma.

You know the age-old adage in football: If you have two quarterbacks, you really have none. For a long time, the same formula applied to hockey goalies.

But while the NHL has shifted more to goalie tandems, when the games matter most late in the regular season and the playoffs, you’d better have The Guy. Right now, the Flyers don’t have one, with Samuel Ersson struggling and newcomer Ivan Fedotov boasting just over two periods worth of NHL experience. Who will John Tortorella turn to? These type of goaltending dilemmas are par for the course in this city.

The playoff race is heating up and while most teams might opt for the comforts of home, Tortorella and his players are embracing the road and actually see it as a benefit. The numbers back them up.

Next: The Flyers return to the ice tonight at 7 in Buffalo looking to snap their five-game losing streak (NBCSP).

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be in the main event at WrestleMania on Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field. It’s just 75 miles from Bethlehem Freedom High School, where he got his start as a high school football player. The Rock still holds his coach there, the late Jody Cwik, close to his heart. Matt Breen has the story.

We asked you: Who are your picks to win the men’s and women’s national titles? Among your responses:

Right now I think the Women’s Final Four is drawing more attention than the men’s. Quite a few of the women are superb athletes who would probably do well in a men’s game. I have to root for South Carolina not just for Dawn, but because my grandson is a senior there. I think SC will beat North Carolina State but lose to Iowa, who will beat UConn. In the men’s Final Four I think Purdue will beat N.C. State but lose to UConn in the final. But whatever happens, both finals should be very exciting. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Scott Lauber, Mike Sielski, Lochlahn March, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Matt Breen, Aaron Carter, Jeff Neiburg, and Isabella DiAmore.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That finishes off another week of Sports Daily. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you Monday. — Jim