2 weeks agoThe Athletic's Tarran Reed writes that former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders' head-coach job last week, is believed to be the Raiders' backup option at head coach behind Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, according to league sources. That means that Carroll, who also interviewed with the Chicago Bears, could be the favorite after Johnson was hired as the Bears' new head coach on Monday. Carroll has been an NFL head coach three times with the New York Jets (1994), New England Patriots (1997-99) and Seahawks (2010-23) and was also the head coach at USC from 2001-09. If the Raiders hired the 73-year-old, he'd be the oldest head coach in NFL history, but his resume is strong and Vegas is looking for a culture builder to take over.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Tashan Reed
2 weeks agoAccording to ESPN's Ed Werder, the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders run-game coordinator/running backs coach Anthony Lynn have mutual interest in Dallas' open head-coach job. However, with the Commanders upsetting the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round, Dallas won't be able to interview Lynn or Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury for at least another week. Lynn has a history with the Cowboys, serving as their RBs coach in 2005-06 under head coach Bill Parcells. Dallas finished third in rushing touchdowns in 2006 under Lynn thanks to the work of Marion Barber. In addition to his time in Dallas, Lynn was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers and went 33-31 in his four years at the helm. The Cowboys are searching for a new head coach this offseason after letting Mike McCarthy go after five years following the 2024 season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - Ed Werder
2 weeks agoAccording to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jacksonville Jaguars will hold in-person, second interviews this week for their vacant head-coaching position with former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Saleh's second meeting with the team will come on Friday. He has also interviewed for the head-coaching jobs for the Raiders and Cowboys. If Saleh does not get the head-coaching gig in Jacksonville, he could return to San Francisco to be the defensive coordinator for the 49ers in a second stint. In a surprising move, the New York Jets fired Saleh in 2024 after just five games. The Jaguars are looking to replace Doug Pederson, who was fired right after the regular season after two years at the helm.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoThe New Orleans Saints are setting up an in-person interview with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy sometime this week, a source told NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill. After parting way with the Cowboys last week, McCarthy has become a popular head-coaching candidate around the league and interviewed for the Chicago Bears' head-coach job over the weekend. McCarthy has history in New Orleans after serving as the team's offensive coordinator under head coach Jim Haslett from 2000-04. He then was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers before going 125-77-2 with a Super Bowl title in his tenure as the Green Bay Packers head coach. In his five seasons as the Cowboys' head coach, McCarthy went 49-35, but his failure in the postseason is ultimately what led to Dallas moving on.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NewOrleans.Football - Nick Underhill
2 weeks agoNFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Indianapolis Colts are expected to hire former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo as their new defensive coordinator. It's a big hire for head coach Shane Steichen's staff, and Anarumo will take over for Gus Bradley, who was fired after the 2024 season. The Colts defense was a disappointment under Bradley this year, falling to 29th in yards allowed per game (361.2). Anarumo also struggled in 2024 with the Bengals -- they finished 26th in point allowed per drive and 30th in red-zone efficiency -- but the 58-year-old coach has built impressive defenses in Cincy in past seasons. He's known for his creativity in disguising coverages and being aggressive with his blitz packages.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson writes that the Denver Broncos are not expected to re-sign impending free-agent running back
Javonte Williams this offseason. Williams, a former second-round pick in 2021 out of North Carolina, entered the 2024 season as the team's unquestioned lead back, but poor efficiency on the ground led to the Broncos going with a committee approach in the backfield halfway through the year that also involved
Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie
Audric Estime. The 24-year-old came into the NFL as a bruising, tackle-breaking lead-back option for Denver, but since suffering a torn ACL in his sophomore season in 2022, he has not been the same, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry while combining for 1,287 rushing yards and only seven rushing TDs the last two seasons. Despite leading Denver with 513 rushing yards in 2024, Williams will likely struggle to find a lead-back role on the open market.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Denver Gazette - Chris Tomasson
2 weeks agoHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that it's too early to place a timetable on whether wide receiver
Tank Dell (knee) will be able to play in 2025. Ryans won't speculate on whether the Texans will be searching for another receiver this offseason because of Dell's serious injury. In the Dec. 21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the 25-year-old second-year wideout tore his ACL, MCL and LCL, dislocated his knee and suffered damage to his meniscus. He underwent the first of multiple surgeries last week, and it's very possible that he won't be able to play at all in the 2025 regular season. If Dell makes it back, he also might never be the same on the football field for the Texans as an explosive downfield threat in the passing attack. We should know more about his status for next season once training camp rolls around. Dell finished 2024 with 51 catches (81 targets) for 667 yards and three TDs in 14 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Jonathan M. Alexander
2
weeks
agoPhiladelphia
Eagles
quarterback
Jalen
Hurts
(knee)
injured
his
left
knee
and
was
in
the
medical
tent
briefly
in
Sunday's
Divisional
Round
win
against
the
visiting
Los
Angeles
Rams.
Although
Hurts
returned
to
the
game,
head
coach
Nick
Sirianni
didn't
have
much
of
an
read more...
2 weeks agoPer ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears are finalizing a deal to hire former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach. Well, that happened fast. Just two days after falling to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round, Johnson is on the move. The South Carolina native took over as OC for the Lions in 2022 and has excelled in his role. Over that three-season stretch, Detroit has averaged a league-best 29 points per game, finishing fifth (26.6), fifth (27.4), and first (33.1) in that time. He'll now head to Chicago and work with sophomore quarterback
Caleb Williams and young, talented wideouts
D.J. Moore and
Rome Odunze. Johnson was considered one of the top coaching candidates on the market last winter, and he's finally in transit to his former division foes.
--Alex CiullaSource: Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoBuffalo Bills wide receiver
Mack Hollins hauled in 1-of-2 targets for 12 yards in Sunday night's 27-25 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Hollins saw a target on the Bills' first play from scrimmage -- a deep shot up the left sideline ~30 yards down-field that quarterback
Josh Allen put just beyond his fingertips. Though, it is worth noting that he short-armed it a bit. The 31-year-old's next -- and last target -- would come midway through the fourth, and he was fired up about it after gaining a first down. With Allen attempting just 22 passes and Buffalo's ground game scoring all three touchdowns, he and the other pass-catchers were not needed much besides fellow wideout
Khalil Shakir (6/67). He'll get another shot at production against the Chiefs in the Conference Championship but will be tough to trust as a reliable option with only two post-season receptions.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoBuffalo Bills placekicker
Tyler Bass connected on all three extra-point attempts and both field goal tries in his team's 27-25 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Bass has been excellent since the calendar turned to December, with a missed extra point being his only blemish since Week 16. The 27-year-old failed to connect on ten total attempts in 2024 (five field goals) but went 4-for-4 on tries of 50+, including a 61-yarder. Even in the snow, he was able to drill one through from 51 yards out. With a Conference Championship bout on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon, the sixth-year pro should be afforded plenty more opportunities to knock through some kicks. The Bills and Chiefs matchup features a healthy 48-point over/under.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoWhen asked about wide receiver
Mecole Hardman's (knee) status for their meeting with the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid remarked, "We'll see how that goes," per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com. "I haven't made any decisions on that yet," said Reid -- "He's worked hard to try and get himself back." Hardman has been shelved since early December after sustaining a knee injury at practice that required cleanup surgery. The Georgia native appeared in 12 games, recording only 12 catches and 90 yards -- sans a touchdown. However, he was a valuable kick returner for the team, averaging 13.4 yards per touch on special teams. Hardman returned to practice last week in a limited capacity, but it appears like he's not yet ready for in-game action. With Kansas City squaring off against Buffalo on Sunday night, we'll see if he can elevate his practice status ahead of the Chiefs' first injury report on Wednesday.
--Alex CiullaSource: Charles Goldman
2 weeks agoDetroit Lions defensive back Amik Robertson (arm) underwent surgery to fix the broken humerus he suffered in the team's 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders this past Saturday. The NFL's Tom Pelissero reported the news. The sixth-year DB picked up the injury early on in the contest while tackling Commanders' wideout
Terry McLaurin. Though he was initially deemed questionable to return, Robertson would later be ruled out. The Louisiana Tech product was coming off one of his better seasons as a pro, notching 50 tackles and forcing three fumbles. Reportedly, the surgery was a success, and per Pelissero -- he's expected to be ready for offseason workouts.
--Alex CiullaSource: Tom Pelissero
2 weeks agoBaltimore Ravens tight end
Isaiah Likely stepped up again with
Zay Flowers (knee) missing another playoff game but it ultimately wasn't enough as they fell by two points to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Likely ended the game with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown on five targets. While he wasn't the most targeted out of all of the pass-catchers, he did lead them in yards with one fewer reception than
Mark Andrews. Likely had more than a few flashes of brilliance this season which could have earned him some more snaps heading into the 2025 season. A lot will depend on the off-season moves that the Ravens make to try to get over the hump in the playoffs.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoBaltimore Ravens wide receiver
Rashod Bateman registered the best season of his career and capped it off with another touchdown in the loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The fourth-year wideout out of Minnesota finished the game with four receptions on five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown which brought his total to 11 touchdowns between the regular and postseason. Most of his damage came in the first half along with his 16-yard catch that kicked off all of the scoring in the opening drive. Bateman still has another year left on his contract, so he's likely looking at more of the same role going into the 2025 season.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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