NFL Player News

The two rotated throughout the preseason, with Newton getting the nod in the pivotal third tuneup. The Texans scored two TDs on his two possessions. He’s a downgrade from Eric Winston, but the Texans still field one of the game’s premier zone-blocking offensive lines. Butler sticks as a quality swing tackle.

Dobbins will have a chance to practice and suit up for the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots, something head coach Sean Payton hinted at earlier this month. Dobbins suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week 10 and has been sidelined ever since. Dobbins has rushed 153 times for 772 yards and four touchdowns this season while averaging an impressive 5.0 YPC. How this week of practice goes will likely be the deciding factor in whether or not the Broncos choose to activate him from injured reserve, but with Bo Nix (ankle) already out for the remainder of the playoffs, they will take any help they can get from other playmakers.

It was truly a storied courtship as the Lions ... never were directly reported to have interviewed Petzing. We’re not sure who Petzing’s agent is, but he needs to put in some work with the #sources next go around. It’s possible that Kevin Stefanski’s elevation to Falcons head coach hurried this hire along, as Petzing coached under Stefanski in Cleveland and would have been a potential offensive coordinator candidate for the Falcons as well. Petzing did not exactly oversee a complex and exciting offense in Arizona as both Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. flatlined, though he did oversee the renaissance of the Jacoby Brissett Pass Yards Machine as well. We’re surprised this is the direction the Lions went, but as long as Dan Campbell is overseeing things, it’s hard to drastically downgrade the Lions skill position players for fantasy purposes.

“This wasn’t about Schoen; the coach definitely feels he can work with the GM. Harbaugh wanted the ability to impact the entire operation, from security to training to analytics to media relations to staff size to assistant salaries to relocation expenses to you name it. And yes, in the unlikely event there’s a stalemate on draft day between Harbaugh and Schoen, there’s no longer any question who will prevail,” O’Connor writes. Well then. Joe Schoen begins the Harbaugh Era as a convenient scapegoat the second it takes more than a year to get things going in the right direction. What could go wrong for him?

The Raiders continue to roll through interviews in hopes of securing a head coach who can last more than 1.5 seasons at the helm — something that hasn’t been done since Jon Gruden was with the team from 2018 to 2021. Kubiak hasn’t fielded too many interview requests this coaching cycle, but is also expected to interview with the Steelers in the coming days after the team put in a request last week. Kubiak had his first taste of action as an NFL offensive coordinator this season with the Niners and helped lead the team to the 10th-most points and seventh-most offensive yards this season. One year of experience may not be enough for Kubiak to land a head-coaching job this cycle, but he league is clearly taking notice of the work he’s done, and is likely drawn in by the family bloodlines along with the experience under Kyle Shanahan.

McDaniel has now met with the Browns, Ravens, and Raiders to discuss their head-coaching vacancies and interviewed with the Buccaneers to discuss their opening at offensive coordinator. The former Dolphins coach has plenty of suitors on the open market, but he seems unlikely to take a job as a coordinator until he has explored all possible options for head coaching gigs. McDaniel already has a second interview with the Browns lined up, which will presumably take place later this week.

It’s a lateral move, however, Pitcher would be leaving for a job where he’d actually get to call plays. Head coach Zac Taylor actually gave Pitcher the chance to interview even though he could have blocked it. It’s eye-catching, if nothing else. Pitcher joins a crowded OC interview pool for the Bucs that includes Mike McDaniel, Brian Callahan, Zac Robinson, Mike Kafka, and Todd Monken.

It sounds like he’ll have a good shot at playing in the NFC Championship game against the Rams based on that quote. Cross left the Divisional Round win over the 49ers in the second half and it was said after the game that he likely could have come back if the score wasn’t lopsided.

Macdonald said Charbonnet has “a significant knee injury” and followed that up by saying “he’s got a good long road to come back.” The team later confirmed it as a torn ACL. It’s a tough blow to the third-year back who rushed for a season-high 730 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, and added another 20 receptions for 144 scoreless yards. Charbonnet’s 2025 season is now over, and the severity of his knee injury puts his availability for the start of next season in doubt. Kenneth Walker will likely handle the majority of the backfield workload for the majority of the playoffs and could be a lock to return to the team in 2026 with Charbonnet’s availability now in doubt.

The Dolphins were the first team to interview Sheppard this coaching cycle. The first-year defensive coordinator saw his defense rank 22nd in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed in his first year at the helm, but the Lions again dealt with several injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

Weaver now has second interviews scheduled with both the Ravens and Steelers, and is scheduled to meet with the Ravens on Tuesday. Weaver spent four seasons with the Ravens as a player from 2002 to 2005, and also worked under John Harbaugh from 2021 to 2023. He’s received several head coaching interviews in recent years since joining the coaching ranks, and could finally be on the verge of securing his first head-coaching gig this coaching cycle.