NFL Player News

Stribling (6’1/188) made 18 starts in four years as a Wolverine, breaking out as a senior boundary corner for team highs in pass breakups (17) and interceptions (4) en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors. PFF College charted Stribling with an anemic 22.7 passer rating and one touchdown pass allowed in 2016. Stribling proceeded to bomb the Combine, running 4.60 and posting sub-1st-percentile SPARQ results. Stribling was a non-factor in run defense at Michigan and managed five bench-press reps in Indy. He’s a good college player who doesn’t profile as an NFL corner.

Monken hasn’t parted ways with the Ravens quite yet, but there’s no way he’ll stay on with the team after John Harbaugh was fired in part for refusing to fire Monken. Monken’s Ravens offense was one of the league’s most efficient units over the past few seasons. His work with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland for one season could make Monken an appealing hire for a Bucs team looking to right the offensive ship after a rocky second half of the 2025 season.

It’s Daboll’s first head coaching interview request since being fired by the Giants in November following a 2-8 start to the season. Daboll’s tenure with New York got off to a solid start but quickly crumbled, turning into one of the NFL’s most toxic situations. Perhaps his work with a young Josh Allen in Buffalo is appealing to a Titans franchise looking for a head coach who can maximize Cam Ward after an uneven rookie season.

Schultz fell victim to a defensive struggle as the game entered the fourth quarter with the Texans nursing a 7-6 lead before two defensive scores broke things wide open. The veteran tight end has a good chance to step into increased usage considering the concussion suffered by alpha wide receiver Nico Collins, particularly considering the tight end-funnel matchup against the Patriots in the Divisional Round.

Kirk served as quarterback C.J. Stroud’s primary option throughout as alpha wide receiver Nico Collins drew lockdown shadow coverage from standout corner Joey Porter Jr. That role only grew in the fourth quarter following Collins’ departure due to a concussion, an ailment that has a good chance of keeping him sidelined through the team’s Divisional Round matchup against the Patriots next weekend. Jayden Higgins will likely step into the primary perimeter role in the absence of Collins after catching 3-of-4 targets for 39 yards against the Steelers, while Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel split WR3 duties.

Marks was the primary engine of the offense against a stout Pittsburgh defensive front, keeping the wheels turning throughout to eventually find himself with a career-high 99 yards with under five minutes left to play. He would break through in a big way and eclipse the 100-yard threshold for the first time in his career on his final touch of the game, taking a handoff 13 yards to the house to send the Steelers into their offseason. Furthermore, he handled the vast majority of the backfield work in the absence of Jawhar Jordan, with veteran Nick Chubb doing most of the heavy lifting with the game in hand in the fourth quarter. Chubb ended with a respectable 48 yards on 10 carries. Marks could be tasked with another robust workload when the Texans travel to face the Patriots in Foxboro, which presents yet another difficult matchup on the ground for the rookie back.

The final score does not tell the full story for Stroud in this one as the veteran signal caller put the ball on the ground a ridiculous five times, losing two of them, in addition to his interception in the red zone. The three turnovers kept the Steelers in the game, with the Texans nursing a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter before their defense broke open the dam with two defensive scores in the final frame. To his credit, Stroud did manage to lead the team down the field without alpha wide receiver Nico Collins to ice the game late, although the Pittsburgh defense was completely gassed at that point in the game. Stroud will assuredly need to play better football if the Texans want to avoid being sent packing when they square off against the Patriots in Foxboro in the Divisional Round next weekend, a game he could be forced to play without Collins considering he immediately entered the concussion protocol late Monday.

Typically known for his splash play potential and downfield chops, Austin took on more of a facilitator role for a Steelers team ranked in the bottom five in the league in explosive pass rate in 2025. He notched only four receptions of 20 or more yards in his third professional season. Austin remains under contract for one more year in Pittsburgh in what is sure to be a season full of change for the franchise, leaving him with little fantasy value outside of deep Best Ball leagues.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith couldn’t help but lobby for the Steelers to add Smith this offseason after previously working with the veteran tight end in Atlanta, seemingly hoarding tight ends with very particular skillsets for his Mickey Mouse offense. Smith’s 2025 season ends with his fewest receptions (38), yards (222), and touchdowns (two) since an injury-shortened 2022 season. He remains tied to a Steelers team with no shortage of potential offseason movement through the 2026 season, leaving an uncertain fantasy profile through the offseason.

The five-year veteran tight end returned the lowest reception and yardage total of his professional career other than his injury-shortened 2023 campaign, catching just 41 balls for 486 yards and four touchdowns. The offseason addition of Jonnu Smith simply cut into both his snap and route participation rates for Arthur Smith’s tight end-heavy offense, even with the team ranking third in rate of offensive plays with multiple tight ends on the field. Darnell Washington led the position group in snaps as he operated effectively as a sixth offensive lineman for the Steelers, leaving Freiermuth’s fantasy value in the dust in the process. Things don’t appear to be any better considering quarterback Aaron Rodgers is likely to retire and head coach Mike Tomlin could be on the host seat after his seventh consecutive postseason loss.

Thielen’s majestic comeback story with the Vikings lasted into November before his release allowed him to sign with the Steelers, finishing his 12th professional season as a role player for an offense in desperate need of consistent production through the air. His weekly snap rate was hardly consistent in Arthur Smith’s tight end-heavy offense. Now entering his age-36 season, chances are the former Pro Bowl and second team All-Pro receiver has played his final snap at the NFL level. If so, his outstanding career ends with 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns on 704 receptions.