NFL Player News

Thomas (6'2/275) sprained his ankle in preseason camp. Per Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the senior is currently dealing with an infection in that ankle. There is no timetable for Thomas’ return to action and it’s not a given that he ends up playing this season.

The veteran tight end took to instagram to announce that he would not be returning to Cleveland this offseason as he departs for free agency. It will mark the first year of his career not a member of the team that drafted him in 2017, ending a nine-year run with the franchise. The soon-to-be 30-year-old lost playing time in 2025 to electric rookie Harold Fannin Jr and apparently saw the writing on the wall regarding the direction of the franchise moving forward. The announcement directly contradicts previous reports that Njoku was looking to return to the Browns.

The team reported late Monday evening that White was in surgery after sustaining a bullet wound to his ankle earlier in the day. No amplifying information regarding the incident was provided initially, although more is sure to come out in the coming days. At least for now, it appears as if the grotesque injury to the veteran defensive lineman is not career, or life, threatening.

Adderley was a second-round pick of the Chargers back in 2019 and surprised everyone with his decision to retire in 2023. Now, Adderley announced on his social media that he plans to attempt a comeback in 2026. Adderley will be 29 at the start of next season and totaled 232 tackles, three interceptions, and 12 pass breakups over 50 games in his career. He was a free agent at the time of his announcement and will be free to sign with any team willing to take a shot on him this offseason. Given his lengthy absence, Adderley will likely need to sign a one-year prove-it deal to join a team, but he was a quality starter who could be of interest to several teams if he’s able to return to form.

Rutenberg was a finalist for the Titans’ defensive coordinator job but was passed over for Gus Bradley. The 44-year-old coach joined the Falcons in 2025 after spending the previous four seasons with the Jets. Rutenberg has nearly 20 year’s worth of experience as a coach in the NFL but has never held a coordinator position.

Under the current format, teams are not permitted to trade picks that are more than three years out from the current season — meaning any pick trading that may take place in 2026 couldn’t extend beyond the 2028 season. The push to expand this limit to five years would give teams more to offer in trades, but could also further set back teams who use those picks to acquire players in what prove to be bad trades down the line. We’ll see how much support this expansion gets in the coming months, but with the discussion set to be on the table, it wouldn’t be surprising if a change was made sooner or later.

Cooley joined the Panthers in 2023 as their secondary/cornerbacks coach before working his way up to his current position. Prior to joining the Panthers, he worked as a coach with the Rams. Cooley helped oversee a defense that ranked 15th in points allowed last season, while the secondary allowed the seventh-fewest touchdown passes (20) and picked off the eighth-most passes (15) in the league.

Cool. Gase took a five-year hiatus from coaching after a failed two-year stint with the Jets (2019 to 2020), which came after a failed head coaching stint with the Dolphins (2016 to 2018). The 47-year-old coach will now get a chance to work with Justin Herbert in his new role, in hopes of rebuilding his image. It’s hard to imagine Gase ever getting another head coaching job, but it will be interesting to see if he can again rise through the ranks after one of the more forgettable five-year stretches for any coach.

It was reported last week that Pleasant was “a name of interest” for the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator vacancy. Now, the long-time coach will meet with both teams to discuss their job openings to see if there could be a fit with either team. Pleasant has never served as a defensive coordinator and has spent time with five different teams since entering the league in 2013. Pleasant was also interviewed by the Chargers earlier this offseason for their defensive coordinator opening but was passed over for Chris O’Leary.

The Browns are the second team to request an interview with Bullen for their defensive coordinator opening. Bullen spent some time as the Giants’ interim defensive coordinator last season after the team fired Shane Bowen, but was unable to secure the DC role under newly-hired head coach John Harbaugh. Bullen began his coaching career in 2012 as a defensive assistant for the Dolphins and has held a variety of roles over his 13 years in the NFL. He has never been hired as a defensive coordinator, so this would be a completely new role for him outside of his brief interim stint in 2025.

Macdonald said he and the team will begin reviewing potential candidates on Tuesday. The Super Bowl-winning head coach said he expects to give some in-house candidates a look, but will also look outside of the organization for potential hires. Macdonald will enter his third season as a head coach with a third different offensive coordinator since his arrival. The loss of Kubiak, whose offense ranked third in scoring and eighth in total yards this season, leaves a massive void to fill, and with several options already with new teams, the Seahawks could have their work cut out for them to find their next offensive play-caller.