NFL Player News

Native Australian Sam Irwin-Hill was expected to replace Matt Wile (who had been filling in for injured starter Matt Bosher), but encountered a visa problem, forcing the Falcons to look elsewhere for their punting needs. Redfern has spent time with seven NFL organizations but has only attempted one career punt, which came two years ago as a member of the Lions.

Oliver initially joined the Lions’ coaching staff as an offensive quality control coach in 2021. He was promoted in 2023, becoming the team’s assistant offensive line coach under offensive line coach and run game coordinator Hank Fraley. Oliver notably played for Fraley as an offensive lineman at the University of San Diego in 2012. Oliver will now coach a position group led by star TE Sam LaPorta.

Arroyo has held his current roles with ASU for the last two years. In his first season on the job, Arroyo notably featured current Giants RB Cam Skattebo as the team’s offensive focal point, dialing up 248 carries and 40 targets the burly back across the full college season. Arroyo sat out the 2023 season after being relieved of his head-coaching duties after a three-year stint at UNLV. He has one season of NFL coaching experience under his belt, having served as the Buccaneers’ quarterbacks coach in 2014.

Merritt spent the last two seasons coaching running backs at the University of Miami. He previously worked for USF, Georgia Southern, Tennessee, James Madison, and Ohio State. Merritt also participated in two NFL coaching fellowships. The first was with the Bengals in 2016. The second was with the 49ers in 2019, where Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur then served as the passing game coordinator.

This was always the expectation, but we will continue to update Darnold’s practice participation level and his official game status. Darlington adds that Darnold was limited again today, as has been the case since he suffered the injury during the Seahawks’ final Divisional Round practice. He threw for a season-high 346 yards against the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, assuaging all performance-related concerns.

Swinton coached with the Raiders over the last three seasons. He was hired as the Raiders’ assistant special teams coach in 2023 and was promoted to interim special teams coordinator in November 2025. He served as the Chargers’ special teams coordinator before that.

This will be the first time that an NFL game has been played in Australia. The NFL announced last year that the league had signed a multi-year commitment to host regular season games in Melbourne, as it expands the international market. The game will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which boasts a listed seating capacity of 100,024.

The low-ankle sprain diagnosis is good news. Emmanwori was sidelined in Weeks 2-4 after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 1. Despite the multi-game absence, Emmanwori ranks second on the team in tackles (71), first in pass breakups (12) and ties for third in interceptions (one). He also accounts for 19 quarterback pressures and three sacks, having established himself as an effective blitzer in Macdonald’s creative defensive scheme.

Mahaffey is following new Philly OC Sean Mannion from Green Bay to Philly. Mahaffey has been working his way up the ranks with the Packers since 2021. The Eagles went from having the league’s best ground game in 2024 to an average (at best) rushing attack in 2025. Mahaffey doens’t need to get them back to the No. 1 spot in his first year on the job, but his biggest task will be finding ways to recreate the explosive running plays that vanished this past year.

Darnold has been dealing with the oblique issue throughout the postseason, though it seemingly hasn’t had any effect on his performance. He noted that the extra rest ahead of the Super Bowl has helped him get ready for the final game of the year. With both Darnold and Maye having no issues playing through their respective injuries, Seattle safety Nick Emmanwori is the biggest injury question mark ahead of Sunday’s game. Emmanwori injured his ankle in practice this week and is undergoing testing to determine the severity of the issue. The rookie has 11 pass breakups, 2.5 sacks, and one interception this year.

Fangio contemplated retirement this offseason after two seasons at the helm of the Eagles’ defense. However, McLane reports that the 67-year-old will indeed return to Philadelphia for the 2026 season. Despite major shake-ups to the offensive side of Nick Sirianni’s staff, Fangio remains to coach a defense that ranked fifth in points allowed last season.