NFL Player News

Via The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, “A four-star recruit out of high school, Cornell was a two-time all-state defensive lineman at the prestigious Cretin-Derham Hall. He was the No. 1-ranked recruit in Minnesota and a top-100 recruit overall, receiving more than 30 scholarship offers and picking Ohio State. He found himself lost on the depth chart most of his time in Columbus until breaking through as a senior starter, earning All-Big Ten honors. Cornell switched between defensive end and three-technique in recent years, but looked much more comfortable inside in 2019, introducing a more advanced rush attack with various club and rip moves. He rushes with lower body stiffness, which causes him to play upright and give blockers a large target, but he has the body control to be slippery and detach. Overall, Cornell turned himself into an NFL prospect in 2019 and while he is still learning how to be more efficient, he has sub-package potential in an aggressive, one-gap scheme.”

David, 36, is set to become a free agent this offseason, but is reportedly only interested in playing for the Bucs if he were to continue playing. The veteran linebacker said he feels good and believes he has plenty of football left in him, but also noted that he’d like to spend more time with his daughter. David tallied 61 tackles and one interception in 17 games for the Buccaneers last season while started all 17 games he appeared in. The team will presumably give him plenty of time to make his decision, but the Bucs could be looking at a major hole to fill on the defensive side of the ball in 2026 should David opt to call it quits.

Leonard previously spent six seasons with the Giants before coaching with the Raiders under Patrick Graham last year. The Raiders conducted their fair share of interviews for the vacant defensive coordinator position before promoting from within. Leonard worked closely with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Maxx Crosby, potentially marking a play at retaining the veteran rusher this offseason.

The Raiders pounced on their top choice at head coach immediately following the Super Bowl with the hiring of former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak but they have yet to fill any of their coordinator positions. Covington has drawn multiple interviews for defensive coordinator vacancies this hiring cycle but did not land his first play-calling gig, with the Raiders now an additional opportunity to do just that.

The Browns have two first-round picks this year. Wolfe reports that the Browns believe they are “close to set” on defense and are expected to “go heavy on offense” in the 2026 NFL Draft. New head coach Todd Monken’s scheme is said to have more “flexibility” than former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s scheme did, and the Browns apparently believe Monken’s scheme could allow Shedeur Sanders to “use his play-making ability” more effectively. The Browns also “believe” Deshaun Watson will compete with Sanders for the starting role.

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and DL coach Marion Hobby both coached Hendrickson, in the exact same roles, when all three were employed by the Bengals for four-plus seasons. Hendrickson’s relationship with the Bengals has soured, though the front office has thus far been unwilling to let the talented pass rusher leave town. This will be worth watching. Stay tuned.

Per Wolfe, the Jaguars believe Hunter can be an “elite” cornerback, while still being “an impact player” on offense. For fantasy purposes, this is unfortunate. Hunter may be stuck rotating in as a contributor in three-wide receiver sets, which would make him frustratingly unreliable, though head coach Liam Coen will likely try to scheme up ways to get the ball in his hands. On the plus side, Wolfe said Hunter will be “full-go” by Week 1. The Jaguars are reportedly expected to let one of their free agent cornerbacks, Montaric Brown or Greg Newsome, walk in free agency.

Spence is expected to serve as the Chargers’ new inside linebackers coach, though the role has not yet been finalized. The former NFL linebacker (2012-2017) began his coaching career as a special teams analyst at Western Michigan in 2023. He coached linebackers for them in 2024 and edges in 2025.

Per Over The Cap, the Commanders currently have the fifth-most salary cap space with more than $75.4 million available in 2026. Rapoport notes that general manager Adam Peters has been an active trader in recent seasons. Regarding free agency, Rapoport adds that “with a good, young quarterback, the time to spend is now.”

Howard has coached in the NFL since 2013 and has been in his current role with the Seahawks for the past two seasons, He worked as the Chargers’ linebackers coach for one year before that. He spent 2020-2022 with the Browns as their defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator after a seven-year stint as a defensive assistant with the Vikings.

Etheridge has coached in the college ranks since 2012 and spent last season serving as the University of Miami’s defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. He served as Houston’s defensive backs coach in 2024. Before that, he spent the 2021-2023 seasons working as Auburn’s secondary coach and was also named associate head coach in 2022.