NFL Player News

Okung was questionable heading into the week after missing a couple of weeks with a calf injury. He’s back, as is starting RG John Miller. The Panthers declared QB Will Grier, RB Christian McCaffrey, CB Donte Jackson, S Sam Franklin, G Dennis Daley, and T Greg Little as inactive. Teddy Bridgewater gets the nod at quarterback.

Daboll has made his rounds during this coaching cycle, apparently drawing significant interest from multiple franchises in need of either a head coach or offensive coordinator. Still no hire, but the former Giants head coach appears to be close to landing on his feet after being fired during the 2025 regular season.

Pelissero reported yesterday that he believed that veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be most likely to play for one coach in 2026, naming Mike McCarthy as that coach. Not 24 hours later and the Steelers are reportedly working to hire McCarthy as their next head coach following the departure of Mike Tomlin. The dominoes certainly appear to be falling into place to get the franchise what they want, which appears to be Aaron Rodgers for another season. McCarthy last served as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys between 2020 and 2024 but coached Rodgers for 13 years in Green Bay at the beginning of the aging veteran’s career. It also serves as a homecoming for the 62-year-old coach, who grew up in the Pittsburgh area.

Russini adds that Kubiak simply preferred to remain in San Francisco to coach under offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, something that could prove fruitful further into his coaching career and could give the up-and-coming coach greater longevity. For now, Kubiak will remain the team’s offensive coordinator and continue his tutelage without calling offensive plays.

Both players came into the weekend listed as questionable but will ultimately be held out for the team’s Conference Championship game against the Broncos. Jennings was not activated from injured reserve after being placed there in Week 13 with a concussion. Expect veteran journeyman D’Ernest Johnson to be active on Sunday and serve in an emergency role behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

Martindale was crowned the early favorite for the defensive coordinator role earlier this week by another Jets beat writer, ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Hughes also replied to a fan comment on Twitter about the Jets not letting Martindale leave Saturday with, “I doubt they do.” Martindale has previously held the DC title with the Giants, Ravens and Broncos in the NFL as well as at the University of Michigan on the college level.

Walker was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. The 25-year-old left tackle appeared in Queens County Criminal Court on the gun charge and was later released. He is due back in court on March 19. A seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2022, Walker is set to hit free agency for the first time this offseason. His pending court appearance could impact his free agency as the legal negotiating period for pending free agents starts on March 9, and players can officially sign deals with new teams on March 11.

While the Bills are just beginning their search for a new head coach after dismissing Sean McDermott earlier this week, McDaniel has already withdrawn his name from the Browns head coaching search and interviewed for multiple offensive coordinator positions before agreeing to sign on with the Chargers. Schultz says McDaniel and the Bills remain in contact for a potential interview, but there’s a “strong possibility” he moves forward with the Chargers. McDaniel’s presence in Los Angeles would be massive as fantasy managers could expect the 42-year-old coach to get the most out of Justin Herbert and the rest of the Chargers’ offense.

Earlier today, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Davis would be listed as questionable, but Davis ended up clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol this afternoon. Davis leads the team with 12 pass breakups this year. His return is good news for the Patriots’ defense.

Douglas is currently in his second stint with the Eagles’ front office. He previously served as the Eagles’ vice president of player personnel from 2016-2019 before taking the Jets’ vacant general manager position. He has been in his current role for one year.

Udinski, 30, completed his second interview with the Browns today. The young candidate piloted an offense that ranked top-12 in yards per pass play (7.15) during the regular season. He is also expected to interview for the Bills’ head-coaching vacancy.