NFL Player News

No team is giving up a second-rounder for the kicker. Carlson set the Raiders’ franchise record with 144 points last season. The Mike Zimmer castoff was a stunningly consistent waiver wire pickup in 2020 fantasy leagues, finishing the year as the game’s third highest scoring kicker with a hefty 2.2 field goal attempts per game -- the sixth highest mark in the NFL.

It sounds like Mendoza does not plan to throw at the NFL Combine, though his statement was not definitive. He adds that he wants to throw at Indiana’s Pro Day with his teammate, in part because he wants to “make sure [he gives his] guys the best chance” to succeed as well. He declined to comment specifically on the idea of joining the Raiders via the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but had “good things to say about the work Klint Kubiak has done with Sam Darnold in Seattle this year.”

Bower has served as Duke’s defensive ends coach since 2022. He was a defensive analyst with Texas A&M in 2021. Current Ravens ILB coach Tyler Santucci notably coached Texas A&M linebackers from 2020-2021. Bower’s new role with the Ravens is his first at the NFL level.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news, saying Kingsbury “wants to continue growing as a coach and learn more about what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL again.” This is a smart move. McVay has successfully balanced head-coaching duties while running the Rams’ offense since 2017. He won NFL Coach of the Year in his first season on the job and Super Bowl LVI in 2021. Kingsbury also ran the offense while serving as the Cardinals’ head coach from 2019-2022, though he did so less successfully.

Brady’s role has not yet been announced. He served as the Chargers’ pass game coordinator for the past two seasons. He was with the Eagles in the two seasons before that, serving as an offensive consultant before being promoted to senior offensive assistant. He also notably served as the Colts’ offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022.

Johnson and Tim Atkins both served as assistant secondary coaches last year. Johnson now takes over the cornerback group while Atkins takes over the safeties. Johnson played safety for the Cardinals (2009-2015) and Titans (2016) before entering the coaching ranks as a defensive assistant for the Buccaneers in 2022. He was promoted to his prior role in 2023. Atkins has worked under Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles since their time together with the Jets (2016-2018). He followed Bowles to the Buccaneers in 2019 and was promoted to his prior role in 2022.

Penix also said his goal is to “absolutely” be ready for Week 1. We’ll see how that goes. The 2024 first-rounder suffered his knee injury in Week 11 and is now in the process of recovering from his third ACL surgery. Penix struggled in his second season with the Falcons, throwing for 1,982-9-3 in nine games while rushing for another 70 yards and a score. He’s played only 14 games in his career, but the early production leaves much to be desired. When he does return to the field, Penix could be facing a make-or-break season in his third year with a strong 2027 quarterback class likely coming in, and new head coach Kevin Stefanski hoping to land a franchise QB after failing to do so at his previous stop.

According to NFL Network’s The Insiders, Schwartz submitted a letter of resignation to the Browns’ front office on Thursday and is now expected to sit out the 2026 season. The long-time defensive coordinator became frustrated with the organization when they passed on him for the head coaching role in favor of Todd Monken, but the team still opted to retain him as defensive coordinator rather than release him from his current deal. Schwartz’s only stint as a head coach came with the Lions from 2009 to 2013, where his team went 29-51 while finishing with a winning record once and one postseason berth. Since then, Schwartz has led several top defensive units. In his three years with the Browns they twice finished in the top five in yards allowed and were top-15 in points allowed in those same season. The Browns, and apparently the league, will be without one of the top defensive minds for at least this season. Schwartz also has a team option in his contract for the 2027 season, meaning the Browns could opt to retain him for next year, which could make for another issue for Schwartz and the team to navigate.

This comes from ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, who said Nabers also noted “he did in fact have a full meniscus repair in addition to ACL surgery in October.” This additional surgery will likely extend Nabers’ recovery timeline, but Giants GM Joe Schoen said last month that the team is hopeful Nabers will be ready for the start of training camp. This is already shaping up to be a storyline we will be tracking up to and possibly into camp, depending on how things go in the coming months. Until we get a definite word on when Nabers will return to the field, this injury could depress his ADP and create a little value for the fantasy managers drafting in the early portions of the offseason.

Walker is set to be a free agent this offseason and has been highly valuable to the Seahawks during their postseason run to the Super Bowl. Walker has rushed 38 times for 178 yards and four touchdowns for the Seahawks in their two playoff games while catching another seven passes for 70 yards. The knee injury Zach Charbonnet suffered in the team’s Divisional Round win vs. the 49ers is expected to sideline him for the start of next season, which will likely play a role in how aggressive the Seahawks are in re-signing Walker. Speaking with the media earlier in the week, head coach Mike Macdonald also said the team wants Walker back this offseason. We’ll see how quickly a deal gets worked out in the coming months, but there seems to be mutual interest on both sides at this point.

Schwesinger notched 156 total tackles, 67 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 TFLs, three pass breakups and two interceptions despite missing Week 18 with a high-ankle sprain. It was an extremely impressive season for the No. 33 overall pick in last year’s draft.