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He also lost a fumble in the loss while completing just 55.3 percent of his pass attempts. The Falcons average under 11 points per game on the road this season, dead last in the league through seven weeks, and were shut out by the Panthers in their last road game back in Week 3. Robert Saleh brought consistent pressure throughout the game in Week 7, sacking Penix only twice but placing him under consistent duress in the backfield. One such instance late in the game left Penix hobbled after he was forced to get rid of the football earlier than he would have liked. He shook it off to stay in the game, but fantasy managers will want to monitor his status in the coming week of practice as he did not look comfortable the rest of the team’s final drive. The Falcons fall to 3-3 with the loss ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the Dolphins at home.

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.

Shortly after leading the Seahawks to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history, Kubiak confirmed his decision to join the Raiders with NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. Kubiak joined the Seahawks as their offensive coordinator last offseason and immediately propelled them to the top of the league. Seattle’s offense ranked third in points score and eight in total yards, and was buoyed by an efficient passing game that ranked second in net yards per pass attempt (7.6) this season. He’ll take on a tough challenge with the Raiders, but will hopefully benefit from having the No. 1 overall pick, which is expected to be used on Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.

Hooper’s second season in New England produced the second fewest yards (263) of his 10-year career. The lowest total came in 2023 in Las Vegas. Hooper has a reliable pair of hands for a backup, but has never been a reliable scorer. He still possesses some down-field juice up the seam, but Hooper’s returns will continue to diminish. He is set for free agency in March.

Flying under the radar as always, 31-year-old Henry finished with a career-high 768 yards. His 60 receptions tied for his second most, while his seven scores were his most since 2021. Only Stefon Diggs had more receiving yards on the Pats. Although this is a skill corps that needs to be upgraded, Henry should remain an integral part of it for 2026. He is headed into the final year of his contract, and could be a candidate for a short offseason extension. The TE9 by total PPR points this season, Henry will remain in the TE9-12 mix.