NFL Player News

Jaquan Brisker will suit up against the Vikings while dealing with a back injury, but Jones remains sidelined for the struggling Chicago secondary. It makes for a decent matchup for JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota pass catchers. The Bears have allowed the league’s ninth highest drop back success rate this season.

Alexander spent five years in the NFL as a safety before quickly transitioning to coaching. The 41-year-old spent seven seasons in the college ranks before joining the Dolphins as a defensive backs coach in 2021. Brian Flores, the Vikings defensive coordinator, was Miami’s head coach at the time, so the Vikings know who they’re getting in Alexander. He also coached defensive backs with the Steelers and Raiders.

Smith served as the Dolphins offensive coordinator under Mike McDaniel for the last four seasons. He was named the NFL’s top OC in 2023 despite not calling plays in Miami. The 44-year-old coach has worked in the NFL since 2010 with stops in New Orleans, Chicago, Oakland/Las Vegas and Los Angeles (Chargers) as well. Having previously worked as a tight ends coach, offensive line coach and run game coordinator, Smith will assist Kevin O’Connell in run game planning. He previously interviewed for the Eagles offensive coordinator position before they hired Sean Mannion.

It’s no secret that Joe Brady will continue to run the offense in Buffalo as head coach, but now we know who’ll be heading up the Bills’ defense in the post-Sean McDermott era. Leonhard’s hiring, which was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, takes him off the table for teams like the Ravens and Chargers that also had interest in the 43-year-old coach. A former walk-on safety at Wisconsin, Leonhard played 10 years in the NFL before returning to Wisconsin to start his coaching career and remaining there for seven years. He’s only coached in the NFL for the last two seasons, but had his fingerprints on one of the league’s best defenses as the defensive pass game coordinator in Denver. Leonhard takes over a Buffalo defense that finished 20th in DVOA.

Per Wilson, Ferentz is expected to coach tight ends, though his role has not yet been formally defined. The former offensive lineman entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent with the Texans. He joined the Broncos in 2015 and spent 2018-2023 with the Patriots. Ferentz spent the last two seasons serving as an assistant offensive line coach with the Giants.

Maye practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday, nursing an injury in his right shoulder. He was downgraded today after coming down with an illness. The Patriots have another week of practice before Super Bowl LX will be played. We have no concerns about his availability.

Darnold was limited in practice today. The Seahawks continue to smartly take it easy on their star quarterback as he rehabs his multi-week soft tissue injury. Darnold threw for a season-high 346 yards against the Rams in the NFC Championship Game. We have no concerns about his availability. The team removed him from this week’s injury report at the end of the day, indicating he would play if Super Bowl LX were to be played this weekend.

The hiring reunites Breyer with new Browns head coach Todd Monken, who previously served as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. Breyer served as a Ravens offensive assistant, working closely with tight ends, over the last two years. The Ravens hired him in an offensive quality control capacity in 2023. He worked for the Falcons as an offensive assistant from 2020-2021 before serving as their run game specialist in 2022. He served as an analytics assistant with the Buccaneers in 2016 before working as a defensive assistant coach with them from 2017-2018. He worked with the Dolphins coaching staff during OTAs in 2015 as well.

Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, is the executor of the trust and has a “directive from her late brother to eventually sell both [the Seahawks and Trail Blazers] and donate the proceeds to charity.” Per the report, “Sportico values the Seahawks at $6.59 billion” and “one team executive told ESPN that the Seahawks could fetch $7 billion to $8 billion.”

The Raiders and Cardinals were among the first five teams to ask for interviews with Kubiak. He has consistently been linked to the Raiders, and co-owner Tom Brady has notably called multiple Seahawks games as of late. Kubiak impressed viewers early in 2024, running a then-healthy Saints offense that was eventually hampered by injuries down the stretch. Fortunately, the Seahawks’ offense has largely enjoyed good health this season, allowing Kubiak to establish himself as a top-tier play caller. Across the full season, the Seahawks rank fourth in yards per play (5.9) and second in yards per pass play (8.49).

It’s a bit of a surprise because Doyle removed his name from consideration for the Eagles job ... but this is Lamar Jackson. The Ravens were able to interview Doyle for a “lateral” move by giving him control of the playcalling. Doyle, who was on Sean Payton’s staff in Denver before being poached by Ben Johnson to the offensive coordinator role, has some powerful roots in some of the NFL’s best offenses. He also has never called plays before and was born in 1996, so there is some risk here. The Ravens are betting on pedigree. We’ll be fascinated to see what Doyle says at his introductory presser, as Baltimore’s focus on offense could raise or lower ceilings for some of the most high-profile players in the fantasy game.