NFL Player News

The Patriots’ rushing defense has struggled since Milton Williams (ankle) was placed on the IR. James Cook took advantage of that on Sunday, consistently earning hard yards up the gut and then using a tremendous second-effort dive to get his first rushing touchdown. Cook was targeted three times in the passing game, but was kept in check with just four receiving yards, including his five-yard touchdown catch. (Yes, you read that right.) The Bills will need Cook again against a tough Browns defense next week in what should be another freezing cold game.

Kingsbury, who mutually parted ways with the Commanders on Tuesday, will apparently have his choice of head coaching gigs, with the Titans and Giants lining up to interview him. Kingsbury would be an interesting fit with Lamar Jackson; he has plenty of experience coaching dual-threat QBs over his years in Arizona and Washington. Minter, meanwhile, would be the natural choice if the team is committed to getting back to its tough-nosed defensive roots. Wacker also mentioned Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who would seem to be a long shot for the job.

McCarthy last coached the Cowboys in 2024 and has made the postseason in 12 of 18 seasons as an NFL head coach in Dallas and Green Bay. With a history of quarterback development and a QB-friendly offensive system, McCarthy would be a natural choice to develop Jaxson Dart as he enters his second NFL season. McCarthy, who has won 61 percent of his games as an NFL head coach along with 11 postseason contests, would likely be a short-term option for the Giants, one who could stabilize the situation around Dart and give him a chance to establish himself as a high-end NFL starter.

Webb is a former 2017 third-round pick who started one game in 2022 before the Broncos hired him as quarterbacks coach in 2023 under Sean Payton. He also held the role of passing game coordinator for the 2025 season. Webb’s role in developing Bo Nix through the first two years of his career explain the Raiders’ interest in him; Vegas has a quarterback likely on the way with the No. 1 overall pick. The Raiders await the opportunity to interview Webb for their head coaching job amidst the Broncos’ playoff run.

Tate is projected to be one of the draft’s top wide receiver prospects, foregoing his final season of eligibility to declare early out of Ohio State. He accomplished a sophomore year of 52 receptions for 733 yards and four touchdowns, following it up with a 51/875/9 line his junior year. Tate crossed the 100-yard mark in four games in 2025 as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 wide receiver and will now enter the draft early to first-round buzz.

Blough is a former quarterback who most recently coached with the Commanders. He was the assistant quarterbacks coach in Washington and became the quarterbacks coach after Tavita Pritchard left for Stanford. The 30-year-old has familiarity with the Lions, having spent three of his four seasons in the league with Detroit. After the firing of offensive coordinator John Morton, Blough is the first name up in the Lions’ search for a new offensive coordinator.

As expected, Harbaugh is the top head coaching candidate on the market just moments after his firing. The Giants have been looking for a head coach since firing Brian Daboll midseason and now Schefter reports Harbaugh is expected to be the favorite for their open position. Schefter also reports that seven teams called Harbaugh’s agent, Bryan Harlan, with interest in hiring him within moments of his firing. Suffice to say, Harbaugh is a hot candidate on the head coaching market and the Giants are immediately a team to watch in the coming weeks.

Durde joined the Seahawks as defensive coordinator for Mike Macdonald in 2024. Seattle finished the 2025 regular season posting the best defensive DVOA in the league and has had two successful defensive seasons under Macdonald and Durde. Though Macdonald is the prevailing defensive mind in Seattle, Durde still gets some of the credit for the No. 1 seed Seahawks and will get a chance to interview for a head coaching spot with the Browns and call his own defense.

Brown spent the 2025 season as the Patriots’ passing game coordinator and helped build a thriving offense around MVP candidate Drake Maye. The 39-year-old was an interim head coach for the Bears in 2024 and has had multiple roles with Sean McVay and the Rams from 2020-2022. Brown is now back on the head coaching radar, with Arizona first to come calling with an interview request.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has already said Adams is expected to play in the team’s Wild Card matchup against the Panthers Saturday. The Rams only held a walkthrough Tuesday, but the estimation that Adams would be a full practice participant is good news. The veteran sat out the last few games of the regular season since aggravating his hamstring injury in Week 15 but the Rams will get their goal-line target back for the playoffs.