NFL Player News

The Patriots’ pass rush pressured Herbert from start to finish. It was an unfortunately fitting end to the Chargers’ season. Herbert lost two-time Pro Bowl LT Rashawn Slater to a season-ending patellar tendon injury in August. Third-year OT Joe Alt successfully switched from right tackle to left tackle following Slater’s injury, but Alt missed time after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 4. He aggravated it in Week 9 and was forced to undergo season-ending surgery. Chargers backup offensive linemen suffered consequential injuries as well, leading to a career-high 54 sacks for Herbert in his age-27 season. Despite the pass-protection issues, Herbert completed 340-of-512 passes for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and rushed 83 times for 498 yards and two touchdowns. Both his rushing attempts and rushing yardage sums are career highs. He finishes as the QB10 in fantasy scoring and can again be treated as a mid-tier QB1 in 2026, hopefully, with improved offensive line health.

Robinson followed new Giants head coach John Harbaugh from the Ravens to New York this offseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that the Giants support Robinson’s decision to take a new opportunity elsewhere despite recently filling an open role in Harbaugh’s new staff. Robinson coached the Ravens’ outside linebackers last season. He previously worked with new Raiders DC Rob Leonard in Baltimore in 2022.

Cleveland’s Mary Kay Cabot identified Texans defensive pass game coordinator Cory Undlin and Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg as the other two finalists earlier today. Tarver has been in his current role since 2020. Cabot believes new Browns head coach Todd Monken could hire the team’s new defensive coordinator by Monday or Tuesday.

Pelissero adds that Janocko is in Las Vegas right now and a deal “should get done as soon as today.” This hiring makes sense. Janocko is close with new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, having served as quarterbacks coach with the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks while Kubiak was simultaneously employed as each team’s offensive coordinator. Kubiak will continue calling plays offensively, though this is still a step up for Janocko.

This is a fun hire for the Seahawks. Fleury played quarterback in college and served as a defensive and special teams coach in the college ranks from 2003-2012. He did the same in the NFL from 2013-2015 with the Bills and Browns before transitioning to the operational side of things with the Dolphins, accepting a football research analyst position in 2016 before being promoted to director of football research in 2017. He made his way to the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach in 2019 before becoming their offensive quality control coach in 2020. He coached tight ends from 2022-2024 and added run game coordinator to his title last season. Despite winning Super Bowl LX, the Seahawks’ run game struggled at times last season. Fleury’s hiring bodes positively for the run game’s outlook in 2026. ESPN’s Brady Henderson previously reported that the Seahawks’ new offensive coordinator will call plays this season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that Janocko is also a candidate for the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator vacancy. Janocko and new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak have worked together for years. Janocko served as the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach while Kubiak concurrently held each team’s offensive coordinator role. Schefter’s colleague, Jeremy Fowler, said last week that he believes Janocko is a “natural candidate” to be the Raiders’ offensive coordinator under Kubiak.

Fleury has an interesting background, having held diverse coaching and operational roles after playing quarterback in college. Fleury coached at Maryland, Sacred Heart and Towson from 2003-2012, serving as a graduate assistant, secondary coach, outside linebackers coach, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. He entered the NFL coaching ranks with the Bills in 2013, serving as a quality control coach. The Browns then employed him as an assistant linebackers coach (2014) and outside linebackers coach (2015), where he notably coached alongside 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Fleury signed on with the Dolphins as a football research analyst in 2016 before being promoted to director of football research in 2017. He became the 49ers’ defensive quality control coach in 2019 before switching to the offensive side of the ball in 2020. He has since served as the 49ers’ offensive quality control coach, tight ends coach and run game coordinator.

Ryan has met with teams regarding several job openings since last coaching the Bills in 2016. Nothing has materialized from them, and the Giants ultimately went with Dennard Wilson to fill the opening. Ryan will be 10 years removed from the league, assuming he doesn’t coach anywhere in 2026. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 63-year-old coach take one more job, the fact so many interviews haven’t resulted in a hire begs the question if his time in the league could truly be over.

Cabot believes head coach Todd Monken “could name his (defensive coordinator) in the next day or two.” Undlin has over two decades of experience coaching in the NFL, but his lone stint as a defensive coordinator came in 2020 with the Lions. Undlin is one of at least two candidates receiving a second interview for the job, with Falcons’ LB coach Mike Rutenberg also set to meet with the team in person.

David, 36, is set to become a free agent this offseason, but is reportedly only interested in playing for the Bucs if he were to continue playing. The veteran linebacker said he feels good and believes he has plenty of football left in him, but also noted that he’d like to spend more time with his daughter. David tallied 61 tackles and one interception in 17 games for the Buccaneers last season while started all 17 games he appeared in. The team will presumably give him plenty of time to make his decision, but the Bucs could be looking at a major hole to fill on the defensive side of the ball in 2026 should David opt to call it quits.

Leonard previously spent six seasons with the Giants before coaching with the Raiders under Patrick Graham last year. The Raiders conducted their fair share of interviews for the vacant defensive coordinator position before promoting from within. Leonard worked closely with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Maxx Crosby, potentially marking a play at retaining the veteran rusher this offseason.