The Falcons announced the completion of an interview with a General Manager candidate on Thursday.
They have met with Texans assistant GM James Liipfert. It is the first interview that the Falcons have announced for the position.
Liipfert has been with the Texans since 2018 and was promoted to his current position last year. He was previously the director of college scouting and he worked with Texans GM Nick Caserio while in the Patriots’ organization from 2009-2017.
The Falcons have also requested interviews with Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham and 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.
The Patriots have become a great team again, and they helped create a great number during Sunday afternoon’s division-round game against the Texans.
An average audience of 37.9 million tuned in for the game between Houston and New England on ESPN and ABC.
It’s the biggest number for any ABC sporting event, other than a Super Bowl. It was also the best for any show televised by ABC since 2014.
The 37.9 million figure matches the audience from last year’s Rams-Eagles Sunday afternoon game. Which makes it, essentially, a drop; the new Nielsen Big Data + Panel has been contributing to a goosing of NFL audience measurements.
The four divisional-round games (39.597 million for Broncos-Bills, 32 million for 49ers-Seahawks, 37.9 million for Texans-Patriots, 45.4 million for Rams-Bears) had an average audience of 38.7 million.
The Dolphins are taking a look at an AFC South assistant for their offensive coordinator role under new head coach Jeff Hafley.
Via Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com, Miami has put in a request to interview Houston quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for the role.
Johnson, 37, has been the Texans’ quarterbacks coach since 2023. That season, he helped C.J. Stroud win AP offensive rookie of the year.
Johnson has also spent time with the 49ers, Colts, and Vikings.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is expected to be named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year after breaking the league record for sacks in a season. Sacking the quarterback is what every nominee for the award does best.
The NFL announced the five finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year, and all five are edge rushers.
In addition to Garrett, the finalists are Houston’s Will Anderson, Denver’s Nik Bonitto, Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson and Green Bay’s Micah Parsons.
Garrett had 23 sacks, Hutchinson had 14.5, Bonitto had 14, Parsons had 12.5 and Anderson had 12.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and he’s a rare winner from the secondary, as pass rushers win the award. In fact, this year’s finalists are so heavily skewed toward edge rushers that it’s fair to question whether enough voters are fully considering every defensive player, or simply filling out their ballots with five famous pass rushers.
The same panel of Associated Press voters who vote on the Defensive Player of the Year also choose the All-Pro team, and oddly that panel ranked Hutchinson sixth and Bonitto seventh among pass rushers. It’s odd, to say the least, to think Hutchinson and Bonitto are not among the Top 5 players at their position, but are among the Top 5 defensive players in the entire league.
We’re nearly certain the Defensive Player of the Year will be Garrett, and we’ll find out for sure at the NFL Honors. We can say for sure who it won’t be: Any interior defensive lineman, inside linebacker, cornerback or safety.
Texans receiver Tank Dell suffered a horrible knee injury in December 2024. He could be ready to return in 2026.
“Tank is doing awesome,” Texans G.M. Nick Caserio told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s been in the building every day. As a matter of fact, he’s here today. He’s got a great attitude. We would anticipate him being ready for the start of the offseason program. He’s in great spirits. He’s got a great attitude. Good player. I’m sure he’s excited. He can’t wait to get started. I saw him yesterday and he had a big smile on his face basically like, ‘Now it’s time, because we’re focused on 2026.’”
After catching a touchdown pass against the Chiefs in Kansas City, Dell was struck by a teammate. Dell dislocated his knee and tore three ligaments. He underwent multiple surgeries and missed all of the 2025 season.
Caserio was asked whether he believes Dell will be able to compete at a high level in 2026, given the serious nature of the injury.
“To be determined,” Caserio said. “He worked very hard. I think our performance group, they do a really good job. I think the players feel that. We have the resources available. Each player is a little bit different, so what’s required for one player might be different for Tank and his situation.
“But I would anticipate him being available for the offseason and then really April, May and June we’ll probably have a better idea. Once you get on the field you probably have a better visual representation of what that looks like. If you clear that hurdle, then training camp is more of like, ‘Okay, what does this actually look like?’ Knowing Tank, he’s probably cautiously optimistic that he’s going to be able to go out there and be Tank Dell. I think everybody is hoping that’s the case, but you never know. Injuries are — none of us control injuries and what happens. But I think everybody is rooting for Tank. He’s worked very hard and had a great attitude. I’m excited to see him out there moving around. Nobody is more excited than he is, so it will be good once we start getting on the field and getting on the grass to see what that looks like.”
Caserio’s words of caution are no surprise. It was a horrible injury. The fact that Dell even has a chance to return to his prior form in 2026 is great news.
In 11 games as a rookie in 2023, Dell caught 47 passes for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2024, he caught 51 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.
