The Browns may take both of the defensive awards handed out at this year’s NFL Honors.
Defensive end Myles Garrett is the favorite to be named the defensive player of the year after setting the single-season sack record and linebacker Carson Schwesinger has the best odds of being named the league’s defensive rookie of the year.
Schwesinger was a second-round pick last year and he went on to start all 16 games he played during his rookie campaign. He finished the year with 156 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, and 11 tackles for loss.
Two Falcons — safety Xavier Watts and edge rusher James Pearce — join Schwesinger, Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter, and Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori as the finalists for this year’s award.
Falcons Clips
The NFC West landed three teams in the playoffs this season and all three of those teams have a finalist for the league’s offensive player of the year award.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the favorite to take the prize at sportsbooks after being a unanimous selection to the All-Pro team and he is one of the five finalists. Smith-Njigba had 119 catches for a league-high 1,793 yards while scoring 10 touchdowns for the NFC top seed.
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua led the league with 129 catches. He had 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns on those receptions and he also ran for one score.
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had 1,202 rushing yards and 924 receiving yards to post the third 2,000-plus scrimmage yard season of his career.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Falcons running back Bijan Robinson are the other finalists. Maye is also an MVP finalist while Robinson led the league in scrimmage yards.
The Buccaneers have found their next offensive coordinator.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they are finalizing a deal with Zac Robinson to take that key role on Todd Bowles’s coaching staff.
Robinson spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Falcons, so he’s no stranger to life in the NFC South. The Falcons finished 13th in scoring in 2024, but dropped to 24th in 2025 and finished 8-9 both seasons. That led to head coach Raheem Morris getting fired and it pushed Robinson to find a new place to coach.
Robinson was the quarterbacks coach for the Rams before going to Atlanta, so he’s also no stranger to Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield spent time with the Rams during the 2022 season and the success of their reunion will do much to determine how well things will go in Tampa next season.
Tommy Rees is following head coach Kevin Stefanski from Cleveland to Atlanta.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Falcons are hiring Rees as their offensive coordinator. The team named Stefanski as its new head coach earlier this week.
Rees, 33, was promoted to offensive coordinator last offseason after spending 2024 as Cleveland’s tight ends coach. He previously served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Nick Saban’s final year. Rees held the same positions at his alma mater, Notre Dame, in 2020-22.
Rees generated some interest at the college level for head coaching vacancies this offseason, with Penn State and Michigan reportedly interviewing him. He also interviewed for the Browns’ head coaching job.
With a president of football and head coach in place, the Falcons are moving on to General Manager interviews.
According to multiple reports, Atlanta has put in requests to interview Bears assistant G.M. Ian Cunningham, Texans assistant G.M. James Liipfert, and 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.
The Falcons previously interviewed Cunningham for the club’s president of football role, that ultimately went the franchise’s former quarterback, Matt Ryan.
Notably, Ryan is reportedly the primary football decision-maker, which means that teams may block interview requests for G.M.
That could be an impediment as Atlanta’s search continues for a new General Manager.
The Falcons have also put in a request to interview Steelers assistant General Manager Andy Weidl for the role.
Matt Ryan, as the Falcons’ president of football, will oversee all aspects of football for the organization. The team, though, still intends to hire a General Manager.
With Ryan as the primary decision-maker for the Falcons, teams are allowed to block interview requests from the Falcons for the G.M. job. The Steelers apparently won’t, though.
Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show reports that Steelers assistant General Manager Andy Weidl will interview for the Falcons’ General Manager job.
Weidl joined the Steelers after the draft in 2022.
He also has worked for the Saints, Ravens and Eagles.
The Falcons have requested an interview with Buccaneers wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
The Falcons are seeking an offensive coordinator under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Atlanta also requested an interview with Cardinals passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Drew Terrell.
McClendon has spent the past two seasons with the Bucs, his first NFL job.
He has worked in the college ranks for 17 seasons, mostly at Georgia but also at South Carolina and Oregon. He was interim head coach for the Ducks in 2021 and interim head coach for the Bulldogs in 2015.
McClendon was co-offensive coordinator or offensive coordinator during his four seasons (2016-19) with the Gamecocks.
The arrival of Robert Saleh in Tennessee makes the AFC South spicier, thanks to the presence of Saleh’s nemesis, Jaguars coach Liam Coen. The arrival of Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta makes the NFC South spicier, too.
It started when D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted a surprisingly aggressive tweet: “Falcons’ [coach] Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland — Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson failed, which started a chain reaction to 11 other starters. QB Shedeur Sanders closed out last season with seven starts.”
Mayfield saw it, and responded.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield said. “Still waiting on a text/call from [Stefanski] after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”
Mayfield is right; it was and is a reach. Mayfield took the Browns to the postseason in 2020, leading them to the divisional round against the Chiefs. Kansas City narrowly escaped, 22-17.
In 2021, Mayfield played through injuries, and the Browns missed the playoffs. In early 2022, someone in Cleveland got the bright idea to mortgage the future for (and pay a king’s ransom to) Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns traded Mayfield to the Panthers, who at the time were nearly as dysfunctional as the Browns have been for more than a decade.
Mayfield’s three years with the Buccaneers have proven that he’s not a “dumpster fire” quarterback. The Browns were the dumpster fire.
Now, the smoke has spread to Atlanta and Tampa Bay, where the perpetual chip on Mayfield’s shoulder has gotten a little bigger. And it’s awesome.
The Falcons interviewed Drew Terrell for their offensive coordinator job on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
Terrell is the Cardinals’ passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, although the team has fired head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Terrell interviewed for the Chargers’ offensive coordinator job on Monday and previously talked to the Commanders before they promoted David Blough.
Terrell, 34, joined the Cardinals’ staff in 2023 after spending 2020-22 with the Commanders under Ron Rivera. He was assistant receivers coach and then receivers coach for Washington.
He also coached under Rivera with the Panthers from 2018-19 as an offensive quality control coach.
Bill Callahan will once again work with Kevin Stefanski.
The Falcons announced on Tuesday that Callahan is joining Stefanski’s staff as offensive line coach.
The move was expected after Stefanski agreed to become the club’s head coach over the weekend. Callahan worked as Stefanski’s offensive line coach for the Browns from 2020-2023. Cleveland let Callahan out of his contract to work for his son, Brian, with the Titans.
When Brian Callahan was fired midway through the 2025 season, Bill Callahan also departed the franchise.
Bill Callahan led the Raiders to their last Super Bowl appearance to cap the 2002 season as their head coach. He’s also worked for the Eagles, Jets, Cowboys, and Washington in his long career.
