The Cowboys fired Matt Eberflus earlier this week, putting them in the market for a new defensive coordinator for the third consecutive offseason. The new hire will be the team’s fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons.
The Cowboys have requested permission to speak with Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, Broncos assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
The Cowboys were denied permission by Atlanta to talk with Jeff Ulbrich, who remains under contract despite the Falcons’ search for a head coach, Archer adds. The Cowboys could eventually speak with Ulbrich after the Falcons settle on a head coach.
Dallas ranked last in the NFL in points allowed, giving up a team-record 511. The team was 30th in yards allowed.
The new coordinator will follow Dan Quinn (2021-23), Mike Zimmer (2024) and Eberflus (2025).
Browns Clips
We used to post our regular-season awards one at a time. This year, we’re trying something different. Mainly because there’s too much other stuff going on.
All awards will be unveiled in one fell swoop. In one comprehensive post.
These aren’t my awards. The Associated Press doesn’t want any of the 50 voters to reveal their winners before the NFL Honors ceremony next month. We don’t need to wait that long to reveal the our own look at the folks who deserve recognition based on their performances during the 272-game season that ended four days ago.
So here they are, based on the input of the various PFT writers.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
The first-rounder finished with 1,017 receiving yards in 17 games for the NFC South champs. If Saints quarterback Tyler Shough had started more than nine games, he may have run away with it.
Also receiving consideration was Buccaneers first-round receiver Emeka Egbuka (938 receiving yards).
In the end, the 1,000-yard season and presence on a playoff team gave McMillan the nod.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
The first pick in round two emerged as the consensus top rookie on the defensive side of the ball, with 16 starts, 156 tackles, two interceptions, and 2.5 sacks.
Others considered were Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori and Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr.
Comeback Player of the Year: 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Limited to four games in 2024 due to an Achilles injury that delayed his debut and a knee injury that ended his season, McCaffrey returned to full form in 2025. He had 2,126 yards from scrimmage (his third 2,000-yard performance) and came within 76 receiving yards of his second 1,000/1,000 rushing/receiving season.
McCaffrey’s ability to play every game helped keep the 49ers going amid an array of injuries to key players on both sides of the ball, fueling a 12-5 season that ended with a playoff berth.
Also receiving consideration were Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who had a career-high 14.5 sacks after suffering a broken leg in 2024, and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who finished with 4,552 passing yards a year after missing nine games with a serious hamstring injury.
Offensive Player of the Year: Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.
During the 2025 season, now-former Falcons coach Raheem Morris repeatedly called Robinson the best player in the NFL. Robinson led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage, and he proved to be a threat to score on any given snap. He had the longest run of the season — a 93-yarder — and 6.3 yards per touch.
Others receiving consideration were McCaffrey, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (league-high 1,793 receiving yards), and Rams receiver Puka Nacua (league-high 129 catches).
Defensive Player of the Year: Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
This one was the easiest of all. Garrett broke the single-season sack record, with 23.0. He had a four-sack game against the Ravens, and a five-sack performance against the Patriots.
Given that the Browns rarely had a late lead, allowing Garrett to pin the proverbial ears back and chase a quarterback who was passing the ball over and over again, Garrett’s ability to generate so many sacks was even more impressive.
Others receiving consideration were Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (12.0 sacks and the captain of the NFL’s best defense), and Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (14.0 sacks).
Assistant Coach of the Year: Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
The former Broncos head coach (from 2017-18) was essentially the head coach of the Denver defense, which continues to be among the NFL’s best. With Joseph, the Broncos secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That could earn Joseph another shot at a head-coaching job.
Others receiving consideration were Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, and Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.
Coach of the Year: Jaguars coach Liam Coen.
This one was the closest call, between the first-year coach who took the Jaguars to the AFC South title (after only one year as Tampa’s offensive coordinator, following one year in 2022 as the Rams’ offensive coordinator) and Mike Vrabel, who immediately returned the Patriots to prominence. New England had an easy schedule (they didn’t pick it), and Vrabel’s track record made the overall turnaround less surprising.
Few expected Coen to take a team that had been 4-13 in 2024 to a division crown. Along the way, Coen sparked an eight-game winning streak after a 1-3 lull to hold off the Texans (who could be the best team in the entire conference) for the division crown.
Others receiving consideration were Bears coach Ben Johnson, Broncos coach Sean Payton, and Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald.
Executive of the Year: Seahawks G.M. John Schneider.
The decision to trade quarterback Geno Smith and pivot to quarterback Sam Darnold was the boldest move the long-time Seattle G.M. made. But Schneider has otherwise put together a roster that is among the best in the league, helping to lay the foundation for a team that won the top seed in the NFC, despite stiff competition in the NFC West.
Others receiving consideration were Jaguars G.M. James Gladstone, Bears G.M. Ryan Poles, and Patriots executive V.P. of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
MVP: Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye or Stafford? Stafford or Maye?
Anyone can pick a stat and make the case for either Maye or Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford had the NFL’s most passing yards, with 4,707, and passing touchdowns, with 46. Maye had the highest average per attempt, with 8.93 (more than a full yard more than Stafford), and the highest passer rating in the league, at 113.5.
Here’s one that helped tip the scale toward Maye: He had an eight-game run with 200 or more passing yards and a passer rating of 100 or higher. Only three players in NFL history had ever done that before — Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning. Each won the MVP award when they accomplished that feat. Maye became the youngest to ever do it, at 23.
Stafford likely would have been our MVP, if the Rams hadn’t blown a 16-point lead with 13:34 to play against the Seahawks in Week 16. Five fourth-quarter drives by the Rams after that moment yielded zero points.
That same weekend, Maye engineered a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives against the Ravens, turning a 24-13 deficit into a 28-24 win. The first covered 73 yards. The second started at the New England 11.
In those two prime-time games, the Rams lost both the No. 1 seed and the NFC West crown — and the Patriots moved a massive step closer to ending Buffalo’s five-year hammerlock on the AFC East.
Would it have been an easier call if the Patriots had secured the No. 1 seed? Yes. Still, Maye’s statistical achievements coupled with a division title and the No. 2 seed in the AFC (versus the Rams at No. 5) were enough to earn Maye the MVP title in only his second NFL season.
It likely won’t take Mike McDaniel long to find a new job.
An obvious offensive coordinator candidate for any team that needs one, McDaniel has already fielded some interest.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Lions have reached out to McDaniel about potentially becoming the club’s OC.
Detroit fired offensive coordinator John Morton earlier this week after the club missed the postseason. Head coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play-calling midway through the season, but the Lions were not as cohesive of an offensive unit throughout the year as they had been with now-Bears head coach Ben Johnson calling the plays.
Washington is another team with an offensive coordinator vacancy that is likely to reach out to McDaniel, given that McDaniel coached under Dan Quinn when he was head coach of the Falcons.
But there could be another role for McDaniel — head coach. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported earlier on Thursday that the Browns have interest in speaking with McDaniel about their vacancy.
Either way, it appears McDaniel will have some choices after he was fired by Miami on Thursday.
The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday, setting him up to be one of the top offensive coordinator candidates available in this coaching cycle.
But there’s also a chance McDaniel lands another head coaching job right away.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns have interest in McDaniel as a candidate for their head coaching vacancy.
McDaniel has some history with the organization, albeit from a while ago. He was Cleveland’s receivers coach in 2014 under head coach Mike Pettine when Kyle Shanahan was the team’s offensive coordinator. When Shanahan departed the organization, McDaniel followed him to Atlanta and then to San Francisco.
Cabot notes that McDaniel has long been admired inside the Browns’ building and has been on the team’s radar for some time. The club will do its due diligence on McDaniel now that he is available.
The Browns beat the Dolphins 31-6 in 2025. McDaniel was 35-33 in the regular season and 0-2 in the postseason with Miami.
The case of the burglary of Shedeur Sanders’s home has been cracked.
Via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon-Journal, the Medina County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office has arrested three of the four suspects in the November 16, 2025 crime.
The arrests happened on January 7. The suspects remain in custody. The fourth — the driver of the getaway car — has been identified. A warrant for his arrest is pending.
The crime happened during a Browns home game against the Ravens. Surveillance cameras captured images of the suspects. They entered the home at roughly 6:58 p.m. ET, and they remained in the premises for 12 minutes.
Approximately $200,000 in property was stolen from Sanders.
Burglaries of the homes of pro athletes have become more and more common. Several high-profile players were victimized in 2024 by an organized crime ring that has since been shut down by law enforcement.
The Browns ended head coach Kevin Stefanski’s time with the franchise with a bang, and one defensive player had a lot to do with it.
The league named linebacker Devin Bush AFC defensive player of the week on Wednesday.
Bush returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown and finished the contest with 14 total tackles. The NFL noted Bush is the first player to record at least 14 tackles and have an interception of at least 95 yards in a game since the year 2000.
This is Bush’s second career defensive player of the week award. He previously won it with the Steelers in Week 6 of the 2019 season.
Cleveland’s defense has been one of the league’s best units since Jim Schwartz came aboard as defensive coordinator in 2023.
After firing Kevin Stefanski, the Browns may double down on their defense as an area of strength.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are interviewing Schwartz for their head coaching vacancy on Thursday.
The club will also interview offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on the same day.
Schwartz, 59, was Detroit’s head coach from 2009-2013, amassing a 29-51 record. The Lions made the postseason in 2011 after going 10-6, falling in the wild card round.
Since then, Schwartz has served as defensive coordinator for Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Cleveland — winning Super Bowl LII with the Eagles to cap the 2017 season.
“Jim’s an outstanding football coach,” Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said in his Monday press conference. “We have a lot of respect for him, a lot of appreciation for him, and he has certainly earned the right for consideration. But that’s something that we still have to discuss and obviously discuss with him.”
Cleveland has also requested interviews with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher.
The Browns have requested to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for the head coaching vacancy, Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports.
Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde are also interviewing.
The Browns hired head coach Kevin Stefanski on Jan. 5.
Pitcher has served as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator the past two seasons. It is his first coordinator job.
He began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Bengals in 2016, earned a promotion to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and quarterbacks coach in 2020.
Pitcher was a scout for the Colts for four seasons before joining the Cincinnati coaching staff.
Could Cleveland’s next head coach come from inside its building?
There’s a possibility with one of the club’s young assistants.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Browns will interview offensive coordinator Tommy Rees for their head coaching vacancy on Thursday.
Rees, 33, was promoted to offensive coordinator last offseason after spending 2024 as Cleveland’s tight ends coach. Rees was previously at Alabama as the program’s offensive coordinator and QBs coach in its last year under Nick Saban. He was also his Alma Mater Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator and QBs coach from 2020-2022.
Rees generated some interest at the college level for head coaching vacancies in the last few months, with Penn State and Michigan reportedly interviewing him.
Browns General Manager Andrew Berry was asked about the possibility of Rees being a candidate for the team’s head coaching vacancy on Monday.
“Tommy, he’s a very talented young coordinator,” Berry said. “He’s held in very high regard, not just in college football, but across the NFL. But again, those are discussions that we have to continue to have.”
Cleveland has also reportedly requested interviews with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde.
The Giants have gotten the ball rolling on meetings with potential head coaches.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski had dinner with the team on Tuesday. They are set to meet again on Wednesday to discuss the Giants’ head coaching vacancy.
Stefanski was fired by the Browns on Monday after six seasons as their head coach. The Falcons and Titans have also expressed interest in speaking with Stefanski about their head coaching openings.
Wednesday morning also brought word that the Giants have scheduled an interview with former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy next week. They are expected to have interest in former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and have also been linked to Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak this week.
