As part of the announcements for all AP award finalists, the NFL has revealed the five athletes who are up for comeback player of the year.
Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott are the five up for the award.
Diggs suffered a torn ACL midway through the 2024 season, but started all 17 games in 2025, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards with four touchdowns.
Hutchinson suffered a season-ending leg injury in October 2024, breaking his tibia and fibula. He posted a career-high 14.5 sacks along with 14 tackles for loss, and 35 quarterback hits in 17 games for Detroit in 2025.
Lawrence started only 10 games in 2024 after dealing with multiple concussions last season. But he helped pilot the Jaguars to the postseason in 2025, starting all 17 games and passing for 4,007 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
After playing only four games due to multiple injuries in 2024, McCaffrey led the league with 413 touches to help the 49ers reach the postseason. He took 311 carries for 1,202 yards with 10 touchdowns and caught 102 passes for 924 yards with seven TDs.
Finally, Prescott returned from a hamstring avulsion to start all 17 games, finishing the year with 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He led the league with 404 completions.
Lions Clips
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.
The Dolphins completed interviews with Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard for their head coaching job, the team announced on Monday.
Graham was the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in 2019.
He joined the Raiders as a member of Josh McDaniels’ staff in 2022, and he remained with the team through the changes to Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll. The Raiders fired Carroll after one season.
Graham served as the defensive coordinator for the Giants in 2020-21. He spent seven seasons in various roles with the Patriots and has also worked as an assistant with the Packers.
Sheppard became the Lions’ defensive coordinator a year ago — his first time as a coordinator — when Aaron Glenn left to become the Jets’ head coach. Sheppard was the Lions’ outside linebackers coach (2021) and linebackers coach (2022-24) before becoming the team’s coordinator.
The Dolphins have also interviewed or will interview Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, Packers defensive coordinator Jim Hafley, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. They also had interest in Kevin Stefanski before the Falcons hired him.
The Lions are hiring Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.
Petzing served as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator the past three seasons, with Arizona ranking 24th (2023), 12th (2024) and 23rd (2024) in scoring. They were 19th (2023), 11th (2024) and 19th (2025) in yards.
Petzing does not have ties with Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who replaced John Morton as the team’s offensive play-caller midseason. Petzing, though, coached with Ben Johnson at Boston College, and Petzing served as one of Johnson’s groomsmen, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
Petzing began his NFL coaching career in 2013 with the Browns. He has also worked for the Vikings (2016-19) and Browns (2020-22). He was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach in 2022 before leaving for the Cardinals.
Much of the focus on the Dolphins’ head coaching search in recent days has been on their second meeting with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, but he’s not the only candidate meeting with the team on Monday.
Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard are also getting in-person interviews with the team. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported the Graham plan last week and there were multiple reports about Sheppard’s interview over the weekend.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes that the two interviews will satisfy the Dolphins’ Rooney Rule requirements, which means they’ll be free to move forward with hiring Hafley or any other candidate they select.
Hafley also has interviews scheduled with the Titans and Raiders, but he won’t be taking them should everything fall into place in Miami.
Arthur Smith has emerged as a candidate to be the next offensive coordinator of the Lions.
The Lions have requested an interview with Smith, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Smith spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Steelers, but he is not a candidate to replace Mike Tomlin as the head coach in Pittsburgh. He has been mentioned as a candidate for other head-coaching vacancies, but if he doesn’t get any of those jobs, the coordinator position in Detroit could be the next-best option for him.
The 43-year-old Smith was head coach of the Falcons from 2021 to 2023. He previously spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach for the Titans, serving as their offensive coordinator for the last two seasons.
The Lions will interview former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson for their vacant offensive coordinator job on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
Robinson also interviewed with the Buccaneers for their offensive coordinator job.
Robinson spent five seasons with the Rams, rising from assistant quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach under Sean McVay. Robinson was the assistant quarterbacks coach with the Rams in 2019 when Jared Goff was the starting quarterback.
Robinson moved to assistant wide receivers coach in 2020 in Goff’s final season in Los Angeles. Goff became the Lions’ starting quarterback in 2021.
The Lions also have Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka, former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and Seahawks passing game coordinator Jake Peetz as candidates. The Commanders promoted David Blough to offensive coordinator after the Lions had strong interest in him.
The Dolphins have requested to interview Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard for their vacant head coaching job, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
It is Sheppard’s first head coaching interview.
He became the Lions’ defensive coordinator a year ago — his first time as a coordinator — when Aaron Glenn left to become the Jets’ head coach.
Sheppard was the Lions’ outside linebackers coach (2021) and linebackers coach (2022-24) before becoming the team’s coordinator.
The Dolphins have completed interviews with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and have requested to interview Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
They are seeking to replace Mike McDaniel.
Mike McDaniel’s dance card is filling up this week.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that McDaniel is set to interview with the Falcons and Ravens this week about their head coaching vacancies. This comes after word on Sunday that he will interview with the Browns and last week’s word that he’ll meet with the Titans.
McDaniel spent the last four seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach and was on Kyle Shanahan’s staff with the 49ers before going to Miami. He moved to the 49ers with Shanahan after working on the Falcons’ staff in 2015 and 2016, which was the same time that new Falcons president of football Matt Ryan was the team’s quarterback.
McDaniel is also drawing interest from the Lions for their offensive coordinator vacancy and other teams looking for a change at that spot could also throw their hat in the ring for McDaniel’s services.
The Buccaneers interviewed a pair of offensive coordinator candidates on Saturday and they also worked on filling their special teams coordinator role.
The team announced that they completed an interview with Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins. The interview was conducted virtually.
Modkins has worked with Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp since the 2021 season. The Lions rank fifth in kickoff return average and fourth in punt return average over that period. They also have three punt return touchdowns over the last five years.
The Bucs fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey earlier this week as part of a number of changes to head coach Todd Bowles’ staff.
