The Patriots aren’t sure if they’ll have wide receiver Stefon Diggs available for head coach Mike Vrabel’s return to Tennessee.
Vrabel said at his Friday press conference that Diggs will be listed as questionable to play due to the chest injury that has limited his practice participation this week. Kayshon Boutte, Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism will be the receiver options if Diggs is unable to play.
Edge rusher Harold Landry (ankle) practiced on Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday. Vrabel said he will also be listed as questionable.
Safety Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring) and cornerback Charles Woods (knee) are the team’s other questionable players for Week 7.
Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs was a limited participant in practice for the second straight day.
Diggs is listed on the team’s injury report with a chest injury. Diggs has played in all six games this season and has 32 catches for 387 yards.
The Patriots added linebacker Marte Mapu to the report with a neck injury. He was limited along with safety Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring), linebacker Anfernee Jennings (ankle), and tackle Morgan Moses (hip).
Edge rusher Harold Landry (ankle) and cornerback Charles Woods (knee) did not participate in practice. Landry has been out both days and Woods was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
Defensive lineman Christian Barmore (not injury related), cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), and defensive lineman Keion White (elbow) were full participants.
Brian Callahan was the first head coach to be fired this season, raising the question of who could replace him for the Titans on a permanent basis next offseason.
Given that Tennessee G.M. Mike Borgonzni spent his pro career with Kansas City before he was hired in January, one assistant who has been brought up as a potential candidate is Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Nagy was previously the Bears head coach from 2018-2021, accumulating a 34-31 record with a pair of postseason appearances. While Chicago went 12-4 in his first year, the club was 8-8 in 2019 and 2020 before going 6-11 in 2021.
Nagy has been back with Kansas City ever since, first as senior assistant and quarterbacks coach in 2022 before being promoted to offensive coordinator — the role he had before departing for Chicago — in 2023.
Generally, Nagy has been with Andy Reid for most of his coaching career, starting as an intern with the Eagles in 2008. He went with Reid from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 2013.
So it makes sense that when asked about Nagy becoming a head coach again on Wednesday, Reid gave a heart endorsement.
“I’m his biggest fan — and ‘Spags’ [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] likewise,” Reid said in his press conference. “So, listen, if they have that opportunity, more power to them. … I hope he gets that opportunity, for sure. Tremendous coach and person.”
There’s a lot of time between now and when the Titans will make a new hire. But Nagy will be one to watch this offseason, especially if Tennessee elects to hire someone with previous experience as a head coach.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward moved onto the second head coach of his brief NFL career when the team fired Brian Callahan and replaced him with Mike McCoy this week, but he said on Wednesday that the change isn’t going to create much upheaval for him.
Ward said he feels for Callahan “because of what he has done for me to get to this point,” but that he has developed a good relationship with McCoy since the pre-draft process and that he thinks the coach’s history with other top quarterbacks will benefit him over the rest of his rookie season.
“My job is to play quarterback, and my job is to help lead this team to wins,” Ward said, via the team’s website. “I am going to support whatever decision we make, and the guys in the locker room are going to support it. At the end of the day, with coach or without coach, we are trying to win football games and that is the same message coach Mike is preaching. We just have to live by it and stay true to it.”
There’s a chance McCoy could get the job on a permanent basis, but the offseason is likelier to bring a third head coach for Ward to work with and making sure his development stays on track through the changes will be of prime importance in Tennessee.
Mike McCoy’s first practice as the Titans’ interim head coach will feature the return of a key defensive player.
The Titans announced on Wednesday that they have designated defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat for return from injured reserve. Sweat injured his ankle in Week 1 and has missed the last five games as a result.
Sweat will be able to practice for the next three weeks and he can be activated at any point in that window. He won’t be able to return if he is not activated before the three weeks are up, however.
Sweat had two tackles in the opener and he had 51 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery during his rookie season.
