HEADLINES

Month: January 2023

Bears GM: Would Need To Be ‘Blown Away’ To Draft QB At No. 1

January 10th, 2023 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seeing their 10-game losing streak prove enough — thanks to some help from their former coach in his Texans finale — the Bears have a number of options at No. 1 overall. By virtue of the Texans’ Lovie Smith-guided win Sunday, the Bears have a chance to make the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in 76 years.

Chicago could go with a best-player-available approach, likely ending with an SEC defensive lineman, or put the pick up for sale. No one has traded down from No. 1 since the Titans did so in 2016 (allowing the Rams to land Jared Goff). A third option — drafting a quarterback first overall — looks to be a much lower-percentage shot for GM Ryan Poles.

“We’re going to do the same as we’ve always done — we’re going to evaluate the draft class,” Poles said Tuesday, “and I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision.”

[RELATED: Colts Open To Trading Up For Quarterback]

While the Bears selecting a quarterback first overall would remind of the Cardinals’ 2019 decision to take Kyler Murray a year after they had chosen Josh Rosen 10th overall in 2018, Justin Fields has shown far more than Rosen did. The Bears have Fields signed through 2024, and a fifth-year option would take the run-oriented QB’s deal through 2025. Bryce Young‘s pre-draft buzz could conceivably affect Fields, but as of now, it does not sound like that will happen.

Poles endorsed Fields as the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2023. Despite the Bears not equipping him with too much at wide receiver, the deadline deal for Chase Claypool notwithstanding, Fields showed growth during his second season. He nearly broke Lamar Jackson‘s record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Chicago’s decision to shut him down ahead of Week 18 kept the Ohio State product at 1,143 rushing yards — second-most in a season by a QB.

Fields, however, took an NFL-high 55 sacks, and the Bears ranked last in the league in passing. It would be rather shocking for Chicago to take a quarterback, but this regime did not draft Fields in 2021. Poles and Co. will prepare for the Bears’ rare opportunity atop the draft board.

“I think we have really good flexibility to help this team, regardless if it’s making the pick there or moving back a little bit or moving back a lot. We’ll be open to everything,” Poles said. “We can evaluate the talent there; we can see what player presents themselves in that position to help us, and then we can look at the scenario. If the phones go off and there are certain situations where that can help us, then we’ll go down that avenue, too.”

Moving up 14 spots to No. 1 in 2016, the Rams sent the Titans two 2016 second-rounders, their 2017 first and a 2017 third in the Goff deal. Prior to that, the last time a team traded out of No. 1 overall — excluding the 2004 Philip Rivers–Eli Manning scenario that came about because of the latter’s wishes to not play in San Diego — was 2001, when the Chargers gave the Falcons the Michael Vick pick. The Bears, however, sent the 49ers two third-round choices and a fourth-rounder to move up one spot for Mitch Trubisky at No. 2 in 2017. Considering Young’s Heisman pedigree, Chicago might ask for more than that if Houston wanted to climb a spot this year.

Thanks to the Fields and Khalil Mack trades, the Bears have only made two first-round picks over the past five drafts. Trading down would allow for the rebuilding team to keep stockpiling assets, as it showed it was willing to do with the trades of veteran defenders last year. Otherwise, Will Anderson or Jalen Carter — Mel Kiper Jr.’s top two players in the 2023 class — would await to give Chicago a centerpiece of its defensive rebuild.

Texans Request HC Interview With Mike Kafka

January 10th, 2023 at 9:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Mike Kafka is turning into a popular name on the head coaching circuit. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Texans have requested permission to interview the Giants offensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy.

[RELATED: Texans Request Five HC Interviews]

As our 2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Kafka joins an initial five-man list that includes Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

Kafka, a 2010 fourth-round pick out of Northwestern, stuck around the NFL for six years before turning to coaching. He got his first NFL gig with the Chiefs in 2017, and he quickly became Kansas City’s QBs coach and, later, their passing-game coordinator. Kafka’s stint as QBs coach coincided with Patrick Mahomes‘ ascension, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Brian Daboll hired him as the Giants new offensive coordinator.

Kafka was entrusted with the role of offensive play-caller in New York, a surprising development considering Daboll’s offensive success in Buffalo. The Giants were middle-of-the-road in offense this past season,but Kafka was still credited with helping the offense climb out of the cellar. The team also saw strong efforts from Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, sparking optimism about Kafka’s ability to function with different personnel.

Thanks to the Giants’ surprising performance in 2022, Kafka has started to generate some interest as a head coach. He was previously connected to the Panthers head coaching gig, and now he’ll get a look as Lovie Smith‘s replacement in Houston.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/10/23

January 10th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: CB Duron Lowe

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/10/23

January 10th, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions, mostly involving playoff teams:

Indianapolis Colts

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Designated for return: WR Dee Eskridge

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), Shepley will be allowed to officially join his new squad after the Super Bowl. The offensive lineman spent most of the 2022 campaign on the Cowboys practice squad.

Davis, a sixth-round rookie out of UCF, is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during his final collegiate season. He returned to practice earlier this month but ultimately won’t be activated for the playoffs. Per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter), the defensive lineman continues to recover and should be good to go for the offseason program.

Jets DL Quinnen Williams Wants New Deal By April

January 10th, 2023 at 6:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Quinnen Williams is already making it clear that he wants a new contract…and he wants it ASAP. The Jets defensive lineman told reporters yesterday that he wants to sign an extension by April or he won’t report to the voluntary portion of the offseason program, per Brian Costello of the New York Post.

“Everybody knows I’m a team guy, man,” Williams said. “But I do want to get a contract done before the offseason program. I do feel like I deserve to get a contract done before the offseason program just because I did everything right on the field and everything right off the field. Having the organization behind me just like I’m behind them to show that they really support me is a major thing for me.”

The 2019 first-round pick has one year remaining on his rookie pact after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option. At the moment, Williams is set to earn $9.6MM next season. The league’s top defensive tackles earn at least $20MM per season, so Williams will surely be eyeing a significant pay raise on his next deal.

Williams was a bit trick-or-treat through his first three seasons in the NFL, but he finally seemed to put it all together during the 2022 campaign. The 25-year-old ended up finishing the season with career-highs in tackles (55), sacks (12), QB hits (28), and forced fumbles (two) en route to his first career Pro Bowl nod. Pro Football Focus rated Williams as one of the top interior defenders in the NFL, ranking him fourth among 126 qualifying players.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/23

January 10th, 2023 at 6:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Many teams started signing players to reserve/futures contracts yesterday, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Commanders Want To Re-Sign DL Daron Payne

January 10th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Commanders want to re-sign defensive lineman Daron Payne. General manager Martin Mayhew didn’t mince words when discussing the impending free agent.

“Daron is an important part of what we’re doing,” Mayhew said (via ESPN’s John Keim on Twitter). “Great year this year. 11.5 sacks, the guy played outstanding football this year. He’s always been disruptive. He’s always been in the back field, he’s always been around the ball … [H]e played outstanding football for us. It’d be difficult to move forward without him, obviously. We have a plan and we definitively want to get him back.”

After being selected in the first round of the 2018 draft, Payne has spent his entire career in Washington. The defensive tackle had 14.5 sacks through his first four seasons in the NFL before breaking out in 2022, finishing with career-highs in tackles (64), sacks (11.5), tackles for loss (18), and QB hits (20). Pro Football Focus wasn’t as fond of his performance, ranking him only 72nd among 126 interior defenders, although they did rank him top-25 at the position for pass rushing.

Following his breakout campaign, Payne will surely command a lucrative contract in free agency. The organization still has two months of exclusive negotiations, and they could always consider slapping the defensive lineman with the franchise tag (which should be valued at more than $18MM).

Colts Open To Trading Up For Quarterback; Jeff Saturday In Play To Stay

January 10th, 2023 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Ballard confirmed November reports he did not back Jim Irsay‘s decision to hire Jeff Saturday as the team’s interim head coach, but the six-year Colts GM also said Tuesday (via SI.com’s Albert Breer, on Twitter) that Saturday will be a candidate to stay on as the team’s full-time hire.

As that strange partnership persists, for the time being, the Colts find themselves in their best position to draft a quarterback in some time. While Josh Allen went off the board one spot after the Colts selected Quenton Nelson five years ago, Indianapolis was not exactly in need of a QB at that point. Since Andrew Luck‘s sudden retirement in 2019, the Colts have only made one first-round pick (Kwity Paye in 2021) and opted to make two trades to fill their starting QB post. Neither the Carson Wentz nor the Matt Ryan deal ended up working out.

The Colts will be a candidate to trade up for a passer, injecting more intrigue into the team’s highest draft choice (No. 4 overall) since Luck 11 years ago.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Ballard said (via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder) regarding a trade-up. “If we thought there’s a player that we’re driven to get that makes the franchise and the team better, that’s what we would do. We understand the importance of the position. To get one that you can win with and to be right is the most important thing — not if we take one or not. It’s being right.

“Looking back on it, when you’re changing quarterbacks every year, it’s tough. It’s tough on everybody. It’s tough on the team. Not getting that position settled has a little something to do with [the team’s tumble].”

It might take moving up to the No. 1 spot to select Alabama’s Bryce Young, whom the Texans will likely covet at No. 2 overall. ESPN.com’s Todd McShay has both C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Will Levis (Kentucky) going in the top six. Colleague Mel Kiper Jr. slots Stroud as the No. 4 overall prospect and Levis outside the top 10.

While the Colts have experienced good fortune after bad seasons, falling into the Luck and Peyton Manning draft slots. Nabbing Nelson at No. 6, following a 2017 season Luck missed all of due to a shoulder injury, has also worked out well. But Luck’s retirement thrust the Colts into a tailspin. They may be connected to yet another veteran — after the Philip Rivers-Wentz-Ryan carousel — this offseason, but strong consideration will be given to reinvesting via the draft.

Ballard said he told Irsay just before the Saturday hire: “This is unprecedented, and we’re putting him into a really tough situation here.” The longtime GM added that he will lead the search for the team’s next head coach, but Irsay will make the final call.

Ballard’s first coaching search produced a historically unusual twist, with Josh McDaniels backing out of a verbal agreement. The Colts’ Reich hire produced two playoff berths, but Irsay — in a rather eventful year for the outspoken owner — pulled the plug on that as the team struggled to start this season. Despite Indy’s woes intensifying under Saturday, he is expected to be interviewed soon.

“He knows the internal workings and he’s been able to see the inside of what he wants to fix,” Ballard said when asked if Saturday has a leg up on the outside HC candidates. “But we will have a process that will be equal for everybody.”

Commanders Fire OC Scott Turner

January 10th, 2023 at 3:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders will be on the hunt for a new play-caller for the 2023 season. They are firing Scott Turner, NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay reports (on Twitter).

Turner had been in place as Washington’s OC throughout Ron Rivera‘s three-year tenure, and the second-generation coach was with Rivera in Carolina as well. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported minutes ago Turner was on shaky ground, and the Commanders will look for an upgrade on the market. Rivera confirmed the move shortly after the reports emerged.

This decision comes 10 months after Washington extended Turner, but the team has consistently struggled to put up points during Rivera’s tenure. Washington has finished 25th, 23rd and 24th in points scored from 2020-22. Although the team’s quarterback instability undoubtedly represents the main reason for those rankings, Turner will pay the price.

The son of Norv Turner, Scott landed his first NFL job under Rivera in 2011, becoming an offensive quality control staffer with the Panthers in Rivera’s first season. After some moves around the league and a year under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Turner resurfaced in Carolina during Rivera’s final two Panthers seasons. In the wake of the Panthers firing Rivera (and Norv Turner moving to a non-OC role) in 2019, Scott Turner finished that year running Carolina’s offense. He parlayed that into the Washington gig. (Washington also fired Norv Turner back in 2000, after he lasted seven years as HC.)

Rivera had gone with the same OC-DC pairing — Turner, Jack Del Rio — throughout his Washington tenure, but assuming he stays on as the Commanders’ HC, a hot seat will await. Washington made the playoffs in 2020, albeit with a 7-9 record, but has not cleared .500 during Rivera’s stay. That will ramp up the pressure on the veteran coach for the 2023 season.

With Washington, Turner was tasked with running offenses built around several different quarterbacks. The team, which has started six Week 1 QBs since 2017, has seen injuries impact its QB room significantly during Rivera’s tenure. Alex Smith‘s return from his gruesome leg injury aided the then-Washington Football Team in 2020, when Smith started over Dwayne Haskins. But Haskins still started six games for Washington that year. Smith’s retirement led to the Commanders signing Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2021. Fitzpatrick lasted barely 10 plays that season, going down in Week 1 and never playing again. This year’s Carson Wentz experiment largely busted.

The Commanders traded two Day 2 picks for Wentz but went just 2-5 in his starts, benching him for both Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell this season. Wentz did not have the chance to play with rookies Brian Robinson and Jahan Dotson much, but after returning from his broken finger, he threw three interceptions in a Week 17 loss that eliminated the Commanders. With the team having the chance to save $26MM by cutting Wentz, it would be a bit of a surprise if he returns in 2023.

Quarterback issues aside, this move also comes after Commanders players showed frustration with the team’s play-calling, Sam Fortier of the Washington Post writes. Logan Thomas said last week, “The way I put it is: We got so much talent, we should be scoring more points than we have,” with Fortier adding nine other players expressed issues with Turner’s play-calling. Washington extended Terry McLaurin, drafted Dotson in Round 1 and has Curtis Samuel on an $11.5MM-per-year deal. Both its top running backs (Robinson, Antonio Gibson) also were Day 2 choices. Turner’s replacement will be tasked with maximizing this lot of higher-end investments.

Rams Will Not Block Assistant Coach Moves; Frank Reich On OC Radar

January 10th, 2023 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean McVay has not confirmed he will return for a seventh season with the Rams, keeping the team in suspense. As the Rams wait on an answer, they will not stand in the way of any assistant who has an opportunity with another team.

The Rams will not block any assistant from leaving, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. While teams can no longer block position coaches from coordinator interviews, they can impede lateral moves. The Rams will not do so, adding more uncertainty as McVay determines his path.

Los Angeles has already lost multiple assistants, including offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who officially rejoined the University of Kentucky on Tuesday. Coen, who is now a two-time Rams and two-time Wildcats assistant, agreed to again become the SEC team’s OC weeks ago. Coen was the Rams’ third OC under McVay, following Kevin O’Connell and Matt LaFleur. The Rams went without an OC from 2018-19, following LaFleur’s move to the Titans. McVay’s presence minimizes the role of the Rams’ OC, but the team is eyeing an experienced play-caller for the position.

The Rams have shown some interest in ex-Colts HC Frank Reich for the job, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets. Thomas Brown and Zac Robinson are internal candidates for the gig, per Rodrigue, though filling Coen’s post will obviously need to wait on McVay’s call. Arizona State had Brown on the radar for its HC job, and the Vikings interviewed him for their OC job last year. But the Rams’ tight ends coach remains in place. Robinson is the Rams’ passing-game coordinator; he has been with the team since 2019.

It would represent a major step down, role-wise, for Reich to join the Rams (assuming McVay stays). The five-year Colts coach said he wanted to be a head coach again, hopefully as soon as 2023, and teams have him on their radar. The Panthers are expected to interview Reich. Any coordinator overtures, which should emerge from other teams besides the Rams, will presumably need to wait on Reich’s latest HC carousel ride.

Reich, 61, would obviously provide the Rams with a wealth of experience, but it would be unusual for the longtime play-caller to accept a non-play-calling OC role. Reich did hold such a position in Philadelphia, however, with Doug Pederson calling the Eagles’ plays during Reich’s two-year stay on his staff. In Indianapolis, Reich called plays throughout his tenure. Prior to going to Philly, Reich served as the Chargers’ OC — also under an offense-oriented head coach, Mike McCoy — for two seasons.

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