Texans Fire HC Lovie Smith
The Texans have followed through with a move which was expected leading up to the conclusion of the 2022 season. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report that head coach Lovie Smith has been fired (Twitter link). A team announcement has confirmed it.
The decision to part ways makes Smith the second consecutive one-and-done bench boss in Houston. The 64-year-old was tapped as David Culley‘s replacement last year, after he led the team to a 4-13 record. Things were not expected to be much better for the franchise in 2022, and they certainly were not. 
Smith represented a highly experienced option compared to Culley in particular, given the former’s two previous HC gigs in the NFL. The first of those, a nine-year stint with the Bears, was highlighted by a Super Bowl appearance in 2006. Overall, he amassed a record of 81-63 in the Windy City, leading him to a brief stay in Tampa Bay. That, however, did not go according to plan as the Buccaneers went 8-24 under Smith.
The veteran coach received a third opportunity to lead a team last season with his promotion from DC of the Texans, a role he held for one season prior. His ascension to the top spot on the sidelines came during a time in which the organization was under fire for their handling of the search for Culley’s replacement. Houston had reportedly narrowed their search to Eagles DC Jonathon Gannon, former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and recently-retired quarterback Josh McCown. The latter’s distinct lack of experience was a main talking point in the wake of Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit.
The Texans pivoted late in the process to Smith, who was unable to turn (generally) consistent effort from one of the league’s least-talented rosters into much in the win-loss column. Houston finished this season with a 3-13-1 record, including a last-minute win earlier today to drop them from first to second overall in the draft order. The AFC South outfit ranked last in the league in total offense, and 30th in total defense.
With the team in need of a long-term answer at quarterback after Davis Mills failed to take a step forward in Year 2 relative to an encouraging rookie season, Houston does have some otherwise attractive qualities. Those include the No. 2 pick which will likely be used to address the QB position, another first-rounder owing to the Deshaun Watson trade, and a favorable cap situation. The recent turnover on the sidelines the franchise has experienced will, on the other hand, likely scare off at least some potential candidates.
One of those could be former Texans linebacker and current 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans, who was named recently as a logical replacement in the event Smith were to be fired. The latter had publicly spoken out earlier today against the notion he would be dismissed, but those comments have proven to be fruitless. Attention will now turn to the job security of GM Nick Caserio, something which has become a matter of debate recently.
In a statement, the latter said in part, “On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Lovie Smith for everything he has contributed to our team over the last two seasons as a coach and a leader. I’m constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time… With the support of the McNair family and the resources available to us, I’m confident in the direction of our program moving forward.”
Caserio appears to be safe for the time being, but the Texans remain in a state of flux heading into the 2023 coaching cycle. Given his age and lack of success in Houston, it remains to be seen if Smith will pursue other coaching opportunities down the road, either in the NFL or college ranks.
Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order
Some fireworks came in regarding the draft order on the NFL’s final regular-season day. The Bears upended the Texans for the No. 1 pick, reeling in a team that held that top slot for much of the season. The Bears last made a pick at No. 1 overall in 1947. Their former head coach — Lovie Smith, whom the Texans just fired — oversaw this final-day flip-flop. Clarity on the rest of the non-playoff-bound teams’ draft slots emerged as well.
The Jaguars’ rally to win the AFC South moves them into a postseason spot, and the Titans’ seven-game losing streak to end the season drops them to their highest selection since 2017. Tennessee’s next general manager will have the opportunity to make a pick at No. 11 or deal from that draft position, while Jacksonville will hold its lowest selection since 2018. The Texans will hold two top-12 picks in April, thanks to the Browns’ Week 18 loss to the Steelers, while the Lions will have two in the top 20 as well.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks at the regular season’s close:
- Chicago Bears: 3-14
- Houston Texans: 3-13-1
- Arizona Cardinals: 4-13
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-12-1
- Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Las Vegas Raiders: 6-11
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Carolina Panthers: 7-10
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
- Tennessee Titans: 7-10
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- New York Jets: 7-10
- New England Patriots: 8-9
- Green Bay Packers: 8-9
- Washington Commanders: 8-8-1
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-8
- Detroit Lions: 9-8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9
- Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-8
- New York Giants: 9-7-1
- Baltimore Ravens: 10-7
- Los Angeles Chargers: 10-7
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 12-4
- Minnesota Vikings: 13-4
- Denver Broncos (via 49ers)
- Buffalo Bills: 13-3
- Kansas City Chiefs: 14-3
- Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3
This year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice
AFC North Rumors: Lamar, Clowney, Rudolph
The PCL sprain heard around the world continues to dog Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson’s Ravens are headed to Cincinnati next week for a rematch against the division-winning Bengals. Yet the question remains: will Jackson be the one under center for Baltimore’s wild-card matchup?
Jackson suffered his knee injury in a Week 13 win over the Broncos. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the former MVP hasn’t practiced since. The initial prognosis saw him sitting out for one to three weeks. Five missed games later and panic is growing as the playoffs approach. To many in the media, it sounded after three weeks that the Ravens had such a simple road to the playoffs that they were simply resting Jackson for an eventual playoff run. But starting a quarterback that hasn’t seen the field in five weeks is far less than ideal.
Jackson has done everything that’s been asked of him in rehab sessions, but his knee reportedly still hasn’t quite felt right, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport asserts that PCL injuries take a bit longer than MCL injuries and that perhaps, due to Jackson’s explosive and agile nature of play, the standards for being back to 100% are different for Lamar than they would be for other quarterbacks.
Regardless, Jackson indicates that he’s confident he’ll be able to return in the playoffs, even if others involved in the recovery aren’t quite as sure. If Jackson isn’t available next week, a familiar refrain continues as Rapoport reports that the belief is that he will be able to go the following week, should Baltimore advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Here are a couple of other rumors from around the AFC North concerning the two teams in the division who played their last football of the season against each other today:
- Browns edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney made headlines when he announced he was “ninety-five percent sure” he wouldn’t return to Cleveland and was sent home by the team. Although a likely change in defensive coordinator could improve his views on returning, Clowney has likely burned those bridges with his reported behavior, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. In the team’s October loss to Baltimore, Clowney reportedly told defensive line coach Chris Kiffin that he was hurting after the first series of the game and, as a result, Kiffin only sent Clowney in on third downs for the rest of the game. It was later revealed that Clowney told Kiffin he was hurt because he was upset that the Browns lined him up on the left side over Ravens star tackle Ronnie Stanley instead of the right side with Morgan Moses. If the anecdote is true, a moved like that, which could be viewed as manipulative or petty, would almost guarantee that Clowney’s future was determined in way back in October.
- During a Q&A with fans this week, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hit on an intriguing note concerning Steelers third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph. A fan inquired about the chances of Rudolph accepting a deal to be the team’s backup in future seasons. Dulac’s response indicated that Rudolph likely doesn’t have “any interest in staying (in Pittsburgh) after the way he was demoted/treated.” This assertion is nothing new from Dulac who posited early in December that Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky may both find themselves in new homes next year.
Texans Could Fire HC Lovie Smith, GM Nick Caserio
9:13pm: When speaking to reporters after the team’s win over the Colts (which, given its effect on the upcoming draft, has not been perceived as such), Smith downplayed the swirling speculation that he is on the way out.
“First off, there are reports,” he said, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “I don’t know what the reports are… Do I expect to be back? Yeah, I expect to be back. Absolutely.” He added that his most recent meeting with McNair was simply the latest in regular post-game sit-downs between the two. Depending on what takes place tomorrow, his remarks could prove to be well-founded or wind up being a moot point.
2:44pm: One of the teams generating the most attention around the NFL with respect to potential changes on the sidelines and in the front office is the Texans. Houston has been marked by instability and underwhelming win-loss records in recent years, and their rebuild could soon be headed in a very different direction. 
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that one of head coach Lovie Smith, general manager Nick Caserio or both “will be gone” at the conclusion of the regular season, putting them in danger of being fired tomorrow (video link). Given recent reporting on each of them, that would come as little surprise, in spite of the continued turbulence the organization would be undergoing in the event of a third straight coaching change.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson corroborates the sense that Smith, 64, will not return in 2023. As his sources explain, the team’s on-field performance – including a 2-13-1 record heading into today’s season finale against the Colts, and struggles in almost every category on both sides of the ball – is only one reason for a likely change. Others include the way he is perceived in the organization with respect to his approach and his stubbornness to alter it.
Smith (whose job status was one the Texans were already reported to be planning to evaluate following the season) has taken steps in recent days to try and avoid receiving a pink slip. The former Coach of the Year has been meeting with owner Cal McNair to “state his case” for being retained for at least one more year, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Smith would join David Culley as a one-and-done bench boss in Houston in consecutive seasons should his efforts prove futile.
Notably, Wilson reports that Caserio should actually be considered to be on relatively solid footing, adding that sources would be “extremely surprised” if he is let go. The longtime Patriots exec was, like Smith, reported to be on thin ice in the wake of the Texans’ struggles this year, one in which expectations were tempered. The 2022 season was always likely to include a long list of losses, but a lack of development by quarterback Davis Mills in particular has made the season a disappointing one.
The Texans are slated to pick no worse than second overall in the upcoming draft, however, which will give the franchise an opportunity to add a long-term answer at the position. That – coupled with a notable stock of other picks, cap space and a small group of young, encouraging players – could make the GM job an enticing one, should Caserio be dismissed. As for a potential Smith replacement, both Glazer and the NFLN pair name 49ers defensive coordinator (and former Texans linebacker) DeMeco Ryans as a name to watch when the coaching cycle begins to heat up.
Latest On Sean McVay’s Rams Future
JANUARY 8: Illustrating a notably different situation in McVay’s case, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that the Super Bowl winner is leaning towards stepping away (video link). Specifically, he adds that members of the organization would be “more surprised if he came back than if he left.”
Glazer also predicts that McVay is not, in fact, likely to take a significant period of time to arrive at his ultimate decision. That stands in stark contrast to previous reporting on the matter, but will no doubt add to the speculation that a parting of ways could be imminent. In the event McVay does step aside, Glazer names defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as a candidate to replace him. When speaking to the media after today’s loss to the Seahawks, McVay declined to comment on his future, leaving his status in the air as the offseason begins in Los Angeles.
JANUARY 7: As the offseason approaches for non-playoff teams, speculation has once again ramped up that Rams head coach Sean McVay will be headed elsewhere in the near future. Regardless of what his next move will be, the Super Bowl winner will take time in the coming weeks to weigh his options. 
McVay, 36, has continued to draw the interest of TV networks eyeing him as an addition to their broadcast teams. The possibility of a move from the sidelines to the booth was a top storyline for Los Angeles’ 2022 offseason, one in which a number of key players, general manager Les Snead and McVay himself each signed multi-year extensions.
Now, however, things are once again in danger of changing dramatically. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that McVay’s immediate future with the Rams “is in limbo” and that he will “take some time” following tomorrow’s season finale to determine his next steps. Ian Rapoport of Network confirms that the next few weeks will see the sixth-year HC spend time away from football “to consider his future” (video link).
Schefter notes that a number of events both on and off the field have taken their toll on McVay over the course of the past several months, beginning with the Rams’ Super Bowl victory last February. That result – coupled with the fact that a number of core pieces remained with the team during the offseason – led to considerable expectations once again in 2022. The Rams have fallen well short, though, going 5-11 to date amidst a slew of injuries and a substantial regression in efficiency on offense.
That has guaranteed the first losing season of McVay’s tenure, one which includes a .619 winning percentage in the regular season and another Super Bowl appearance aside from last year’s victory. Los Angeles faces a number of issues in the coming offseason after the disappointment of this campaign, as they are yet again without their first-round pick for the upcoming draft and in worse shape with respect to projected 2023 cap space than most teams.
McVay declined to comment on the Schefter report concerning his short-term future, but he confirmed earlier this week that he would be interested in a media role “down the line,” suggesting that a move to broadcasting could be less likely now than it was one year ago. In any event, his thought process in the weeks to come will be one of the league’s top storylines.
Latest On Broncos’ HC Search
The Broncos have wasted no time in turning the page on the 2022 NFL season. It was reported yesterday that Denver had been granted permission to interview former Saints head coach Sean Payton for their open coaching position. Payton isn’t the only coach on the radar in Denver, though, and the Broncos have moved forward with plans for interviews with other candidates, according to Mike Klis of 9News. 
The search will be led by a committee of owners and general manager George Paton. Owner and CEO Greg Penner intends to lead things with the help of fellow owners Carrie Penner, Rob Walton, and Condoleeza Rice. After failed stints with first-time head coaches Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio, and Nathaniel Hackett, the committee is putting preference on previous head coaching experience. The process will begin Monday when Denver will send out permission requests to interview candidates who are currently under contract with other teams. They plan to hold virtual interviews with multiple candidates this week.
The first in-person interview will occur this week and it will reportedly be with current Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Despite the team’s struggles this season, Evero has consistently fielded a top 10 defense throughout the year. Denver ranked 10th in points allowed this year, seventh in yards allowed, 10th in rushing yards allowed, and 12th in passing yards allowed. Evero accomplished this feat despite a brutal number of players on injured reserve throughout the season. Evero doesn’t fit the committee’s preference as a potential first-time head coach, but he showed he had the ability to handle a jump in responsibility as a first-time coordinator this year. He also holds a distinction as the only current candidate with an existing relationship with the players.
The two names that have come out of the woodwork already in the search, besides Payton and Evero, are University of Michigan head coach and former head coach of the 49ers Jim Harbaugh and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Harbaugh announced his plans this week to remain the head coach in Ann Arbor, but that won’t stop NFL teams from knocking on his door, virtually. Harbaugh is expected to be one of the virtual interviewees this week. There is, of course, a chance that Michigan attempts to entice Harbaugh to stay with a pay raise. Despite his coaching success at the college and NFL level, Harbaugh still earns less that Penn State’s James Franklin and Michigan State’s Mel Tucker in the Big Ten Conference.
Payton’s situation was discussed Saturday, including an update reporting that the Broncos and Saints “appear to be on the same page” with respect to trade compensation. The Saints are reportedly looking for a first-round pick and more, and apparently, Denver is willing to pay the price, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Rapoport also claims that the Broncos are interested in interviewing Payton as soon as possible, but due to his current obligations to New Orleans, an in-person interview with Payton cannot occur until January 17. The team could have held a virtual interview with Payton this week but reportedly decided to wait until he was fully available.
Denver will likewise have to wait to interview Quinn. The former Falcons head coach is headed to the playoffs with Dallas and, as a result, is not able to be interviewed until the 16th or 17th of January. Quinn was highly sought-after in the last hiring cycle, participating in interviews with the Broncos, Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants last year. He instead chose to remain in Dallas, signing a multi-year contract extension as the Cowboys defensive coordinator.
Despite the Broncos’ eagerness to move the process along, they are still required to comply with the league’s Rooney Rule. Interestingly, despite being a Black coach, Evero does not count towards the Rooney Rule as an internal candidate. Black coaches expected to be in the running for head coaching gigs this offseason are Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Morris and Ryans would not fit the committee’s preference for head coaching experience, but since Denver seems to have its heart set on Payton, interviews with these candidates would likely be nominal in nature. If this is, indeed, the case, it would be yet another example of the shortcomings of the league’s current efforts at diversity as teams only appear to be going through the motions when interviewing minority candidates.
The schedule is slowly forming for Penner, Patton, and company. Evero’s in-person interview this week, Harbaugh and others virtual interviews this week, and the pursuit of Payton and Quinn a little over a week from now. After ending the season on a high note with a win over the Chargers, Denver is looking to continue on with its forward momentum in making a home run hire at head coach.
Damar Hamlin Roundup: Bills-Bengals Resumption, AFC Alterations, More
With Bills safety Damar Hamlin continuing to make progress in his recovery, and the NFL having moved forward with their re-worked playoff scenarios for the AFC, attention will now increasingly turn to the upcoming postseason. Here is a quick roundup, though, of some notes pertaining to the game in which he suffered cardiac arrest, and the process by which the new seeding parameters were arrived at:
- Much has been made about the league’s intention of resuming the Buffalo-Cincinnati contest after Hamlin was taken off the field via ambulance. The ESPN broadcast of the game mentioned a five-minute warm-up period being relayed to both teams – something which NFL EVP Troy Vincent has, on multiple occasions, emphatically denied. Detailing the moments after Hamlin was resuscitated on the field, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that an official told the Bengals a 10-minute warm-up period would take place before resuming the game. Further conversations ensured, however, which included Bills head coach Sean McDermott stating that he was willing to forfeit the game if it ensured it was not played on Monday night. The Bengals, Florio adds, were accommodating of the Bills’ wishes, though they were under the impression the contest would be finished on Tuesday until realizing the Bills had retuned to Buffalo before the league’s ultimate cancellation decision.
- That move led to the modified AFC structure for playoff seeding, affecting the Bills’ and Bengals’ abilities to clinch the top spot in the conference. When speaking about the owners resolution passed on Friday, commissioner Roger Goodell described it as “a focused approach that would only affect four teams” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). One of main consequences of the realignment was the ability the Chiefs had to clinch the No. 1 seed with a win on Saturday (which they did) and the decision to move any potential Chiefs-Bills AFC title game to a neutral site – a scenario which is in play given Buffalo’s win today.
- Another, of course, was the amendment stating that home field for a Bengals-Ravens Wild Card matchup would have been decided by a coin flip had the Ravens won today (which they did not). Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets that proposals were in place to split the aforementioned amendments being voted on, but they did not pass. A coin flip being used to determine the top seed was not discussed, he adds (Twitter link). Throughout the process, the Chiefs abstained from voting given the direct effects the rule changes had on their path to the top spot in the AFC, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).
- The NFL also considered the possibility of the Ravens and Bengals playing their Wild Card matchup (which was a distinct possibility at the time, and has since been confirmed through today’s results) at a neutral site (Twitter link via Pelissero). Challenges with ticket sales and other logistics prevented that idea from gaining traction, however. Cincinnati and Baltimore will play each other for the third time this year – and second in as many weeks – during the first round of the postseason, with the Bengals playing host due to their superior record.
- Competition committee chair Rich McKay said, when asked about the league’s decision not to simply base playoff implications on win percentage, “We don’t capture everything in every rule. When you face situations, you have to try to make adjustments. [This situation was] not that different from some of the COVID-related issues” (Twitter link via Pelissero and Garafolo’s colleague Ian Rapoport). No games were cancelled due to the pandemic, but the NFL has likewise arrived at a response to the unique situation presented by last Monday’s contest not being completed. Now, all affected teams will move forward with their eyes on a playoff run.
Latest On Panthers’ Head Coaching Plans
In the post-Matt Rhule era, Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks has done an admirable job of navigating a turbulent back two-thirds of the season. Now with the regular season over after missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year, Carolina is faced with the task of determining who will be leading the team going into the 2023 NFL season. 
Despite the franchise going into “sell-mode” and parting ways with players like star running back Christian McCaffrey and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, Wilks led the Panthers to a 6-6 finish to the season. The six losses included three one-score games including a six-point loss to the Buccaneers that was the difference between winning or losing the division. If Carolina had pulled out the victory last week in Tampa Bay, Wilks and company would be hosting a playoff game next week.
Wilks is expected to be interviewed for a permanent role as head coach. His past experience as the Cardinals head coach in 2018 doesn’t necessarily shine on a resume, but his performance turning around a flailing Panthers squad this season should speak volumes. If that’s not enough, defensive leader Shaq Thompson told reporters that he and other players intend to talk to team owner David Tepper in order to voice their support for Wilks, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Having the backing of the players he would be coaching should be another heavily-weighed factor in the upcoming decision.
Wilks should have a good amount of competition for the job. Carolina is expected to interview former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell and former Colts head coach Frank Reich for the position, according to Jay Glazer of FOX NFL Sunday.
Caldwell has been out of the NFL since 2019. After parting ways with the Lions in 2017, Caldwell consulted for the reincarnated XFL before joining the Dolphins as a quarterbacks coach. Before the season began, though, Caldwell reportedly took a leave of absence to address health issues but stuck around to consult on the team. Since being fired by Detroit, Caldwell interviewed for the Packers, Jets, and Browns head coaching gigs in 2019 and the Jaguars and Bears jobs this past offseason.
Reich had a couple of rollercoaster seasons with the Colts in his first head coaching stint. Despite working with a new starting quarterback every season, Reich led Indianapolis to the playoffs twice. In his first four seasons as head coach, his team’s worst performance was a 7-9 finish. Even after getting fired after a 3-5-1 start this year, Reich ended his tenure in Indianapolis with a winning record at 40-33-1.
More names are sure to emerge as the offseason opens up. For now, though, the Panthers appear to be in one of the more favorable positions compared to other franchises expected to be looking for new head coaches. After a finish to the season that showed a good amount of promise, having strong options such as Wilks, Caldwell, and Reich should leave Panthers fans looking forward to better days in the future.
Bears Clinch No. 1 Pick In 2023 NFL Draft
Most of the NFL’s attention was on the AFC playoff picture during the early slate of Sunday’s Week 18 games, but another important development took place along the way. The results of the Bears’ and Texans’ respective contests has left Chicago with the top pick in the upcoming draft. 
The Bears, facing no need to win their season finale against the Vikings, sat starting quarterback Justin Fields. That move ended his opportunity to break the all-time single-season rushing record at the position, but also helped lessen the chances of an upset which would have taken them out of contention for the No. 1 slot. In his place, Chicago used both Nathan Peterman and Tim Boyle under center en route to a 29-13 loss.
That left the door open to Houston taking themselves out of the top spot, something which would take place only in the event they won against the Colts – a team which has cratered under interim head coach Jeff Saturday. In a back-and-forth game, Houston was able to score a Hail Mary touchdown on fourth-and-20 inside the final minute to bring them within one of Indianapolis. They successfully executed a two-point conversion to seal the win, one which knocked them down to the second overall pick in the process.
While it remains to be seen what effect (if any) that result has on Houston head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Nick Caserio with respect to their job security, it marks a considerable shake-up in the draft order. The Texans appeared to be on track to secure the top slot for most of the season, but the Bears’ struggles left them within striking distance as well. Now, the Bears will have the opportunity to make the draft’s first selection for only the third time in franchise history and the first since 1947.
It should be noted, of course, that there is a very real possibility that today’s reversal at the top of the board does not end up having a dramatic effect on the way things play out. Presuming both teams keep their picks, Chicago will likely be inclined to add to their defense, given Fields’ improvement shown during the season, as well as his age (23) and contract status (two more years on his rookie contract, and the potential of a fifth-year option). That could point them towards Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the No. 1 pick.
Houston, meanwhile, is widely expected to target a quarterback in April with one of their two first-rounders. That has led to plenty of connections between the Texans and Alabama’s Bryce Young, the highest-rated passer in the 2023 class. Chicago selecting a defender (or at least a different signal-caller) first overall would still all-but assuredly leave the Texans with their top target on the board; their extra Day 1 pick could also help them outbid other suitors for the top slot should the Bears make it available.
In any event, Bears GM Ryan Poles and Caserio (or his replacement) will each be well-positioned to add significantly to their respective teams in the spring given today’s events.
NFC North Notes: Lions, Jenkins, Udoh, Lowe
The Lions enter Week 18 with a chance to head to the postseason for the first time since 2016, needing a win tonight and help from the Rams this afternoon. Securing a playoff spot would be a testament to their turnaround from a 1-6 start, owing in large part to the play of their offense.
On the other side of the ball, though, Detroit has struggled across the board. The Lions rank last in total defense and are tied for 29th in the NFL in terms of points per game allowed (25.7). That has led to the expectation that a number of offseason moves aimed at shoring up the unit will be among their top priorities.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press identifies the secondary as an area of particular focus with respect to improving on defense (subscription required). A number of starters on the backend (including cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and Jerry Jacobs, as well as safeties Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker) are already on the books for next season, but many others could be headed elsewhere. Among the notable names of pending free agents is corner Amani Oruwariye, who seemed poised for an extension last spring but has not started a game since Week 8 this season amidst a shift to more of a special teams role. That included being benched in Week 5, a sign pointing to a parting of ways come the new league year.
Here are some other notes from around the NFC North:
- The Packers took care of an important piece of business recently by extending o-lineman Elgton Jenkins on a four-year deal which could be worth up to $74MM. As a result of the new pact, Green Bay was able to adjust the 27-year-old’s base salary for this season, and reap financial benefits down the road. As Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details (on Twitter), the Packers’ structuring of the deal will see Jenkins carry a cap hit of only $6.8MM in 2023, a season in which the team is projected to have very little financial wiggle room due to cap spikes from the deals such as those for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left tackle David Bakhtiari and cornerback Jaire Alexander.
- Jenkins has a new deal, and could wind up with a new position at some point. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, on Twitter) that the Pro Bowler could play at any spot along the o-line “down the road.” Jenkins has returned to his familiar left guard spot this year after adding to his time spent as a right tackle earlier in the campaign; he also has experience at center and left tackle dating back to previous seasons.
- Oli Udoh had been facing misdemeanour charges stemming from an incident in October, but the Vikings guard is now in the clear. Odoh was charged with resisting an officer without violence and disorderly conduct after he was removed from a nightclub during the team’s bye week, but those charges have been dropped, as noted by ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. A statement from his attorney reads in part, “The video evidence and eyewitness testimony we presented to the prosecutor made clear that the allegations in the police report were completely fabricated and Oli was unlawfully arrested.” Udoh had been relegated to backup duty in 2022, but he could see starter’s snaps at right tackle moving forward in the absence of Brian O’Neill.
- The Bears are set to lose a member of their coaching staff with the regular season coming to a close. Defensive backs coach James Rowe is leaving the team, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (Twitter link). This had been his first season in Chicago, after he had also spent time in similar roles with Washington and Indianapolis amidst several college stints. Rowe will head back to his alma mater, UCF, to serve as their new defensive passing game coordinator.