Panthers Notes: NFLPA Grievance, Horn, Fitterer
Field conditions have been a talking point for many teams around the league this year, including the Panthers. The latest issue arising from the turf at Bank of America Stadium has resulted in action being taken by the player’s association.
The NFLPA is filing a grievance against the NFL and the Panthers for the state of the field during Carolina’s Christmas Eve game against the Lions, as detailed by ESPN’s David Newton. That contest – which had the coldest temperature for a start time in franchise history – began with the field in a poor, hard condition for the first half of the game in particular.
The union wanted to have the start of the game delayed due to the conditions, according to Newton’s colleague Adam Schefter, though a league official said they did not raise the issue prior to kickoff. By halftime, the field was in a better condition, but Lions quarterback Jared Goff described the field as “below NFL-standard” after the game was over. Veteran Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has been one of many Carolina players to voice concerns over the team’s artificial turf, which was installed in 2021.
Here are some other notes out of Charlotte:
- Cornerback Jaycee Horn was thought to be done for the season in the wake of his wrist injury suffered in Week 16. He quickly underwent surgery, though, opening the door to a late-season return. Joe Person of The Athletic tweets that the 2021 first-rounder could be able to suit up for Carolina’s regular season finale against the Saints – something which would be a welcomed sight given the Panthers’ struggles in the secondary during their loss to the Buccaneers yesterday. On the other hand, that result knocked the Panthers out of postseason contention, so the team should have little incentive to rush him back into action.
- The firing of head coach Matt Rhule led many to believe that further organizational changes could be coming, but owner David Tepper quickly voiced his support of GM Scott Fitterer. The latter has been in place for less than two full seasons, as the team’s recent rebuilding efforts have not panned out. Fitterer began distancing himself from Rhule in 2021, per Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, the season in which the former Baylor HC’s seat began to become increasingly hot. Stability with the team’s next head coach – either interim bench boss Steve Wilks or an outside hire – would likely help Fitterer’s job stability for the intermediate future.
- Wilks continued his reshaping of the team’s coaching staff to close out the season last month, adding Ian Scott as a defensive line coach (Twitter link via Newton). The 41-year-old spent six years in the NFL as a player, including a brief spell with the Panthers in 2008. He began his college coaching career at Florida, later working with d-linemen at UCF and Central Michigan. This post will be his first at the pro level.
Broncos Interested In Interviewing Jim Harbaugh For HC Vacancy
Jim Harbaugh continues to garner plenty of attention in the build-up to the 2023 NFL head coaching cycle. Not long after a connection between he and the Broncos was reported, the two are set to be linked even further. 
[RELATED: Broncos To Be “Ultra Aggressive” In HC Search]
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Denver has reached out to Harbaugh to confirm their intent to interview him for their vacancy. The role opened up after rookie bench boss Nathaniel Hackett was fired with just two games remaining in the season, one in which the Broncos have fallen well short of expectations. A number of experienced names have been floated as potential replacements, with the widespread expectation that a veteran coach will get the job.
Harbaugh has been included amongst those potential candidates, alongside the likes of Frank Reich and Dan Quinn. The current Michigan coach has ties with Broncos consultant John Elway as well as minority owner Condoleezza Rice dating back to their time spent at Stanford. Harbaugh was first mentioned in connection to the Broncos HC role just prior to Hackett’s dismissal, so their formal interest comes as no surprise.
Harbaugh has been included in speculation about the Colts’ opening, given his time spent with the team as a player and his relationship with owner Jim Irsay. The Broncos’ desire to at least interview the 59-year-old adds further to the interest shown in him this season, suggesting a return to the NFL could be in the cards. Harbaugh last coached the 49ers in 2014.
That tenure was immediately followed by his stint in Ann Arbor, which continues to this day. Harbaugh led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season this year, a sign of the program’s recent success. That positive momentum was halted yesterday during Michigan’s upset loss to TCU, but it nevertheless came as little surprise when Harbaugh announced his commitment to remain with the school in 2023.
Still, he has mentioned his sense of ‘unfinished business’ with respect to winning a Super Bowl, and a relatively small buyout would be required to terminate his Michigan contract. Given the spending power of the Broncos’ new ownership group, finances will not be an issue if they are serious in seeing through Harbaugh’s potential return to an NFL sideline.
Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater Suffers Finger Injury; Latest On Tua Tagovailoa
The Dolphins’ late-season collapse continued today, and the team is now facing even more uncertainty at the quarterback position. Veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater exited Miami’s loss to New England and was unable to return. 
The 30-year-old is believed to have suffered a broken finger in his throwing hand, as reported by Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. The injury likely occurred on a throw in which Bridgewater’s hand hit a helmet while tossing an interception. His attempted tackle during the return from Patriots safety Kyle Dugger is suspected to be the cause, as head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game.
This marks the second straight time in which Bridgewater suffered an injury while starting for Miami this season. He played just one snap in Week 5 after being held out due to the NFL’s revised concussion protocols. His only other action in 2022 has come in relief appearances, and he has attempted only 79 passes this year. As was the case in October, seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson finished the game under center for the Dolphins.
Of course, Bridgewater was in action because starter Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined with at least his second concussion of the season. The latter’s issues with head injuries has been a central storyline throughout the campaign, and played a significant role in the Dolphins’ ongoing struggles. Miami now sits at 8-8 with one week remaining and a Wild Card spot not the near-certainty it seemed to be until recently.
Tagovailoa’s status remains very much in question entering the final contest of the season. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported before today’s game that the 24-year-old is not expected to suit up for Week 18, with any hypothetical playoff contest targeted as a return date. Alper’s colleague Mike Florio corroborates that timeline, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adding that Tagovailoa is currently considered day-to-day (video link).
With Bridgewater unlikely to be available, attention will increasingly turn to whether or not Tagovailoa is cleared to return – and, given his injury issues this year, whether the Dolphins show the same urgency in bringing him back that they did in the fall. If he remains sidelined, Thompson will likely get the nod for Sunday’s crucial game against the Jets.
Giants Eyeing New Deals For Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley
The Giants clinched their first playoff berth since 2016 this afternoon, as their surprisingly successful campaign continues. Much of the team’s performance has been attributed to new head coach Brian Daboll, but two key starters on offense have been integral as well. 
Quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley entered this season with varying levels of expectation and plenty of uncertainty given their statuses as pending free agents. Updates throughout the season have illustrated the team’s priorities with respect to which (if not both) players will be targeted for deals keeping them in New York through 2023. Both long-term contracts and a franchise tag are on the table, and the team’s move with one will no doubt heavily impact their actions with the other.
Providing the latest update on the situation, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Giants see both players as franchise contributors for 2023 “and beyond” (video link). As such, he adds, they will look to get deals done with each of them, though the presence of the franchise tag likely makes multi-year deals for both of them a stretch. Rapoport also notes, unsurprisingly, that New York will have a price point which they will not exceed during upcoming negotiations.
The Giants’ new regime under Daboll and GM Joe Schoen reportedly doubted the upside Jones would provide if he were to be retained as a long-term solution under center at the start of the campaign. The former sixth overall pick has gone on to have a career-year in spite of an injury-riddled, talent-deprived pass-catching corps surrounding him, however. His signs of improvement made it noteworthy when no contract talks were held during the team’s bye week. His continued impressive play makes the Duke product an interesting case study in how the organization will handle their first two major negotiations since the coaching and front office changes.
As for Barkley, the situation has been notably different on a number of levels given his undisputed talent and production when healthy. With the Giants believing his injury issues are behind him, he was involved in bye week extension talks. Given his position, the former second overall pick would be a more logical tag candidate than Jones; the one-year pacts are projected to carry a difference of roughly $22MM next year. However, New York has reportedly been willing to commit to a big-ticket second contract with Barkley, who entered today ranked fourth in the league with 1,254 rushing yards.
Jones and Barkley will be significant factors in any postseason success the Giants have this year, as the team continues to weigh its options on how they handle this situation. Regardless of the outcome, their intention of keeping both in the fold for at least the short- and intermediate-term future is clear.
Extra Points: Video Reviews, Roughing The Passer, International Series
The 2022 NFL season has been filled with plenty of drama as always, but also controversy owing to on-field officiating. Several examples of calls (or non-calls) made throughout the campaign could lead to significant changes this offseason.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes that the appetite for an increase in video replay could be growing relative to the past few seasons. Two options proposed in recent years include additional challenges being allowed during a game (or at least expanding which types of plays are made subject to review), and the addition of a ‘sky judge’ to assist officials. Support for the latter lost steam in 2020, though that offseason did see another attempt to increase communication between on-field and replay officials.
NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent said at the most recent owners meeting that there will be a “healthy discussion” involving the competition committee this spring. He added, however, his aversion to giving replay officials the ability to call fouls which are not made on the field, saying that such a development would not be “in the best interest of the game.” The support (or lack thereof) for significant alterations could come from the impact reviews make in the remainder of the campaign. Per the NFL rulebook, the 2020 and 2021 seasons were unprecedented in that they saw more than half of plays subject to review overturned.
Here are some other NFL housekeeping notes:
- Another matter which is likely to be discussed in the spring is roughing the passer penalties. Some owners expressed an interest in making it subject to review in the future during last month’s meeting (video link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). One important detail to be worked out in the event the league goes down that route would be whether or not replays become initiated automatically or via coach’s challenges; another would be the question of if roughing the passer could incur automatic ejections, an idea which was brought up in December. As Pelissero notes, however, trepidation is expected on all fronts due in part to the unsuccessful one-year experiment with making pass interference reviewable.
- Providing an update on the NFL’s international schedule for next year, EVP Peter O’Reilly confirmed (via Pelissero, on Twitter) that plans are currently in place to play three regular season games in London, two in Germany and none in Mexico City. That falls in line with the league’s stated plans for 2023 unveiled in the wake of the first ever game played in Munich. Renovations will prevent contests taking place at Azteca Stadium, but a return there in the future – along with continued expansion of the international series – should be expected.
Eagles DE Josh Sweat Suffers Neck Injury
The Eagles once again failed to lock up the top spot in the NFC today, and they are facing injury questions with another key player. Defensive end Josh Sweat was unavailable for much of the contest against the Saints due to a neck injury which required him to be taken to hospital. 
Sweat suffered the injury while making a tackle on New Orleans fullback Adam Prentice, but was motionless on the field immediately after the play and for several minutes afterward. ESPN’s Tim McManus notes that Sweat was carted off the field and taken to hospital as a result of the injury. Not long after he arrived, a team announcement indicated that he had movement in all of his extremities.
The hospital evaluation was deemed precautionary, the Eagles also stated. Per the latest update, he will be released later tonight, an encouraging sign for Sweat. The 25-year-old is less than one calendar year removed from a life-threatening medical condition which emerged during the postseason and forced him to miss Philadelphia’s first-round matchup with Tampa Bay.
Sweat managed one sack before having to exit the loss to the Saints, and the Eagles totaled seven on the day. Philadelphia led the league in that department entering Week 17, in no small part due to the former fourth-rounder’s contributions. He had posted a career-high 11 sacks before today, which saw him record at least one for the sixth consecutive game. Sweat has also set new personal marks in tackles for loss (15) and quarterback hits (23).
That continues to represent a sold return on investment for the Eagles, given the three-year extension they signed him to last fall. The Florida State alum was named a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2021, and has once again been a full-time starter on the edge after operating in a rotational role for his first three seasons in the league. Philadelphia would sorely miss his production if he were to miss next week’s regular season finale (a game which, given this afternoon’s events, still has meaning for the NFC leaders) or any playoff action. Further updates will be worth watching for given his importance to the Eagles as they prepare for a potential Super Bowl run.
Latest On Raiders, Derek Carr
The Raiders will start Jarrett Stidham today in what will be his first NFL regular season start and the unofficial beginning of the post-Derek Carr era at quarterback. Vegas made headlines this week when they benched the latter for the remainder of the season. 
That has led to the widespread expectation that Carr will be traded during the coming offseason. The 31-year-old has stepped away from the team as they begin the transition away from him, and, presumably, the process of finding a suitable destination to send him in the near future. Carr has a no-trade clause, so the possibility remains that a release allowing him to become a free agent will be the ultimate outcome of this situation.
On that point, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirms that Vegas is “expected to explore trade options” for the three-time Pro Bowler. That comes as little surprise, given the organization’s commitment to replacing him – one which was reportedly driven by owner Mark Davis – along with the market which could materialize for a signal-caller of his experience and with his contract situation. Carr’s three-year extension signed last spring will see his $41.9MM 2023 salary become guaranteed on February 15, creating the narrow window in which a deal is expected to officially take place.
However, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that both Carr and the Raiders could agree to push back that deadline as a means of making the trade process smoother. Much is still to be determined between now and the onset of the offseason, in any event, which also raises the possibility that the two sides could decide against a separation. The 49ers granting Jimmy Garoppolo permission to seek a trade, then later retaining him, represents a recent example of such a development.
The fact that Carr previously made public his intention of only ever playing for the Raiders is not expected to be a factor in this case, Rapoport notes. The former second-rounder has no intention of retiring at the end of the year, and is reportedly of the belief that “he has his best football ahead of him.” While his 2022 performance – along with that of the Raiders as a whole – strongly suggests otherwise, Carr will nevertheless likely be a key player in the coming offseason QB market.
His expected departure will also, of course, leave Vegas in need of at least a short-term Carr replacement. Among the bridge candidates are Garoppolo, but also Tom Brady. The latter has guided the Buccaneers to another NFC South title, but is not expected to return to Tampa this spring. That – coupled with the recent Carr developments – has led to many speculating that Brady could reunite with Josh McDaniels by joining the Raiders, as he came close to doing in 2020. As the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin writes, a Brady-to-Vegas contract could also accompany another un-retirement from tight end Rob Gronkowski (something which nearly took place in time for this season).
Stidham will use the final two contests of the campaign, one in which the Raiders are all-but eliminated from playoff contention, to audition for playing time in 2023, but regardless of his performances, Vegas will be a team to watch as the QB landscape takes shape in the coming months.
49ers QB Trey Lance Undergoes Second Ankle Surgery
The 49ers have won eight straight games entering Week 17, as their quarterback-related injury issues have not stopped the 2022 season from being a successful one. That has drawn attention away from their Week 1 starter, but a notable update on his status has emerged. 
Trey Lance underwent a second surgery on his right ankle earlier this week, as detailed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The procedure was successful, fortunately, and the 22-year-old remains on track to continue his rehab. Lance is therefore still expected to be recovered in time for individual and team workouts in the spring.
A team statement issued one day after the surgery took place reads in part, “The second procedure was performed to remove hardware that was inserted during the initial surgery in September. Due to the location of the fracture, the required hardware placement was close to a tendon in Lance’s ankle. During the rehab process, their close proximity proved to cause irritation in his ankle. After consulting with multiple experts, the decision was made to have the hardware removed to prevent future issues in the ankle.”
Lance went down in the second game of the 2022 season, the first in which he was named San Francisco’s starter. One day after suffering the injury, he had the first operation done to begin the the recovery process. The ailment marked a hugely disappointing end to the campaign for last year’s third overall pick, and threatened to derail the 49ers’ season given their work spent in the months prior tailoring the offense to his skillset. Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo steadied the ship, however, before suffering his own season-ending injury in Week 13.
That has left rookie Brock Purdy in place for the No. 1 role, something which has yet to cause an issue for San Francisco’s offense. Purdy has won each of his three starts, and the team ranks eighth in the league and 10th in scoring over the course of the year. Given their two consecutive smooth transitions to new signal-callers, some around the league have predicted that Lance could be on his way out of the Bay Area this offseason via a trade, one which would of course represent a surprising end to his tenure with the team.
Such a move would still be unlikely even if Purdy continues to have success down the stretch and into the postseason, with Lance being under contract through at least 2024 on his rookie pact. In the meantime, the latter will look to make a full recovery on the path to reclaiming (or at least competing for) his starting role in the summer.
Texans To Evaluate HC Lovie Smith After 2022 Season
The Texans will “evaluate the future” of head coach Lovie Smith at the end of the 2022 campaign, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. As we heard last month, there appears to be a real chance that Houston will be conducting an HC search for the third consecutive year.
Given the team’s 2-12-1 record, that should not come as much of a surprise. Still, it’s not as if Houston came into the season with championship aspirations, and it would be difficult to imagine any head coach doing much better with a roster that is generally lacking in impact talent, including at the quarterback position. And after making David Culley a one-and-done HC at the end of the 2021 season, the team would be eating a great deal of dead money for departed coaches if it were to move on from Smith now.
Smith, 64, is in the midst of his third stint as an NFL head coach. He operated as the Bears’ HC from 2004-12, a run that included a Super Bowl appearance, and he also served as the Bucs’ HC from 2014-15. Following his tenure in Tampa, he returned to the collegiate ranks as the University of Illinois’ head coach from 2016-20, and he was a part of Culley’s first (and only) staff last year, when he agreed to become the Texans’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator.
After Culley was fired, it appeared that the Texans had narrowed their search for his successor to Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, and recently-retired quarterback Josh McCown. Smith emerged seemingly out of nowhere to become Houston’s choice to replace Culley, and while GM Nick Caserio predictably denied as much, one wonders if Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL played a role in the team’s decision to go in a different direction.
If Smith is fired, Gannon could again find himself on Houston’s shortlist. McCown, meanwhile, has no NFL or college coaching experience of any kind, but he has now interviewed twice for the Texans’ HC post, and multiple other clubs have reached out to him to discuss a coaching position. Caserio could well consider him again in the event the club parts ways with Smith, but Caserio himself may not be around to spearhead another coaching search.
If the Texans elect to retain Smith, Rapoport and Pelissero indicate that other staffing changes could be on the horizon. Houston presently employs Pep Hamilton as its offensive coordinator and Frank Ross as its special teams coordinator. The team does not have a defensive coordinator, with the defensive-minded Smith holding those duties and calling defensive plays.
The NFL.com duo says the Texans will consider Smith’s entire body of work when making their decision, including the club’s recent stretch of improved play that features narrow losses to the playoff-bound Cowboys and Chiefs and a victory over the Titans.
Browns, DE Jadeveon Clowney Interested In Continuing Relationship; Latest On Coaching Staff
Browns defensive end Jadeveon Clowney joined Cleveland on a one-year contract in 2021, and he signed another one-year deal to remain with the team last offseason. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, player and team are interested in continuing their relationship in 2023, and perhaps beyond.
Clowney never landed the massive, $20MM/year contract he was targeting when he hit free agency for the first time several years ago, but after a disappointing 2020 season with the Titans, he appears to have found a home with the Browns. Last year, he posted nine sacks — the second-highest total of his career — and proved to be a worthy complement to superstar DE Myles Garrett. That landed him a contract worth $10MM for 2022.
While he has again missed time due to injury this season and has posted just two sacks in his 11 games, his contributions — as has often been the case with him — go beyond his surface-level stats. Pro Football Focus has assigned him a strong 75.9 overall grade, the 29th-best mark among 121 qualified edge defenders, and it rates him as a quality performer against both the run and pass.
Garrett himself lobbied for a new contract for his running mate last offseason, and his opinion on the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft has not changed. “When [Clowney]’s out there, you can feel his presence,” Garrett said. “He’s setting the edge, he’s making [tackles for loss]. He’s making big plays.” Defensive coordinator Joe Woods added simply, “we need him.”
Clowney said in June that quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s decision to join the Browns impacted his own decision to remain in Cleveland. Due to Watson’s lengthy suspension and Clowney’s recent concussion, the former Texans teammates have shared the field for just three regular season games this year, and Cabot suggests that Watson’s presence could convince Clowney to return. The Browns will have plenty of work to do to reinforce the interior of their defensive line this offseason, so finances will be a factor in determining whether they authorize a third contract for Clowney. Nonetheless, it appears that another deal is very much in play.
Woods, however, may not be so lucky. According to Cabot, the third-year defensive coordinator “will be looked at closely” this offseason, and he could receive his walking papers. The Browns are in the middle of the pack in terms of total defense, which is a steep drop-off from their top-5 showing in 2021, and their run defense has been particularly porous. Cleveland gives up 134.3 rushing yards per game, the eighth-worst figure in the league, and the team ranks 24th in the NFL in defensive DVOA. Their scoring defense (22.9 points allowed per game) ranks 21st.
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer is also on shaky ground, per Cabot, though head coach Kevin Stefanski will be retained (despite recent reports that he might be on the hot seat).