Ravens Could Consider Coaching Changes This Offseason
The Ravens’ disappointing 2025 season has sparked speculation about the future of their coaching staff, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
While some fans believe that head coach John Harbaugh should be on his way out – especially if the Ravens miss the playoffs with a loss to the Steelers on Sunday night – the team may also consider changing out their coordinators.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr has come under fire for a second year in a row. At the start of last season, his defense struggled to stop opposing quarterbacks, but bounced back after moving Kyle Hamilton back to a traditional safety role and inserting Ar’Darius Washington into the starting lineup alongside him. This year, Orr’s unit had a similarly rough start, including on run defense, which was not a problem for the Ravens in 2024 or years past. Injuries to key players like Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, and Nnamdi Madubuike compounded the issues, but the defense improved with better health after their Week 7 bye. The Ravens also acquired safety Alohi Gilman from the Chargers and moved Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage, which tightened their run defense, improved their pass rush, and increased their turnover production. Orr deserves credit for those and other adjustments.
In their last five games, though, Baltimore’s defense has allowed at least 27 points four times with particularly rough showings against quarterbacks Drake Maye and Malik Willis in the last two weeks. Though the secondary deserves their share of the blame for their lapses in coverage, the Ravens’ pass rush has been a problem all year. Trading for Gilman required giving up Odafe Oweh, arguably the team’s best edge rusher, and Madubuike’s season-ending injury deprived the defensive line of its best player.
In the middle of those five games, however, the Ravens pitched a dominant shutout against the Bengals that showed what their defense is capable of at its best. They should be able to contain Rodgers in Week 18, but a loss as the result of a poor defensive performance could raise some tough questions about Orr this offseason.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken is in a more complicated situation. He led the offense to very successful seasons in 2023 and 2024, which led to head coaching interviews and a contract extension in Baltimore. This year, his unit has clearly regressed. Lamar Jackson injuries have played a factor, but so have an inconsistent offensive line and some confounding decisions about Derrick Henry‘s usage. If Monken’s offense struggles in Pittsburgh and/or fizzles out in the playoffs, his future could be a topic of discussion in Baltimore as well.
Panthers Claim D’Anthony Bell, Place Ja’Tavion Sanders On IR
Entering a must-win showdown with NFC South rival Tampa Bay on Saturday, Carolina made a couple of notable roster moves on Wednesday. The Panthers claimed safety D’Anthony Bell off waivers from the Seahawks and placed tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders on injured reserve, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
Bell, a fourth-year man and a former Brown, played 14 games and started two with the NFC-leading Seahawks this season. He totaled 15 tackles and a half-sack while mostly working as a special teamer. Bell ranked third among Seahawks in ST snaps (251) before they waived him on Tuesday.
Seattle’s hope was that Bell would clear waivers and re-sign with its practice squad, but the team will instead lose him to Carolina. It’s a bit of payback for the Panthers after they fell to the Seahawks in Week 17. The defeat prevented the Panthers from clinching the NFC South. Their game against the Buccaneers in Week 18 will decide the division.
No matter how far they go, the Panthers will likely finish the season without Sanders after he broke his fibula last Sunday. The 2024 fourth-round pick from Texas will wrap up his second NFL season with 29 catches, 190 yards and a touchdown in 13 games. Sanders ranks second among Panthers tight ends in snap share (38.9%), trailing only Tommy Tremble (58.4). With Sanders out of commission, Mitchell Evans and James Mitchell could log more playing time.
Eagles Expected To Rest Jalen Hurts, Other Starters In Week 18
With the NFC East champion Eagles unable to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs, head coach Nick Sirianni is likely to give most of his starters an opportunity to rest in Week 18, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. That includes quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Third-year backup signal-caller Tanner McKee is expected to start against the Commanders on Sunday, Tim McManus of ESPN reports. It’s familiar territory for McKee, who filled in for a concussed Hurts in the lone start of his career in a Week 18 victory over the Giants last year. The former sixth-round pick from Stanford took advantage of his opportunity in completing 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
Assuming Hurts doesn’t play Sunday, he’ll wrap up his sixth regular season with a 64.8% completion rate, a career-low 7.1 yards per attempt, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in 16 games. The 27-year-old ranks 11th in the league in traditional passer rating (98.5) and 20th in QBR (55.3).
After amassing at least 139 carries, 600-plus yards and double-digit rushing touchdowns in each of the previous four seasons, Hurts has done less running this year. His attempts (105), yards (421) and TDs (eight) are his lowest since he became the Eagles’ full-time starter in 2021.
After Hurts helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship last winter, McKee drew trade interest in the offseason, per McLane. Philadelphia was “reluctant” to deal him then, but it stands to reason he’ll generate interest again during the upcoming offseason. In the meantime, he and his team have something to play for in the regular-season finale.
The 11-5 Eagles can’t finish any worse than third in the NFC, but they can climb to the second seed with a win over the 4-12 Commanders and a Bears loss. On paper, the 11-5 Bears have a more difficult matchup against the 8-8 Lions, who won a 52-21 rout over Chicago in Week 2. Plenty has changed for both teams over the past three-plus months, though. The NFC North-winning Bears have gone 11-3 since an 0-2 start, and the Lions are out of the playoffs a year after winning 15 games and earning the conference’s top seed.
Drafting First-Round QB Still On Table For Giants
DECEMBER 31: During his latest episode of Breaking Big Blue, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes no one around the NFL is operating with the belief Schoen is in danger of being fired. The team’s head coaching future remains unclear, but it increasingly appears as though no front office moves will be coming.
DECEMBER 28: At times this year, it seemed a low period for the Giants franchise was coming to an end and starting to head uphill as we saw early success with offensive rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. Some of those opinions have waned as the season has worn on, to the point that some see the Giants utilizing their first-round pick on a quarterback for the second draft in a row. 
After the Giants tried and failed to move up to No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to take Cam Ward, there was some speculation that they may attempt to trade back into the back of the first round for another quarterback option, perhaps Shedeur Sanders or Dart. The Saints had been tied to Dart, as well, but after he slipped by their No. 9 overall pick, all eyes were on New Orleans to trade back into the first round, as well. Ultimately, it was New York that pulled the trigger and landed Dart.
Expectations for Dart’s first season varied wildly. Some viewed a short leash for veteran starter Russell Wilson, while others thought Dart could hold a clipboard throughout his entire rookie campaign. After an 0-3 start to the season in which the Giants scored fewer than 10 points in two of those games, the team turned the offense over to the rookie, and Dart delivered, immediately, with a win over the playoff-bound Chargers.
The following week, Dart showed some vulnerabilities in a game that would give the Saints their first win of the season, but he rebounded with a big win over the division-rival Eagles in his third start. A playoff gauntlet that included trips to Denver, Philadelphia, and Chicago and a home matchup with the 49ers prevented any more wins from being added to Dart’s record, but the young passer continued to show strong abilities and impressive instincts in his first several starts under head coach Brian Daboll.
As Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York points out, though, Daboll’s firing led to some regression in Dart’s overall performance. After throwing 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions and rushing for seven more scores in his first seven starts, Dart has only thrown three touchdowns to two interceptions while staying scoreless on the ground up until today’s win over the lowly Raiders. Post-Daboll, the team’s designed usage of Dart was altered in a way that perhaps now lends some justifiability to looking into a new passer next year.
To that end, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that, before making any concrete plans for the future, the Giants will be fully evaluating Heisman-winner and projected QB1 of the 2026 NFL Draft Fernando Mendoza. While not boasting talent that commands surefire No. 1 overall status à la Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence, the Indiana-product (by way of Cal) has been billed lately as the top passing prospect in the coming draft. With the finalized holders of the top two picks in the draft both being quarterback-needy teams, there’s a high likelihood that Mendoza could be selected with one of those two picks.
If the team does decide to draft a new quarterback, the expectation is that they would try to trade Dart to another team searching for an answer at the position. Dart’s early promise and strong attributes could make him a strong option for many teams lacking at the position, but if the Giants grade Mendoza highly and like him more than they currently like Dart, the rookie’s concussion history and reckless play style could make him an expendable asset in the eyes of the team.
Part of these decisions will come down to the staffers making them, and while general manager Joe Schoen has been expected to be retained in New York, his position is hardly secure. In fact, while Rapoport didn’t speak to this point in his segment linked above, the banner showing as he discussed the Giants reported that Schoen was “likely to remain with (the) team for (the) draft.” It’s hard to believe New York would allow Schoen to have input on something as impactful as the team’s 2026 first-round pick — or their next head coach — if they didn’t expect to retain him past that, but NFL Network’s wording seems ominous, nonetheless.
We’re still months away from any solid answers on what the future will bring for the Giants. Next week could determine if they have the No. 1 overall pick. Several stages of the pre-draft process could determine if Mendoza will be the likely draft choice. Who the team drafts could easily determine the futures of both Dart and Schoen. Lots of variables remain up in the air for what is setting up to be a newsworthy offseason in New York.
Packers To Sign QB Desmond Ridder; Latest On Jordan Love, Malik Willis
The Packers do not have anything at stake in Week 18. Green Bay is locked into the NFC’s seventh seed, but the team does need healthy options at the quarterback spot for at least one game. 
As a result, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Desmond Ridder is being signed. This is a practice squad agreement, he adds. When speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Ridder will be joining Green Bay for the time being.
A third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022, Ridder made four starts as a rookie and another 13 the following season. He was with the Raiders last year, making one start and six appearances. Since then, Ridder has been in the Bengals’ and Vikings’ organization but he has yet to see any regular season action in 2025. The 26-year-old could be used as a gameday elevation to dress this week depending on the status of Green Bay’s other passers.
Jordan Love has been out of the fold since suffering a concussion against the Bears in Week 16. He participated in practice before being ruled out for Green Bay’s loss this past Saturday. That paved the way for backup Malik Willis to get the nod, but late in the game he reinjured his throwing shoulder. Third-stringer Clayton Tune needed to enter the contest with Willis unavailable.
LaFleur said (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky) Love remains in concussion protocol at this time. He will once again be able to practice today, however. Progressing through the final stages of the protocol would allow for Love to suit up against the Vikings on Sunday. Willis, meanwhile, will be a limited practice participant.
Sitting at 9-6-1 on the year, Green Bay cannot secure top spot in the NFC North, nor can the team move up in the wild-card standings. That could provide ample reason for the Packers to sit several starters, although LaFleur noted it would be far from ideal for Love to enter the postseason coming off a lengthy spell out of game action. It remains to be seen if he will be available to play at least in a limited capacity on Sunday. Likewise, the status of Willis – a pending free agent who has impressed during his Green Bay opportunities – will be something to monitor over the coming days.
Cardinals DL Calais Campbell To Contemplate Retirement
Week 18 will mark the end of Calais Campbell‘s 18th NFL season. It could also represent the final game of his career with another round of retirement thoughts looming. 
For several years now, Campbell has given thought to hanging up his cleats during the offseason. The decorated Cardinals defensive lineman will, to no surprise, do so once again shortly. A lengthy process on that front should not be expected.
[RELATED: Campbell Among Players Pursuing Performance Incentives]
“The last few years I’ve been through this process I’ve known pretty quickly that I’ve wanted to play again,” Campbell said (via Darren Urban of the team’s website). “It didn’t take me that long – within a month or so, I knew I wanted to play football again. We’ll see… Even if I decide not to play again, I want to have the ability to say no, rather than them saying, ‘See you later.'”
At the age of 39, Campbell has remained an impactful player on defense and special teams. The 2010s All-Decade Team member has recorded 6.5 sacks while also tacking on a blocked field goal and extra point attempt. Returning for another season would add to his impressive career totals, which will include 278 regular season appearances after Sunday’s game. The all-time record for defensive linemen is 282, held by Jim Marshall.
The 2025 offseason saw Campbell return to the Cardinals – the team with which he spent his first nine seasons – after single campaigns in Atlanta and Miami. The six-time Pro Bowler also enjoyed productive spells with the Jaguars and Ravens before re-joining Arizona. In August, Campbell said he expected this season to be his last. Coming off another healthy campaign, though, it will be interesting to see if he changes his mind.
The Cardinals have fallen well short of expectations this season, but signs have pointed to both head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort remaining in place for 2026. Stability on that front could help the chances of Campbell spending another year in Arizona (provided he continues playing), although he would presumably have a notable free agent market otherwise.
Colts To Start Riley Leonard In Week 18
DECEMBER 31: Steichen has now confirmed (via Holder) Leonard will get the start this week. Richardson, meanwhile, will not be activated. Henigan and Rivers will thus serve as backups to close out the season.
DECEMBER 30: When speaking after Sunday’s game, Philip Rivers reflected on his three-game return to NFL action. Since that point, signs have pointed to the Colts going in a different direction under center for Week 18. 
It continues to appear as though Rivers will not play in the season finale. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Stephen Holder report Riley Leonard is instead expected to get the nod this week. The sixth-round rookie has made four appearances so far this season. With the Colts out of playoff contention, he will now turn his attention to preparing for his first regular season start.
Daniel Jones‘ impressive debut Indianapolis campaign ended with an Achilles tear. With Anthony Richardson on injured reserve, head coach Shane Steichen reached out to Rivers and a deal allowing him to unretire was quickly worked out. At the age of 44, Rivers made three starts and totaled 544 passing yards and four touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. The Colts’ losing streak has extended to six games and the team now sits at 8-8 as a result, a dramatic turn of events for what was once a contender for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Richardson’s practice window is open, although as he continues to recover from an orbital bone fracture it is unclear if he will be activated from IR. The former No. 4 pick’s future is murky, as his time on the field for Indianapolis has left plenty to be desired. That, coupled with his injuries limits the value Richardson would generate in any potential trade. Leonard, meanwhile, profiles as a depth option for the foreseeable future as his rookie contract runs through 2028.
Yesterday, the Colts signed quarterback Seth Henigan to the practice squad. That move pointed further in the direction of Rivers sitting out Week 18 against the Texans and their vaunted defense. The QB1 role is set to go to Leonard instead, with Henigan representing an option to dress as a backup in the event Richardson is not activated.
Jerry Jones Anticipates Direct Negotiations With Cowboys WR George Pickens
The Micah Parsons saga dominated headlines throughout the 2025 offseason. The starting point to the tension between team and player in that case was in-person talks between Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. 
Jones’ relationship with agent David Mulugheta – or lack thereof when it came to negotiating a Parsons extension – became a major talking point through to the trade sending Parsons to Green Bay. Once that blockbuster deal had been worked out, attention quickly turned to the fact Mulugheta also represents wideout George Pickens. The former Steeler has enjoyed a stellar debut season in Dallas, setting him up for a notable payday.
Pickens looms as a strong candidate to receive the franchise tag. Applying the tag would ensure he cannot reach the open market but it would also no doubt pave the way for negotiations on a long-term pact. Mulugheta figures to play a role on that front, but the possibility exists for another round of direct owner-player talks as well. Jones confirmed as much during his latest appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
“I don’t know,” Jones said (via Tommy Yarish of the team’s website) when asked about negotiating with Pickens in person. “We’ll see how it goes. Probably both, but I certainly expect to be speaking with George.”
Of course, it is not unheard of in the NFL for players to discuss extensions directly with a team’s general manager. Jones holds that title as well, and he has a long track record of working out contracts with little or no involvement from a player’s agent in certain instances. The Pickens case will be one to watch closely given not only his earning potential but also the tension which arose during the Parsons negotiations stemming from Jones’ insistence on keeping Mulugheta on the sidelines.
Pickens enters Week 18 ranked third in the NFL with 1,420 receiving yards and tied for fourth with nine touchdowns. A year spent on the tag would see him earn roughly $28MM, and a lengthy pact would likely carry a larger price tag. The nature of negotiations will thus be something to watch, especially if it includes a significant role for Pickens himself.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Addresses IR Move
In advance of their Week 17 game, the Raiders and Giants both shut down a number of players by moving them to injured reserve. The lengths Vegas went to drew criticism from some, but by losing to New York the team is now on track to select first overall in April’s draft. 
Maxx Crosby has dealt with a knee injury since October, and he intended to remain on the field through the final two weeks of the season. The Raiders moved him to injured reserve, however, removing the chance of the ailment being worsened down the stretch. Attention will now turn to meniscus surgery but also the question of Crosby’s outlook with the franchise.
In the aftermath of Vegas’ decision to shut him down, it was reported the five-time Pro Bowler would contemplate his future with the team. Crosby has spent his entire seven-year career with the Raiders, and he signed an extension in March. The 28-year-old made his first public comments on the situation during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast.
“[W]hen it comes to football, there’s certain things that I truly believe in, and I feel like there’s core principles that you gotta live by, and there’s a certain way the game needs to be played,” Crosby said. “And there’s a certain approach that you have when you go onto the field. And the way you look at it, from my perspective, is you play to win. You play for your teammates, you put everything you have into the game, no matter what it is. There’s gonna be bumps and bruises. You’re gonna be banged up. That is a part of the game and the nature of the beast.”
While those remarks represent a less-than-flattering perspective on the Raiders and how they approached the end of the season, Crosby did not offer any comments regarding his future. The former fourth-rounder has remained one of the league’s most productive edge rushers over the course of his career with 69.5 sacks in 110 games. That kind of output will be expected moving forward, presuming of course Crosby remains in place.
The Raiders will close out their season against the Chiefs on Sunday. A loss will guarantee the No. 1 pick and set up what could be a reset at the quarterback position for the franchise. Regardless, Crosby’s status – and a definitive stance on his intentions – will remain something to monitor moving forward.
Cowboys To Waive CB Trevon Diggs
Viewed as a clear release candidate in 2026, Trevon Diggs will instead become available earlier. The Cowboys are waiving him ahead of Week 18, ESPN’s Todd Archer reports.
This exit comes barely two years after Diggs signed a five-year, $97MM extension. Knee injuries have significantly limited the former All-Pro on this deal. Diggs has played in just eight games this season, bouncing in and out of Dallas’ lineup. That said, he played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps during a Week 17 win over Washington.
[RELATED: Latest On Dispute Between Diggs, Cowboys]
A team claiming Diggs would be responsible for his final 2025 game check, which NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes is worth $473K. No guaranteed money is on the contract following the 2025 season, though the pact runs through 2028. This figure would make a claim worth considering, particularly for contenders who have seen injuries affect their cornerback situations.
If Diggs goes unclaimed by 3pm CT Wednesday, he heads to free agency for the first time. The Cowboys will be tagged with $5.88MM in 2026 dead money due to this cut, per Spotrac. A post-June 1 designation would have only saved the Cowboys $4.25MM in 2026, NFL.com’s Jane Slater notes.
A specific incident is not believed to have prompted the Cowboys to move on early, per Pelissero, who notes a “culmination of factors” led the team to jettison the sixth-year corner now. This relationship has steadily deteriorated. The Cowboys were all but certain to release Diggs following Super Bowl LX, when cap-casualty transactions begin, but they will subtract from an injury-battered CB corps early. Considering the team is without DaRon Bland for the season and saw rookie Shavon Revel suffer a concussion against the Commanders, this is an interesting move. Though, the Cowboys have been eliminated from the playoff race for a bit now.
The Cowboys activated Diggs from IR before their Week 16 game. He had landed on the injured list due to the lingering knee injury along with a concussion. Diggs, 27, had said he was healthy enough to play before the activation. Playing 84% of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps against the Chargers ahead of his full-time role on Christmas, Diggs told Slater he is healthy enough to play and wants to join a playoff team soon.
Diggs had said he was upset after showing what he felt was sufficient form in practice only to be kept in the IR-return window for Week 15. This comment came after a meeting with Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys placed Diggs on IR in late October; the concussion he sustained occurred at his home, offering another complication for a player who was once the centerpiece of Dallas’ CB plan.
Although Diggs was ready to go by Week 1 after limited summer participation following knee surgery, he struggled this season and had proven to be a poor fit in Matt Eberflus‘ zone-based defense. But Diggs will not have a chance to redeem himself with the Cowboys, who are expected to fire their first-year DC after the season.
Pro Football Focus ranked the 6-foot-2 defender 80th among qualified corners, but Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics viewed even that as an oversell of the former second-round pick’s performance. As the closest defender in coverage, Diggs has been charged with allowing a 77.3% completion rate and a near-perfect passer rating (157.2) in his eight-game season. While these numbers came on just 22 targets, Diggs did not live up to the extension he signed before the 2023 season.
The Cowboys rewarded Diggs ahead of his contract year, agreeing to the five-year extension during the same summer stretch in which they paid right tackle Terence Steele. Dallas famously delayed paying both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb that summer, leading to windfalls for both players ahead of 2024 contract years. The Prescott and Lamb deals drew criticism regarding delays the Cowboys have become famous for, with the Micah Parsons saga following a similar timeline before the blockbuster trade. While Dallas and Diggs agreed on a long-term extension the organization typically prefers on second contracts, the corner ran into injury trouble almost immediately.
Diggs suffered an ACL tear in a September 2023 practice, finishing that season with just two games played. He has been unable to reestablish his pre-injury form, missing six games last season and eight contests in 2025. Diggs suffered a calf tear in 2024 as well, later being shut down due to another knee surgery. The Cowboys decided to extend Bland this summer, doing so after drafting Revel in Round 3. Those developments pointed to a Diggs exit.
Any team to claim Diggs would have him signed for three more seasons following this campaign, but seeing as he has not come close to living up to the contract, a contender could also submit a claim and then release the corner after the season.
Diggs, however, has shown top form in the past. While developing a reputation for being a gambler in coverage, the Alabama alum intercepted 11 passes in 2021 to lock down first-team All-Pro honors. Diggs’ 11 picks were the most anyone had snared in a season since Everson Walls‘ Cowboys rookie year (1981). Diggs (20 career INTs) also made the Pro Bowl in 2022, cinching up an extension candidacy.
It will be interesting to see if Diggs is claimed or lands anywhere before season’s end. Otherwise, he would have some time to prepare for free agency in 2026. The Cowboys will need to make another cornerback investment before their offseason program, among other moves to upgrade a struggling defense, as the Kaiir Elam trade also did not do much to help their situation this season. After seeing the Cowboys decline his fifth-year option, Elam is due for 2026 free agency.