Steelers Remain Committed To OC Matt Canada
The Steelers are currently on the bye, a time during which teams regularly make signficant coaching or personnel changes. None are expected to be made with respect to the coordinator in charge of Pittsburgh’s offense, however. 
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada still has the backing of head coach Mike Tomlin and Co., Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports (subscription required). As Russini adds, the Steelers would have already made a change regarding Canada if they had decided to move in a different direction. The latter will retain play-calling duties for the foreseeable future.
Canada was named as an OC who found himself on the hot seat last week, and speculation regarding his job security has continued for some time. Russini notes that the Steelers held a meeting to discuss the unit’s struggles, but that has not produced a change on the sidelines. In spite of that, Canada will still no doubt face pressure to deliver an improvement on what Pittsburgh has managed during his time at the helm to date.
The Steelers rank near the bottom of the league in several categories this season, and they have averaged just 15.8 points and less than 290 yards of offense per game. The passing and rushing attacks sit 26th and 30th, respectively, meaning the unit does not have one element to lean on to help mask the shortcomings of another. Injuries in the pass-catching corps and along the offensive line have been present in 2023, but as a whole quarterback Kenny Pickett and the players around him have fallen short of expectations.
Given the fact that Canada’s tenure (which began in 2021) has not yielded notable improvement with Pickett becoming more acclimated to the NFL, frustrations laid bare by the fans along with questions regarding his support from within the building have been understandable. At 3-2 on the strength of their defense, however, the Steelers are firmly in the running in the AFC North and the wild-card picture in the AFC as things currently stand.
Pittsburgh has a history of avoiding in-season coaching changes, so it comes as little surprise that Canada appears safe for the remainder of the campaign. As has been the case before, though, he will face plenty of scrutiny in the coming weeks with his long-term future in the organization a matter of speculation.
Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. Addresses Contract Status
The Colts put an end to the Jonathan Taylor contract saga earlier this month, but more work remains to be done in the near future on the extension front. Wideout Michael Pittman Jr. is set to hit free agency at the end of the season, and he recently spoke about his contract status. 
Pittman is playing the fourth and final year of his rookie pact, and as a former second-round pick the fifth-year option is not in play. The 26-year-old will thus need to ink a new Colts agreement between now and the new league year in March or face the possibility of heading elsewhere on what will no doubt be a signficant second contract. He has previously expressed a desire to remain in Indianapolis.
“The way I see it is teams take care of their guys,” Pittman said, via Nate Atkins of the Indy Star. “If you’re not one of their guys, you’re not one of their guys. I’m just playing day to day and auditioning for 31 teams and just going out there and making a couple plays. I have a commitment to my teammates.”
Those remarks illustrate how the USC alum is aware of his potential market if he reaches free agency. Pittman eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in 2021, then followed that up with a 99-catch, 925-yard performance last season. His 297 receiving yards through five games entering Sunday’s action lead the Colts, a team which has been in search of complimentary options to Pittman over the past few years.
That effort has resulted in the likes of Alec Pierce and Josh Downs being drafted on Day 2 of the past two drafts, but extending Pittman for the foreseeable future would allow Indianapolis to retain its pass-catching anchor. Doing so will no doubt require a sizeable multi-year investment given his production and the overall landscape at the receiver position, with several players routinely landing eight figures per year on extensions. As a result of the upward trend at the WR spot, a Pittman franchise tag would cost the Colts roughly $23MM.
Pittman added that he is content to play out the remainder of the season without a 2024 agreement in place. As a result, his performances with backup Gardner Minshew at quarterback for the the time being will be worth watching with respect to how it affects his bargaining position.
Ravens DT Justin Madubuike In Line For Signficant Contract?
The upcoming free agent class at the defensive tackle spot could include the likes of Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins if they do not re-up with the Chiefs and Dolphins, respectively. Another, younger option at the position is also set to hit the open market soon, though, and he could be in store for a notable raise. 
Justin Madubuike is currently playing out the final year of his rookie contract with the Ravens. The 25-year-old has emerged as a signficant contributor on Baltimore’s defense, seeing a jump in playing time with each passing season. Madubuike’s 2023 snap share sat at 69% prior to today’s win in London, a game in which he recorded five tackles and a pair of sacks.
That performance brings his total in the latter category to 4.5, only one short of the career high he registered last season. The Texas A&M product has proven to be a disruptive presence along the interior with 11 tackles for loss since the start of the 2022 campaign, and his age should help earn him a lucrative second contract with the Ravens or another interested team in March. Indeed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Maduibuike is expected around the league to command a sizeable raise in the near future.
Baltimore faced the prospect of not only Maduibuike, but also fellow D-linemen Michael Pierce and Broderick Washington departing in March at one point. That situation has been prevented with the latter inking a three-year extension in August, but talks on Madubuike’s next deal will be worth watching. The former third-rounder has been on the extension radar for some time now, but it has long been expected his second contract would check in at a larger price tag than Washington’s.
The 2023 offseason saw the defensive tackle market make serious gains regarding players in Madubuike’s age range. Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Daron Payne and Dexter Lawrence each re-upped with their respective teams on deals averaging between $22.5MM and $24MM per year. Madubuike would likely need to deliver a monster season the rest of the way to put himself in contention to reach the top of the DT market in free agency, but he can be expected to cash in considerably compared to the $1.2MM AAV of his rookie pact. His continued play through the remainder of the campaign, and its effects on his market, will be a storyline to follow.
Latest On Patriots, Bill Belichick; Bears Are Potential Landing Spot For Belichick?
OCTOBER 15: Like other reporters, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post is not hearing any rumblings that Belichick could be fired in-season. After all, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes, the locker room remains united, and Belichick is showing no outward signs of panic.
Nonetheless, it seems increasingly likely that 2023 will be Belichick’s last season in Foxborough, and that the 71-year-old himself may be ready to move on. If that happens, then Jonathan Kraft, Robert’s son and the club’s team president, reportedly prefers a younger HC who has less control over football operations. Indeed, Belichick’s missteps as the Pats’ de facto GM are well-documented and have played a major role in New England’s post-Brady struggles, and it makes sense that the team would want to begin anew with a more traditional power structure.
A coaching agent that spoke with La Canfora unsurprisingly believes there would be a market for Belichick’s services, and La Canfora names the Bears as a potential landing spot if Chicago should decide to part ways with current HC Matt Eberflus while retaining GM Ryan Poles. Poles entered the NFL’s personnel world as a scouting assistant with the Chiefs under then-GM Scott Pioli, and Pioli worked with Belichick in Cleveland from 1992-95 and in New England from 2000-08.
OCTOBER 11: Sitting at the bottom of the AFC East after two massive blowouts, speculation regarding Bill Belichick‘s job security has picked up again. The Patriots’ head coach and de facto GM appears to face the very serious possibility of finding himself out of his current position by next season. 
The relationship between Belichick and owner Robert Kraft has soured during the course of the post-Tom Brady era, one in which the Patriots have made only one playoff appearance and not won a postseason game. Tensions between the two went public over the summer, fueling questions about Kraft’s readiness to authorize a coaching change in the event of continued team struggles.
The opening weeks of 2023 certainly meet that description, and New England now sits at 1-4. As a result, internal tension within the organization has been exacerbated, reports Sportkeeda’s Tony Pauline. The team’s slow start has illustrated roster-building issues which can understandably be attributed to Belichick, who was reported to be on the hot seat before the start of the campaign. Pauline’s sources indicate the 71-year-old is not expected to return for 2024, though a midseason firing would come as a surprise at this point.
That presumed scenario would involve Belichick – who has been in place since 2000 and ranks third on the NFL’s all-time wins list – choosing to step aside and avoid needing to be given a pink slip. His lengthy list of accomplishments has led many to expect he would receive enough leeway to decide his own fate. Especially if the trend of lopsided losses and offensive struggles continues, though, that may not be the case.
Jeff Howe of the The Athletic notes that Kraft is becoming increasingly frustrated with Belichick’s performance and that of the team as a whole (subscription required). Howe adds that New England’s defense has been angered by the comparative poor play of the offense, a unit led by third-year quarterback Mac Jones. The former first-rounder has not succeeded in offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien‘s system as expected, something which has certainly not helped the perceived rift between Jones and Belichick that came to light in the offseason.
Moving on from Belichick at any time, and in any manner, would mark a major move for the Patriots considering their unmatched run of success during his tenure. It seems increasingly likely, however, that the next chapter in the organization’s history will be starting in the short-term future. New England’s ability to rebound from consecutive lopsided defeats (or lack thereof) will certainly be worth watching as it pertains to Belichick’s hot seat status.
Vikings Not Expected To Trade Kirk Cousins
The Vikings appear destined to become sellers at the trade deadline with a 1-4 record and star receiver Justin Jefferson on injured reserve. Even if the team is out of contention by the October 31 trade deadline, though, a deal involving quarterback Kirk Cousins should not be considered likely. 
The four-time Pro Bowler is expected to remain in place through the 2023 season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Cousins would need to waive his no-trade clause for any deal sending him (and his expiring contract) out of Minnesota to be possible, and that remains highly unlikely at this point. He declined to offer a firm response regarding his long-term future with the franchise when speaking publicly about his situation, but it would not come as a surprise to see him play out the campaign in familiar territory.
Cousins has been with the Vikings since 2018, but his status beyond 2023 has been in doubt since it was learned extension talks would not take place until after the season. Both the team and the 35-year-old have expressed interest in continuing their relationship, and no clear-cut successor is in place on the Vikings’ roster. However, the team’s ability to turn a slew of one-score wins into a division title last season has not been replicated in 2023, and Jefferson’s hamstring injury will keep him out until at least Week 11. It remains to be seen how competitive Minnesota will be by that point.
Due to a restructure from this past offseason, Cousins carries a base salary of just $10MM this year, which would make his contract a fairly absorbable one. As Schefter notes, however, the “perfect storm” would need to be in place – essentially, a team with a familiar offense losing its starter to a major injury – for Cousins to reconsider his stance. The Jets’ season took an unexpected turn when Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear four snaps into his New York career, leading to speculation connecting them to Cousins.
No trade talk is believed to have taken place between the Vikings and Jets, though, and the latter squad remains committed to Zach Wilson under center. Projected buyers ahead of the upcoming deadline have a well-established signal-caller, and teams with uncertainty at the QB position are highly unlikely to have a desire to acquire Cousins for the second half of the campaign. The latter’s market could thus be limited regardless of how he and the Vikings fare in the near future.
Jefferson’s status will be worth watching with respect to the urgency the team shows in bringing him back considering their projected dire status in the standings when he is able to return. His pending mega-extension represents another complicating factor is his desire to come back to their field in what could be a lost season. Jefferson will, in all likelihood, at least have a familiar face at the QB spot if/when he next suits up, though.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler To Return In Week 6
For the first time since the regular season opener, the Chargers will have their top running back available. Austin Ekeler is off the team’s Week 6 injury report, meaning he will suit up on Monday night. 
Ekeler suffered an ankle injury in Week 1, leading to his first stretch of missed games since 2021. His absence dealt a blow to the Chargers’ ground game and left the team’s offense without one of its most important contributors. Especially with wideout Mike Williams out for the year, Ekeler’s pass-catching prowess will be welcomed as Los Angeles looks to come off the bye with a strong performance.
Despite missing the past three games, Ekeler is still the team’s second-leading rusher with 117 yards. That illustrates the significance of his return, though backup Joshua Kelley has had noteworthy games as a first-teamer as well. As a result, the Chargers sit in the middle of the pack with respect to rushing yards per game (120). That figure nevertheless has the potential to increase with Ekeler back in the fold.
The 28-year-old had a contentions offseason as he sought out a raise from his existing pact, which is set to expire in March. Ekeler’s 39 total touchdowns since the start of the 2021 campaign lead the league, and he has surpassed 1,500 scrimmage yards three times since 2019. No serious trade suitors emerged after his request to be moved went public, though, and he ultimately agreed to a reworked pact which upped his potential earnings for this season.
Ekeler’s incentives are tied to a Pro Bowl nod along with yardage and touchdown benchmarks. Reaching them will be more difficult given his missed time, but he will resume his endeavor to land a lucrative new contract in 2024 free agency – and in doing so buck the trend at the running back spot – against the Cowboys in primetime. How much of a workload he handles (and the effects on Kelley’s playing time and that of the team’s other complimentary backs) in his return will be interesting to see.
Giants Place OLB Azeez Ojulari On IR
The Giants’ offense has dealt with a slew of injuries to start the season, but the team’s defense will be without a starter for the time being as well. Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari was placed on injured reserve Saturday. 
As a result of the move, he will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks. Ojulari’s absence will leave the Giants without a starter in the pass-rush department, and his ankle injury will add to the list of ailments which have forced him to miss time in his young NFL career. The 23-year-old was limited to seven contests in 2022, and he missed a pair of games in September of this season.
Ojulari found himself in and out of the lineup with a calf issue in his second campaign, one which carried signficant expectations given his success as a rookie. The former second-rounder led New York with eight sacks in 2021, but that total fell to 5.5 as he missed considerable time last year. Ojulari has been held without a sack, quarterback hit or tackle for loss this season while seeing the field for 95 snaps across three contests.
Still, his absence will be felt on a Giants defense which has mustered only five sacks to date. Four of those have come from fellow edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has shown signs of growth after a relatively quiet rookie campaign last season. The former fifth overall pick will be counted on to anchor the Giants’ pass rush to an even larger degree with Ojulari shut down for a month or more. Bringing the latter back will require using one of New York’s eight IR activations available throughout the season.
Ojulari’s starting spot will likely go to either Jihad Ward or Boogie Basham moving forward. The former has been with the Giants since last season, one in which he provided 43 tackles and three sacks. The latter, meanwhile, was dealt away by the Bills ahead of roster cutdowns to mark an end to his underwhelming Buffalo tenure (4.5 sacks in 23 games). As the Giants look for answers along the offensive line and prepare for at least one game without quarterback Daniel Jones, the team will now need to make an adjustment to the starting lineup on the edge.
Community Tailgate: Patriots’ Post-Tom Brady Struggles
2023 has seen the Patriots continue to struggle in the years following Tom Brady’s free agent departure in 2020. Offensive shortcomings were foreshadowed in the waning years of the legendary quarterback’s time in New England, but they have dragged the franchise down as the search for a long-term successor is still ongoing. 
That effort saw Mac Jones selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, and his rookie performance offered optimism he could deliver consistent play under center. Since then, however, the Alabama product has not met expectations and his status as the team’s undisputed starter remained in question through this past offseason. Tensions between he and head coach Bill Belichick went public, and 2023 was viewed as a potential make-or-break-year for both parties.
The Patriots’ bizarre setup with respect to guiding the offense last season – which saw Matt Patricia and Joe Judge share duties on a less-than-familiar side of the ball – was done away with this spring. The return of OC Bill O’Brien brought about optimism for a rebound from Jones and the rest of the unit, but New England ranks last in the league in points per game and 28th in total offense. Over the past two weeks, their struggles have manifested in undeniable fashion: a 38-3 loss to the Cowboys, followed by a 34-0 defeat at home against the Saints.
At no point during Robert Kraft’s ownership tenure had the Patriots lost two games by 30 or more points in a season, a feat which has now been seen in consecutive weeks. Jones has not been on the field by the end of either contest, but he has received a vote of confidence as the starting signal-caller moving forward. How long of a leash he receives will be a storyline to follow, but the same will hold true for the play of the pass-catching corps around him.
Belichick and the Patriots do not have a stellar record when it comes to identifying high-end receivers in the draft, something which has been made painfully clear without Brady under center. The occasional free agent spending spree – such as the one which produced lucrative deals for tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry in 2021 – has not proved to be a useful solution. Mike Gesicki represents the latest investment at the TE spot, albeit on a one-year deal, which has yet to yield notable production.
Whispers about Belichick’s job security started to pick up when Kraft essentially delivered a playoffs-or-bust ultimatum in March. While the latter walked back that sentiment to an extent, it very much remains to be seen if the former will be able to dig New England out of its 1-4 hole. Failure to do so will no doubt lead to plenty of attention aimed at Belichick’s intentions; the 71-year-old is reportedly expected to step aside (voluntarily or otherwise) if the current campaign ends in another lack of postseason success.
Defensive consistency has, to no surprise, been a mainstay for the Patriots across Belichick’s tenure. That unit is in danger of suffering a notable step back in effectiveness this year, however, with both Pro Bowl edge rusher Matt Judon and first-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez expected to miss the rest of the campaign. Their losses will be acutely felt as the team is set to rely on its defense given the inability of the offense to consistently put up points.
Gaining ground in a division which features the Dolphins and Bills will be a daunting task given the advantage those teams have in the standings and the issues which threaten to consign the Patriots to what would be a third year out of the four since Brady left without a playoff appearance (the lone exception coming in 2021 which included a 30-point loss in the wild-card round). While that era has seen a continuation of the organization’s brain drain on the sidelines and in the front office, the current situation has led to renewed calls for a large-scale reset.
What do you make of the Patriots’ 2023 performances and the overall trends they underscore? Should Jones and/or Belichick remain in place as the key determinants in future success (or perhaps a lack thereof)? Or would the organization be better suited to move in a fundamentally different direction and begin a new era? Have your say in the comments section below.
Panthers’ Jeremy Chinn, Terrace Marshall, Donte Jackson On Trade Block
The Panthers have been connected to making an addition in advance of the trade deadline (specifically at the wide receiver position), but the league’s only winless team should be expected to be sellers on the whole. A number of players could soon find themselves out of Carolina as a result. 
Two-time Pro Bow edge rusher Brian Burns would of course be the top prize for an acquiring team in any Panthers-related swap, but having an extension worked out would be necessary to justify the trade price required on that front. The Panthers turned down a haul for Burns including two first-round picks from the Rams last season, so another substantial proposal would no doubt be required for serious trade talks to take place. Extension negotiations for the former first-rounder — who is playing on the fifth-year option in 2023 and is thus due for free agency or a franchise tag in March — are on hold.
A trio of other Panthers are available to be had in the near future, however, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Hybrid safety/linebacker Jeremy Chinn, along with wideout Terrace Marshall and cornerback Donte Jackson find themselves on the trade block. Any member of that trio would require far less to acquire than Burns, and they would arrive with varying degrees of expectations on a new team.
Chinn is in the final year of his rookie contract, and he would make for a logical rental candidate on a team with the right scheme to utilize his skillset. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year runner up eclipsed 100 tackles in each of his first two seasons, and he remained a full-time starter last year (one in which he missed signficant time due to a hamstring injury). Chinn was one of a select few players essentially deemed off-limits ahead of the 2022 deadline, but his playing time has dropped considerably this year in new DC Ejiro Evero‘s 3-4 scheme. A fresh start may be beneficial to team and player.
Marshall, like Jackson, is on the books through 2024. The former had high expectations as a second-round pick, but he has yet to lock down a full-time starting workload to date. The LSU alum seemed to be assured of a role ahead of the campaign by new head coach Frank Reich, but he did not see the field in Week 5 despite dressing. Marshall has totaled 16 catches for 114 scoreless yards while seeing a 64% snap share. Of course, any WR addition on Carolina’s part would threaten to knock him further down the depth chart and make a move sending him elsewhere a logical one.
Unlike the other two, Jackson is not attached to a rookie contract and would require a larger financial investment from an acquiring team. The 27-year-old would be due the balance of his $10.62MM in compensation this year if he were dealt, and his new club would be on the hook for that amount next year as well. Jackson’s 2024 cap hit, though, is set at $15.82MM, something which would take him off certain teams’ radars. Carolina would incur a dead cap charge of $5.2MM this season and next by trading the former second-rounder; only 2024 would yield a net gain in cap space.
Jackson has started all but four of his 68 games, each of which have been spent with the Panthers. He has recorded between two and four interceptions each season, though injuries have ended his last two campaigns. An Achilles tear limited him to nine contests in 2022, but Jackson has returned to full health and logged a starting workload in his four games played this year.
The Panthers are taking a cautious approach with respect to their new-look coaching staff, but changes could be coming on the field if calls on Chinn, Marshall and/or Jackson produce a trade agreement. Other players could be on the move as well, of course, but for now the future of that trio will be worth watching.
Frank Clark Likely To Return To Chiefs?
As they recently did with Randy Gregory, the Broncos have elected to quickly move on from Frank Clark. The latter edge rusher is set to hit free agency, and his next destination may be a familiar one. 
Clark’s release will hit the transactions wire on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. Once that takes place, he will be free to sign anywhere in a bid to find a better playing situation and in doing so rebuild some of his value ahead of his next contract in March. The Broncos were unable to find a trade partner willing to give up assets to acquire the two-time Super Bowl winner, and the team with which he won those titles could bring him back.
Schefter reports that “the most likely scenario” in Clark’s case is a reunion with the Chiefs. The 30-year-old spent the past four seasons in Kansas City as the team’s top outside pass rusher before making the intra-divisional move in the offseason. Clark signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Broncos but he recently agreed to a restructure which would have made his pact easier to absorb by an acquiring team. Now, Kansas City or any other interested party will be able to add him on any set of new terms.
Clark’s best seasons in terms of regular season sack totals came during his time in Seattle, but he proved himself to be an effective compliment to defensive tackle Chris Jones during his Kansas City tenure. He earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods with the Chiefs from 2019-21, collecting 10.5 total sacks in the playoffs across his time there. A reunion would make plenty of sense for both parties, but the defending champions have fared quite well without Clark so far.
Kansas City ranks in the top five in both scoring and total defense in 2023. The 5-1 team’s new-look edge rush group (which is still led in very large part by the presence of Jones along the interior) has racked up 17 sacks. Recent first-round defensive ends George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah have combined to register only two sacks, though, so a role would be available for Clark if he were to trek back to Kansas City. The Chiefs currently have $3.8MM in cap space, so any potential Clark agreement would need to be a modest one.