49ers Promote Nick Sorensen To DC, Add Brandon Staley To Staff
After eyeing five candidates for their open defensive coordinator job, the 49ers have landed on an in-house option. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers are promoting defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator. The 49ers are also hiring another DC candidate, Brandon Staley, for a “prominent staff role,” according to Schefter. That could include the role of assistant head coach.
Following a 10-year playing career, Sorensen transitioned to coaching in 2013. He spent close to a decade on the Seahawks staff, initially working as an assistant special teams coach before moving to the defensive side of the ball, where he served as the team’s secondary coach for four years.
The Jaguars hired him as their special teams coordinator in 2021, but he only lasted a season in Jacksonville before joining the 49ers as a defensive assistant in 2022. It took him one year to earn a promotion to defensive pass game coordinator/nickels coach.
While the 49ers cast a relatively wide net to replace Steve Wilks, the organization hinted that they were valuing continuity in their search. The 49ers also interviewed defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks for the role, and Schefter notes that the organization didn’t want to “stray far from what it has done defensively for the past seven years.” In fact, Schefter adds that part of the reason why Wilks was fired was because of his inability to “adapt to the defensive scheme” of former 49ers squads led by Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans.
While Sorensen has only been on the staff for two seasons, he does possess familiarity with the team’s scheme. Pete Carroll ran a similar defense in Seattle, and Schefter notes that Sorensen’s experience was “perhaps most valuable” in his promotion.
Staley was fired by the Chargers back in December following two-plus seasons with the organization. He finished his head coaching stint with a 24-24 record, including a single one-and-done playoff appearance. Prior to his stint with the Chargers, Staley served as the defensive coordinator with the Rams in 2020. He also previously served as linebackers coach for the Broncos and Bears.
While Staley’s defensive scheme differs from the 49ers’ scheme, GM John Lynch said that wouldn’t prevent the coach from joining the staff.
“He’s a really bright dude,” Lynch said (via Schefter). “We have an open mind, but we do know there’s certain core principles that we’re going to always be on the defensive side. … I wouldn’t rule him out because of that.”
Staley is expected to be the team’s new assistant head coach, a role previously held by Anthony Lynn (who, ironically, was also a former Chargers HC). After spending the past two seasons in San Francisco, Lynn joined Dan Quinn‘s new Commanders staff as their run game coordinator/running backs coach.
Tyron Smith Unlikely To Return To Cowboys
Tyron Smith‘s 13-year stint in Dallas has likely come to an end. The impending free agent left tackle is unlikely to return to the Cowboys, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
[RELATED: Cowboys, LT Tyron Smith Discuss Possible Return]
This news comes on the heels of yesterday’s report that Smith and the Cowboys discussed a potential return while at the combine. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Cowboys still have interest in re-signing the lineman, but it’s clear the two sides are “drastically apart in the financial framework” of a deal.
The 2011 first-round pick has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, earning five All-Pro nods and eight Pro Bowl appearances. Smith inked an eight-year, $109MM contract back in 2014 that once reset the position’s market. Thanks to multiple restructurings, the veteran earned only $7.3MM this past season, and the organization opted to not hand him an extension.
Injuries continue to plague Smith’s career; the lineman has missed at least three games each season since 2015. The left tackle missed 27 combined games in 2020 and 2022, and he got into 24 of 34 possible games during his two most-recent “healthy” seasons (2021, 2023).
As we passed along yesterday, Smith and the Cowboys agreed to a new practice regimen that was intended to keep the 33-year-old healthy. The organization has also been willing to tolerate his absences as long as he was available for the team’s biggest games. Smith hasn’t missed any of the team’s four playoff games over the past three seasons.
While injuries are a clear issue at this stage of Smith’s career, the offensive lineman has continued to perform when on the field. Pro Football Focus graded him as the fourth-best offensive tackle this past season, including a position-leading pass-block score. Other than his lost 2020 and 2022 campaigns, Smith has graded as at least a top-20 OT in each of his NFL seasons, and it doesn’t look like he’s showing any signs of slowing down.
Still, considering his age and injury risks, Smith can’t expect to break the bank on his next deal. Pro Football Focus pointed to Terron Armstead‘s five-year, $75MM contract with the Dolphins in 2022 as a comparison. While the former Saints OT had his fair share of injuries at the time of the signing, he was also significantly younger than Smith is now. The site ultimately settled on a one-year, $10MM contract for Smith, which would keep him around the top-20 highest-paid players at his position. If a bidding war develops, the veteran could climb the AAV list, although he may be hard pressed to get a long-term deal.
As for the Cowboys, the team seems to have an in-house replacement for Smith. The team used a first-round pick on Tyler Smith in the 2022 draft, and the lineman has only missed three games through his first two seasons in the NFL. Jon Machota of The Athletic notes that offensive tackle is a likely target of the organization with their No. 24 pick.
Giants To Release OL Mark Glowinski
Mark Glowinski‘s stint with the Giants has come to an end after two years. The team is releasing the veteran guard, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Glowinski signed a three-year, $20MM deal with the Giants back in 2022. This move will save the organization $5.7MM against the cap, per Fowler.
The former fourth-round pick served mostly as a backup during his time with the Seahawks, but he emerged as a starter while in Indianapolis. Glowinski started 55 of his 59 appearances for the Colts, with Pro Football Focus grading him as a top-25 guard in three of his four seasons with the team.
The cash-strapped Giants made him one of their big-name signings during the 2022 offseason, and the veteran ended up starting all 16 of his appearances during his first season in New York. Things didn’t go nearly as well during his second season.
Glowinski was benched following a poor Week 1 showing, with Marcus McKethan taking over as the starting right guard. Glowinski was only used as an injury fill-in for the rest of the season, starting six of his 13 appearances. The 31-year-old lineman was limited to only 520 offensive snaps, his lowest total since 2017.
The veteran guard will likely have to settle for a one-year deal during this visit to free agency, but Pro Football Focus shows that the lineman hasn’t completely fallen off. The site graded him 25th among 79 qualifying guards this past season, including a top-15 grade for his run-blocking ability.
Teams Proposing Pushing Trade Deadline From Week 8 To Week 10
FEBRUARY 28: A half-measure move to Week 9 has generated some traction, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The 49ers, Commanders, Eagles, Jets and Lions are joining the Browns’ push to propose moving the trade endpoint back. That said, disagreement exists among GMs and owners if the deadline needs to be moved at all.
Competitive balance reasons emerged when we last heard this matter brought up, and Jones adds the league wants to protect against potential tanking, something that could conceivably arise by giving sellers two extra weeks to determine their paths. The next round of league meetings are set for March 24-27.
FEBRUARY 27: While we heard a few months ago that the NFL is unlikely to delay their current trade-deadline setup, that won’t stop some teams from pushing for a change. During an appearance on PFT Live, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the Browns and several other teams have proposed pushing the trade deadline from the end of Week 8 to the end of Week 10 (via PFT on X).
[RELATED: NFL Unlikely To Move Trade Deadline]
While teams have a handful of reasons for pushing for a change to the deadline date, Berry noted that the most obvious logic is because the NFL never adapted the date when switching to an 18-week schedule. The NFL moved the deadline to Week 8 back in 2012, but they kept their deadline the same when they added a week to their schedule in 2021.
“We want to retroactively correct the fact that the trade deadline never moved when the season expanded to 17 games,” Berry told reporters (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “If, at some point in the future, the regular season expands to 18 games, we wanted to be proactive in terms of the positioning for the trade deadline.”
Further, Berry and rival teams believe that pushing the trade deadline back would only benefit the NFL as a whole. The expanded opportunity to improve a team via trade would assist with the “competitive integrity” of the league, according to the executive.
“We think as a league it makes sense to give teams the most flexibility as long as possible to have the best product down the stretch run of the playoffs,” Berry stated (h/t Spencer German of Browns Digest). “We wanted to make sure we maintained the competitive integrity of the season so you don’t get into player dumping late in the year.”
Berry also simply pointed to rival sports leagues as a reason for pushing back the NFL trade deadline. MLB’s trade deadline checks in around two thirds of the way through the season, while the NBA and NHL come after the half-way point of the campaign. The NFL deadline comes in at about 45% of the way through the season, and Berry noted to reporters that the proposed change would push that mark to about 55% of the way through the season. The GM also noted that a Week 10 deadline is notable because it’s been more than a decade since a team has been eliminated from postseason contention earlier than Week 11.
The NFL’s deadline change in 2012 led to an increase in in-season trading, and another change would only help to further increase the number of deals. After the 2022 deadline featured a record 10 trades on deadline day, multiple teams reached out to the league office about the prospect of moving the deadline back. Nothing came of it in time for the 2023 campaign, and while the NFL doesn’t sound overly receptive to making a change in 2024, Berry and his counterparts appear to have a strong argument when the owners meet next month.
Latest On Patriots OL Michael Onwenu
With Michael Onwenu set to hit free agency in a few weeks, the Patriots offensive lineman is currently operating without an agent. The lineman recently informed NFL teams that he has “terminated his prior relationship” with representatives Roosevelt Barnes and Jovan Barnes, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. NFL Players Association records also show that Onwenu doesn’t currently have an agent.
This could end up being a non-story. After all, players need to wait five days after terminating representation before hiring a new agent, per Florio. However, there’s also the possibility that the lineman could simply be looking to represent himself. With rookie contracts becoming more and more standard, we’ve seen a handful of first-year players enter the NFL without representation. However, it’s extremely rare for a veteran to operate without an agent, especially when they’re set to hit free agency for the first time in their career.
Onwenu has spent his entire career in New England. The former sixth-round pick found himself in and out of the starting lineup in 2021, but he started all 32 of his appearances over the past two years. Listed as a tackle in 2023, Pro Football Focus ranked Onwenu 29th among 81 qualifiers this past season. The lineman ranked top-10 at his position in each of his first three seasons in the league.
The 26-year-old may simply be gearing up to sign with the highest bidder in free agency. The Patriots apparently remain an option to retain the offensive lineman, with executive Eliot Wolf telling reporters today that the latest development about Onwenu’s representation doesn’t change anything for the organization.
“It doesn’t impact us,” Wolf said (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Mike is a core player for us. It’s no secret we want to try to keep Mike, and it will just be a little bit of a wrinkle dealing with him. Mike is really smart, he’s introspective, he’s thoughtful, and he understands; he knows what he wants, which is always good when you’re dealing with a player. He’s certainly someone we view as a cornerstone for us.”
Panthers Would Consider Using Franchise Tag On Brian Burns
While the Panthers would prefer to sign Brian Burns to an extension, GM Dan Morgan told reporters that “all options are on the table” when it comes to retaining their star pass rusher, including the franchise tag. With the March 5 franchise tag deadline rapidly approaching, Morgan revealed that he’ll be meeting with Burns’ agent this week regarding a potential extension.
“We’ll have a little more clarity on the situation after that, but we’re working on it,” Morgan said (via Darin Gantt of the team’s website). “I think right now, all options are on the table. You know, what those options are, we’ll find out. I’ll have a little more clarity on that after I meet with the agent.”
The franchise tag for Burns would come in at $24MM for the 2024 campaign. While a hypothetical extension could produce a higher average annual value, the team would have more flexibility to lessen the impending cap hits. Still, the Panthers clearly don’t want Burns to walk away for nothing, and when asked pointedly if the Panthers would consider the franchise tag, the GM didn’t mince words.
“We would definitely use it if we had to use it, and you know, we love Brian,” Morgan continued. “Brian’s a Panther. Somebody that I know and that I’m close to, I played with his brother. So, I definitely love Brian. But all options are on the table for him.”
Burns has spent his entire career with the Panthers, earning Pro Bowl nods in both 2021 and 2022. From a counting-stats perspective, his 2023 numbers were down a bit; after averaging more than 10 sacks per season between 2020 and 2022, Burns finished with only eight sacks last year. He still finished the campaign with 16 tackles for loss and 18 QB hits, and Pro Football Focus still graded him as the 37th edge rusher among 112 qualifiers.
Nick Bosa currently paces all edge rushers with a $34MM AAV, and three other pass-rushers are making north of $25MM per season (T.J. Watt, Joey Bosa, and Myles Garrett). Burns is younger than those higher-paid counterparts, and while he may not receive the same total money or guarantees, he could push to be among the highest-paid edge rushers in terms of AAV.
We heard recently that the Commanders joined a number of teams in contacting Carolina about Burns’ availability leading up to this year’s trade deadline. While the pass-rusher would surely have a number of suitors in free agency, it sounds like he won’t even make it that far.
Dolphins, Andrew Van Ginkel Have Mutual Interest In New Deal
After re-signing with the Dolphins on a one-year deal last offseason, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel proceeded to have one of the best seasons of his career. While the five-year veteran will surely test free agency in pursuit of a pay raise, there’s still a chance he sticks in Miami.
During an appearance on The Joe Rose Show, agent Drew Rosenhaus said there’s mutual interest in Van Ginkel returning to Miami (via Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald). However, the agent also cautioned that his client will be “coveted by several other teams,” so there’s no guarantee that the linebacker will return to the Dolphins.
“He’ll be very well sought-after,” Rosenhaus said (via David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). “Whether or not he remains with the Dolphins, there’s mutual interest, but obviously it’s going to come down to, I’m sure, the start of free agency and what the market looks like and how the Dolphins are going to compete with other clubs.”
The former fifth-round pick has spent his entire career with the Dolphins, rotating between the bench and the starting lineup. After showing some pass-rush prowess early in his career, Van Ginkel seemed to put it all together in 2023. He finished this past season with a career-high six sacks while also compiling some of his best numbers in TFL (eight) and QB hits (19).
Pro Football Focus was especially fond of the player’s performance. Listed as an edge rusher, Van Ginkel was ranked seventh among 112 qualifying players at his position. This included a top-four positional grade for his coverage skills and a top-seven positional grade for his pass-rush ability.
The Dolphins have already started clearing out some of their pass-rush depth, as the team cut Emmanuel Ogbah last week. With Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb both questionable for the start of next season, the organization could be especially committed to retaining some continuity in Van Ginkel.
Jets To Release OL Laken Tomlinson
Laken Tomlinson‘s stint with the Jets has ended after two seasons. The Jets are releasing the veteran offensive guard, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The move will save the Jets more than $8MM against the cap, with the lineman counting for $10.71MM in dead money. Tomlinson was set to enter the final season of the three-year, $40MM pact he signed with the organization back in 2022. While the veteran has been a consistent presence through his two years with the organization, his future in New York was in doubt considering his $18.85MM cap hit for the 2024 campaign.
The former first-round pick spent his first two seasons in Detroit before finding a home in San Francisco. He ended up spending five seasons with the 49ers, including a 2021 campaign where he earned his lone Pro Bowl nod while ranking 13th among 82 eligible guard candidates (via Pro Football Focus).
Part of the appeal of Tomlinson was his reliability, and he certainly delivered in that regard during his time with the Jets. He started all 34 of his appearances in New York, and the 32-year-old lineman has an active 114-game starting streak. However, Tomlinson wasn’t able to carry over his 49ers production during his stint in New York.
Following that aforementioned 13th-place finish in 2021, Pro Football Focus hasn’t graded Tomlinson higher than 53rd in either of his two seasons in New York. The website was especially critical of his run-blocking ability, ranking him in the bottom-20 at his position in that category this past season.
With Tomlinson officially out, the Jets will be seeking at least three new lineman next season. Depending on how the team proceeds with Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets could be pursuing two new offensive tackles and a new offensive guard. There’s an expectation that the organization will look to fill at least one of those holes via free agency, and they could also turn to the draft for reinforcement (especially with their tenth-overall pick).
Raiders Will “Attempt” To Re-Sign RB Josh Jacobs
None of the big-name, impending-free-agent running backs are expected to be franchise tagged, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that teams are closing the door on retaining their offensive focal points. This includes the Raiders, who will attempt to re-sign free agent RB Josh Jacobs, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
[RELATED: Raiders Remain Interested In Re-Signing RB Josh Jacobs]
There have been previous rumblings that the Raiders could look to retain the star running back, but only on their terms. The team had no interest in franchising Jacobs for a second-straight season, a move that would have locked the RB into a $14.14MM salary. That commitment would have placed Jacobs third at his position in average annual value (behind Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara) and would have marked a nearly $2.5MM increase on his 2023 cap hit.
Considering the deep free agency class at the position and the anticipated squeeze that some free agent RBs will surely face, it should be a relief for Jacobs that the Raiders are somewhat valuing continuity. The running back has spent his entire career with the organization, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with a league-high 2,053 yards from scrimmage to go along with 12 touchdowns. That performance followed the Raiders’ decision to not pick up his fifth-year option, making Jacobs an impending free agent last offseason.
The organization never let their star hit free agency, slapping him with the franchise tag instead. The two sides couldn’t agree to a long-term extension but ultimately reworked the 2023 contract to avoid a holdout. While Jacobs couldn’t match his 2022 production, he still compiled 1,101 yards from scrimmage before missing the final four games of the season.
This time around, Jacobs will be facing a different regime in Las Vegas, although that might not end up working out in his favor. As our own Adam La Rose recently pointed out, new Raiders GM Tom Telesco was running the Chargers front office when the organization allowed Austin Ekeler to pursue a trade in lieu of an extension. The standoff between running backs and front offices will certainly be one of the major story lines of the offseason, and Jacobs will be a central figure in the conversation.
If Jacobs doesn’t return to Las Vegas, the Raiders could pivot to Zamir White. The former fourth-round pick had a chance to start at the end of this past season, averaging more than 114 yards from scrimmage in his four games as the lead back.
Lions Sign Jalen Reeves-Maybin To Two-Year Extension
Jalen Reeves-Maybin is sticking in Detroit, and the special teams ace is making history with his next contract. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Reeves-Maybin has agreed to a two-year extension with the Lions. The veteran was set to hit free agency in a few weeks.
The contract is worth $7.5MM and can max out at $8MM. The deal features $5.245MM in guaranteed money, including a $2.5MM signing bonus. That type of money makes Reeves-Maybin the “highest-paid core special-teamer ever,” per Garafolo.
The Tennessee product was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. He served as a backup linebacker and special teamer through his first four seasons in the league, but he finally had a chance to start in 2021. Reeves-Maybin started 11 of his 15 appearances that season, finishing with 82 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles.
He parlayed that performance into a two-year contract with the Texans, but he mostly found himself playing special teams in Houston. After getting cut by Houston last offseason, he returned to Detroit on a one-year deal. He ended up turning into a special teams ace, finishing the season with 20 tackles and a handful of highlight plays. Thanks to his performance, the 29-year-old earned second-team All-Pro honors.