Latest On Panthers’ Head Coaching Plans
In the post-Matt Rhule era, Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks has done an admirable job of navigating a turbulent back two-thirds of the season. Now with the regular season over after missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year, Carolina is faced with the task of determining who will be leading the team going into the 2023 NFL season. 
Despite the franchise going into “sell-mode” and parting ways with players like star running back Christian McCaffrey and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, Wilks led the Panthers to a 6-6 finish to the season. The six losses included three one-score games including a six-point loss to the Buccaneers that was the difference between winning or losing the division. If Carolina had pulled out the victory last week in Tampa Bay, Wilks and company would be hosting a playoff game next week.
Wilks is expected to be interviewed for a permanent role as head coach. His past experience as the Cardinals head coach in 2018 doesn’t necessarily shine on a resume, but his performance turning around a flailing Panthers squad this season should speak volumes. If that’s not enough, defensive leader Shaq Thompson told reporters that he and other players intend to talk to team owner David Tepper in order to voice their support for Wilks, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Having the backing of the players he would be coaching should be another heavily-weighed factor in the upcoming decision.
Wilks should have a good amount of competition for the job. Carolina is expected to interview former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell and former Colts head coach Frank Reich for the position, according to Jay Glazer of FOX NFL Sunday.
Caldwell has been out of the NFL since 2019. After parting ways with the Lions in 2017, Caldwell consulted for the reincarnated XFL before joining the Dolphins as a quarterbacks coach. Before the season began, though, Caldwell reportedly took a leave of absence to address health issues but stuck around to consult on the team. Since being fired by Detroit, Caldwell interviewed for the Packers, Jets, and Browns head coaching gigs in 2019 and the Jaguars and Bears jobs this past offseason.
Reich had a couple of rollercoaster seasons with the Colts in his first head coaching stint. Despite working with a new starting quarterback every season, Reich led Indianapolis to the playoffs twice. In his first four seasons as head coach, his team’s worst performance was a 7-9 finish. Even after getting fired after a 3-5-1 start this year, Reich ended his tenure in Indianapolis with a winning record at 40-33-1.
More names are sure to emerge as the offseason opens up. For now, though, the Panthers appear to be in one of the more favorable positions compared to other franchises expected to be looking for new head coaches. After a finish to the season that showed a good amount of promise, having strong options such as Wilks, Caldwell, and Reich should leave Panthers fans looking forward to better days in the future.
Broncos Granted Permission To Interview Sean Payton
10:00pm: In an update on this situation, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report that the Broncos and Saints “appear to be on the same page” with respect to trade compensation for Payton. Rapoport adds that New Orleans’ asking price is believed to be a first-round pick “and more,” and that Denver is willing to match it.
As a result, Rapoport unsurprisingly further reports that the Broncos are looking to interview Payton as soon as possible. If they were to fast-track the interview process, they could be well-positioned to land the league’s top available head coach and accomplish their goal of adding an experienced bench boss to provide stability to the franchise after years of turnover on the sidelines.
5:29pm: The Nathaniel Hackett experiment in Denver is over and done with and the Broncos have taken an early first step ahead of Black Monday in the process of replacing him. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Broncos requested and received permission from the Saints to interview Sean Payton for their head coaching position. 
Payton has been working as a television analyst for Fox NFL Sunday since stepping down from the Saints’ head coaching position at the end of the 2021 NFL season. It has been widely anticipated that Payton will draw significant interest from any organization looking to fill a head coaching role at the end of the 2022 campaign.
With current Saints head coach Dennis Allen likely to return in 2023, the question no longer focused on if Payton will go somewhere else but on how much his future team will have to give up in order to obtain the rights to his services. With Payton still under contract with the Saints, any team that agrees to hire Payton will have to compensate New Orleans for the two remaining years on Payton’s contract.
General speculation has estimated the cost to be similar to what the Raiders got for Jon Gruden back in 2002. Obtaining a head coach with a career record of 161-97 is an attractive option, but is it worth two first- and two second-round draft picks? Regardless, the Broncos are not required to agree to any sort of compensation at this point in the process and, according to Schefter, they haven’t discussed the issue with New Orleans at this point.
Denver is only one of many teams presumed to have interest in Payton and are merely the first reported to have reached out for permission. The Broncos are handcuffed slightly by the NFL after the league’s ruling that any in-person interview with Payton cannot take place until January 17. Denver can and likely will open up other lines of communication until then, though, to try and capitalize on the early permission.
The only other candidate known to likely be in the running for the Broncos job is interim head coach Jerry Rosburg. The longtime Ravens special teams coordinator announced his retirement from coaching when he left the Ravens in 2019 but reversed his decision when hired as an assistant to Hackett this year. Two games at the helm is hardly enough to serve as an example of his abilities as head coach but might be enough for Rosburg to convince ownership to consider him for the position, if he desires it.
Giants Expected To Start QB Davis Webb In Week 18, Rest Starters
After choosing to promote quarterback Davis Webb from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation, the Giants are reportedly expected to start Webb behind center, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. The announcement points to the likely possibility that, with nothing to play for, the Giants will rest critical starters and veterans as they head into the postseason locked into the NFC’s No. 6 seed. 
The announcement that Webb was being elevated for the game led many to believe starters like quarterback Daniel Jones may be rested for part of the game, but the more recent report all but guarantees that belief. Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and likely several others should be expected to sit for most, if not all, of the matchup in Philadelphia tomorrow.
Webb has come full circle back to the team that drafted him in the third round back in 2017. Despite bouncing between the other New York franchises in New Jersey and Buffalo for the past four years and routinely finding time on the active rosters, Webb has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular season contest. His only NFL action came last year when he was brought in for Bills quarterback Josh Allen to take a knee in a blow-out win over the Jets. His first passes tomorrow will be his first in the pros.
There had been reports that the Dolphins had attempted to poach Webb off of the Giants practice squad to back up Skylar Thompson in Miami’s season finale against the Jets with Teddy Bridgewater questionable coming into the weekend, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. In the end, though, Webb made the decision to stay in New York and is expected to be rewarded for his decision with his first NFL start and his first NFL pass.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/7/23
Here is a set of rare Saturday practice squad transactions from today:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: WR Isaiah Coulter, CB Jordan Miller, QB James Morgan
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Nick Muse
- Released: DT Sheldon Day
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/23
Today’s minor transactions heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: DL Eric Banks, RB Ty’Son Williams
- Promoted from practice squad: LS Hunter Bradley, S Josh Thomas
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: WR Tylan Wallace, CB Daryl Worley
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Brett Hundley, DT Rayshad Nichols
- Released: TE Nick Boyle, WR DeSean Jackson
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: WR John Brown
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: C Sam Tecklenburg, WR Preston Williams
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Phil Hoskins, CB Josh Norman
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: S Adrian Colbert, CB Greg Stroman
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Jake Browning
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Storey Jackson, LB Sam Kamara
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Wyatt Ray, LB Ray Wilborn
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Jermar Jefferson, CB Jarren Williams
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Johnny Johnson III
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Keke Coutee, S Trevor Denbow
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Coy Cronk
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: DT David Moa, RB Larry Rountree
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Mike Glennon, LB Brennan Scarlett
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from IR: DL Jonathan Bullard, TE Irv Smith (story)
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Ryan Connelly, G Kyle Hinton
New England Patriots
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Calvin Munson, TE Matt Sokol
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Jack Heflin, QB Davis Webb
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: DE Bradlee Anae, WR Irvin Charles, OL Adam Pankey, S Will Parks, OL Eric Smith
- Placed on IR: OL Duane Brown, CB Brandin Echols, OL George Fant, OL Nate Herbig, S Lamarcus Joyner
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Renell Wren
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from IR: RB Elijah Mitchell (story)
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Michael Dwumfour, CB Janoris Jenkins
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: LB Josh Onujiogu
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Alexander Johnson, WR Cade Johnson
- Placed on IR: RB Travis Homer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Ifeadi Odenigbo, T Justin Skule
Eagles Activate S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DE Robert Quinn From IR
Philadelphia is getting some help on defense as it looks to secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed heading into the postseason, according to the team’s official Twitter account. The Eagles have activated safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive end Robert Quinn from injured reserve today. To make room on the 53-man roster, Philadelphia placed linebacker Shaun Bradley and defensive end Janarius Robinson on IR. Lastly, the team signed punter Brett Kern to the active roster from the practice squad. 
Gardner-Johnson will return in time for the playoffs after a lacerated kidney sidelined him for the past five games. The unusual injury put a pause on a career year for the fourth-year safety. After being traded from New Orleans just prior to the start of the regular season, Gardner-Johnson started every game for the Eagles alongside Marcus Epps before getting placed on IR following the Week 12 injury. At the time of his placement on IR, Gardner-Johnson led the NFL in interceptions with six through 11 games. His presence in the defensive backfield will provide a big boost for a team who has had their sights set on the postseason all year.
The Eagles pass rush has been just fine without Quinn but that’s not to say it won’t benefit from a reunion. Philadelphia leads the league in sack total, and frankly, it’s not very close. Quinn had yet to add to the team’s sack total before finding himself on IR, but it’s hard to imagine that defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon isn’t excited about the aspect of adding a pass rusher who was pushing for a season total of 20 sacks as recently as last year.
Bradley and Robinson being moved to IR is a small price to pay for the return of Gardner-Johnson and Quinn. Bradley is a core special teamer who has yet to appear on defense this season for the NFC’s current top seed. Robinson was signed off the Vikings’ practice squad early in the year but has yet to appear in a game this season.
Kern has served as the team’s punter for the last three weeks as Arryn Siposs has been on IR. The long-time Titan has been serviceable on special teams for Philadelphia, showing that he can be depended on for the postseason.
Washington Places LB Jamin Davis On IR
The Commanders have made a handful of moves heading into their season finale against the Cowboys, according to their official Twitter account. The team placed starting linebacker Jamin Davis on injured reserve, filling his open roster spot by activating tight end Armani Rogers from IR. Washington also announced it would be elevating cornerback Troy Apke and running back Reggie Bonnafon from the practice squad as standard gameday elevations. 
Davis will officially be held out of the team’s final contest as he deals with a knee injury that had him listed as questionable coming into the weekend. The Commanders’ leading tackler has started 15 of 16 games this season, contributing 104 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and five quarterback hits. With Davis absent tomorrow, backup linebacker Khaleke Hudson will likely slide into the starting spot in his place.
Rogers, an undrafted rookie who was used as a kind of Swiss Army knife at Ohio, appeared in 10 games for the Commanders, starting three, before being placed on IR with knee and ankle injuries. Washington brings back the versatile utility player just in time to end the season.
Apke is in his fifth season with the Commanders, spending this year on the practice squad after playing out his rookie contract. Apke will be elevated to potentially appear in his second game of the season and his second game in a row. Bonnafon could potentially make his Washington debut after three seasons in Carolina.
Rams S Nick Scott Placed On IR
The long list of Rams’ starters either out or on injured reserve for the team’s season finale grew one player longer today as Los Angeles placed safety Nick Scott on IR to end the season. Scott had started every game of the season up to this point. 
Scott suffered a shoulder injury two days ago in practice, separate from the stinger he sustained in the Rams’ loss to their cross-town rivals last week. Head coach Sean McVay was the one who informed the media that the shoulder issue will prevent Scott from completing a fully healthy season.
In Scott’s absence, rookie seventh-round pick Russ Yeast will earn the first start of his career next to Taylor Rapp. Yeast started the season as a core special teamer but earned more and more playing time on defense as the season progressed. His first start will occur in his 15th NFL appearance.
The Rams made two more roster moves in preparation for their season-ending matchup in Seattle. Practice squad tight end Jared Pinkney has been signed to the active roster, taking Scott’s spot in the 53-man group. Los Angeles also promoted defensive back T.J. Carter from the practice squad as their last standard gameday elevation of the year.
Rams HC Sean McVay Addresses Continued Television Rumors
Another season, another period of premature rumors that Rams head coach Sean McVay could leave the team for an opportunity to become an analyst on television. For the second straight year, the NFL’s youngest head coach is being asked to address television rumors heading into the team’s final game of the season, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN. 
Unfortunately for McVay, while it’s still not expected to occur, his departure makes a little more sense this year after a season that, at best, will see the team with 11 losses this season. Again, it still doesn’t make much sense following the contract extension McVay signed this past offseason, but it makes a little more sense than right after he led his team to a Super Bowl. The Rams’ current record of 5-11 is setting up McVay’s worst season since taking over as head coach and marks his first losing season in the position.
McVay has acknowledged that the rumors aren’t totally unwarranted since he hasn’t “run away from the fact that, down the line or whenever that is, (that job is) something” he’d be interested in. For now, though, McVay attempted to put an end to the rumors that it will happen anytime soon, calling the interest “flattering” but reiterating that he wants to remain in his current position and is focused on that.
This response is much different than last year, when McVay seemed to fan the flames a bit with comments that he “won’t make it” coaching into his 60’s. He backed up those comments expressing his wishes in the future to have and spend time with a family. Following his Super Bowl LVI victory last season, though, McVay responded to a question asking whether he would return to Los Angeles in 2022 with a blunt, “We’ll see.” Two weeks later, McVay would reaffirm his commitment to returning to coach the Rams and would sign his extension in August, keeping him under contract through 2026.
McVay has been nothing but honest with questions about his future, allowing media members to run away with rumors on which he refuses to close the door. McVay insists that he will continue to be honest with the media about his future endeavors. It doesn’t change his love for coaching and the game of football, but it certainly won’t stop TV networks from attempting to draw him away from the game.
Vikings Plan To Activate TE Irv Smith
The Vikings are set to receive a nice boost to their passing offense just in time for the playoffs as the team plans to activate tight end Irv Smith from injured reserve, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. In order to make room for Smith on the roster, the Vikings have waived tight end Nick Muse. 
Coming off a meniscus tear that would cost him the entire 2021 season, Smith’s role as a starter diminished this year as the Vikings would favor starting better run blockers in Johnny Mundt and Ben Ellefson. Still, Smith led the team’s position group in receiving yards and touchdowns until suffering an ankle injury in a Week 8 win over the Cardinals that would land him on IR. Smith’s injury would lead Minnesota to send a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick to Detroit in exchange for tight end T.J. Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick.
The return of Smith makes an already-potent Vikings offense even more formidable. In addition to a running game led by Dalvin Cook and supplemented by Alexander Mattison, quarterback Kirk Cousins has an array of pass-catching weapons that includes Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, Hockenson, and Smith.
Smith is set to hit free agency this offseason. If he wishes to remain in Minnesota past this year, Smith will need to show that he can earn targets in a crowded group of receivers. With Hockenson signed through next year, Smith will have to prove to the Vikings that he is worth Minnesota paying two pass-catching tight ends.
Muse’s rookie season comes to an end after failing to register one snap on offense for the Vikings this year. A seventh-round pick this year, Muse appeared solely on special teams in what would end up being a crowded, but injured, tight ends room. If he clears waivers, the Vikings can sign him to the practice squad and, eventually, a futures contract.