AFC Front Office Updates: Bengals, Bills, Jets, Dolphins
Last week, we noted that former Patriots southeast area scout Josh Hinch would not be returning to New England in 2025. Now we know why as Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com reports that Hinch will be joining the Bengals in 2025.
It’s assumed that Hinch will be stepping into the role vacated when Christian Sarkisian departed to serve as the general manager at Northwestern University. Hinch spent some time with the XFL and AAF alternative football leagues before working with the Buccaneers in the NFL. He’s spent the last four years in New England’s scouting department.
Cincinnati will also add Tyler Ramsey as a scout, per Stratton. A Seattle native, Ramsey spent 12 seasons in the Seahawks’ scouting department, starting as a personnel intern and working his way through promotions to scouting assistant and area scout. He spent three years after with the Panthers, starting as a national scout before getting promoted to assistant director of pro personnel. Ramsey was let go by Carolina a little over a year ago.
Here are a few other front office updates, all coming out of the AFC East:
- Stratton also noted that the Bills have hired Mk Collins as their new player personnel coordinator, citing the updated position on her LinkedIn page. After completing a training camp internship with the Rams in 2023, Collins served four months as the assistant director of recruiting and personnel at Cornell before joining North Carolina as a player personnel analyst and, eventually, a scouting assistant. Stratton tells us that the position was open because former player personnel coordinator Andrea Gosper has been promoted.
- The Jets are bringing Bird Sherrill back to the NFL for a front office role, according to Graham Hall of 247Sports. Sherrill had previously spent six years with the Lions, starting as a scouting assistant before being promoted to a scout. Sherrill arrived in Gainesville alongside Billy Napier in 2022 and served as the Gators director of college personnel.
- Lastly, the Dolphins have hired Rachael Kaplan as the team’s new football analytics staff assistant, per ESPN’s Seth Walder. Kaplan previously worked an internship with the Buccaneers. She entered a submission into this year’s NFL Big Data Bowl and earned an honorable mention in the competition.
Titans Rumors: Sneed, Latham, Restrepo
The Titans’ investment in former Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed really failed to deliver dividends in 2024. After sending a third-round pick to Kansas City for the 28-year-old defender, Tennessee only saw five games out of Sneed before a quad injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season. What’s worse is that Sneed played poorly in those five contests, grading out as the team’s worst defender, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If he had played enough games, his defensive grade would’ve been the worst for any cornerback in the league, per PFF.
What’s even worse, Sneed was involved this offseason in a civil trial stemming from an incident that led to an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. Sneed was accused of being involved with shots being fired at the plaintiff which struck his vehicle. An unnamed associate was also included in the allegation.
The civil case was ordered to mediation today, according to Paul Kuharsky, as Sneed’s attorney argued that “the alleged acts, if any, were performed by John Doe without any assistance, encouragement, or direction by L’Jarius Sneed.” Sneed will still see a grand jury date at some point in the future for the criminal side of the case.
In the meantime, head coach Brian Callahan spoke on Sneed’s recovery to reporters, per Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt. Callahan claimed that Sneed is progressing as expected and is in a good spot. That being said, the team is still having to work to manage his workload through practices, and there doesn’t appear to be a timeline yet for his return.
Here are a couple other recent rumors coming out of Nashville:
- Callahan also spoke on the fitness of second-year right tackle JC Latham, per Wyatt. Latham’s weight was a noted issue at times during his rookie season, but he seems to be turning things around in Year 2. According to Callahan, Latham “really committed himself to getting his weight at the range that he needed to get it to.” Callahan went on to say that Latham “looks great, he’s in great shape, he’s moving really well.”
- Lastly, one could have assumed as much, but new Titans quarterback Cam Ward confirmed earlier reports from Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports that he advocated for the team to sign his favorite target with the Hurricanes, Xavier Restrepo, after he fell out of the draft. In the video provided by AtoZ Sports Nashville, Ward claims to have advocated for Restrepo to every team that talked to him throughout the draft process.
AFC East Notes: Jets, QBs, McDonald, Pats
With Aaron Rodgers out of New York, the new quarterback on the block is Justin Fields. Fields will be backed up by veteran Tyrod Taylor, who hasn’t held a full-time starting role since his time in Buffalo in 2017. Past that, though, the Jets have two inexperienced options to compete for that QB3 role.
Adrian Martinez and undrafted rookie Brady Cook will be the two competing for that job. Martinez spent time at Nebraska and Kansas State before going undrafted in 2023. He spent an offseason as a rookie with the Lions but failed to stick around for the regular season. He did play in the United Football League in 2024 for the Birmingham Stallions, leading the team to a championship victory while earning the league’s MVP award and leading the league in rushing yards.
Cook was a three-year starter at Missouri, compiling a 20-5 record in his last two seasons with the Tigers. He’s efficient at limiting turnovers and displayed some decent mobility as a rusher in college.
What’s interesting is that, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, neither player is likely to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Costello predicts that the team will only hold two quarterbacks (Fields and Taylor) on the roster, and the winner of the Martinez-Cook battle will likely be assigned to the practice squad.
Here are a couple of other rumors coming out of the AFC East:
- Staying in the realm of quarterbacks, after trading away Joe Milton to Dallas, the Patriots were in need of a QB3 of their own to work behind Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs. Enter undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge. Wooldridge will be an older rookie at 25 years old after spending three years at Fresno State and four at Louisiana. One reason for the extra years was injury; he suffered a Lisfranc injury one season and dealt with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder last year. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the toughness and determination that kept him going through those injuries to earn the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year is exactly what landed him an NFL opportunity and could keep him in the league for years to come.
- The Jets liked what they saw out of defensive end Will McDonald in his sophomore campaign as he notched 10.5 sacks. They will hope to see him improve another part of his game in 2025 after he reportedly gained 15 pounds in order to help him set the edge, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. Jermaine Johnson is coming off an Achilles tendon tear and was seen at Organized Team Activities this week working with trainers off to the side, according to the staff at NFL.com. With a training camp return for Johnson still up in the air, New York may need to lean on McDonald early in the upcoming season.
Colts Owner Jim Irsay Passes Away At 65
The Colts reported this evening that team owner and CEO Jim Irsay passed away in his sleep earlier today. Irsay was 65 years old at the time of his passing and is survived by his three daughters. 
Irsay started his employment with the Colts when the franchise was still in Baltimore, but his history with the team reaches back a bit further. When he was 12 years old, Irsay’s father, Robert Irsay, became the owner of the Colts. The elder Irsay had originally purchased the Rams for $12MM but made the move (in 1972) to swap franchises, tax-free, with then-Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom, who had been desiring an exit from Baltimore due to stadium issues and disagreements with city officials.
With his father in charge, the younger Irsay spent his free time helping the team as a ball boy or by answering phones in the ticket office. Once he graduated from SMU in 1982, he immediately joined his father’s staff in an official capacity, getting oriented in all aspects of football operations and administrative work. In 1983, he joined the personnel department breaking down film and scouting college prospects, and only a year later, after the team moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis, he became the youngest general manager in NFL history at 24 years old, in addition to being named vice president of the team, as well.
Irsay held that role for 11 years, with the team winning one division title and making three playoff appearances during his tenure as GM. When his father suffered a stroke, Irsay’s titled changed to senior executive vice president, general manager, and chief operating officer as he took over operations for his father. After his father died two years later, Irsay became the youngest team owner in league history at 37 years old, following a legal battle for ownership with his stepmother.
From the day Irsay took over to now, the Colts have the sixth-most wins in the NFL while also winning 10 division titles, making the playoffs 18 times, making two Super Bowl appearances, and winning one Lombardi Trophy. Irsay certainly developed a reputation as an outspoken owner during his time at the helm, and he took a hands-on role with the Colts often. A few personnel controversies arose during Irsay’s tenure, with the Jeff Saturday storyline being among them in recent years. Though, his father proved a far more controversial figure during his time running the franchise.
Irsay’s life did not come without its strife, though. In addition to his father, Irsay joins his brother, Thomas, and sister, Roberta, in death. Roberta died in a car accident when Irsay was only 12 years old. Thomas died just two years after their father passed away. Irsay, himself, suffered from an addiction to painkillers, which led to an arrest and a six-game suspension in 2014.
Before his death, Irsay’s brother suffered from mental illness. This drove Irsay to create Kicking The Stigma, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about mental health disorders and removing the shame and stigmas often associated with such conditions. He also donated $3MM to Indiana University for a research institute that would study mental health and the associated stigmas. That charity also extended beyond his family as Irsay hosted galas and donated millions to Indiana University’s cancer research in support of his team’s former head coach Chuck Pagano.
With his passing, the team’s ownership is likely to fall to his children in the same fashion that he received it. His eldest daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, currently serves as vice chair and co-owner of the franchise. She also ran day-to-day operations while Irsay was in rehab following his arrest. Irsay-Gordon has been with the team for 21 years, getting promoted to vice president in 2008 before being named to her current role.
Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, Irsay’s other daughters, also serve as a vice chairs and co-owners. Foyt has been with the team since 2007, has a degree in sports marketing, and worked for the NFL as part of the team that helped bring NFL games to London. Jackson joined the team in 2010 as vice president and has been leading most of her father’s mental health initiatives. The three Irsay daughters have been labeled for some time as “the next generation of Colts ownership.”
We at Pro Football Rumors extend our sympathies to Irsay-Gordon, Foyt, Jackson, and the rest of the Irsay family in the wake of his passing.
Tush Push Fallout: Eagles, Lurie, Packers, NFL, Odds, Safety, Rewording
We saw earlier today that the Packers‘ proposal to ban the Eagles‘ notorious tush push play fell two votes short of the necessary 24 votes to pass. As the day continued, we saw some minor reports following the failed proposal.
For instance, Dianna Russini tells us that four high-ranking front-office officials were under the impression that the league used Green Bay to push the proposed rule change due to their lack of a principal owner. The thought being that, by using Green Bay, other team owners would be able to put their support behind the proposal without any singular owner being targeted by those who oppose it.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie seemed to agree with this sentiment, believing that the league was attempting to influence the vote. He particularly criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent for advocating for the ban, per ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.
Here are a few other notes from the initial fallout of the failed proposal:
- Lurie’s speech attempting to keep the proposal from passing was reportedly described as both extremely emotional and passionate and fact- and data-based. According to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the impassioned intensity of the speech was due to an internal feeling within the franchise that the Eagles faced an uphill battle and believed the proposal would indeed be passed.
- We had mentioned briefly in recent weeks that the Packers were resubmitting the proposal with broader language in an attempt to gain more supportive votes, going beyond the QB sneak terminology to include any offensive player “pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.” According to Russini, multiple sources believe the new phrasing alienated some teams and ended up actually hurting the odds of the proposal being passed.
- In his impassioned speech, Lurie made some questionable assertions, per Russini, the most notable of which being that the tush push is “the safest play in the history of the game” and claiming that “whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on (the league’s) quarterbacks.” He doubled down on this in his attacks on Goodell and Vincent, citing that he had spoken to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills about the play extensively, according to Wickersham.
Lions Sign First-Round DT Tyleik Williams
The Lions have already been busy signing members of their seven-man draft class. Today they inked their largest contract of the group, agreeing to terms with first-round defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. 
Williams spent four years at Ohio State, appearing in 51 total contests. Despite not being a starter as a freshman, Williams flashed incredible potential in the defensive line rotation, notching five sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. His contributions dropped in his sophomore season, but he became a full-time starter in his third year. As a starter for the Buckeyes, Williams logged 5.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and six passes defensed in his junior and senior seasons.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 330 pounds, there’s hope that Williams can command multiple blockers when he’s playing at his best. He uses his pre-snap intelligence and imposing frame to stack blockers on the line and disrupt running lanes, making him an outstanding asset for a team that already fielded a top-five rush defense in 2024.
Because of injuries along the defensive line, the Lions were frequently linked to defensive line prospects, though it was more often defensive end prospects, since the team returns both D.J. Reader and Alim McNeill. The team also re-signed former second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike to a one-year deal. Because of this there may not be an immediate role for Williams in Detroit, but the rookie will surely be counted on moving forward.
Williams is the sixth drafted rookie to sign their initial four-year contract in Detroit, leaving only Georgia offensive guard Tate Ratledge, who was selected in the second round. Here’s a breakdown of the team’s 2025 draft class:
- Round 1, No. 28: Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 57 (from Rams through Panthers and Broncos): Tate Ratledge (G, Georgia)
- Round 3, No. 70 (from Jaguars): Isaac TeSlaa (WR, Arkansas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 171 (from Cowboys through Patriots)*: Miles Frazier (G, LSU) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 196 (from Buccaneers): Ahmed Hassanein (OLB, Boise State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 230 (from Cardinals through Panthers and Broncos): Dan Jackson (S, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 244: Dominic Lovett (WR, Georgia) (signed)
NFL Minor Transactions: 5/21/25
Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB J.J. Russell
- Released: LB Milo Eifler
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Gregory Junior
- Waived: CB Kaleb Hayes
Houston Texans
- Released: G Jerome Carvin, DE Kingsley Jonathan
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Michael Barrett, DT Laki Tasi
- Waived: LB Wesley Steiner
Russell heads to Arizona after three seasons in Tampa Bay. So far, with his time in the league, Russell has improved upon his contributions as a player each season. In three years with the Bucs, Russell made four starts and logged 49 tackles.
Tasi arrives in Vegas via the league’s International Player Pathway program. The Australian native is a former rugby player of Samoan descent. The Raiders’ website lists him as a defensive lineman, but Tashan Reed of The Athletic noted that he was being utilized on offense today, as well.
NFC Staff Updates: Giants, Falcons, Vikings, Rams, Eagles
As is common in the wake of the 2025 NFL Draft, several teams have been making updates to their front offices. One of the latest such clubs to do so is the Giants, who made a number of changes to their scouting staff recently.
According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Giants and national scout Mike Derice have parted ways. Derice had been in the role for three years, joining the team shortly after the 2022 draft. The change comes as a bit of surprise with so much positive reception to the team’s last two drafts.
A new face will join the scouting department, though, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN reports that the team has hired Tyson Beane as a scouting assistant. Tyson Beane is the son of Bills general manager Brandon Beane. With Giants general manager Joe Schoen having served five years in Buffalo as Beane’s assistant general manager, it makes sense for Tyson to land in New York, if not Buffalo.
Per Raanan, the Giants also lost a member of their coaching staff, as well. Offensive assistant Angela Baker has reportedly left the organization in order to pursue opportunities elsewhere in the NFL. Baker had worked with the team since 2022.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC:
- The Falcons also made a pair of changes, per Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Stratton noted a change in the LinkedIn account of Andy Grossman, showing a promotion from football data analyst to senior football data analyst. After working on staff at Northwestern, Grossman joined Atlanta back in 2022.
- On the scouting side of things, Stratton adds the Falcons are saying goodbye to national scout Joel Collier, who has been with the team since 2016. After starting as a graduate assistant at Syracuse from 1988-89, Collier served as an NFL assistant coach from 1990-2007, working with the Buccaneers, Patriots, and Dolphins and taking one year in 1993 to work as a pro scout for the Patriots. His NFL coaching career came to an end when he was hired as assistant general manager of the Chiefs, a role he held for six years. He arrived in Atlanta as director of pro personnel in 2016 before being reassigned to national scout in 2019.
- Stratton also informs us that another NFL staffer with 30-plus years of experience has parted ways with their most recent employer. The Vikings have reportedly parted ways with personnel scout Frank Acevedo. Acevedo has been in Minnesota for the last 23 years after starting his NFL career with seven seasons in Kansas City. He will explore other options in 2025.
- The Rams also announced a number of updates to their scouting staff, per Stratton. Two scouting apprentices earned promotions as Cory Moore was named an area scout and Michael Young was named a pro scout. Roman Cooper was also hired to serve as senior scouting assistant.
- Lastly, the Eagles have hired Smit Bajaj to serve as a quantitative analyst for the team. Bajaj was recently part of the winning team in this year’s NFL Big Data Bowl competition, helping him to earn this opportunity. Seth Walder of ESPN tells us that Bajaj will start in July.
AFC West Notes: OL, Chargers, Chiefs, Carroll, Broncos
Bradley Bozeman has been a starting center in the NFL for most of the past four seasons. He has never graded out as one of the NFL’s best centers, though, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so the Chargers are starting to experiment with lining former first-round pick Zion Johnson up at center in 2025, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic, bumping Bozeman out to left guard.
Starting as a backup center with the Ravens in 2018, Bozeman was bumped out to left guard so that he could be in the starting lineup in his sophomore season with the team. In the final year of his rookie contract, Baltimore moved Bozeman back to center. As a free agent he signed a one-year deal as a backup to Pat Elflein in Carolina, earning the starting gig when Elflein went out with a season-ending injury. After he stepped up, Carolina extended him to a three-year, $18MM extension but released him just a year later. He rebounded by signing with the Chargers, who, like the Panthers, gave him an extension after his first year with the team.
Johnson has yet to live up to his first-round status in Los Angeles; the Chargers declined his fifth-year option this month. He took over as a starter immediately as a rookie but has been only average at left guard. While it may not result in a permanent switch, it makes sense for the Chargers to at least try swapping Johnson and Bozeman. Neither has been outstanding at their initial positions, and working in a new spot may help one or both players be more comfortable moving forward. With Mekhi Becton improving the right guard spot as he joins a pretty great tackle pair in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, the Chargers will hope that the swap results in an upgrade to their two weaker offensive line positions.
Here are a few more offseason rumors from around the AFC West:
- In a slightly similar situation, the Raiders will be cross-training rookie tackle Charles Grant in hopes that he can serve as the team’s swing tackle, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic. Las Vegas used back-to-back picks on offensive tackles in the third round back in April, selecting Grant right after drafting Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers. Rogers may end up getting more looks on the interior as a pro, while the Raiders plan on Grant being an option to play at both tackle spots. Grant spent all five years of his time at William & Mary as a left tackle, but with Kolton Miller entrenched in that starting spot, Grant’s best path to playing time is to compete with second-year right tackle DJ Glaze. It’s not easy to switch from side to side at tackle in the NFL, so Vegas will experiment with Grant at both spots to be safe. They’ll see how well he takes on the shift to the right side in order to determine if he can compete with Glaze, but if he can’t make the change, they’ll keep him working at left tackle, as well, as an option to backup Miller.
- While Chiefs rookie offensive tackle Josh Simmons‘ slide to the last pick of the first round was credited in large part to medical red flags, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler informs us that “character concerns” were a bigger deterrent during the pre-draft process. Fowler asserts that most teams he consulted with were not overly concerned with the patellar tendon tear that ended Simmons’ 2024 campaign. Instead, concerns with his approach to practices and run blocking gave pause to teams with mid- to late-first-round picks.
- In a recent Q&A, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal fielded a question about whether or not the eventual replacement for Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was already in the building. Carroll is currently on a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option, but if the 73-year-old skipper opted to hang up his headset after putting the team on the right track, Bonsignore does have an eye on a potential successor in the building. Carroll’s two sons are both currently on staff with him in Las Vegas; Brennan Carroll works as the team’s offensive line coach, while Nate Carroll serves as assistant quarterbacks coach. According to Bonsignore, the elder brother, Brennan, is an up-and-coming coach with experience as an offensive coordinator with two programs at the collegiate level. If the eldest Carroll boy is going to get an NFL head coaching opportunity, the cleanest path likely lies in Vegas.
- As linebacker Alex Singleton continues striving to make his return from a midseason ACL tear, the Broncos have just been aiming to get him back in time for their 2025 season opener. In an update from Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post, it was reported that Singleton is on track to return in time for training camp. The former undrafted free agent has been increasingly impressive as he’s earned more and more responsibility during stints with the Eagles and Broncos. Even with the first major injury of his career, the 31-year-old continues to surpass expectations with a quick and smooth rehabilitation process.
NFC East Rumors: Cowboys, Eagles, Strahan
The Athletic beat writer Charlotte Carroll was astute to notice that someone other than head coach Brian Daboll was calling plays at Giants minicamp recently. This report was confirmed when SportsNet New York’s Connor Hughes saw assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka calling plays for the second day in a row.
While this may suggest some uncertainty about who will be calling the offense for New York in 2025, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post was quick to report that a change isn’t likely at this time. Kafka was originally given play-calling duties for the first time in his career during Daboll’s first year as the head coach. Daboll had wanted his focus to be more big-picture and had assigned the responsibility to Kafka. Just before the 2024 season, though, Daboll took over play-calling duties for the whole year.
A time may come in which Kafka gets another opportunity to call plays in the NFL, but for now, his lack of experience in comparison to Daboll’s is likely to keep the responsibility with the head coach in 2025.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NFC East:
- After missing his entire rookie season with a torn ACL in the preseason, Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown had a productive debut season in 2024. In 13 games, Overshown started 12 contests and stuffed the stat sheet in the process. He tallied 90 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, five quarterback hits, four passes defensed, an interception returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Unfortunately, that production came to a screeching halt when he suffered late-season tears to his ACL, MCL, and PCL. Overshown is making sure not to rush anything in his recovery, telling RJ Ochoa of SB Nation that, while he hasn’t ruled out starting in Week 1, he knows he’ll probably be starting the season on the physically unable to perform list. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram adds that November has been identified as a realistic target for Overshown’s return.
- Ben VanSumeren is entering his third season with the Eagles. While he has made two starts in his career, his main impact has come on special teams. Even more interesting, VanSumeren’s rookie-year start was on defense at linebacker, but his second-year start was on offense as a fullback. In fact, all of his non-special teams snaps were on defense as a rookie and on offense in his sophomore campaign. According to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, head coach Nick Sirianni disclosed that, after re-signing VanSumeren, the third-year player has been officially labeled a fullback. While the team intends to cross-train him in both rooms, he will begin in the running backs room in 2025.
- Lastly, it was recently reported that Eli Manning is not the only former Giant looking to acquire an ownership stake in the franchise. According to Schwartz, Hall of Fame pass rusher Michael Strahan will compete with Manning in an attempt to buy up to a 10 percent ownership stake in the Giants. Strahan is pairing with billionaire Marc Lasry to put together their bid.