NFL Coaching Rumors: Bears, Shanahan, Sanders
As we continue to inch closer to the end of the season, head coaching jobs are becoming open, and more and more speculations are connecting candidates to new locations. According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, there are quite a few mixed opinions on whether or not Chicago is a premier destination for a new head coach.
There are certainly factors that make the Bears an attractive team to coach. Rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has shown promise throughout his first season on the team. There are a few other young, talented players ready to be developed, and even with some veteran contributors likely to be on their way out soon, Chicago should be in a pretty good position salary cap-wise over the next few years.
The issue comes from the organization’s management. For years and years now, horror stories have come out of Halas Hall concerning the uncertain hierarchy in the building. Candidates and their agents are doing research on team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles in order to determine who will have the ability and intent to potentially overrule the head coach. How stable or risky the situation is will likely contribute to the quality of candidates that interview for the job.
Here are a few other rumors about coaching situations across the NFL:
- We touched recently on some of the “comical” rumors that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was approaching a hot seat. General manager John Lynch shut down those rumors, but Shanahan felt the need to speak on a similar rumor after today’s win, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. When asked about speculation that another team should trade for him this offseason, Shanahan told the media, “I don’t want to be any place in the world more than here.”
- In what has been viewed as a relatively weak candidate pool for head coaching candidates this year, some college coaching names are popping up in conversations. One name that many have been looking for is fast-rising Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Sanders began his head coaching career at Jackson State, finding immediate success that led to his hiring at Colorado. After a rough first year under Sanders, the Buffaloes turned it around with a 9-3 season behind two separate Heisman candidates this season. With his obvious connections to certain NFL franchises, it makes sense that this would be the next step for Sanders, but according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, his name has not been making the rounds in coaching circles yet. The two teams that he has been linked to as a good fit, the Cowboys and Raiders, don’t have open coaching jobs, and he is currently not viewed as a natural fit for Chicago, New Orleans, or New York.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/24
Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: DT DeWayne Carter
- Elevated: S Lewis Cine, TE Zach Davidson
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: WR Dan Chisena, LB Jacoby Windmon
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: S Adrian Colbert, RB Darrynton Evans
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: WR Joshua Cephus
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Kristian Wilkerson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: LB Junior Colson
- Elevated: RB Jaret Patterson, S Kendall Williamson
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: CB Charles Woods
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: LS Zach Triner
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from IR: LS Andrew DePaola, K Will Reichard (story)
- Elevated: OLB Gabriel Murphy
- Waived: K John Parker Romo
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: WR Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: DT Elijah Garcia, DE Casey Rogers
- Elevated: T Tyre Phillips, CB Greg Stroman
- Placed on IR: DT D.J. Davidson
- Waived: QB Tim Boyle
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: WR Allen Lazard, G Wes Schweitzer (story)
- Elevated: CB Kendall Sheffield
- Placed on IR: LB C.J. Mosley (story)
- Waived: C Connor McGovern
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to active roster: TE E.J. Jenkins
- Elevated: FB Khari Blasingame, S Andre’ Sam
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to active roster: LB Antonio Grier
- Elevated: P Jack Browning, CB Dallis Flowers
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: WR Mason Kinsey, DB Kendall Brooks
- Elevated: G Arlington Hambright, TE Thomas Odukoya
Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III Out For Sunday
The Seahawks have a big divisional matchup this week with only a one-game lead in the division and only a two-game lead on the last-place team in the division. Looking to sweep the Cardinals and establish a tiebreaker over them, Seattle will be heading into the game without leading rusher Kenneth Walker, who is set to miss the contest with ankle and calf issues. 
Despite missing two games early on in the season, Walker is the team’s leading rusher with 542 yards and seven touchdowns. He also leads the running backs room with 38 receptions and 271 yards through the air. He was questionable just yesterday, but the team opted to officially rule him out today.
Luckily, Seattle has an effective backup in Zach Charbonnet was extremely effective in relief-duty when Walker was out earlier this year. In those two contests, Charbonnet had 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns. On the year, he’s second in the running backs room with 266 rushing yards and five touchdowns, adding 29 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown receiving, as well.
With Walker out, Charbonnet is likely to serve as the lead back for the team’s trip to Arizona. Second-year back Kenny McIntosh will back up Charbonnet and George Holani has been called up from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation. It’s likely precautionary, but with Charbonnet also on the injury report, the depth could be crucial.
The other practice squad elevation for the week will be punter Ty Zentner. Zentner appeared in a game earlier this season for the Rams. This is likely a precaution, as well, as regular punter Michael Dickson is listed as questionable with a back injury.
49ers Activate S Talanoa Hufanga
The 49ers have been bombarded with injuries this year, but today they’ll get a bit of relief. San Francisco has officially made the move to activate safety Talanoa Hufanga from injured reserve. After attempting to make a comeback earlier this year, the hope is that, this time, Hufanga will be healthy enough and here to stay. 
Hufanga’s initial return was from a torn ACL that he suffered just over a year ago. The team activated him from the active/PUP list just prior to the start of the regular season to ensure that he wouldn’t miss the first four games of the year. A limited runup to the season meant a limited snap share when he finally did return to the lineup, though, and after missing the first two games of the season, Hufanga made his official return in Week 3.
Hufanga missed a game after his 2024 debut before getting his second start, but he left that second game early and did not return. In the process of his comeback, Hufanga had suffered ligament damage in his wrist, necessitating an unfortunate return to IR. There was seemingly no guarantee that he would return this season, but the team ended up opening his practice window earlier this week. Hufanga, who is in a contract year, will not be 100 percent in his return as he still needs support for his injured wrist. With a potential free agency run coming, though, Hufanga will attempt to give it a go.
In order to make room on the 53-man roster for Hufanga, the Niners officially made the move to place running back Jordan Mason on IR. Joining Mason on IR will be backup safety George Odum, who has missed the past week of practice dealing with a knee issue that will seemingly end his season.
With an additional roster spot being made available, San Francisco will sign practice squad offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez to the active roster. Signed to the practice squad last week after some time in Indianapolis, Gutierrez was elevated for last weekend’s contest but hasn’t appeared in a game since 2022.
Joining Gutierrez for gameday from the practice squad will be linebacker Jalen Graham and running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. As standard practice squad elevations, Graham and Vaughn will revert to the practice squad after the game, while Gutierrez will remain on the 53-man roster.
Chiefs Place WR Mecole Hardman On IR
Veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman continues to struggle to live up to his second-round draft status with the Chiefs. His sixth NFL season appears to be coming to an early end as Kansas City places him on injured reserve with a knee issue that surfaced this week. 
Since making the Pro Bowl and earning second-team All-Pro honors as a return man his rookie year, Hardman’s role in the NFL has continued to evolve. While he maintained his role in the return game, his targets as a receiver increased over the years immediately following his rookie season. While his yardage increased, he never matched the six touchdowns he caught in his first year. In the last year of his rookie deal, Hardman’s role seemed to be on a similar pace until an injury saw him miss the final nine games of the season.
As a free agent, Hardman signed a deal to join the Jets, but his turbulent five games in New York only amounted to three targets and one catch for six yards. He was traded back to the Chiefs, despite their lack of plans to re-sign him in the prior offseason, and spent the rest of the season as a minor piece of the offense, missing a five-game stretch with injury. This year, Hardman’s role on the offense is virtually nonexistent as he currently ranks 10th on the team in targets, but he has served as the Chiefs’ primary punt returner while splitting kickoff return duties with Carson Steele and Samaje Perine.
With Steele and Perine able to handle kick return responsibilities in Hardman’s absence, the focus will be on filling his role as a punt returner. Hardman is the only player on the team to return a punt this year, but practice squad wide receiver Montrell Washington got some experience in the role last year.
It looks like the Chiefs will favor a different option, though, as they moved to sign second-year undrafted receiver Nikko Remigio to the active roster from the practice squad. As a graduate transfer at Frenso State after four years with Cal, Remigio broke out with the Bulldogs recording 852 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 74 catches. Perhaps more importantly, Remigio led the Mountain West conference with 259 yards and two touchdowns on 13 punt returns. He looks to have earned an opportunity to field punts in his NFL debut with Hardman out.
Joining Remigio off the practice squad tomorrow will be linebacker Swayze Bozeman and tight end Baylor Cupp. Their promotions are simply standard gameday practice squad elevations, so while Remigio will remain on the 53-man roster following the game, Bozeman and Cupp will revert to the practice squad.
49ers GM John Lynch Shuts Down Kyle Shanahan Rumors
The curse of a Super Bowl hangover may be just a superstition, but 49ers fans may be believers after suffering through a brutally injury-plagued season for the second time immediately following a loss in the sport’s season finale. The last time San Francisco missed the playoffs, they finished 6-10 in 2020, following their first loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. After losing to them again this past February, the 49ers currently sit at 5-7, good for last place in the NFC West. 
Going from just missing out on the ultimate prize in football to losing more games than you’re winning is obviously going to create an adverse reaction in fans, but those in the Bay Area are reportedly questioning if head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s seat is beginning to heat up. General manager John Lynch shut down any rumors of that nature today before they could even begin to take root, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
“The standard here is to win championships, and we’ve fallen short of that, I understand,” Lynch began, “but we have an excellent head coach, and the fact that people are talking about stuff like that, I do find it comical.”
Lynch points out that, despite the lack of Lombardi trophies, San Francisco has seen unprecedented success under Shanahan. The team has won the NFC West in four of the past five seasons, they’ve played in each of the past three NFC Championship games, and they’ve appeared in two Super Bowls. While disappointment over the current season is warranted, the want for change in the head coaching position may be a bit of an overreaction.
This is especially likely due to the reason the 49ers have experienced losing seasons when they have: injuries. During their 6-10 season, the team saw Nick Mullens make eight starts and C.J. Beathard make two starts when Jimmy Garoppolo‘s 2020 season came to an end after only playing six games. Starting running back Raheem Mostert only got eight games thanks to two stints on injured reserve, forcing starts by Jeff Wilson and Jerick McKinnon. Brandon Aiyuk missed four games, George Kittle missed eight games, and Deebo Samuel missed nine games that year, as well. On defense, ends Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas missed all but two games, linebacker Kwon Alexander missed 11, and defensive backs Richard Sherman and Jaquiski Tartt missed 11 and nine games, respectively.
This year, Aiyuk suffered a season-ending injury after only seven games, Christian McCaffrey‘s two stints on IR have limited him to only four contests, and even McCaffrey’s surprisingly successful replacement, Jordan Mason, has now been lost for an extended time. On defense, safety Talanoa Hufanga has struggled to return to the field, cornerback Charvarius Ward has missed four games, and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave only played in three games before suffering a season-ending injury. They’ve even had to shuffle special teamers as kicker Jake Moody and punter Mitch Wishnowsky have missed a combined six games.
Lynch understands this better than most, considering it’s been his job to restock at the thinning positions. “I think we’ve been through a lot as a team — this current team — with a lot of stuff that has happened to members of our organization,” Lynch explained. “Injuries, tragic circumstances, ultimately those are just excuses. One thing I can tell you is: I’m proud of how this group has stuck together, had each other’s back. The other thing I can tell you is: the story’s not written yet. We’re still grinding, and we’re still playing.”
He’s not wrong. Despite sitting at 11th in the NFC and last in the West, the 49ers are only two games back of the division-leading Seahawks. Next Gen Stats gives San Francisco a 10 percent chance to make the playoffs and a five percent chance to win the division — long odds, but they’re certainly not dead.
Lastly, an old adage still holds very true: if you’re going to fire a head coach, there should be someone better that you can hire right away. With Shanahan, the situation seems to be the opposite. If the Niners were to part ways with the 44-year-old skipper, any team with an opening (and likely some without a current opening) would be falling over themselves to add him to their staff.
For now, it seems Shanahan is safe. Lynch told the media, “We’re 100 percent behind Kyle and what he brings to our organization.” There doesn’t appear to be any heat on Shanahan’s seat at this time.
Buccaneers CB Troy Hill Placed On IR
The Buccaneers’ depth at cornerback continues to be an issue in 2024. Five weeks after acquiring the veteran 33-year-old corner, Tampa Bay will now officially put Troy Hill on injured reserve, per Jenna Laine of ESPN. He joins Bryce Hall on IR and Josh Hayes and Tykee Smith from the secondary on the injury report. 
The Bucs added Hill to their practice squad near the end of October, a little over a week after his release from the Panthers. He wasn’t able to play in his first two games with Tampa Bay as he dealt with ankle and foot issues. Finally, two weeks ago, he debuted with his fifth career team after a couple of limited practices. He was likely playing through the issues, though, as in both games he appeared in, Hill only saw three special teams snaps. Adding a knee injury to his issues forced the team’s hand to place him on IR.
Hill wasn’t likely to come in and take starting snaps across from Zyon McCollum, the only cornerback, and one of only three defenders, to start every game this season, but his depth was very necessary. Jamel Dean missed a four-game stretch before making it back for the last two games, rookie nickelback Tykee Smith has missed four of the team’s past five games, and undrafted rookie Tyrek Funderburk has worked his way into eight games this year.
Some of Hill’s best years have come in the slot. During his time with the Rams, he recorded at least two interceptions in three straight years, finishing 2020 as the league-leader in interception return yards (119) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (2), adding on a fumble return for a touchdown that year, as well.
Hill has struggled to find the same success he has experienced in Los Angeles elsewhere in the NFL, though. Over his time in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Carolina, Hill was viewed as a rotational defensive back, only tallying nine of his 60 career starts outside of LA.
For a former undrafted free agent out of Oregon, Hill has enjoyed a long career in the NFL, but seeing as his age-33 season could be ending with a limp, we may be seeing his time in the league coming to a quiet end. He still has time to try to make a return before the end of the season, and the Buccaneers do have a few IR activations remaining, but for now, Tampa Bay will need to look elsewhere for cornerback depth.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/24
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: LB Logan Wilson (story)
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: TE Taysom Hill (story)
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Seahawks): CB Dee Williams
Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee, had appeared in every game for Seattle so far this year. While he only managed four snaps on defense in that time, Williams was the team’s primary punt returner and was back on kickoffs, as well.
Vikings Open Practice Windows For K Will Reichard, LS Andrew DePaola
DECEMBER 3: Both Reichard and DePaola have officially returned to practice. Their practice windows are now open ahead of being activated as early as Week 14.
DECEMBER 2: The Vikings are hoping to get their main special teamers back this week. According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, head coach Kevin O’Connell told the media that both kicker Will Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola will have their 21-day practice windows opened this week. 
A sixth-round rookie out of Alabama, Reichard was having an impressive first year in the NFL before landing on injured reserve. Reichard had converted 14 of 16 field goal attempts, including four of five from beyond 50 yards, and recorded a long of 58 yards. He also converted all 23 of his extra point attempts, a big ask for a player in their first season of dealing with the yardage jump of an extra point from college to NFL football. Reichard tried to battle through a quad issue last month before ultimately landing on IR.
Minnesota is in no rush to bring Reichard back before he’s ready. John Parker Romo has filled in admirably for Reichard in the interim four games, hitting on 11 of 12 field goal attempts with a long of 55 yards, though he has missed one of his eight extra point attempts. The team likely feels confident letting Romo continue to fill the kicking duties until Reichard can return with no risk of reinjury.
At long snapper, the Vikings will also be looking to return an All-Pro in DePaola. The veteran has been in Minnesota since the 2020 season and finished as a second-team All-Pro selection last year after being first-team in 2022. 37-year-old Jake McQuaide has been filling in since DePaola was placed on IR following hand surgery. After three practice squad elevations, the team was forced to sign him to the active roster for this past week’s game, so in order to make room for DePaola on the 53-man roster, McQuaide will likely need to be waived.
Once the Vikings make the official designation for the two specialists to return to practice, it will open the 21-day window for each player in which they can return to practice in an attempt to officially show they can be activated from IR. If either player is unable to return following the 21 days, they will be returned to IR and be unable to get activated for the remainder of the season.
Interim HC Thomas Brown, DC Eric Washington To Call Plays For Bears
With the departure of former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, Chicago was forced to do some shuffling of the coaching staff just weeks after the firing of former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron necessitated some shuffling of its own. 
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported today that, with Thomas Brown continuing his in-season ascension from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator to interim head coach, wide receivers coach Chris Beatty has been named the team’s new offensive coordinator. Beatty, who just started coaching in the NFL in 2021 as the Chargers’ receivers coach, had reportedly been very involved in the passing game since Brown had taken over offensive play-calling duties from Waldron.
While Beatty will officially get his first offensive coordinator title in the move, Brown will retain play-calling duties as interim head coach. This is the second season in a row that Brown has taken over play-calling duties for a fired boss and the second season in a row in which his head coach has been fired. Last year, Brown didn’t call plays as offensive coordinator of the Panthers until then-head coach Frank Reich ceded the duties to him shortly before losing his job.
After Waldron was fired for putting up only 27 points in the three weeks prior, the Bears have scored 19, 27, and 20 points in the three games with a Brown-led offense. He’ll continue calling plays for Caleb Williams and company for the remainder of the year.
Similar to Brown’s situation in Carolina last year, Eberflus also held play-calling duties before getting fired. Those defensive play-calling duties will now officially be passed down to defensive coordinator Eric Washington, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Washington got his first defensive coordinator gig for the Panthers in 2018, but near the end of the season, then-head coach Ron Rivera took over play-calling duties from Washington. He retained his coordinator role in 2019, but Rivera continued calling plays until his midseason dismissal.
Right now, I think it’s safe to say that none of Brown, Beatty, or Washington will be favorites to retain their roles at the moment. With Chicago investing in a new start behind their No. 1 overall draft pick, Williams, they’ll likely search for a coaching staff that works best around him, like Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who mentored Williams at USC.
Still, all three coaches have five weeks to show exactly what they have to offer in their current roles. Brown has been interviewing for a number of head coaching jobs around the NFL in the past several years and finally has a chance to audition for teams looking to fill the position this offseason. Beatty’s young coaching career in the NFL has a chance to continue escalating with this new coordinator experience, and Washington has finally received a second chance at calling defensive plays. Five weeks is plenty of time to set some new narratives.