Patriots Request DC Interview With Dolphins’ Ryan Crow
As expected, new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is targeting some of his former assistants for top coaching positions in New England. The Patriots have submitted a request to interview Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow for their defensive coordinator vacancy, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Crow began his NFL career under Vrabel in Tennessee in 2018, when he was first hired as a defensive assistant before earning promotions to assistant special teams coach (2020) and outside linebackers coach (2021-2023). Crow did not survive Vrabel’s firing after the 2023 season, but quickly landed a similar gig in Miami under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver,
The Titans consistently fielded a solid run defense under Crow during his tenure. He was able to bring some of that success to the Dolphins, who ranked ninth in rushing yards and touchdowns allowed in 2024. Miami’s pass rush was less effective, ranking 27th with 35 sacks, though first-round pick Chop Robinson was responsible for six in a solid rookie season.
Crow would take over a Patriots defense that allowed the 11th-most points and yards in the NFL during the regular season. New England forced just 12 turnovers (tied for second-fewest) and surrendered at least 28 points on seven different occasions.
Crow’s first order of business will be evaluating and refurbishing a New England roster lacking elite talent on the defensive side of the football. 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez is a budding star at cornerback, but Christian Barmore, the defense’s highest-paid player, ended the season on the non-football injury list. The Patriots are entering the offseason with the most cap space in the NFL, per OverTheCap, but they will need to address their anemic offense as well. Vrabel and Crow will have their work cut out for them to return New England to the defensive standard established under Bill Belichick.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/20/25
Here is today’s only minor move from around the league:
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: S Morice Norris
Cowboys Have ‘Mutual Interest’ With Anthony Lynn For HC Job
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has been mentioned as an early contender for the Cowboys’ head coaching vacancy, but he may not want to leave Washington after his success with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Dallas may then pivot to Kingsbury’s run game coordinator and running backs coach, Anthony Lynn. He coached the same position for the Cowboys in 2005 and 2006 and later went 33-31 in four seasons as the Chargers’ head coach.
There is “mutual interest” between Lynn and the Cowboys, according to WFAA’s Ed Werner, putting another reunion on the table in Dallas. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has already interviewed for the head coaching job, and ex-players Deion Sanders and Jason Witten have also been mentioned as possibilities.
Lynn has not received serious head coaching consideration since he was fired by the Chargers after the 2020 season. He spent 2021 and 2022 as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, then moved onto San Francisco were he served as assistant head coach while also overseeing their running backs. He was in contention for the Commanders’ offensive coordinator gig in 2023, but lost out to Eric Bieniemy, who held the job for just one season.
A year later, Lynn was hired onto Kingsbury’s staff where the two put together one of the league’s top rushing attacks in 2024. The Commanders finished third in rushing yards, fourth in yards per carry, and fifth in rushing touchdowns during the regular season despite injuries to both Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler. Lynn helped get the most out of Daniels, whose 891 rushing yards led the team and ranked second among all QBs this year.
Lynn won’t be available to interview with the Cowboys until at least next week. Neither will Kingsbury, as both coaches will be fully focused on extending the Commanders’ surprising playoff run.
Jaguars Schedule Second HC Interviews With Patrick Graham, Liam Coen
The Jaguars are planning second interviews with former Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and current Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Graham and Coen will join former Jets head coach Robert Saleh on the shortlist for the Jaguars, which will no longer include Ben Johnson after he agreed to join the Bears. Both coaches will have in-person interviews with Jacksonville’s decision-makers, a group that still includes general manager Trent Baalke. His presence was more of a concern when pickier candidates like Johnson and Mike Vrabel were in the mix, but Graham and Coen – who are not interviewing for any other head coaching jobs – may not be as demanding. Saleh has interviewed with the Raiders and the Cowboys and may be looking for more personnel control after an imperfect partnership with Joe Douglas in New York. He could get that in Las Vegas, who are looking for a new general manager after firing Tom Telesco, but not Dallas, where owner Jerry Jones will continue to make roster decisions.
Now that the biggest domino in the cycle has fallen with Johnson’s move to Chicago, other teams’ hiring proceses should speed up. Coen is set to interview on Wednesday, followed by Graham on Thursday and Saleh on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, putting the Jaguars in a position to make a final decision in the next two weeks
Coen did well in his first interview with the Jaguars, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. It earned him a second interview in Jacksonville and, even if he doesn’t land the job, will improve his stock heading into next offseason’s hiring cycle.
Sheldon Rankins, Alex Cappa Among Bengals’ Potential Cuts
The Bengals are projected to enter the 2025 offseason with just under $50MM in cap space, per OverTheCap, the 11th-most in the NFL. Still, that might not be enough for the front office to accomplish all of their offseason goals.
The front office will be focused on re-signing wide receiver Tee Higgins and offensive lineman Cody Ford while shoring up a defense that ranked in the bottom 10 in points and yards allowed in 2024. An extension for Ja’Marr Chase is likely also in the works, so $50MM may not be enough for all of their offseason priorities. The Bengals have a few options to create some additional cap space, according to Paul Dehner of The Athletic, starting with two veterans in the trenches.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins struggled to anchor the interior of Cincinnati’s defensive line this season, making it unlikely the team will carry him at a $10.6MM cap hit. He played in just seven games before coming down with an undisclosed illness that sidelined him for the rest of the season. The Bengals can save $8.6MM by releasing Rankins, with a dead cap charge of just $2MM.
Offensive guard Alex Cappa played through an injury to start all 17 games in 2024, but struggled to protect the pocket for Joe Burrow. Cappa has been an iron man since signing with the Bengals in 2022, starting all but one regular season game with 3,319 total snaps, but he hasn’t played well enough to merit his $10.25MM cap charge in 2025. The Bengals can clear $8MM in cap savings by releasing him while absorbing a $2.25MM dead cap hit.
Dehner lists a handful of additional potential cap casualties, including linebacker Germaine Pratt, safety Geno Stone, and running back Zack Moss. One of the organization’s tougher decisions will surround the team’s longest-tenured player. Defensive end Sam Hubbard is attached to an $11.5MM cap hit in 2025, and the team would be left with only $2.5MM in dead cap by moving on from the veteran. Hubbard’s play has declined in recent years, but the edge rusher is still one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Because of his connection to the organization, Dehner wonders if the two sides may be able to find a common ground that reduces the player’s cap number and allows him to finish his career in Cincy.
As Dehner notes, Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn has drawn criticism for being reluctant to hand out guaranteed money beyond the first season of a contract. That’s already led to some degrees of tension with Higgins, Chase, and Jessie Bates. On the flip side, it’s also provided the front office with some easy outs on under-performing veterans like Rankins and Cappa. After the Bengals disappointed in 2024, the team could be eyeing a roster overhaul, and the team can unlock more wiggle room thanks to the creative structuring of their contracts.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, David, Bucs
Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has played just six games in the last two seasons due to a broken fibula in 2023 followed by an Achilles tear this past September.
Thompson led the Panthers in tackles each year from 2020 to 2022 but still took a pay cut to stay in Carolina after his 2023 injury. Rather than a strong comeback to earn another multiyear extension, Thompson went down for the season after just four starts. Now, the 2015 first-round pick is set to his free agency in March for the first time in his career, though he’d prefer to finish his career with the team that drafted him. ‘
“I would love to end my career here. Be one of the guys in history to play with one team,” said Thompson, per Joseph Person of the Athletic. “But it’s up to them. These two injuries … there’s nothing I can do. But it happened. Get better and come back strong.”
Thompson’s injury occurred early enough in the 2024 season that he could be ready for training camp next summer, barring any setbacks. But after two season-ending injuries, teams will likely wait for Thompson to be healthy before they make any contract offers. The 10-year veteran’s desire to stay in Carolina could motivated him to sign a team-friendly deal with the Panthers. That would allow him to stay in his current home and rehab with the team’s familiar medical and training staff.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- The Panthers have several other pending free agents, including cornerback Michael Jackson. Carolina traded for the 2019 fifth-rounder before the regular season, and he started all 17 games despite his lack of familiarity with their defense. Head coach Dave Canales said that Jackson is “exactly the type of guy we want to have here,” according to Person, indicating that the team is open to re-signing the former Seahawk.
- Panthers O-lineman Brady Christensen is more likely to test the market, per ESPN’s David Newton. The former third-round pick recovered from last year’s biceps tear to start four games at center and two at left tackle this season. Christensen will likely be looking for a starting opportunity this offseason, most likely at guard or center.
- Xavier Legette played through a wrist injury as a rookie and will likely undergo surgery in the offseason, per Person. The injury originally occurred when he was at South Carolina, though the Panthers’ first-round pick insisted that it did not impact his play this season.
- In Tampa Bay, 34-year-old linebacker Lavonte David is unsure about his future. He has played for the Buccaneers for his entire 13-year career and is the team’s second-leading tackler behind Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks. “I got a lot to think about, man,” David said when asked about his potential retirement (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “Go ahead, go home, get my little girl, be a dad and go from there.’’
- One player the Bucs are set to retain in 2025 is punter Jack Browning, who signed to the team’s active roster late in the 2024 season. His deal included a one-year extension for the 2025 season for a non-guaranteed minimum salary of $960k, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman. Browning is no certainty to make the team’s 53-man roster out of training camp, but he will have a chance to compete for the punting job in Tampa Bay.
AFC North Notes: Garrett, Bengals, Ravens
Myles Garrett made it clear before the end of the regular season that he has no intention of playing through another rebuild in Cleveland. Crucially, Garrett has asked the Browns for a concrete plan at quarterback after their disastrous 2022 trade for Deshaun Watson crippled the offense for much of the last three seasons. On the latest episode of Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North, Garrett revealed that he has discussed the Browns’ future with general manager Andrew Berry, who agreed that changes need to be made. The conversation appears to have warmed Garrett to the team’s direction.
“How are we gonna make the most of all the talent that is here?,” Garrett said. “We’re closer than some may think we are.”
Garrett has somewhat of a point. The Browns’ 3-14 record doesn’t reflect the talent of their roster, but it does represent their rudderless quarterback situation. In 2025, defenders like Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome will be back from injuries, while offensive playmakers like Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku can build on solid 2024 seasons.
Watson, meanwhile, re-tore his Achilles and could miss the entire season. The only Browns quarterback under contract in 2025 is former fifth-rounder Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who is 1-4 as a starter with a career passer rating of 45.2 and completion rate of 52.6%. Bailey Zappe will be easy to retain as a restricted free agent, but he is a marginal upgrade on Thompson-Robinson at best.
The Browns will have to convince Garrett (signed through the 2026 season at $25MM per year) that they have a plan under center moving forward. Otherwise, he could demand a trade to facilitate his way out of Cleveland. Here is the latest from the AFC North:
- The Browns are facing a pivotal offseason for another longtime player: running back Nick Chubb. Berry made it clear that the team values Chubb and his contributions to the Browns over the seven years, but admitted that his pending free agency was a “challenging situation,” per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Last offseason, when Chubb was under contract and recovering from his season-ending knee injury, the Browns got him to take a pay cut. Chubb is once again rehabbing an injury – this time a broken foot – but it shouldn’t cost him any of the 2025 season. That will give him more leverage in free agency negotiations, whether that be with the Browns or another team. Though, Chubb’s back-to-back injury-marred seasons will not help the former perennial Pro Bowler.
- Two of Cleveland’s young defenders are facing uphill battles to be ready by training camp. Berry is expecting a “months-long” recovery for Michael Hall after his right knee injury, which could involve surgery, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. The status of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains unclear, but Berry “hopes” he can play in 2025, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is continuing to push his team to re-sign Tee Higgins. “You just can’t let him outside of the building,” he said, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. Burrow has repeatedly told the media that he wants Higgins to stay in Cincinnati, sending a clear message to team decision-makers in the process.
- While the Bengals would have to pony up significant money for Higgins – potentially in the region of $30MM per year – they won’t have to pay at the top of the market to retain offensive lineman Cody Ford. His multi-positional versatility is appreciated by the Bengals’ coaching staff, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., but he’s unlikely to command the salary of a starting offensive lineman.
- Despite a career-high nine sacks in 2023 after signing with the Ravens off the street in September, no other team expressed interest in Kyle Van Noy during the 2024 offseason, per Dan Pompei of The Athletic. He re-signed with the Ravens on a two-year, $9MM deal and played through a fractured orbital socket to rank fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. Doctors recommended surgery after the Week 1 injury, but Van Noy refused to miss a single game.
Rams Designate Troy Reeder, Larrell Murchison For Return
The Rams designated linebacker Troy Reeder and defensive end Larrell Murchison to return from injured reserve, per a team announcement.
Reeder started the Rams’ first six games of the season before a hamstring injury forced him on injured reserve. Christian Rozeboom and Omar Speights stepped up and stayed healthy in his place, but neither has been a high-impact defender. Los Angeles has relied more on a young, explosive pass rush to make up for their deficiencies in coverage.
Murchison has dealt with multiple injuries this season. He landed on injured reserve during final roster cuts with an arm injury, but was designated to return via the NFL’s new IR rules. He returned to practice in October, but broke his foot that same week, sidelining him for the rest of the regular season. Each being activated would leave the Rams with no more activations. Teams received two more activations in the playoffs this year; the Rams had used all their regular-season IR-return moves.
Both players will practice with their teammates and work towards playing in the divisional round this weekend, but the Rams defense has been excellent without them as of late. Other than a 30-point outburst by the Seahawks in Week 18, the Rams’ last four opponents have averaged just 8.25 points, and none broke into double-digit territory.
With a full 53-man roster, Los Angeles will have to decide how much Reeder and Murchison will add compared to the players they’d replace. Activating Reeder would make sense; he played 94% of the team’s defensive snaps when he was healthy, and the Rams only have three active inside linebackers. However, Murchison’s practice period will be crucial to see if he can immediately play in the playoffs after a year away from the field.
Khalil Mack Chargers’ Top FA Priority?
The Chargers are set to have 30 players hit unrestricted free agency, including several starters on both sides of the ball.
Their biggest pending free agent is Khalil Mack, who is mulling retirement after his 11th NFL season. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz both recently expressed their desire to re-sign the All-Pro edge rusher, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim.
“I don’t know if it’s possible to get everybody back, but I wanna get as darn close as possible,” said Harbaugh, “and nobody more than Khalil Mack.”
However, the Chargers are unlikely to keep both Mack and Joey Bosa, who combined for just 11 sacks in the regular season. Los Angeles already has Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree on affordable contracts for the 2025 season, and Bosa’s cap hit is set to jump to $36.5MM. Cutting him would save $25.4MM, enough money to re-sign Mack and add talent elsewhere on the roster.
Mack agreed to restructure his contract with the Chargers to save cap space ahead of the 2024 season, but his void years will still result in a $8.9MM dead cap hit in 2025. Money will play a role in Mack’s decision, as will his desire to be on a contender.
Despite their first-round playoff exit, that label seems to still apply to the Chargers. They have their franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert and a championship culture-setter in Harbaugh, who led the team to a seven-win improvement in his debut season. His ability to form strong relationships with his players has led several to publicly state a desire to stay in Los Angeles.
Among them are running back J.K. Dobbins (via team editorial director Eric Smith), safety Elijah Molden (via Rhim), and defensive tackle Poona Ford (via Rhim). All three arrived in Los Angeles last offseason and quickly bought into Harbaugh’s culture.
Dobbins averaged just under 70 rushing yards per game with nine touchdowns on a one-year, $1.61MM deal with just $50k in fully guaranteed money. Crucially, after losing most of the last three years to injury, he appeared in 13 games – his most since his rookie year – and came back from a monthlong absence to play the Chargers’ last three games of the season. He’ll be looking for a pay increase after outperforming fellow former Raven Gus Edwards with a team-leading 905 rushing yards (4.6 per carry) and nine touchdowns.
Molden broke his leg in the Week 17, but recorded career-highs in starts (12), tackles (75), interceptions (three), and passes defended (seven) as a crucial part of Los Angeles’ defense. With his rookie contract expiring, Molden will be looking to catch the rising tide of safety contracts after Antoine Winfield Jr.‘s market-resetting deal last offseason.
Like Dobbins, Ford took a “prove it” deal with the Chargers and will be looking to cash in after outperforming his $1.8MM earnings. He anchored the L.A. run defense while adding three sacks, five passes defended, and the first interception of his career.
Another candidate to return to the Chargers is veteran safety Tony Jefferson, who came out of a retirement scouting gig with the Ravens to join several former coaches and teammates in Los Angeles. Jefferson revealed that he trained for just eight weeks before his tryout with the Chargers; now, he will have a full offseason to physically and mentally for the 2025 season, whether he re-signs with the Chargers or lands elsewhere.
The Chargers are currently projected to have $73.2MM in 2025 cap space, so they have plenty of money to re-sign their pending free agents. However, their need to upgrade at wide receiver will likely divert a large chunk of that money, especially if they pursue a player like Tee Higgins at the top of the market.
Falcons To Interview Steve Wilks For DC Job
The Falcons are interviewing longtime NFL coach Steve Wilks for their vacant defensive coordinator position, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Wilks’ most recent NFL gig was as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator in 2023, where his defense ranked among the league’s top-10 in yards and points allowed. Though the 49ers made the Super Bowl, they elected to fire Wilks shortly after their loss to the Chiefs.
The 55-year-old has an extensive coaching history – mostly overseeing the secondary – starting with a 20-year career in the college ranks at schools such as Notre Dame and the University of Washington. Wilks then moved to the NFL as the defensive backs coach for the Bears (2006-2008), Chargers (2009-2011), and Panthers (2012-2016). He led Carolina’s defense to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance in his first year as defensive coordinator in 2017, setting him up to take the Cardinals’ head-coaching gig the next year.
Wilks was fired after a 3-13 debut season in Arizona and has since spent time with five college and pro teams. He was the defensive coordinator for the Browns in 2019 and the University of Missouri in 2021. In 2022, he returned to Carolina as their secondary coach and led the team to a 6-6 record as interim head coach after Matt Rhule was fired in October.
Wilks spent the 2024 season in North Carolina, serving as a volunteer advisor for the UNC Charlotte 49ers. He also interviewed for the head coaching job in Chapel Hill that ultimately went to Bill Belichick.
The Falcons seem intent on adding an experienced defensive coordinator to replace Jimmy Lake on Raheem Morris‘ staff. They already interviewed former Ravens and Giants DC Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, and ex-Bengals DC Lou Anarumo is on tap for Thursday. Atlanta may have to move quickly to secure their desired candidate, as both Anarumo and Wilks are expected to interview with the Colts for their defensive coordinator job, too.