Jon Gruden’s Lawsuit Against NFL Allowed To Proceed To Open Court
Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden has scored a key victory in his ongoing lawsuit against the league and commissioner Roger Goodell. As relayed by ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., the Nevada Supreme Court rejected the league’s petition seeking a rehearing of the court’s August decision that the league could not force Gruden into arbitration.
Gruden, 62, filed his suit in 2021, after he resigned as the Raiders’ head coach following a leak of emails containing racist, sexist, and anti-gay comments he sent when he was an on-air analyst for ESPN from 2011-18. He alleges the NFL selectively leaked those emails to force him out of the league, thereby sabotaging his coaching career and endorsement contracts.
When we last wrote about Gruden’s legal battle in July 2024, he had just lost a hearing conducted by the Nevada Supreme Court’s three-judge panel, which determined that the NFL could, in fact, remove Gruden’s case from the public forum of a state courtroom into the league-friendly arbitration setting (in which Goodell himself could serve as the arbitrator).
However, Gruden was ultimately successful in securing a rehearing in front of the court’s full seven-judge panel, which held in a 5-2 decision that the league’s efforts to force a claim against the league filed by a former employee into arbitration proceedings overseen by the league commissioner (and named defendant) was “unconscionable.”
The seven judges were unanimous in their denial of the NFL’s request for a rehearing, and now the league’s only recourse in its quest for arbitration is to note an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Although the NFL has declined to comment on the matter, Van Natta’s sources have said such an attempt is unlikely.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details the difficulty that an appealing party in any case has in convincing the nation’s highest court to hear their appeal, and he also observes that Gruden has gained a tremendous amount of leverage. The NFL could try to make Gruden a settlement offer he cannot refuse in order to make the case go away, but Gruden has previously promised to “burn the house down” in pursuing this action.
In other words, he may rebuff any offer the league makes as he seeks to uncover the party or parties who leaked the emails.
“I’m looking forward to having the truth come out and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden told ESPN. “What happened wasn’t right, and I’m glad the court didn’t let the NFL cover it up.”
Gruden has gotten back into league circles to some extent. In 2023, he worked as a consultant with the Saints, and he was seen doing work for the Chiefs in the 2024 offseason. It was reported last December that he could garner some NFL coaching interest in the 2025 cycle, but he did not land an interview.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews Could Draw Trade Interest
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews surfaced as a trade candidate this offseason, and he generated some interest from other clubs. GM Eric DeCosta clearly did not receive an offer compelling enough to deal the franchise’s receiving TDs leader, but Andrews nonetheless could be on the move in the coming weeks, per Eric D. Williams of Fox Sports.
The Ravens have stumbled to a 1-3 start, and with quarterback Lamar Jackson expected to miss at least the next two games, the prognosis for a turnaround is not favorable. Plus, Andrews is in the final year of his contract, and fellow TE Isaiah Likely – who is five years younger than Andrews and who has established himself as a capable weapon – looks like the club’s future at the position. Likely is in the last year of his rookie deal, and the team reportedly has begun extension talks with his camp.
Likely missed the first three games of the season due to injury, and he failed to record a statistic in the 26 snaps he played in last week’s loss to the Chiefs. Andrews, meanwhile, has secured 15 of 18 passes for 128 yards and two TDs in 2025, though his 8.5 yards-per-reception rate would be the lowest of his career by a wide margin.
Now 30, Andrews has struggled in the playoffs during his Ravens tenure, struggles that include a lost fumble and dropped two-point conversion in last season’s divisional round loss to the Bills. That said, he has been one of the NFL’s preeminent pass-catching tight ends since he broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2019, his second year in the league. He also earned Pro Bowl acclaim in 2021 – he was named a First Team All-Pro that year – and 2022.
As such, teams in need of help at the TE position may continue working DeCosta’s phone. Williams’ source who says Andrews could draw interest does not name a specific club, but the Chargers and Seahawks are speculative fits. Both teams presently profile as deadline buyers and could stand to upgrade their tight end rooms with a proven performer, and both also have ties to the Oklahoma product.
The Bolts employ former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman as their OC, and Los Angeles GM Joe Hortiz was Baltimore’s director of college scouting when the Ravens drafted Andrews (to say nothing of the obvious Jim Harbaugh–John Harbaugh connection). Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2022-23.
49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, Jaguars, Eagles Seen As Possible Buyers At Trade Deadline
We are a month away from the November 4 trade deadline, and the league’s contingent of buyers and sellers is starting to take shape. Eric D. Williams of Fox Sports identifies a handful of teams that league sources believe could be active buyers.
That includes a trio of NFC West clubs: the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks. All three of those teams currently sport winning records, and even the division’s fourth-place outfit, the Cardinals, are 2-2 (their two losses have come by a combined four points). It therefore stands to reason that the combatants in what could be a tightly-contested division will be seeking any possible advantage at the deadline.
Moving over to the AFC East, Williams’ sources name the Bills and Patriots as potential buyers. The Bills, who have become a perennial contender in the Josh Allen era, are just one of two undefeated teams left after the first four weeks of the campaign, and Buffalo may be on the lookout for upgrades as it tries to break through to the Super Bowl after a number of recent postseason heartbreaks.
New England, at 2-2, was not necessarily expected to contend this year. New head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye presented reasons for optimism in Foxborough, but the general consensus was that the club — which underwent more than 50% roster turnover from 2024-25 and which entered the regular season as the league’s fifth-youngest team (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss) — was still at least a year away from true competitiveness.
And that still may be the case. After all, much can change between now and the first week of November, and even tonight’s matchup with the division-rival Bills could go a long way towards solidifying the Pats’ status as legitimate contender or otherwise.
After a last-second loss to the Bengals in Week 2, the Jaguars bounced back with victories over the Texans and Niners to improve their record to 3-1. As Williams notes, the rookie GM/HC duo of James Gladstone and Liam Coen both cut their NFL teeth with the Rams, whose Les Snead/Sean McVay operation has developed a reputation for making bold strikes.
Ditto Eagles GM Howie Roseman, and Philadelphia – the league’s other undefeated club – is unsurprisingly named by Williams’ sources as another team that could look to acquire talent in advance of the deadline. Per OverTheCap.com, the Eagles also have just shy of $12MM in cap space, so they should have the flexibility to make a move or two.
The Patriots, 49ers, and Seahawks are all in the top-five in terms of cap room as of the time of this writing, and the Rams are just outside the top-10. The Bills, with just $2.57MM of space, could have a harder time making a splash acquisition.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart Believed Saints Might Draft Him With No. 9 Pick
The Saints were heavily connected to quarterback Jaxson Dart in the run-up to this year’s draft, as the club hosted the Ole Miss product on a “30” visit and did extensive work on him. But New Orleans, which held the No. 9 overall pick, did not consider any quarterback in this year’s class outside of Cam Ward worthy of that selection, and the groundwork the team laid for a potential trade-up into the latter stages of the first round or the early portion of the second round did not produce a deal.
Instead, the Giants selected Dart with the No. 25 overall pick, which they obtained by trading back into the first round after using their No. 3 overall selection on EDGE Abdul Carter. New York head coach Brian Daboll grew fonder of Dart as the draft process went on, and Dart put together a promising training camp and preseason slate. Making his regular season debut in Week 4, he flashed in helping the Giants secure an upset win over the Chargers, Big Blue’s first victory of the campaign.
The Saints ultimately used their No. 40 choice on Louisville passer Tyler Shough, who recently turned 26 but who saw his draft stock rise in the late winter and early spring despite his age. However, New Orleans elected to open the season with 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler as its QB1, and while Rattler’s surface-level statistics are not terrible, the team has struggled to an 0-4 record.
In making his second career start in Week 5, Dart will have a chance to show the Saints what they missed, as New Orleans will host Dart’s Giants. He appears to be looking forward to that opportunity.
Given the pre-draft work the Saints did on Dart, the signal-caller believed he had a good chance to hear his name called when New Orleans was on the clock with the No. 9 selection (via Dan Duggan of The Athletic). Dart acknowledged that being passed over put a chip on his shoulder.
Of course, it is much too soon to tell what will become of Dart’s and Shough’s careers. It could be that the Saints’ new coaching staff is simply allowing its rookie passer – who has just two pass attempts thus far, both of which came towards the tail end of a blowout loss in Week 3 – to slowly acclimate to the professional level in an obvious transitional year, while Daboll’s shaky job security may have been at least partially responsible for his decision to insert Dart into the starting lineup.
Even so, a strong Dart performance and a Giants win will not do much to assuage any angst in New Orleans.
Bengals Have Not Made Trade Inquiries On QBs, Intend To Keep Jake Browning As Starter
The Bengals did not seek a trade for a veteran QB following Joe Burrow’s toe injury – which will keep Burrow sidelined until sometime in December – and we recently heard there is leaguewide skepticism that the club will change its modus operandi in terms of in-season trade activity (Cincy has only acquired two players via in-season trade over the past 53 years). The latest reporting on the matter suggests that skepticism is well-founded.
Multiple sources tell Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports they would be surprised if there are any quarterback trades at all in advance of the November 4 deadline, given the complexity of the QB position and all that it entails. An assistant GM told Vacchiano the only team he believes would even consider such a move is the Bengals, considering Jake Browning’s pronounced struggles in relief of Burrow.
Although Browning was able to guide his team to a win in Week 2 (the game in which Burrow sustained his injury), he did throw three picks in that contest. In his two starts since, he has completed a combined 33 of 52 passes for 265 yards for one touchdown and two more interceptions. The Bengals lost both games by a combined score of 76-13, and they did not cross midfield during the final three quarters of their loss to the Broncos in Week 4.
Nonetheless, Vacchiano says there is still no indication Cincinnati has looked into a quarterback trade. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears the same, and he writes that the club’s past success with Browning at the helm – Browning posted a 4-3 record when filling in for Burrow in 2023 – has them prepared to move forward with the Washington product for the foreseeable future.
In a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (video link) says Falcons QB Kirk Cousins could probably adjust quickly to the Bengals’ offense due to his familiarity with head coach Zac Taylor’s type of scheme, but Cousins’ contract – which already includes a locked-in $10MM in 2026 – remains prohibitive. Recently-demoted Giants QB Russell Wilson could make sense from a cost perspective, but like Cousins, there has been no outside interest in Wilson as of yet, from the Bengals or any other club.
If Cincy sticks to their Browning plan, and if Browning does not improve, the 2-2 team could soon be 2-5 (the Bengals’ next three games are against the Lions, Packers, and Steelers). And, if that should happen, Pelissero logically predicts that rival teams will consider the Bengals deadline sellers and will begin calling about their logical trade candidates (which likely would include DE Trey Hendrickson).
Eagles WRs A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith Frustated By Role In Offense; Team Does Not Plan To Trade Brown
The Eagles’ top two wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, are frustrated with their role in Philadelphia’s offense, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required). While confirming Brown’s frustrations, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report that the team has no intention of trading the three-time Pro Bowler (which echoes Russini’s report from last month, in which she noted that Philadelphia shot down offseason trade inquiries into Brown).
Though the defending Super Bowl champions are off to a 4-0 start, Rapoport and Garafolo say that promising record has been “highly scrutinized” due to the nature of the club’s offense (the Eagles rank 30th in yards per game, though they are seventh in points per game). As a league source told Russini, “[r]ight now, for the Eagles, it’s run, run, run, (Jalen) Hurts off-schedule pass, tush push. For their receivers, that means when they get to the red zone, they aren’t getting the ball — and they know it. Hence the frustrations.”
While Smith has remained quiet, Brown has been more open about his dissatisfaction. Shortly after the team’s Week 4 victory over the Bucs, he posted the following scripture to his X account: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way” (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook).
During a media session on Wednesday, Brown offered clarity on the post.
“First off, I want to start off by saying, obviously, Sunday after the game I let my frustrations boil over,” he said (via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “I didn’t speak to the media. I had a chance to correct my frustrations and I continued to let it boil over and that’s on me. I take full accountability on that.”
He went on to say that the message was not directed at anyone in particular, including his general manager, head coach, or quarterback. However, he also added, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing for wanting the ball.”
As a rival head coach told Russini, Brown is likely not frustrated by the number of targets he has received (28 through four games), but rather the type of targets and the situation they come in.
Brown seemed to confirm as much on Wednesday, saying, “[i]t’s not just for targets or anything, to put numbers up, no. I see that we’re struggling, and I’m a guy that wants the ball in those times when we can’t find a way. Give it to me. When the game’s on the line, give the ball to me.”
That is what happened when the Eagles were trailing 26-7 in their comeback win over the Rams. As Philadelphia fought its way back into the game, Hurts threw contested balls to Brown that resulted in completions, and Brown ended the game with six catches for 109 yards and a score. In the team’s other three contests combined, the Ole Miss product has tallied eight receptions for 42 scoreless yards.
Of course, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo, and Brown missed a significant portion of training camp due to a hamstring injury. The Rapoport/Garafolo duo thinks Hurts will try to get Brown the ball early and often in the Eagles’ Week 5 bout against the Broncos, and Russini likewise believes Patullo could try to script plays for both Brown and Smith early in games. She also says GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have had private conversations with Brown in an effort to manage the situation.
Obviously, a happy and productive tandem at the top of their WR depth chart will go a long way towards the Eagles’ efforts to repeat. That is why the team does not plan to entertain trade inquiries on Brown (the same may be true of Smith, though Rapoport and Garafolo do not mention him in their report).
If the team did consider moving Brown, sources tell Rapoport and Garafolo he could fetch a monster package similar to the one the Cowboys recently landed for star edge rusher Micah Parsons. And Russini reports rival executives are monitoring the situation, believing Roseman could change his stance.
“They are paying roughly $50 million to two wide receivers (Brown and Smith), and they aren’t even that involved,” one GM told Russini. “They may move on simply because Philly is a run-heavy team.”
For his part, Brown says he does not want to leave Philly.
“This is my home, you know? I did it to myself,” he said. “But this is my home, man. I love it here. But you just see frustration because obviously we want to be great and most definitely I want to be great, as well.”
As the rival GM referenced above noted, both Brown and Smith are on high-end contracts. Brown is under club control through 2029, while Smith’s current deal expires after the 2028 season.
Giants Brass Did Not Oppose Jaxson Dart Promotion; Latest On HC Brian Daboll
A report earlier this week noted that Giants head coach Brian Daboll did not consult his coaching staff or team execs in making a seminal starting quarterback switch from Russell Wilson to first-round rookie Jaxson Dart. It would be easy to read that report and infer some sort of disconnect between Daboll and his fellow coaches and/or team brass, but apparently that is not the case.
As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (subscription required) observes, depth chart configurations are always the HC’s responsibility, and in this instance, neither GM Joe Schoen nor co-owner John Mara offered any dissent to Daboll’s decision. Nor did they force the move, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required).
According to Russini, some objections to the change were raised, but she does not specify who made those objections. And now, she says, the entire organization is backing the head coach and his young signal-caller, though Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, who believes Daboll has summoned Dart in an effort to save his own job, describes the locker room’s response as “tepid” (while acknowledging the players support Dart personally).
Russini says several players on both sides of the ball, including team captains, contacted Dart as soon as the decision was announced to let him know he has their support. Likewise, third-stringer Jameis Winston has spent hours with Dart and ran through game scripts with him after practice until the rookie mastered them. And although Wilson is reportedly now considered a trade candidate — which Dan Duggan of The Athletic is skeptical of, given Wilson’s 2025 performance and his limited market this offseason — Schwartz says the organization believes Dart will benefit from continuing to be around the 36-year-old passer, who handled his demotion with the type of maturity the team expected.
Interestingly, Russini says the Giants considered naming Dart the starter after their Week 1 loss to the Commanders, and Schwartz says Dart would have started from the jump if New York did not have a veteran option with Wilson’s pedigree on the roster. While Schoen had previously voiced his hope that Wilson would stay in the QB1 role for some time, that was because such a development would have meant Wilson was playing well enough to merit the job.
Of course, Wilson’s performance did not prevent Daboll, whose job security is tenuous at best, from inserting the player he pushed for in the draft into the starting lineup. Despite a gaudy stat line in a Week 2 loss to the Cowboys – which was aided in large part by Dallas’ porous secondary – Schwartz says Wilson’s inability to consistently find the endzone was one of the triggers for his benching, along with the team’s belief that he was too quick to scramble instead of going through his progressions when he felt pressure.
Schwartz adds that a fourth quarter sequence at the end of Big Blue’s Week 3 loss to the Chiefs may have been Wilson’s final straw. In a first-and-goal situation at Kansas City’s 4-yard line, Wilson was flagged for intentional grounding on first down, ran for four yards on second down, and made non-competitive throws on third and fourth down.
Regardless of the impetus for the decision, Dart is now tasked with saving the Giants’ season and, perhaps, the New York futures of Daboll and Schoen. Even if he cannot do that — indeed, Leonard believes Daboll could be fired if his troops do not play well against the Chargers in Week 4 — he can still cement his status as the team’s long-term option at quarterback.
Seahawks CB Riq Woolen Viewed As Trade Candidate
Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen was a surprise success story in 2022, as the fifth-round rookie led the NFL with six interceptions and earned Pro Bowl honors while finishing third – behind top-five selections Sauce Gardner and Aidan Hutchinson – in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting. Now, however, it is unclear whether he will even play out the final year of his rookie deal with the team that drafted him.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, rival clubs believe Woolen can be obtained via trade in advance of the November 4 deadline. And there are several reasons for that.
One, Seattle’s best corner, Devon Witherspoon, returned after a two-game injury absence to play a full complement of defensive snaps in the Seahawks’ Thursday night victory over the Cardinals. Although Woolen played 92.5% of the team’s snaps in the win, Witherspoon’s return and the emergence of fellow corners Josh Jobe and Derion Kendrick – an August waiver claim who played well in Witherspoon’s stead in Weeks 2 and 3 – could push Woolen down the depth chart.
While Rapoport’s report says Woolen’s playing time has diminished, NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack clarifies that the 26-year-old’s usage is expected to decrease moving forward. Indeed, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported in the wake of Seattle’s Week 1 loss to the 49ers that Woolen’s status as a starting corner was up in the air.
In that contest, Woolen misplayed two throws on San Francisco’s game-winning drive, and he has not rebounded in the ensuing three games. Pro Football Focus has assigned him an abysmal 40.1 coverage grade for his work over the first four weeks of the campaign, and he has already committed six penalties. That comes on the heels of a 2024 season in which he also made costly errors late in games.
Woolen is surrendering a generous 106.7 QB rating as the closest defender in 2025. Jobe, by contrast, is giving up a meager 40.4 QB rating, and he secured an interception in the losing effort in Week 1. On the strength of his strong but limited sample size, Kendrick is currently ranked as PFF’s second-best corner.
It seems Woolen has not taken to head coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme, and a change of scenery could be a welcome development for both player and team. As Rapoport notes, the impending return of second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori will further crowd Seattle’s DB group. Emmanwori, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1, is expected back in Week 5.
Any acquiring team would have exclusive negotiating rights with Woolen until the start of the legal tampering period in March, which would obviously be attractive to a club that believes it can engineer a return to top form for the UTSA product.
49ers Hosted DB Shilo Sanders
While Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is still awaiting his first snap in a regular season NFL game, his older brother, Shilo Sanders, is simply trying to get back into the league. Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Shilo worked out for the 49ers earlier this week.
Shilo, a defensive back, signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May. Of course, he and Shedeur spent four collegiate seasons together, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado, all under head coach/father/NFL icon Deion Sanders. While Shedeur’s draft stock was one of the preeminent storylines of this offseason, Shilo’s NFL future largely flew under the radar.
Facing the same uphill battle that all UDFAs encounter, Shilo did not help his cause by getting flagged for pass interference and being ejected for throwing a punch in the Bucs’ preseason finale. The club ultimately waived him during final cutdowns at the end of August and elected against bringing him back to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Shilo’s visit with San Francisco is the first time he has received publicly-reported interest since Tampa Bay waived him. The Niners were apparently looking for secondary/special teams depth, as they also hosted fellow DBs Brandon Joseph and Jaylen Mahoney at the same time, per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. The team ultimately added Mahoney – who saw action in three games with San Francisco last year – to the taxi squad, leaving Shilo to continue looking for an NFL employer.
Should he choose to explore a football career north of the border, he may have such an opportunity. As JC Abbott of 3DownNation.com writes, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League added Shilo to their negotiation list, just as they did with Shedeur earlier this year.
As a reminder, being on a CFL club’s negotiation list does not mean a player has expressed an interest in playing for that club, or even playing in the CFL at all. It merely means that the team will have the first opportunity to sign the player should he ever attempt to play in the league.
Falcons OC Zac Robinson Expected To Be A Top Choice For OSU’s Head Coaching Job
In December, we learned Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson would have been Oklahoma State’s top choice to replace head coach Mike Gundy if Gundy had not accepted a contract restructure to remain with the program. Now, after back-to-back embarrassing defeats, Gundy is out as Oklahoma State’s HC, and Robinson is again on the radar.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Robinson is on the “very short list” of candidates for Gundy’s job, which Gundy held for over 20 seasons. Now 38, Robinson played collegiately under Gundy, serving as OSU’s starting quarterback from 2007-09. One of Robinson’s former college teammates, Dez Bryant, quickly took to social media after Gundy’s ouster to advocate for Robinson as the long-time coach’s replacement.
Rapoport makes clear that, as of the time of his report, there has been no contact between Robinson and OSU, which has hired a search firm to aid in its quest for its next permanent head coach. And even if the search takes an expected turn in Robinson’s direction, there could be complications.
For instance, although national signing day is not until February, most high school stars commit to colleges in December, at which point the Falcons’ season will still be ongoing. So while Robinson could hire a staff to do the bulk of the recruiting work, he would be pulling double duty for a time, and the recruits may not have as much contact with their prospective head coach as they would like.
The situation would be difficult, but not unprecedented. As Rapoport points out, then-Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis charted a similar course when he was hired as Notre Dame’s head coach during the 2004 season (of course, the collegiate landscape has changed dramatically over the last two decades).
For now, Robinson will attempt to get the Falcons’ offense and second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back on track. After a solid Week 1 effort against the Bucs, Penix has completed 31 of 57 passes (54.4% completion rate) for 307 yards and zero touchdowns against two interceptions in his last two games combined. The team was blanked in a 30-0 drubbing at the hands of the Panthers in Week 3.
It is unclear what an inability to right the ship will do to Robinson’s status with OSU, though it will obviously damage his NFL stock. Like many Sean McVay disciples, Robinson became a popular name in coaching circles not long after he joined McVay’s Rams staff as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019. He attracted OC interest from the Chargers and Ravens in 2023 and was one of the most popular names in the 2024 cycle, drawing OC interview requests from the Bucs, Bears, Patriots, Raiders, Saints, and Steelers in addition to the Falcons.
In his first year in charge of the Atlanta offense, which was quarterbacked first by Kirk Cousins and then by Penix, Robinson’s unit finished sixth in yards per game and 13th in points per game.