Broncos Designate RT Mike McGlinchey, OLB Baron Browning For Return
A loss to the Chargers halted the Broncos’ win streak at three, but reinforcements are on the way. Both Baron Browning and Mike McGlinchey are back at practice for the AFC West team.
Denver designated both its starting right tackle and fourth-year linebacker for return Tuesday, 9News’ Mike Klis tweets. This would make each eligible to be activated ahead of Thursday’s game in New Orleans. While the Broncos may be cautious with both given the short week and each having a 21-day return timetable, the early return designations are certainly notable.
McGlinchey went down with an MCL sprain in Week 2, while Browning also headed to IR after an injury (a foot issue) sustained against the Steelers. The Broncos have since lost backup right tackle Alex Palczewski to a high ankle sprain; McGlinchey’s top reserve did not play in the team’s Week 6 loss to the Bolts. The Broncos also cut linebacker Kristian Welch from their active roster.
While the Broncos have a greater need along an offensive line than also recently saw center Luke Wattenberg placed on IR, Browning’s return stands to be interesting for a defense that has been one of the NFL’s most surprising units this season. Denver ranks fourth in scoring defense and yards allowed. Browning, who joins ex-Ohio State teammate Jonathon Cooper in a contract year, served as a starter in both games he played this season. Third-year player Nik Bonitto has taken over in that role; the replacement has four sacks in six games. Browning, who tallied 4.5 last season, did not register a sack before going down this year. Rookie third-rounder Jonah Elliss has operated as Denver’s top rotational rusher.
McGlinchey, 30, missed just one game for the Broncos last season and did not miss any time for the 49ers in 2022. The former top-10 San Francisco draftee missed nine games during the 2021 season due to a torn quad but rebounded to boost his market, leading to a five-year, $87.5MM Broncos agreement. McGlinchey’s 2025 salary became fully guaranteed in March, and the Broncos appear to be close to having him back at full strength.
Palczewski had played well in relief of McGlinchey, but the ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 clears a path for the starter to return. With the Broncos having a 10-day break before their Week 8 matchup, the team has some time to decide on Browning and McGlinchey. The Broncos have six injury activations remaining.
Bills Cut WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Set to add Amari Cooper to their receiving corps, the Bills will jettison one of their current wideouts. It will be Marquez Valdes-Scantling who is cut, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
The Bills agreed to terms with Valdes-Scantling in mid-May, with Josh Allen making a sales pitch to the former Packers and Chiefs starter. MVS, however, has not made many contributions to Buffalo’s cause. He has two receptions for 26 yards. The Bills have since announced the release.
With MVS not playing special teams, the Bills resided in a difficult spot regarding his fit — seeing as they obtained a more talented receiver who does not play special teams. It is possible MVS could be retained on a practice squad deal, as he would not need to pass through waivers to get there. For now, however, the seventh-year veteran is out of the picture in Buffalo.
Valdes-Scantling, 30, has played 39% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps this season. The Bills had added several role player-level receivers this offseason — from MVS to Curtis Samuel to Mack Hollins to Chase Claypool — and the recent Chiefs contributor will join Claypool in free agency. The Bills released Claypool with an injury settlement in August.
Although Valdes-Scantling scored a touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII and made critical long-range grabs in Chiefs wins over the Bills and Ravens in the AFC playoffs, he has been trending downward. MVS, who also came through with a 100-yard day for a receiver-depleted Chiefs team in the 2022 AFC title game, recorded just just 315 yards on 21 catches for Kansas City during the 2023 regular season. That span included a brutal drop late in a Chiefs loss to the Eagles.
Still, Valdes-Scantling had a market. The Chargers met with him, and the Saints showed interest. The ex-Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes tertiary target may be able to catch on elsewhere — the two-time defending champions have brought back Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster and remain in need at WR — but his stock has certainly dropped since inking a three-year, $30MM Chiefs deal in March 2022.
Steelers Considering Benching Justin Fields, Turning Back To Russell Wilson
Although the Steelers handily defeated the Raiders in Week 6, Justin Fields‘ work is now under scrutiny. The quarterback has strung together two shaky passing performances, and consideration is now being given to benching the offseason trade pickup.
Mike Tomlin has refused to name Fields his full-time starter, but Russell Wilson practiced fully last week and suited up in a QB2 capacity in Las Vegas. Wilson won the Steelers’ starting job out of the preseason but has been unable to shake a calf injury. Tomlin has wanted Wilson to show he can stay healthy before reopening the conversation about the full-time QB job. Fields’ recent play looks to have pushed this conversation back to the forefront.
The Steelers are set to give Fields and Wilson first-team reps in practice this week, Tomlin said. The 18th-year Pittsburgh HC said Wilson has knocked off the rust that came from aggravating the calf issue, via Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer and ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor, and is under consideration to start in Week 7.
Further clouding this situation, Tomlin said (via Palmer) the Steelers are open to using both quarterbacks. While an arrangement not too dissimilar from Kordell Stewart‘s mid-1990s part-time role would be an interesting continuation to the Steelers’ 2024 QB plot, Wilson was all but assured he would win this job this offseason. The potential Hall of Famer’s new team had established him as the clear frontrunner, but once he suffered the calf injury early in training camp, the 13th-year vet saw the more athletic Fields narrow the gap. The Steelers waited until a few days after the preseason ended to name Wilson the starter.
While the Broncos did demote Wilson to close out last season, his contract was at the root of the move to Jarrett Stidham. Wilson has never been a true QB2. The decorated passer being moved into that role on a full-time basis would almost certainly not sit well, considering he won the job initially. That makes this week of practice pivotal for Wilson’s career and Fields’ future.
It still makes more sense for the Steelers to consider a second contract for Fields than Wilson, seeing as the former is more than 10 years younger. Fields’ age-25 season started decently, with the Steelers 3-0, and then included a 312/55 day in a loss to the Colts. A depleted Cowboys defense kept Fields in check, however, and he was 14-for-24 for 145 yards — albeit with two rushing touchdowns — against the Raiders. A penalty also negated a Fields INT, helping bring Wilson back into the mix for Week 7, when the Steelers will host the Jets.
Reports of Fields having done enough to keep his job have emerged this season, but a September offering pointing to Wilson being likely to return to the starting role suddenly appears more relevant. Should Fields play fewer than 51% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, the Bears would only receive a 2025 sixth-round pick. Fields hitting that threshold, as he is currently on track to, would send a 2025 fourth to Chicago. The Bears will have a vested interest in how Wilson performs in practice this week, as Tomlin shifting course would affect the NFC North team’s draft assets.
Jets Shopping WR Mike Williams
A crunch-time Mike Williams slip played a key role in the Jets losing to the Bills on Monday night, perhaps pushing the Davante Adams trade across the goal line. With Adams en route to New York, the team is looking to find a trade partner for Williams.
Some around the league are wondering if the Jets will gauge Williams’ trade value, according to veteran insider Josina Anderson, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio adds that is indeed happening. The Jets are attempting to trade the recent free agency pickup, who is tied to a one-year deal worth $10MM.
Signing Williams shortly after his Chargers release, the Jets waited for the former top-10 pick to be cleared from his ACL rehab. The team has since used the eighth-year veteran on 53% of its offensive snaps. A fit with Aaron Rodgers has proven elusive, and Allen Lazard — a player who had fallen to healthy-scratch status in 2023 — has largely usurped Williams in Gang Green’s target tree. Williams has just 10 receptions for 145 yards through six games.
Last week brought rumblings of this path forming for the Jets, who are now 2-4 after a game that featured an open Williams slipping on the MetLife Stadium turf as Taron Johnson swooped in for a pivotal interception. With desperation sinking in, the Jets have both acquired Adams for a conditional third-round pick and may well be ready to end the Haason Reddick impasse with a trade as well. Williams is now part of this equation, with Adams — after three missed games due to a hamstring injury — in play to suit up in Week 7.
Postgame, Rodgers said Adams ran the wrong route on the play that ended a potential Jets go-ahead drive. Quarterbacks regularly take blame for wideouts’ mistakes, but a candid Rodgers did not in this particular instance. Rodgers doubled down during his Pat McAfee Show appearance Tuesday, indicating (h/t ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) Williams “wasn’t in the right spot.” In the coming days, Williams may well be tasked with learning another team’s scheme.
The Panthers and Steelers also scheduled Williams meetings this offseason, but the WR’s Jets visit producing a deal nixed both. It is now worth wondering if Pittsburgh, which has been connected to a receiver trade in the months since, would still be interested.
The Chargers had made the Clemson product part of their route back to cap compliance, cutting Williams first and then trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. The Jets had pursued Allen as well. Months later, two-thirds of their starting WR corps figures to include ex-Packers. Lazard, who caught Rodgers’ latest Hail Mary effort Monday, has 26 receptions for 354 yards and five touchdowns this season. Lazard’s five TD catches lead the league, coming after he scored all of one TD in 2023. The Jets have Lazard tied to a four-year, $44MM deal; they passed on cutting the former UDFA due to his 2024 base salary being guaranteed.
Williams has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, the most recent coming in 2021, when Justin Herbert became the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter. Williams totaled 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns that season, being used more as a midrange target compared to a deep weapon. The 6-foot-4 wideout had been tied to a three-year, $60MM Bolts deal entering 2024, but back and knee injuries hampered him during his final years in Los Angeles. A prior history of nagging injuries will also factor into Williams’ trade value.
The 30-year-old receiver will not come close to fetching what Adams did in a deal, and with $6.47 of Williams’ base salary remaining, the Jets may need to take on some of that amount to boost trade compensation. The Jets can aim for a Day 3 pick, and Williams may be the next WR dealt on a market that may or may not include DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Diontae Johnson and Amari Cooper. Some significant movement could commence ahead of this year’s deadline (Nov. 5).
Eagles LT Jordan Mailata To Miss Time
Jordan Mailata has played well enough to earn two extensions, becoming one of this era’s premier offensive line development stories. Mailata’s work on his third Eagles contract will be on hold for a stretch, however.
Philadelphia’s left tackle will miss time due to the hamstring injury he sustained in Week 6, Nick Sirianni said Monday. Mailata is expected to miss multiple games because of the issue, which will prompt some rearranging on the Eagles’ front. Exiting the stadium on crutches, Mailata could be an IR candidate. Though, Sirianni stopped short of indicating that will ultimately be necessary.
Mailata has not missed multiple games in a season since 2021, when he missed three. The Australian blocker played every Eagles game last season and missed just one in 2022. This will be a bit more of a speedbump for the talented lineman, who signed a three-year, $66MM extension this offseason.
The Eagles moved Fred Johnson into Mailata’s blindside spot Sunday but have some options if they want to take another route. Philly rosters former Jets first-round tackle Mekhi Becton but has slotted him at right guard. Becton won the team’s RG position out of training camp, beating out Tyler Steen. Becton struggled for much of his Jets tenure at left tackle, though he did submit a promising rookie season. His issues — largely health-related — led to a modest market forming; Becton signed a one-year, $2.75MM deal. He would be in line for a far better accord in 2025, should the fifth-year O-lineman stay healthy.
Steen had been expected to win Philly’s RG job, being drafted in the 2023 third round and groomed to take over when Jason Kelce‘s retirement pushed Cam Jurgens to center. Becton’s arrival introduced a complication for Steen, who has played 66 offensive snaps this season after logging only 71 throughout the 2023 campaign.
A Becton move would depend on the Eagles’ view of Johnson, who has been with the Eagles since 2022. The Eagles added the former Steelers UDFA midway through the ’22 season. Johnson played in all 17 games as a backup last season and started one this year, filling in for Lane Johnson at RT. Fred Johnson has nine NFL starts on his resume; the first eight all came from 2019-21, giving the Eagles a decision to make.
Jets Spoke To Eric Bieniemy, Kliff Kingsbury, Luke Getsy About Staff Position
The Jets are greenlighting another chance for Todd Downing beginning tonight. Fired after two seasons as Titans OC, Downing is the team’s emergency replacement for Nathaniel Hackett. While Hackett remains on staff, both Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich sought to demote him.
Saleh wrestled with this situation for much longer, being given a mulligan after Aaron Rodgers‘ Week 1 injury wrecked the Jets’ 2023 season. A January report indicated Saleh was looking to strip power from Hackett, who did not perform well (albeit with Zach Wilson back in the saddle) in his debut OC season with the Jets. Arthur Smith‘s name came up as reports of this effort emerged. As it turns out, the Jets looked into a few more experienced play-callers before ultimately sticking with Hackett.
Although no official OC search commenced, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports the Jets spoke with Eric Bieniemy, Kliff Kingsbury and Luke Getsy about a job that would have brought significant offensive responsibilities without an official title (subscription required). Though, Smith or one of these names signing on would have led to reduced Hackett responsibilities. This arrangement likely would not have gone over well with Rodgers, despite his recent willingness to accept his longtime friend being booted from the play-calling role, and would not have been especially appealing to coaching candidates with options.
Saleh sought an experienced staffer to help out, Russini adds, but did not have an OC title to offer. Rodgers’ presence almost definitely prevented Saleh from firing Hackett outright. Considering his job was on the line as well, Saleh being handcuffed to Hackett could certainly have generated tension between he and his quarterback.
Getsy, who worked with Rodgers (under Hackett) in Green Bay, received multiple interview requests following his Bears ouster. He ended up with the Raiders once Kingsbury’s negotiations broke down. Kingsbury reestablished momentum a year after his Cardinals firing, interviewing for the Bears, Eagles and Raiders’ jobs before maneuvering his way to Washington for the Commanders position. Bieniemy, the Commanders’ 2023 offensive coordinator, is now UCLA’s OC.
Woody Johnson approved the Hackett hire last year, as it became a gateway for the Jets to acquire Rodgers. The two worked together with the Packers from 2019-21, and Rodgers has consistently championed the embattled coordinator. He did so again this offseason. Hackett received criticism regarding his attention to detail last season, which unfolded largely without Rodgers, and the Jets have not improved at the level they expected despite the four-time MVP’s return from Achilles surgery. The Jets exited their London loss to the Vikings 25th in points and 27th in total offense.
Last week’s decision marks Hackett’s third in-season firing or demotion since 2018. As the Jaguars’ Blake Bortles extension skidded off track quickly, the team booted Hackett in November 2018. The Broncos canned Hackett 15 games into his HC stay; at the time, he joined only Urban Meyer as first-year coaches fired before season’s end in the past 40 years. Although Hackett is still on staff, this Jets demotion will restart a career nosedive for the second-generation coach. The Jets employed Paul Hackett as OC from 2001-04; the elder Hackett resigned following the ’04 season, which produced criticism early in the Chad Pennington era.
With Saleh gone and Nathaniel Hackett likely on the way out in New York, the remaining coaches from this Jets regime will attempt to keep their jobs under Ulbrich. Downing, a one-and-done Raiders OC who saw a DUI arrest lead to his Titans dismissal after two seasons, will lead the way in that effort.
Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux Undergoes Wrist Surgery
TODAY, 11:50am: Kayvon Thibodeaux will indeed land on injured reserve, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. The pass rusher will now be sidelined until at least Week 10, although the organization could give him an extra few weeks of rest considering their Week 11 bye.
WEDNESDAY, 11:45am: A pillar in what has been a promising Giants pass rush, Kayvon Thibodeaux will see his third NFL season paused. The former top-10 pick is set for surgery.
Thibodeaux sustained a wrist injury, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating the Oregon alum is undergoing the procedure to repair a fractured scaphoid bone. While an IR placement is not certain, Brian Daboll (several times) called Thibodeaux week-to-week.
While Daboll refused to confirm a timeline, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes a four- to six-week absence is expected. This would make an IR move likely. The procedure included a screw insertion into Thibodeaux’s repaired wrist, and while he could beat that timetable, the Giants can save a roster spot by giving him four weeks to recover. Placing Thibodeaux on IR now would sideline him until Week 10; the Giants have a Week 11 bye.
Breaking through with 11.5 sacks last season, Thibodeaux now teams with Brian Burns at OLB — on a front seven still anchored by All-Pro Dexter Lawrence. Thibodeaux and Burns have operated as high-end Lawrence wingmen thus far, with the dominant DT ripping off six sacks in five games. Thibodeax and Burns each have two apiece, though Thibodeax’s seven QB hits outpace Burns’ four. Both OLBs have contributed to sack binges that have helped the Giants recover from an 0-2 start.
The Giants sacked Deshaun Watson eight times in a Week 3 win and dropped Geno Smith seven times in their Week 5 upset in Seattle. Thibodeaux notched a half-sack in each game while taking down Dak Prescott in Week 4. The Giants based much of their defensive plan around the Burns-Thibodeaux combination, passing on a notable cornerback investment as they doubled down on their pass rush. Thibodeaux missing time will apply more pressure on New York’s secondary.
Thibodeaux missed three games as a rookie but played in all 17 Giants contests last season. A preseason MCL sprain delayed Thibodeaux’s start to his career, but he has played every game since his Week 4 rookie-year debut. The Giants have supplanted starter Azeez Ojulari in place as a fill-in option.
A 2021 second-round pick, Ojulari has 25 starts on his NFL resume. He totaled eight sacks as a rookie and notched 5.5 in seven games in 2022. Ojulari struggled last season, providing an extra push for the Giants to trade for Burns. But the contract-year rusher, who has recorded one sack thus far this season (while playing 37% of New York’s defensive snaps, provides a solid option as a backup while Thibodeaux rehabs.
Jags Designate Tyson Campbell For Return
OCTOBER 11: To little surprise, Campbell will not be activated in time for Week 6. Pederson repeated (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco) Jacksonville’s second London matchup remains the team’s target for Campbell to return to action.
OCTOBER 9: The 1992 Chargers remain the only team to turn an 0-4 start into a playoff berth. With the NFL now at seven playoff teams per conference, that number should eventually balloon at some point in the not-so-distant future. The Jaguars came into the season with playoff aspirations, but they must climb out of this historically deep hole if they are to realize them.
Three of Jacksonville’s four losses have come by one score, and the team’s top cornerback did not finish any of those games. A piece of good news will come out of Duval County, however, as its team aims to stabilize its season. Tyson Campbell is on his way back from a hamstring injury; the Jaguars designated the veteran corner to return from IR on Wednesday.
[RELATED: Injured Reserve Return Tracker]
Campbell did play in most of the Jags’ Week 1 loss to the Dolphins but has missed the past four contests. That absence duration makes him eligible to be activated in Week 6. With the Jaguars beginning their two-week London swing, they will hope to have the recently extended defender back in uniform. Though, Doug Pederson said he is aiming for (via Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer) a Week 7 Campbell return. The Jags face the Patriots in their second 2024 England tilt.
The Jags won both their London games last season, beating the Falcons and Bills. That team started 8-3; Pederson’s latest Jags outfit is far more desperate heading to England. The team’s losses to the Dolphins (albeit with Tua Tagovailoa in uniform) and Browns look worse now, though its narrow defeat in Houston showed the team is capable of pushing a higher-end opponent. The Jags then topped the Colts for the 11th straight year at home, potentially saving Pederson’s job. They will open their London slate against the Bears.
Although Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen‘s deals came in much higher than Campbell’s offseason extension, the Jags’ third major 2024 re-up is the third-most lucrative pact in team history. The team showed tremendous faith in Campbell by agreeing to a four-year, $76.5MM deal.
The former third-round pick has enjoyed an up-and-down career, allowing eight touchdowns as the closest defender in coverage last season and six in 2022. The ’22 season, however, also featured Campbell yielding only a 78.0 passer rating and 54.2% completion rate. His 2023 numbers in those categories (128.5, 69.4) revealed some inconsistency, but the Jags still invested heavily in the Urban Meyer draftee. Campbell will attempt to justify this extension this season, though the Jags are committed to him for the long haul due to a rolling guarantee structure. Their defense, which ranks 30th in points allowed and 31st in yardage, needs all the help it can get.
Russell Wilson To Work With Steelers’ Second Team, Likely To Be Active In Week 6
OCTOBER 11: Tomlin confirmed on Friday Wilson had a strong week of practice without experiencing any setbacks (video link via Pryor). As a result, he will “probably” dress as Pittsburgh’s backup on Sunday. Fields has at least one more week atop the depth chart, but a poor outing now that Wilson is healthy would of course lead to renewed speculation a change could be made under center.
OCTOBER 8: Mike Tomlin has taken full advantage of the extended runway Russell Wilson‘s injury has provided Justin Fields. After not naming a starter until days after the preseason, the veteran Steelers HC is taking his time on a second starter call.
The loser of the Steelers’ summer QB battle, Fields has started the first five games while Wilson has recovered from his nagging calf injury. Pittsburgh will still start Fields in Week 6, but Wilson is moving close to being active — as a non-emergency quarterback — for the first time this season.
Wilson is set to practice fully for the first time this season, Tomlin said Tuesday. The 13th-year QB will do so when the Steelers begin practicing Wednesday, but while Wilson won the job out of preseason, he will work with the team’s second-string offense this week. Tomlin said (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) Wilson will take the second-team reps in order to not disrupt Fields’ preparation. Wilson has a chance to be active for the first time, with Tomlin adding (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) the “door is ajar” to Wilson suiting up against the Raiders.
These past several weeks marked Wilson’s second rehab effort on his balky calf. The injury initially sidelined him early during training camp, and after the free agency addition returned for preseason play, it recurred just before Week 1.
Wilson’s second injury hiatus has lasted longer than the first, with a slew of limited practices doubling as a gradual ramp-up period. Will that ramp-up be for a return to a starting role or the backup? Tomlin has dodged this decision for a bit and has said (via Breer) Wilson must prove he can stay healthy, but with the veteran passer en route to full strength, the seasoned leader will need to make a true decision (again) soon.
Long viewed as the QB who would start for the Steelers this season, Wilson held his pole-position status until he won the race. But the competition narrowed, as Fields impressed many in the building. In his five starts, Fields has submitted up-and-down work. QBR slots the dual-threat passer 22nd. Fields had delivered low-wattage, game-managerial showings to help the Steelers to 3-0. He threw for 312 yards while rushing for 55 in a loss to the Colts, but the pass rusher-deficient Cowboys stymied him in Week 5. Fields posted just 131 passing yards (4.9 per attempt) and 27 on the ground, an effort that may have reopened the door for Wilson.
Pittsburgh’s 3-0 start created an expectation that Fields would keep the job. He is 10 years younger than Wilson, at 25, and looks to have a better chance of being an option — based on Wilson’s Broncos years and recent injury trouble — to be the Steelers’ 2025 starter. But the Steelers named Wilson their initial starter for a reason. After Kenny Pickett‘s struggles, it would surprise if Tomlin gave Fields an especially long leash.
It will be interesting to see if Wilson or his camp voices frustration with Tomlin’s plan, should the de facto backup reach the point where he feels he is healthy and not being given a shot to reclaim his job. For now, though, Fields will keep the controls and hope to rebound after last week’s effort.
Jets Demote Nathaniel Hackett, Give Play-Calling Reins To Todd Downing
As Robert Saleh was planning to do, Jeff Ulbrich will demote Nathaniel Hackett. The second-year Jets offensive coordinator will no longer carry play-calling responsibilities.
Instead, quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator Todd Downing will take over. Ulbrich announced this change Thursday morning, and Hackett’s stock continues to nosedive in the years since his Packers OC tenure. This will be Downing’s third chance at calling plays for a team, as he did so as Raiders OC and Titans OC. Ulbrich will remain the Jets’ defensive play-caller.
The Jets had conducted a backchannel search for an assistant that would aid Hackett this offseason, contacting Arthur Smith about the unusual role. No official OC interviews occurred, and Hackett — who has continually received Aaron Rodgers endorsements despite his shaky resume — retained play-calling duties. But the Jets’ offense has not seen Rodgers’ return produce a substantial improvement. Considering Zach Wilson was primarily at the controls last season, these struggles played a central role in Saleh being fired.
Hackett’s offense, which ranked 29th in scoring and 31st in yardage last season, enters Week 6 ranked 25th and 27th in those categories. Breece Hall is averaging just three yards per carry, with the Jets ranking last in rushing. The second-generation NFL coach has taken heat for a lack of pre-snap motion, keeping an old-school West Coast Offense attack in place for Rodgers to run. Hackett, 44, had begun to lose respect in the locker room; Jets defenders were irked by the lack of accountability for the offense’s struggles.
Hackett, who saw his stock rise from his stay as a non-play-calling OC in Green Bay under Matt LaFleur, has proven overmatched at multiple stops this decade. This demotion continues one of the more memorable coaching freefalls in recent memory.
Fired as Jaguars OC during the 2018 season, Hackett rebounded with the Packers and beat out Dan Quinn to become Broncos HC in 2022. A shockingly disjointed offense defined that disastrous Denver campaign, which saw the team plummet from 21st to 32nd in scoring despite the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade. The Broncos fired Hackett after 15 games, making him the second HC since 1979 fired before his first season ended. Eyeing Rodgers, the Jets gave Hackett a lifeboat soon after. But Saleh’s hire did not produce desired results. With Rodgers back and not showing much of his MVP form following an Achilles tear, the Jets booted Saleh and are now giving the keys to Downing.
This represents a bounce-back opportunity for Downing, who saw a DUI during the 2022 season lead him out of Tennessee. The Titans canned Downing, 44, after the ’22 season brought a step back. The Titans dropped from 15th to 28th in scoring from 2021-22, though Ryan Tannehill‘s ankle injury — which cost the starter five games during the ’22 season — contributed heavily to that decline. That said, Downing was a one-and-done OC in Oakland. Jack Del Rio promoted his QBs coach to OC, replacing Bill Musgrave, in 2017. The end result: Del Rio’s firing and Downing returning to his hometown Vikings as tight ends coach.
Derek Carr took a noticeable step back, despite Amari Cooper remaining on the Raiders’ roster, in 2017; that led to Mark Davis‘ restart around Jon Gruden. Downing joined Mike Vrabel‘s Titans staff in 2019, following the Smith trajectory by being bumped from TEs coach to OC. This Jets gig will present far more pressure, however, as an all-in team with jobs on the line will rely on Downing to inject some life into an offense that has stagnated.
The Jets, who are retaining Hackett on staff, scored just nine points against the Broncos and fell behind 17-0 against the Vikings. Meanwhile, the Saleh- and Ulbrich-coached defense ranks fifth in scoring and second in yardage. After Saleh fell on his sword, Ulbrich will be tasked with re-routing the 2-3 team’s course. The team faces the Bills for a shot at the division lead Monday. Suddenly, Downing holds the keys to the Jets’ Rodgers-centric plan being salvaged.