- The Buccaneers will have a chance to interview Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards. The parties will meet Thursday for a head coach meeting, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Thus far on the coaching carousel, Edwards — the Vikings’ DC for the past five seasons and formerly the Bills’ and Redskins’ DC — has only been connected to Tampa Bay’s vacancy.
- The Bills‘ offensive line coach and run-game coordinator the past two years, Juan Castillo received his walking papers on Tuesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. Castillo has worked on both sides of the ball, serving as the Eagles’ DC from 2011-12 before shifting back to offense in his roles since.
Changes are coming in Buffalo, but LeSean McCoy is still a part of the team’s plans in 2019. This week, Bills GM Brandon Beane told reporters that Shady is staying put. 
“LeSean will come back in 2019 and we’ll go from there,” the GM said.
Beane also indicated in November that McCoy would be retained. The team’s belief in him, in some respects, is surprising. McCoy will turn 31 in July and he’s coming off of a season in which he averaged a career low 3.2 yards per carry and was hit with ugly accusations. The Bills, in theory, could dump McCoy to save $6.425MM against the cap with just $2.625MM left in dead money, but that move is apparently not in consideration.
For what it’s worth, McCoy also says that he’s happy in Western New York. Recently, McCoy said that while “a lot of teams” wanted to trade for him at this year’s deadline, he wants to stay put and be a part of the team’s future.
McCoy still offers serious burst and cutting ability, even at his advanced age, so there’s reason to believe that he can get back to his old form in 2019. The veteran would also benefit from a beefing up of the offensive line.
Buried beneath all the coaching news this morning, the Bills quietly signed quarterback Derek Anderson to a one-year extension, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Anderson, 35, appeared on his way out of the league when the Panthers moved on from him and no team signed him this past offseason. But then the Bills came calling in October when Josh Allen went down with an elbow injury. In true journeyman fashion, he ended up starting two games for Buffalo, losing both. He was concussed in a Monday Night Football loss to the Patriots, and didn’t play again the rest of the season.
While the deal keeps him tied to Buffalo through the 2019 season, it’s still no guarantee he’s back next year. Terms haven’t been made public yet, but it’s likely the deal contains little or no guaranteed money. The Bills also recently extended fellow backup Matt Barkley, giving him two extra years. Barkley fared much better than Anderson did in his one start this season, and would seem to have the leg up on Anderson to be Allen’s backup next year.
Anderson’s long-winding career has taken him through Baltimore, Cleveland, Arizona, Carolina and now Buffalo, and the veteran has started 49 games in his 14 year career. All told he has a 60:64 career touchdown to interception ratio, with 10,878 passing yards and a 54.3% completion percentage.
Kyle Williams is calling it a career. The Bills announced (via Twitter) that their long-time defensive tackle will be retiring. Williams’ final career game will be this Sunday against the Dolphins.
“This isn’t easy,” said in a letter on the team’s website. “It was never going to be. There’s no perfect time to retire from a game, a franchise, and a city that mean so much to me and my family. But it’s time to hang up my cleats.”
Following a standout career at LSU, the Bills used a fifth-round selection on Williams during the 2006 draft. The defensive tackle quickly earned a starting gig with Buffalo, and he’s been a stalwart of the Bills defense for more than a decade.
While the 35-year-old will have an opportunity to add on to his totals on Sunday, Williams is already the Bills’ franchise leader in a number of statistics, including tackles for loss (102) and QB hits (141). He also ranks in Buffalo’s top-10 in solo tackles (384, 9th), assisted tackles (223, 2nd), and sacks (48.5, 5th). While it won’t hit the record books, it’s also worth noting that the 303-pound lineman scored a touchdown on his only career carry. During his 13-year career, Williams had earned five Pro Bowl nods and a spot as both a first- and second-team All-Pro.
Last offseason, Williams signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal with the Bills that included $4.5MM in guaranteed money. The 35-year-old has continued to be productive, compiling 31 tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus has also been fond of his performance, ranking him 53rd among 118 interior defenders. Perhaps even more importantly, Williams has had a chance to mentor third-round rookie Harrison Phillips, who could have an opportunity to take over as the starter next season.
The Bills and Matt Barkley agreed to an extension on Friday, according to a team announcement. The new deal will keep the quarterback in place through the 2020 season. 
[RELATED: Fritz Pollard Alliance Recommends Doug Whaley As GM Candidate]
The Bills signed Barkley on Halloween after rookie Josh Allen went down with an elbow injury and veteran Derek Anderson suffered a concussion. Barkley started against the Jets in Week 10 and it was a resounding success – the Bills blew out the Jets 41-10 as Barkley threw for 232 yards, two scores, and zero interceptions.
With the new deal, Barkley is poised to take over as Allen’s primary backup in 2019. Anderson, who turns 36 in June, is scheduled for free agency. If Allen suffers further injury, Barkley may have an opportunity to improve on his career 2-5 record as a starter in the NFL.
Today’s practice squad updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Bryant Mitchell; T Ryker Mathews; LBs Tobi Antigha, Sam Eguavoen, Pete Robertson, Alex Singleton, Jameer Thurman; K Ty Long
Buffalo Bills
- QB Bo Levi Mitchell; WRs Diontae Spencer, D’haquille Williams; TE Evan Baylis; LB Cory James
Chicago Bears
- QB Bo Levi Mitchell; WRs Marken Michel, Jordan Williams-Lambert; TE Clive Walford
Cincinnati Bengals
- G Avery Gennesy
Cleveland Browns
- RB Jarvion Franklin; TE Kevin Rader; G Ian Park; DT Lance McDowell; S Jack Tocho
Green Bay Packers
- WRs Chris Brown, Ka’Raun Williams; CB Trevon Mathis
Houston Texans
- LB Dominique Alexander; DB Tevaughn Campbell; CB Craig Mager; S Tyvis Powell
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Greer Martini; Ss Isaiah Johnson, Afolabi Laguda; K Ty Long
Los Angeles Chargers
- LB Jameer Thurman; DEs Tobi Antigha, Kwaku Boateng; S Chris Edwards
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers
- G Marcus Oliver; T Blaine Clausell; DL Kapron Lewis-Moore
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- G Chris Schleuger; T Dakoda Shepley; DB Tevaughn Campbell; Ks Jon Brown, Trevor Moore; Ps Hayden Hunt, Ryan Winslow; LS Zach Triner
Washington Redskins
- RB Akrum Wadley; CBs Doran Grant, Dexter McDougle, Sojourn Shelton; Ss Dexter McCoil, Stephen Roberts
Here is the latest from the workout circuit, all links going to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio’s Twitter account (unless otherwise noted).
Arizona Cardinals
- S Shamarko Thomas (link)
Buffalo Bills
- QB Garrett Gilbert, TE Erik Swoope (visit), QB Logan Woodside (Twitter links via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak and Field Yates)
Green Bay Packers
- QB Paxton Lynch (link)
Los Angeles Chargers
- DE Avery Ellis (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- DE Terence Fede, LB Lorenzo Mauldin (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DE Farrington Huguenin (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Greg Auman)
Washington Redskins
- CB Dexter McDougle (Twitter link via Yahoo.com’s Jordan Schultz)
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Chris Jones, CB Deatrick Nichols
- Waived: CB Dontae Johnson, CB Quinten Rollins
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Jeremy Langford
Buffalo Bills
- Signed off 49ers’ practice squad: WR Victor Bolden
- Placed on IR: RB Marcus Murphy
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chris Worley
- Placed on IR: LB Malik Jefferson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: DT John Atkins
- Placed on IR: DL Da’Shawn Hand
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: WR Allen Lazard
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Panthers’ practice squad: DT Kendrick Norton
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: CB Antonio Hamilton
New York Jets
- Signed off Patriots’ practice squad: T Eric Smith
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Rico Gafford, DT Gabe Wright
- Waived: LB Emmanuel Lamur
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DB Tyvis Powell
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: RB Bo Scarbrough
- Placed on IR: G Jordan Simmons
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Donnie Ernsberger, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- Placed on IR: TE Alan Cross, S Justin Evans
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Harlan Miller
- Placed on IR: CB Joshua Holsey
The Fritz Pollard Alliance has released its annual list of minority candidates for general manager vacancies. Much like the latest batch of recommended coaching hires, the suggested GM list is more than twice as long as last year’s. 
[RELATED: Fritz Pollard Alliance Recommends Head Coaching Candidates]
Here’s the full rundown, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link):
- Ray Agnew (Rams)
- Joey Clinkscales (Raiders)
- Quentin Harris (Cardinals)
- Alonzo Highsmith (Browns)
- Brad Holmes (Rams)
- Champ Kelly (Bears)
- Martin Mayhew (49ers, ex-Lions GM)
- Will McClay (Cowboys)
- Jimmy Raye III (Lions)
- Jerry Reese (ex-Giants GM)
- Doug Whaley (ex-Bills GM)
- Doug Williams (Redskins)
Clinkscales, Highsmith, McClay, and Williams were all featured on last year’s list, but none of those executives landed GM jobs. The only executive from the last round of recommendations who did not carry over to this year was Ray Farmer, the former Browns GM who is currently serving as a senior consultant with the Rams.
Of the dozen suggested executives on this list, only three sat for GM interviews in the last cycle: Mayhew (Panthers), Raye (Texans), and Whaley (Packers). McClay was asked to interview for the Texans opening, but declined the opportunity and instead signed a two-year extension to stay with the Cowboys. McClay may garner consideration again this time around, but he might not be interested in leaving Dallas.
Today’s workout updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
- LBs Josh Forrest, Jameer Thurman, James Vaughters; CBs Doran Grant, Sterling Moore
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
- T Chris Durant; G Landon Turner
New Orleans Saints
- RBs Martez Carter, Jalen Simmons; FB Dimitri Flowers
San Francisco 49ers
- CB Michael Hunter; S Harlan Miller.