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Trevon Diggs Underwent Knee Surgery

January 23rd, 2025 at 5:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Trevon Diggs might not be ready for the start of training camp, and there’s a chance the Cowboys cornerback is sidelined for even longer than that. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Diggs underwent chondral tissue graft surgery on his left knee today.

We previously heard that Diggs’ impending surgery could sideline him for the start of training camp. It was always expected that the player would undergo bone graft surgery, which requires a longer recovery time but would offer the best long-term outlook. It was initially suggested that recovery could take up to eight months, and that timeline would keep Diggs off the field through the start of the regular season.

Archer notes that Diggs underwent the surgery now vs. several weeks ago because “the growing of the graft” would “ensure best results.” Archer describes the procedure as “a more modern take on a micro-fracture surgery,” with the reporter comparing it to an operation that former Cowboys (and current Commanders) WR Noah Brown underwent earlier in his career.

Diggs was reportedly playing through significant pain this past season before suffering another cartilage issue. Diggs spent much of the 2024 campaign banged up, as the veteran battled a torn calf while also missing two games with designations of groin and knee injuries. Fortunately, this latest issue isn’t related to his ACL tear from the 2023 campaign.

The Cowboys are surely hoping the former second-round pick can return to form as soon as possible, as Diggs just completed the first year of his five-year, $97MM extension. The defensive back is only a few years removed from his prolific 11-interception season, and his 2022 follow-up was just as productive. After his 2023 campaign was wiped out by that aforementioned ACL injury, Diggs managed to get into 11 games during his comeback campaign. The 26-year-old finished the year with 42 tackles and a pair of interceptions, with Pro Football Focus grading him 91st among 118 qualifying cornerbacks.

Jerry Jones, Pete Carroll Discuss Cowboys’ HC Opening

January 23rd, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Brian Schottenheimer has picked up unexpected momentum for the Cowboys’ HC job, a more conventional option may be under consideration as well. A Pete Carroll connection to a third HC-needy team has formed.

Jerry Jones is believed to have reached out to Carroll recently, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris. While this was not an interview and can be classified as an informal discussion, Harris adds the team’s interest in the former Super Bowl-winning coach is believed to be legitimate. That said, no interview is on the team’s docket.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Not a team known for conventional strategies involving hiring or firing a head coach, the Cowboys already had a non-interview discussion with Deion Sanders. Subsequent reporting has pegged this as an unlikely partnership, with Schottenheimer and Eagles OC Kellen Moore emerging as the early leaders.

Both have history in Dallas and extensive OC seasoning, but if Moore is a true consideration, the Cowboys would need to wait until next week to conduct a second interview and may not be able to hire their former play-caller — should the favored Eagles prevail in Sunday’s NFC championship game — until after Super Bowl LIX. Schottenheimer has not been connected to any other teams’ HC vacancies — this year or at any other point during the 2020s — so the Cowboys would not risk losing their incumbent OC by waiting. But dismissing Mike McCarthy and then promoting his less qualified OC would be a strange move.

While Carroll would be a more down-the-middle hire, he also brings risk due to his age. The former Seahawks, Patriots and Jets HC is 73 and will turn 74 in September. No NFL HC has coached a game beyond age 72. This impacted Bill Belichick‘s job pursuits last year, and Carroll also found himself shut out after his Seattle ouster. But Carroll has rebuild momentum and appears a legitimate frontrunner for the Raiders job. The Bears also met with Carroll during their expansive search.

Bill Belichick Signs North Carolina Contract

January 23rd, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 23: Talk of a Belichick backtrack to the NFL has cooled over the past several days, and Jones reports the new North Carolina HC has signed his contract. The deal points reported last month — a $10MM buyout before June 1, along with a $1MM fee after that date — are included in the official pact. While Belichick-NFL rumors may not be over for good, it appears the eight-time Super Bowl winner is committed to the college gig he landed — at least for the 2025 season.

JANUARY 16: Opting out of a second ride on the NFL HC carousel, Bill Belichick made a preemptive strike by accepting an offer to coach at North Carolina in December. Despite connections to the Raiders and then Cowboys, Belichick is on the recruiting trail at the ACC school.

If an NFL team were to poach Belichick after he committed to the Tar Heels, a $10MM buyout would need to be paid to the university. Though, a gray area now exists with regards to the buyout. Belichick has not signed an official contract with the school, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. Instead, he is working in Chapel Hill after agreeing to a term sheet December 11. The school confirmed this, via Jones.

That term sheet outlines Belichick’s $10MM-per-year salary and would be set to precede a signed contract at some point. It is not too uncommon at the college level for coaches to begin working without a fully signed deal, but Jones adds a notable wrinkle here by indicating the term sheet Belichick inked is not binding. This could introduce a potential complication if the buyout — $10MM before June 1, $1MM after that date — comes into play.

Earlier this week, a report surfaced indicating the North Carolina athletic director and the ACC commissioner were uneasy about Belichick’s status. Jones has also previously reported NFL teams have not been intimidated by the $10MM buyout number, and the reporter adds some within the UNC community are a bit nervous related to this component of Belichick’s agreement.

Working without a contract is not done in the NFL, where Belichick had only coached from 1975-2023. The league’s second-winningest coach trying his hand at the college game — at a time in which the transfer portal and NIL landscape have radically reshaped the sport — now remains a curious move, especially when four more coaching jobs opened up after Belichick and his lieutenants surveyed the NFL market during the season. The Cowboys, Jaguars and Raiders jobs have since opened, and Dallas connections persist.

Former Browns GM Michael Lombardi, who worked with Belichick in New England, is now the North Carolina football program’s GM. Lombardi denied any NFL interest exists, refuting the above-referenced report about Belichick’s thin staff creating some unease, and he responded to Jones’ report by indicating (via X) “the NFL isn’t an option” for the legendary HC. A report shortly after Belichick took the college job pegged him as being “disgusted” with a league that has been unwilling to grant him a third head coaching opportunity given the success he had in New England.

That said, Jonathan Jones notes that Belichick and Jerry Jones maintain a good relationship. Belichick was connected to monitoring the Cowboys job in 2024, and the Cowboys did backchannel work on him before deciding to retain Mike McCarthy last year. A report in the wake of McCarthy’s dismissal this week classified a Belichick-Cowboys partnership as one both sides would have been open to had the coach not jumped to the college ranks. Though, as we have mentioned many times, Belichick’s age (73 in April) poses a problem for him — as no HC older than 66 has ever been hired by an NFL team — and he ultimately opted to punt on a second carousel ride.

Bill Belichick also brought son Steve over from Washington to be his DC, a development that would further entrench the former in Chapel Hill, and ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel adds the Tar Heels have hired veteran NFL assistant Mike Priefer to be their special teams coordinator. Priefer had served as ST coordinator for the Chiefs, Broncos, Vikings and Browns from 2006-22. He last coached in college in 2001.

Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer To Continue HC Interview

January 22nd, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

12:02pm: This might not be a true second interview, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins, who describes today’s summit as a continuation of the first meeting. The sides’ lengthy meeting continuing is still notable, but Schottenheimer may not have advanced as far in this process compared to where he would stand after a true second meeting.

11:35am: Mike McCarthy‘s most recent OC, Brian Schottenheimer will have plenty of time to state his case as a dark-horse replacement candidate. A day after the Cowboys met with Schottenheimer, they will huddle up once again.

The team is bringing in Schottenheimer for a second straight day, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Jane Slater and Tom Pelissero. The parties met for nearly four hours Tuesday, making it rather interesting they are meeting again so soon. But the second-generation NFL coach appears a true candidate to succeed his former boss.

Schottenheimer may be in a matchup with the coach he replaced as Dallas’ play-caller. Kellen Moore met with his former team virtually and emerged as an early favorite for the job. Moore has been a far more prominent part of HC carousels in the past, and the Eagles’ OC is back on that radar this year. Schottenheimer, for the most part, has settled as a coordinator.

Whereas Moore called plays in Dallas for four seasons, Schottenheimer primarily operated as a non-play-calling coordinator in McCarthy’s final two seasons on the job. Schottenheimer, 51, has been an NFL coordinator as far back as 2006. Marty Schottenheimer‘s son, Brian began as Jets OC and stayed on through the 2011 season. He later served as OC for the Rams under Jeff Fisher (2012-14) and as the Seahawks’ play-caller under Pete Carroll (2018-20). The Cowboys promoted Schottenheimer after he spent the 2022 season as an analyst for the team. Dallas dropped to 21st in scoring offense this season, but Dak Prescott‘s second-team All-Pro slate in 2023 — when the team led the NFL in scoring — certainly boosts Schottenheimer’s stock.

Brian Schottenheimer even advancing this far in the process is a surprise. Then again, the Cowboys have zagged in terms of coach dealings for many years now. Jerry Jones resisted calls for Jason Garrett‘s firing for a lengthy period and then hired McCarthy after only interviewing one other candidate (Marvin Lewis) in 2020. Considering the scrutiny heaped upon the Cowboys as their conference championship game drought nears 30 years, Jones doing a serious inquiry on Schottenheimer may generate more concern among the fanbase.

The Cowboys cannot meet with Moore a second time until the Super Bowl bye week, regardless of the Eagles’ fate in the NFC title game, and Kliff Kingsbury has said he will not do interviews until after the Commanders’ season wraps. Deion Sanders momentum has cooled since his Jones conversation, and fellow atypical candidate Jason Witten has never coached above the high school level. Thus, Schottenheimer has moved into an interesting position.

Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Cowboys’ search looks so far:

Titans Hire John Fassel As ST Coordinator

January 21st, 2025 at 8:54pm CST by Ben Levine

John Fassel is heading to Tennessee. The Titans are hiring the long-time coach to be their special teams coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

“Bones” has been coaching in the NFL since 2005. He previously held the ST coordinator title at three stops, and he’s often been paired with elite kickers (Sebastian Janikowski/Raiders, Greg Zuerlein/Rams, Brandon Aubrey/Cowboys). During his stop in Los Angeles, he helped form the trio of Zuerlein, punter Johnny Hekker, and long snapper Jake McQuaide. When Jeff Fisher was canned during the 2016 season, Hassel briefly stepped in as the interim head coach.

He stuck with the Rams under Sean McVay‘s leadership before leaving for the Cowboys in 2020. He spent the past few years in Dallas, and ESPN’s Todd Archer notes that the organization hoped to retain Fassel despite their uncertain coaching outlook.

Instead, he’ll be taking his talents to Tennessee. Fassel will be replacing Colt Anderson, who spent one season in the role. Anderson is technically still on the staff, although it’s uncertain if he’ll be back in 2025. The Titans’ special teams unit was blamed for an early-season loss to the Bears, and the squad allowed a pair of blocked punts during the year.

Ryan Stonehouse should be back as the punter in 2025, but the rest of the team’s ST unit isn’t as certain. Veteran Nick Folk is set to hit free agency, although the kicker did express interest in returning to Tennessee for another year.

Cowboys To Interview Brian Schottenheimer For HC

January 21st, 2025 at 8:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

TODAY, 8:25pm: NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports that the Cowboys met with Schottenheimer for “well over” three and a half hours. The two sides “talked about everything,” and the team is notably considering Schottenheimer for the head coaching role or his current OC gig. Of course, Schottenheimer’s chances of retaining his coordinator title would be dependent on the next head coach wanting him on the staff.

TODAY, 11:00am: The list of candidates for the Cowboys’ head coaching position continues to grow. An in-house staffer will be the next to receive a look as Dallas’ search continues.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has an interview lined up with the Cowboys, as first reported by Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL Network. Three interviews have taken place so far for the position, all with external candidates. Schottenheimer will represent a potential option for an internal promotion depending on how his meeting goes.

The son of longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, Brian has 14 years of coordinator experience. That includes the past two seasons where he has held the OC title in Dallas. Prior to that, Schottenheimer worked as a consultant for the team for the 2022 campaign. Then-head coach Mike McCarthy took over as play-caller when he moved on from Kellen Moore, so Schottenheimer’s responsibilities have not been the same in Dallas as they have in his other gigs.

Still, the fact he is familiar with the Cowboys’ offense in general and quarterback Dak Prescott in particular is a factor which could work in his favor. Forming (or having) a strong connection with the team’s franchise passer is a key element in Dallas’ ongoing search. Prescott was among the players to endorse a new deal for McCarthy, but talks on that front never produced serious traction before it was announced a new coach would be brought in.

As a result, the Cowboys are in the market for a McCarthy replacement. The team’s search has been expected to expand in the near future, so it will be interesting to see how many other candidates receive a look over the coming days. Schottenheimer’s candidacy for a first head coaching gig will be a notable storyline as the 2025 HC landscape continues to take shape.

Via PFR’s search tracker, here is an updated look as the Cowboys’ situation:

Kellen Moore Frontrunner For Cowboys’ HC Position?

January 20th, 2025 at 11:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Last week, Kellen Moore was named as one of two top candidates for the Cowboys’ head coaching position. He cannot be hired at this point with the Eagles amongst the four teams still in the postseason, but at this point he appears to be in pole position.

Moore is currently the frontrunner for the Dallas gig, Jon Machota of The Athletic writes (subscription required). A hire cannot be made until the Eagles are eliminated, and the Cowboys cannot conduct an interview this week as Philadelphia prepares for the NFC title game. Once Moore become eligible for a return to Dallas, though, it will be interesting to see if it takes place.

The 35-year-old became the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach in 2018, shortly after his playing career ended. Moore took over as offensive coordinator one year later, beginning a stretch in which Dallas generally enjoyed strong production on that side of the ball. In three of Moore’s four seasons leading the offense, the Cowboys ranked sixth or better in scoring. Then-head coach Mike McCarthy elected to take over as play-caller for 2023, though, and Moore found himself on the move as a result.

Last year, the Chargers hired Moore as their OC. The team finished in the bottom half of the league in total and scoring offense, and with Jim Harbaugh being brought in as head coach it came as no surprise sweeping changes were made to Los Angeles’ staff. Once again, Moore did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, as he took on offensive coordinator duties with the Eagles for 2024.

Philadelphia ranked top-eight in yards and points during the regular season, thanks in no small part to a career-best campaign from running back Saquon Barkley. While the Eagles have faced consistency problems in the passing game, their success has put Moore squarely on the head coaching radar for the 2025 hiring cycle. In addition to being the first candidate to speak with the Cowboys about their vacancy, he has interviewed with the Jaguars and Saints.

A report from Friday named Moore along with former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten as strong contenders for the Dallas gig. The latter is held in high regard by owner Jerry Jones, but his distinct lack of coaching experience would make it a surprise if he outright replaced McCarthy on the sidelines. A role of some kind could still be in play for Witten, who has previously been mentioned as a future head coaching candidate in Dallas.

As Machota notes, a stronger sentiment exists amongst fans for Colorado head coach Deion Sanders or Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be tapped for the Cowboys job. Neither of them have interviewed for the position yet, though, and especially since that is the case Moore is the candidate to watch at this point. While Dallas is expected to expand its search in the coming days, all other names appear to have ground to make up.

Via PFR’s HC search tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand for Dallas:

Cowboys Have ‘Mutual Interest’ With Anthony Lynn For HC Job

January 20th, 2025 at 8:25pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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.

Saints To Meet With Mike McCarthy

January 20th, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 20: The Saints plan to interview McCarthy in person this week, per Terrell and colleagues Courtney Cronin and Kalyn Kahler. New Orleans has moved quickly in arranging second interviews with other candidates; in-person meetings are on the books for Mike Kafka and Anthony Weaver, as well as Aaron Glenn. McCarthy’s Saints summit will be his first interview of course, but once it takes place it will be interesting to see if New Orleans (or Chicago, for that matter) pursues a hire in his case.

JANUARY 14: Not conducting the kind of wide-ranging search the Bears and Jets are, the Saints are still expected to expand their candidate pool. The Cowboys’ decision not to renew Mike McCarthy‘s contract will end up affecting multiple HC-needy teams during this cycle.

McCarthy is expected to meet with the Saints next week about their HC vacancy, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This interview will take place several days after McCarthy’s Bears summit, which is scheduled for Wednesday. McCarthy and the Saints have not yet settled on an interview date, but a meeting is on tap nonetheless.

This meeting comes after a report had the Saints monitoring McCarthy’s Cowboys situation. While Aaron Glenn is viewed as a strong candidate to return to Louisiana, McCarthy is now officially in that mix. The 61-year-old coach also has ties to the Saints, having been their OC from 2000-04. GM Mickey Loomis, the second-longest-tenured pure GM in NFL history, began his Saints run during McCarthy’s time in New Orleans.

It says a lot about McCarthy’s credentials (and perhaps this year’s tepid HC market) that he has remained on the HC radar for this long. The Packers first hired him in 2006, and he lasted 13 seasons in the role. Winning Super Bowl XLV with Green Bay, McCarthy became known for postseason letdowns henceforth. His five-year Cowboys HC stay extended that franchise’s NFC championship game drought, with Jerry Jones citing a 2023 wild-card upset against the Packers as a central reason why his contract was never extended. That said, McCarthy led the Cowboys to three straight 12-win seasons. While the NFL’s expansion to 17 games helped here, the Cowboys had not won 12 games in three consecutive years since the mid-1990s.

Contract length became the main sticking point for the Cowboys and McCarthy. Considering Jones’ reluctance to authorize a new deal for McCarthy in 2024, thus making him the rare (for non-Cowboys teams, that is) lame-duck HC, it would have been surprising if Dallas was willing to offer a long-term deal after a seven-win season. McCarthy also carried unusual leverage late in his Cowboys tenure due to outside interest, and two NFC teams will capitalize on his newfound coaching free agency by interviewing him. The Bears had attempted to schedule a McCarthy interview while he was still under Cowboys contract. The NFC East team nixed that meeting, but true negotiations never happened, and the Cowboys ultimately moved on.

No Saints interview request came during McCarthy’s final days on his Cowboys contract. The NFC South team has not been connected to nearly as many names, and a recent report indicated the team is not likely to expand its list. Though, McCarthy and Kliff Kingsbury are now part of it. Loomis said adding more names is “possible,” via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell.

The early-2000s Saints stint marked McCarthy’s first OC job, and it started off well. Despite losing starter Jeff Blake to injury during the 2000 season, the Saints rallied to the playoffs behind second-year QB Aaron Brooks. The team then notched its elusive first playoff win, over the defending champion Rams. New Orleans, however, did not make the playoffs again during Jim Haslett‘s tenure. The Saints did still rank in the top 14 offensively in each McCarthy season. By 2005, McCarthy was in San Francisco as 49ers OC. The Loomis connection remains, thanks to the GM now going into his 24th season at the controls in New Orleans.

Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Saints’ HC search looks as of Tuesday afternoon:

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

January 19th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Two weekends of playoff football have come and gone, providing us with 10 more draft slots cemented into position as NFL teams continue to be eliminated from the playoffs. The top 18 picks were already divvied up at the conclusion of the regular season to the teams who failed to make the playoffs, while picks 19-28 have been determined over the past two weeks.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order has been determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. The playoff squads are being slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular-season record.

The league’s Super Wild Card weekend resulted in the elimination of Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, Buccaneers, and Vikings after their respective losses. Tampa Bay benefitted from the three-way tie in record with Denver and Pittsburgh, just as the Chargers did over the Packers.

The divisional round of the playoffs resulted in the elimination of the Texans, Rams, Ravens, and Lions. This time, Houston held the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, gifting it higher draft priority.

We are still at a place that, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.

Here is how the draft order looks following two weeks of playoff football:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
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