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Denver Broncos News & Rumors

Darren Rizzi Expected To Become ST Coordinator In Denver

January 31st, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

After seeing Antonio Pierce be awarded the full-time head coaching position in Las Vegas after a stint as the interim in 2023 — the first time an interim coach has been given the opportunity since 2017 — it doesn’t appear we’ll see this again in 2024. The Jets and Bears have both moved on from interim coaches Jeff Ulbrich and Thomas Brown, respectively, and though the Saints job is still up for grabs, it’s becoming unlikely that interim coach Darren Rizzi will win the position.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, with the Saints zeroing in on Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their new head coach, Rizzi is expected to become the new special teams coordinator for the Broncos.

While this marks a failure to return to New Orleans as head coach, it will be a reunion of sorts with Rizzi and Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Rizzi first joined the Saints as special teams coordinator in 2019 under Payton, working under him for three seasons. When Payton retired and Dennis Allen took over, Rizzi stuck around with the additional title of assistant head coach before eventually taking over as interim head coach.

This move would also mark a reunion with kicker Wil Lutz. The 30-year-old special teamer arrived in New Orleans three years ahead of Rizzi in 2016, but it wasn’t until Rizzi showed up in 2019 that Lutz earned his first and only Pro Bowl appearance. Lutz played three seasons under Rizzi, missing the 2021 NFL season on injured reserve, before following Payton to Denver.

If Rizzi does indeed end up with the Broncos, it will be his third coordinator position with his third NFL franchise, his first coordinator position coming in 10 years with the Dolphins. His name has been rumored in Denver ever since the team fired former special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica, opening the door for a familiar face.

As Moore continues to be the point of focus in New Orleans, it seems likely that Rizzi will find his way back to Payton’s staff. Nothing is official quite yet, though, as the Broncos are still required to conduct a full and complete coordinator search.

Lions To Add David Shaw To Staff

January 30th, 2025 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions added their new offensive coordinator — John Morton — from the Broncos’ staff. They will now bring in some more coaching help from Denver’s front office.

After David Shaw spent a year as a Broncos personnel executive, he will return to coaching. The Lions are adding the former Stanford HC as their pass-game coordinator, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. This hire comes shortly after ex-Lions OC Ben Johnson met with him about the Bears’ OC role — one that went to ex-Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle.

In addition to being with the Broncos last year, both Morton and Shaw overlapped with the Raiders as assistants during Jon Gruden‘s first run with the team. This will be Shaw’s first NFL coaching role since he served as the Ravens’ wide receivers coach in 2005.

That job in Baltimore concluded a nearly decade-long stint in the NFL. Shaw served as an offensive quality control coach with both the Eagles and Raiders before earning a promotion to Oakland’s QBs coach in 2001. He parlayed that job into a position with the Ravens, where he held the titles of quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach during his four seasons with the organization.

Shaw moved back to the college ranks in 2006 when he became San Diego’s passing game coordinator, but that stop only lasted one year before he was named Stanford’s offensive coordinator in 2007. He spent four years running the Cardinal offense before replacing Jim Harbaugh in 2011. Shaw ended up lasting more than a decade as Stanford’s head coach, guiding his squad to a 96-54 record. That stint included three conference titles and five bowl wins, with Stanford peaking at No. 3 in the AP poll in 2015.

Shaw resigned from Stanford in 2022 following a pair of 3-9 showings. He caught on with Denver’s front office ahead of the 2024 campaign, and after a year in an executive role, Shaw is now returning to the sideline.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Darren Mougey To Control Jets’ Roster; Latest On Team’s Coaching Staff

January 30th, 2025 at 9:45am CST by Sam Robinson

Woody Johnson confirmed earlier this week the Jets are adjusting their power structure. Both Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey will report to ownership, signaling a shift from the Joe Douglas-Robert Saleh regime — in which only the GM did so. Even as Glenn will carry more weight in the Jets’ organization compared to Saleh, the team is still giving its new GM a significant role

Mougey will control the Jets’ 53-man roster, according to the New York Post’s Brian Costello. Like Mike Vrabel in New England, however, Glenn will be expected to have a significant voice in personnel. Johnson has already referred to Mougey as Glenn’s sidekick, Costello offers, pointing to the Jets needing to sign off on a coach-centric power structure to bring in Glenn, who was viewed as one of this coaching cycle’s top options.

Even as Glenn’s voice will be the most powerful in the room, this will give Mougey a significant opportunity. The latter has also previously worked for a team that has used its head coach as the personnel centerpiece, with the Broncos giving Sean Payton that power upon trading for him in 2023. Mougey had climbed to director of player personnel in 2021, doing enough to rise from John Elway staffer to GM George Paton‘s top lieutenant in Denver.

While the Broncos moved onto treacherous terrain during the Paton-Mougey period by trading for Russell Wilson and pairing him with the overmatched Nathaniel Hackett — months before his Jets hire — the team also managed to make the playoffs despite a record $90MM-plus dead money bill. Mougey was not a GM candidate anywhere else, and only 32 of these jobs are available. Johnson made a point to note he would let Glenn and Mougey run the show this year, but after the owner irked many in the Jets’ front office and coaching staff by meddling in 2024, it may take a bit to convince Jets fans he will stay out of those matters.

Coach-centric setups have also provided tremendous success in other cities, as the Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Pete Carroll tenures illustrated over the past decade and change. Those teams have successful GMs in place (Brett Veach, Les Snead, John Lynch, John Schneider), but they ride shotgun — past tense in the case of Schneider, who has outlasted Carroll in Seattle — as Mougey will alongside Glenn in New York.

Elsewhere on the Jets’ staff, 9News’ Mike Klis reports they are finalizing a deal that would install Chris Banjo as their special teams coordinator. This follows a report that indicated Banjo was on Glenn’s radar. Banjo, 34, played 10 NFL seasons — two of those under Payton (and Glenn) in New Orleans — and has been the Broncos’ assistant ST coach since 2023. Denver already lost top ST coach Mike Westhoff around midseason, and Payton fired STC Ben Kotwica at season’s end. The team now may be set for a full-on overhaul in that department, with Saints interim HC Darren Rizzi still an option — depending on whom the Saints hire as their next leader. Although Westhoff and Kotwica held key roles, Banjo still resided in Denver as Marvin Mims went 2-for-2 in first-team All-Pro nods at punt returner.

The Jets have Lions assistant Tanner Engstrand as a strong candidate to become their next OC, and Glenn’s tight ends coach would further point to the ex-Ben Johnson lieutenant coming aboard. Steve Heiden is leaving his post as Lions tight ends coach to become the Jets’ O-line coach, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds.

A former NFL tight end, Heiden has spent most of his coaching career in charge of that position. His only season coaching O-linemen came in 2018, when he served as the assistant O-line coach under Steve Wilks in Arizona. Wilks is now in place as the Jets’ DC, while Pelissero identifies Engstrand as the OC frontrunner.

As the Jets give Heiden the chance to make an interesting transition, they are moving on from their O-line and tight ends coaches. Keith Carter, assistant O-line coach Ben Wilkerson and TEs coach Ron Middleton are out, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Carter came over to join Hackett in 2023, making it rather unsurprising Glenn will not retain him. Middleton and Wilkerson each came to New York during Mike LaFleur‘s OC tenure.

AFC Coaching Rumors: Rizzi, Broncos, Browns, Musgrave, Dolphins, Colts, Bengals

January 28th, 2025 at 8:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mickey Loomis has been linked to wanting to tie his to-be-determined next HC to some of Dennis Allen‘s contracted assistants, but Mike McCarthy may not see eye-to-eye with that approach. This has introduced one of the potential hurdles in McCarthy’s path back to New Orleans. McCarthy’s view could affect the Broncos‘ staff as well, as 9News’ Mike Klis notes that he or Kellen Moore landing the Saints’ HC job could well lead Darren Rizzi to rejoin Sean Payton in Denver. Before the coaching carousel started to spin, the Saints moving Rizzi from interim HC to another staff position — presumably back to the special teams coordinator role — was likely. But the Broncos are among the teams interested in poaching him if the Saints let the ex-Payton hire out of his deal. Rizzi and Payton coached together for three seasons.

The Broncos have seen two of their staffers — pass-game coordinator John Morton and tight ends coach Declan Doyle — become OCs elsewhere (Lions, Bears). But they are retaining Vance Joseph for a third season; DBs coach Jim Leonhard is also staying, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Leonhard is believed to have drawn DC interest from three teams, and while it is interesting that no interviews are taking place (as Denver cannot block them), the former Wisconsin DC and Broncos safety will stick around.

Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:

  • The Browns kept their OC post internal, elevating Tommy Rees, and they will do the same with their QBs coaching role. The team interviewed Giants assistant QBs coach Christian Jones for the job, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets, but they are instead shifting veteran Bill Musgrave to that position (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Musgrave, 57, is a six-time NFL OC — with the Eagles, Panthers, Jaguars, Vikings, Raiders and Broncos — and served as a senior offensive assistant on the past two Browns staffs. The Browns are backstopping their 32-year-old OC with considerable experience.
  • Former Cardinals and Giants DC James Bettcher has landed another gig under Lou Anarumo. The new Colts DC is adding Bettcher as linebackers coach, Pelissero tweets. Bettcher, 46, served as the Bengals’ LBs coach from 2022-24. He had previously headed up the Arizona and New York defenses in the 2010s but has since settled back on the positional level. This will also be a second tour of duty for Bettcher in Indianapolis; he coached under Chuck Pagano in 2012, before following Bruce Arians — Indy’s acting HC during Pagano’s cancer battle that year — to Arizona.
  • The Bengals will replace Bettcher with Mike Hodges, who will come over from the Saints. New Orleans had employed Hodges, 38, as its linebackers coach from 2020-24. Overall, Hodges spent eight seasons under Dennis Allen in the Big Easy, making it a bit interesting he is headed to Cincinnati than following Allen to Chicago.
  • Two new staffers are joining the Dolphins. Craig Aukerman is set to lead Miami’s ST units, Pelissero adds. An NFL staffer for 14 years, Aukerman spent 10 seasons with the Titans, staying on staff through four HCs. A 2023 game that featured two Tennessee punts blocked and standout punter Ryan Stonehouse suffering a serious knee injury led to Aukerman’s firing, and he did not coach in 2024. The Dolphins are also hiring Robert Prince as their wide receivers coach, per Pelissero. Prince has not previously coached under Mike McDaniel, but he has been an NFL assistant since 2004. After seven seasons with the Lions and a 2021 stop in Houston, he coached the Cowboys’ WRs for the past three years.
  • Circling back to Denver, the team is moving on from one of Joseph’s staffers. Greg Manusky will not be back as the Broncos‘ linebackers coach, Pelissero offers. The Broncos’ linebackers were perhaps the weak point on a top-five defense this season, though the unit lost top tackler Alex Singleton in Week 2. A four-time NFL DC, Manusky spent the past two seasons as Denver’s ILBs coach.

Lions Hire John Morton As OC

January 28th, 2025 at 10:25am CST by Adam La Rose

JANUARY 28: The Morton hire is now official, as first noted by Rapoport and Pelissero. The Broncos’ staff has seen another notable departure while the Lions will look to an outside figure to duplicate Johnson’s success on offense.

JANUARY 27: The Lions moved quickly in internally filling their defensive coordinator position. The OC vacancy is likewise soon to be taken care of, with the team looking to a familiar candidate.

Broncos pass-game coordinator John Morton is traveling to Detroit today, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Lions are working to finalize his hire for the offensive coordinator role. Provided this goes through, it will mark Morton’s second coordinator gig in the NFL and allow him to return to Detroit. He and Dan Campbell worked together in 2022.

Morton recently interviewed for the Lions’ OC gig, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. As a result, he became a name to watch closely on this front. Indeed, Schefter said on a Monday Pat McAfee Show appearance that the 55-year-old was likely to get the nod (video link). Provided everything goes according to plan upon arrival in the Motor City, that will prove to be the case.

After a playing career that spanned the NFL, CFL and World League of American Football, Morton transitioned to coaching in 1998. His first opportunity came with the Raiders, and he remained with the team for seven years. That stretch was followed by time with the Chargers, Saints (twice) and 49ers with a spell at USC in between. Morton’s first OC position in the pro game came in 2017 with the Jets. After a poor showing in his debut New York campaign, he was fired.

Morton then returned to the Raiders and spent time with them as a senior offensive assistant; he held that same role during his one campaign working with Campbell and the Lions. For the past two years, he worked with Sean Payton on the Broncos’ staff, overseeing the transition to a Bo Nix-led offense this past campaign. Denver’s success on that front did not generate coordinator interest from other teams, but it has now allowed him to receive a second OC opportunity at the NFL level.

Expectations will certainly be high for Morton in 2025. Ben Johnson oversaw Detroit’s offense for each of the past three years, and the unit ranked top-five in points and yards every campaign during that span. Once again, Johnson found himself as one of the hottest head coaching candidates in this year’s hiring cycle, one in which Campbell conceded a departure was more likely than before. Indeed, Johnson landed his first HC gig by taking charge of the Bears.

Much of the Lions’ offensive core will remain intact this offseason, with the likes of Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Taylor Decker and David Montgomery attached to extensions. Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams are on their rookie deals, meanwhile, so a high degree of continuity can be expected for next year. Given the changes on the sidelines, however, Detroit’s ability to remain among the league’s best on offense will be a talking point under Morton.

Raiders Request DC Interview With Karl Scott; Bo Hardegree, David Shaw On Radar?

January 27th, 2025 at 11:09am CST by Adam La Rose

Pete Carroll is set to return to the NFL coaching ranks with the Raiders. As the 73-year-old prepares to fill out his staff, a number of names worth monitoring have emerged.

Karl Scott was floated as a potential defensive coordinator candidate once the news of Carroll’s Vegas hire emerged. Scott serves as the Seahawks’ defensive passing game coordinator and he represents the last holdover from Carroll’s Seattle staffs. To no surprise, then, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports Scott has received a DC interview request from the Raiders.

Vegas has had Patrick Graham in place as defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, but with a new staff incoming it would come as no surprise if he were to depart in the near future. The 46-year-old is believed to be a leading candidate for the Jaguars’ DC gig, so he may have his next opportunity lined up soon. In any case, it will be interesting to see if Scott receives strong consideration to reunite with Carroll in Vegas.

The 39-year-old began his coaching career in 2007, making a number of stops at the college level. Scott spent three seasons working under Nick Saban at Alabama as the team’s defensive backs coach before receiving his first look in the NFL. The Vikings hired him to be their DBs coach for 2021, and he has held that same role with the Seahawks since 2022.

Making the jump to defensive coordinator would be a first for Scott, but given his familiarity with Carroll the Raiders’ gig could be a suitable one. Vegas finished ninth in points allowed in 2023, but this past season – one in which injuries along the edge in particular hindered the team – saw a regression to 25th in that department. Whether Scott or another candidate is hired, guiding that unit to a rebound will be a clear goal next season.

With respect to the offensive coordinator position, a separate Jones report notes Bo Hardegree is a name to watch. The Titans’ quarterbacks coach previously held that title with the Raiders; in 2023, he served as Vegas’ interim OC. A return to Sin City could be in order, especially since Hardegree (who interviewed with the Bears before they made their offensive coordinator hire) is still on the market.

Jones also writes that David Shaw could be on the Raiders’ radar. The longitme Stanford head coach has drawn HC interest around the NFL in recent years, and in 2024 he worked with the Broncos as a senior personnel executive. Shaw, 52, was also on the Bears’ interview list for their offensive coordinator gig. He, along with Scott and Hardegree, will be worth watching closely as Carroll weighs his staffing options.

Cowboys Request OC Interview With Kevin Koger, DC Interview With Ryan Crow

January 27th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

Brian Schottenheimer was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach of the Cowboys last week. The process of finding his OC is underway.

Dallas has requested an interview with Kevin Koger, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Koger worked as the Falcons’ tight ends coach in 2024, his sixth season in the NFL. Prior to his Atlanta tenure, he held the title of offensive quality control coach with the Packers in 2019 and ’20.

That period was followed by three years as the Chargers’ TE coach, so Koger has experience as a positional staffer. The 35-year-old has never worked as a coordinator at the NFL level, nor as an OC dating back to his time on the sidelines in the college game. He has drawn interest in the past, though, meeting with the Broncos and Packers in 2022 as well as the Browns during this year’s hiring cycle.

On the other side of the ball, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Cowboys have submitted an interview request for Ryan Crow. After working under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, Crow was fired following the 2023 season. He took on the outside linebackers gig with the Dolphins for 2024, and his work in that role has garnered attention. Crow interviewed with Vrabel and the Patriots last week, and now he is set to speak with the Cowboys for their coordinator vacancy.

With that said, former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is seen as the frontrunner for Dallas’ DC posting. The latest update on that front confirmed Eberflus remains the name to watch, although the Cowboys have also interviewed Bears safeties coach Andre Curtis. A colleague of Eberflus’ given their time together in Chicago, Curtis could land a role of some kind in Dallas provided the Eberflus hire goes through. In the meantime, Dallas will continue adding to the list of outside candidates.

The Cowboys are also on the lookout for a new special teams coordinator, and a pair of known interviews have taken place for that role. Broncos assistant ST coordinator Chris Banjo has met with Dallas, per Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo. A candidate to be promoted to the role in Denver, Banjo has also drawn interest around the league. In addition, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Bears assistant special teams coordinator Carlos Polk has received a look. Especially if Eberflus lands the DC gig, it would come as no surprise if a familiar face in the form of Polk – who has been in his current position since 2022 – were to be brought in. In any event, Dallas will remain a team to watch closely as the coordinator landscape becomes clearer over the coming days.

Bears To Hire Dennis Allen As DC, Declan Doyle As OC

January 26th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Bears new head coach Ben Johnson is starting to fill key positions on his staff, hiring ex-Saints head coach Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Johnson has also landed on Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle as his offensive coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Hiring Allen is hardly a surprise; he was mentioned as Johnson’s preferred DC as soon as the former Lions coach arrived in Chicago. Doyle interviewed with the Bears, but his relative youth and inexperience made him a somewhat unexpected pick. Notably, both coaches are part of Sean Payton‘s coaching tree and even overlapped for one season in New Orleans.

The Bears also elected to retain special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, despite reported interest in Darren Rizzi, another Payton disciple. This has been a big day for the 2024 Saints’ play-callers, despite the team’s 5-12 record. The Seahawks hired 2024 Saints OC Klint Kubiak as well.

At 28 years old, Doyle will be the youngest active coordinator and one of the youngest in NFL history; he has just five NFL seasons under his belt. Doyle’s first three came as an offensive assistant with the Saints, two under Payton and one under Allen. He then reunited with Payton in Denver, though the Broncos’ tight ends hardly featured in the offense during Doyle’s tenure.

Doyle won’t call plays in Chicago, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Those duties will remain with Johnson, though Doyle will obviously play a crucial role in shaping the Bears’ offense as they head into a second season with last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams. Doyle’s priority will likely be a leaky offensive line that allowed a league-high 68 sacks in 2024. Their struggles contributed to the Bears finishing near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories, including a league-low 4,820 total yards. Doyle’s key offensive weapons include wide receivers D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze as well as running back D’Andre Swift. The former tight ends coach will also look to revitalize Cole Kmet, who took a step back last season after posting career-highs in receptions and receiving yards in 2023.

Allen, meanwhile, will take over a Bears defense that finished 27th in yards allowed but 13th in points allowed in 2024. Chicago’s run defense was among the worst in the league, but they allowed just 17 touchdowns through the air, the fewest in the NFL. Allen will have a solid starting secondary, though the future of safety Jaquan Brisker is uncertain after missing most of the season due to his third concussion in three years. Allen will have more work to do along the defensive line, where the Bears lack high-level talent outside of Montez Sweat.

The Saints fired Allen after 2 1/2 seasons. The franchise’s continuity plan did not work, but GM Mickey Loomis was not ready to move on compared to where ownership was. Allen went 18-25 as Saints HC; that followed a miserable 8-28 mark overseeing the Raiders from 2012-14. While Allen has not worked out as a head coach, he played a key role in forming Saints contenders during his second stint in New Orleans. After Allen’s Oakland ouster, he reunited with Payton and soon took over as Saints DC.

After a woeful mid-2010s stretch, the Saints’ defense recovered under Allen. From 2017-21, the team posted a top-10 total defense in five consecutive seasons. This Bears chance will be Allen’s fifth as either a DC or HC. Following a tenure in which he collected a Super Bowl ring as Saints DBs coach, Allen will begin the 2025 season having either been a head coach or DC in 15 of the past 16 seasons. That represents considerable experience compared to Doyle, who will be riding shotgun to Johnson on offense.

With his three coordinators in place, as well as a few key assistants, Johnson’s first (and arguably most important) moves as head coach are complete. Now, he will turn his attention to the Bears’ offseason roster priorities as he tries to return the storied franchise to competitive relevance.

2025 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

January 26th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, half the league changed up at offensive and defensive coordinator. As most HC-needy teams have now filled their open positions, the coordinator carousel has accelerated. Here is how the market looks now. When other teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-21-25 (1:59pm CT)

Offensive coordinators

Chicago Bears (Out: Chris Beatty)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Ken Dorsey)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Brian Schottenheimer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Ben Johnson)

  • John Morton, pass-game coordinator (Broncos): Hired

Houston Texans (Out: Bobby Slowik)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Press Taylor)

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Klint Kubiak)

New York Jets (Out: Nathaniel Hackett)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Promoted

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Ryan Grubb)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Liam Coen)

Defensive coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Jimmy Lake)

Chicago Bears (Out: Eric Washington)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Lou Anarumo)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Mike Zimmer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Aaron Glenn)

  • Larry Foote, inside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Kelvin Sheppard, linebackers coach (Lions): Promoted

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Gus Bradley)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

  • Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach/running game coordinator (Packers): Hired
  • Jonathan Cooley, pass-game coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
  • Patrick Graham, former defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed 1/27
  • Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/27
  • Aubrey Pleasant, defensive pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/28

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: DeMarcus Covington)

  • Ryan Crow, outside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/21
  • Terrell Williams, defensive line coach (Lions): Hired

New Orleans Saints (Out: Joe Woods)

New York Jets (Out: Jeff Ulbrich)

  • Chris Harris, former defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/29
  • Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (49ers): To be hired

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Nick Sorensen)

NFL Injury Notes: Hurts, Rapp, Elliss, Flowers

January 25th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jalen Hurts‘ knee has been a talking point during the week after it was injured during the Eagles’ divisional round victory. The team will have its franchise quarterback in place tomorrow, although his mobility will remain something to monitor.

Hurts made progress in practice over the past few days, and he was listed as a full participant. He does not carry a designation heading into Sunday, confirmation that he will be in the lineup for the NFC title game. The two-time Pro Bowler did say, however, that he anticipates he will wear a knee brace tomorrow (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

Philadelphia’s offense has continued to rely heavily on running back Saquon Barkley through the first two rounds of the playoffs. He has racked up 355 scrimmage yards to date in the postseason, and he will no doubt be a focal point against the Commanders tomorrow. Nevertheless, Hurts’ mobility will important to watch given his capabilities as a rusher and his significance to the ‘Philly Shove’ in short yardage and goal line situations.

Here are some other injury notes from around the NFL:

  • Regarding tomorrow’s other conference title game, the Bills will be shorthanded in the secondary. Safety Taylor Rapp exited last week’s win over the Ravens with a hip injury, and he has not practiced since. Head coach Sean McDermott ruled Rapp out yesterday. As a result, second-round rookie Cole Bishop – who handled a part-time role on defense during the regular season – is in line to start.
  • The Broncos were the first team to be eliminated from the postseason by the Bills, and their defense was dealt an injury blow in the process. Rookie edge rusher Jonah Elliss suffered a fractured scapula bone in his right shoulder during the loss to Buffalo, as detailed by Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. Elliss, the Broncos’ third-rounder in last year’s draft, had an impressive debut campaign with five sacks despite only logging a 38% defensive snap share. Tomasson writes he is expected to be fully recovered in time for offseason workouts in April, so a clean bill of health for the 2025 campaign should come to pass.
  • Zay Flowers suffered a knee sprain in Week 18, and it kept him out of the wild-card and divisional rounds. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after Baltimore’s season-ending defeat (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) the second-year wideout could have been in play for this week had the team advanced to the AFC title game (subscription required). More notably, Harbaugh added surgery may be required during the offseason on the affected knee. After an encouraging rookie season, Flowers topped 1,000 receiving yards and earned a Pro Bowl nod. His health for 2025 will of course be of great importance to the Ravens.
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