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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/26/26

By | at January 26, 2026 8:04 pm

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

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John Franklin-Myers, J.K. Dobbins, Alex Singleton Want To Re-Sign With Broncos

By | at January 26, 2026 5:25 pm

Although the Broncos endured some bad luck via the untimely Bo Nix injury, they took care of some key offseason matters early. Denver extended Courtland Sutton, Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto ahead of their contract years before agreeing on deals with Luke Wattenberg, Malcolm Roach and Wil Lutz in-season.

This does not leave many notable free agents for the AFC runner-ups, but there are a few. John Franklin-Myers, Alex Singleton and J.K. Dobbins are unsigned for 2026. While the Broncos are set to finally see Russell Wilson‘s contract come off their books, the team did make a few notable contract decisions over the past several months. That will certainly influence how they proceed in free agency.

Franklin-Myers, Singleton and Dobbins each want to re-sign with the team. Singleton confirmed this (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson), while Franklin-Myers indicated he wants to stay but confirmed the team still has not made him an offer to stay, Tomasson adds. Dobbins expressed interest in a second Broncos contract just before his season-ending Lisfranc injury and reiterated a desire to stay in Denver (via Guerilla Sports’ Brandon Krisztal). Denver is projected to hold more than $27MM in cap space.

It would appear Franklin-Myers is weeks away from signing elsewhere. We have heard for months he was unlikely to fit into the team’s 2026 plans. The Broncos added him in what amounted to a salary-dump trade with the Jets during the 2024 draft. Denver then worked out a renegotiated contract (two years, $15MM) that eclipsed New York’s pay-cut offer. Franklin-Myers became an immediate starter as a 3-4 defensive end, totaling 14.5 sacks and 33 QB hits over the past two seasons.

The Broncos may not have made an offer, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the team would “love” to retain the veteran inside rusher. Though, extensive free agency interest is expected to form for a player who has not previously hit the market. Franklin-Myers, 29, was a Jets waiver claim (after the Rams cut him) who then signed a New York extension. Two years remained on that deal when he redid it to facilitate the trade to Denver. He has vaulted into a strong position after two productive Broncos seasons, with Fowler labeling him this year’s top D-tackle free agent.

Sheldon Rankins, Jalen Redmond, Shelby Harris and D.J. Reader are close to the market, but Franklin-Myers will command the most money. Although the Broncos agreed to re-sign D.J. Jones just before free agency last year, their deals with he, Allen and Roach — to go with extensions for Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper — will make it tough to fit another Franklin-Myers pact into the budget.

Denver will have a decision to make on Dre Greenlaw soon. Greenlaw’s 49ers injury trouble led to a deal without any 2026 guarantees at signing. The Broncos can escape the injury-prone linebacker’s contract for $6MM in savings by cutting him before a $2MM guarantee triggers on Day 5 of the 2026 league year. A Greenlaw release could clear a path for Singleton, a four-year Broncos starter who played out a three-year, $18MM contract.

Singleton, however, is now 32; the Broncos also had issues with their linebackers in coverage. The team has LB regular Justin Strnad entering free agency once again as well. A new-look LB corps could be on tap for the Broncos in 2026. Singleton completed a recovery from testicular cancer surgery to return to his starting post soon after the diagnosis. Pro Football Focus rated the ex-Eagle as one of the season’s best run-defending LBs, ranking him 26th overall at the position.

Dobbins’ latest injury will make it difficult for him to command too much, as maladies continue to define his career. While the former Ravens and Chargers starter played well when available, he missed nine games counting the two playoff absences. Dobbins said he was “very close” to being activated off IR, but it had long been reported a Super Bowl return represented the best-case scenario.

Denver certainly missed its starter, who still finished the season with a team-high 772 rushing yards. This came after a career-best 905 with the Chargers, but Dobbins has now missed 55 regular-season games since being a 2020 second-round pick. The Broncos have RJ Harvey signed through 2028, while they can retain Jaleel McLaughlin as an RFA. Dobbins, 27, could be a target to return on another one-year, low-cost deal. But the Broncos also may want to aim for more security as they look to pair Harvey with another starter-level option in 2026.

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Broncos Activate C Luke Wattenberg From IR; RB J.K. Dobbins Ruled Out

By | at January 24, 2026 5:47 pm

After losing him for the final couple weeks of the regular season and missing him in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Broncos have activated starting center Luke Wattenberg off their injured reserve in time for tomorrow’s Conference Championship. In a corresponding move, the team placed quarterback Bo Nix on IR following his season-ending ankle injury.

After playing every snap of the season through 15 games for the Broncos, Wattenberg appeared on the injury report leading into Week 17 with a shoulder issue. Ultimately, it was determined that he would need to be placed on IR with the possibility that he may be able to make a return at about this point of the playoffs.

Denver turned to backup center Alex Forsyth, a third-year lineman taken out of the seventh round from Oregon, to take over in Wattenberg’s absence. Forsyth had previous subbed in as a starter for four games that Wattenberg missed in 2024, as well. In his role as the backup center, Forsyth ended up having some injury issues himself. In both his Week 18 and Divisional Round starts, third-string center Sam Mustipher was tasked with filling in for a couple snaps in place of Forsyth.

Now Wattenberg returns to close out the season for the Broncos, who are limping along at this point after the injury to Nix. The team is also without veteran running back J.K. Dobbins, who was officially ruled out yesterday and will remain on IR, per Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette. Additionally, second-leading wide receiver Troy Franklin seems to be trending in the wrong direction as he attempts to work through a hamstring injury.

As a result, the Broncos are utilizing their two standard gameday practice squad elevations to call up wide receivers Michael Bandy and Elijah Moore for Sunday’s game. Moore was called up last week, as well, but has still yet to make his Broncos debut. According to Tomasson, Moore was aware that he wouldn’t be playing last week and that the elevation was just a way of rewarding him with a full game check. Franklin’s hamstring issue opens the door, though, to some potential playing time for taxi squad pass catchers.

Though the offense isn’t at 100 percent, it’s the Broncos defense that’s gotten them this far. They’ll need that side of the ball to hold off the visiting Patriots enough to allow for backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, rookie running back RJ Harvey, and the rest of the offense to find success at this most crucial point of the season.

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Raiders Aiming For Offense-Minded HC To Pair With Fernando Mendoza?

By | at January 21, 2026 10:10 pm

Firing defense-minded head coaches in back-to-back years, the Raiders would presumably be more interested in going in another direction during this year’s cycle. Teams regularly take this route after a hire does not work out, and it indeed looks like Las Vegas wants to go offense with its 2026 HC appointment.

The Raiders want to pair an offense-oriented coach with likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes. The team may also be willing to wait on this weekend’s conference championship games or perhaps through Super Bowl LX.

Klint Kubiak and Davis Webb both interviewed for the Raiders’ HC position, doing so virtually. The Broncos and Seahawks’ bye weeks allowed for their assistants to discuss jobs early, and Schultz adds both look to have made good impressions. Each remains in the running, and while Jesse Minter appears to be a live candidate as well, he may be fighting an uphill battle due to where the Raiders are aiming.

The team canned Antonio Pierce a year after removing his interim tag. After an aggressive Ben Johnson pursuit fell short, the Raiders veered about as far in the opposite direction as possible by hiring Pete Carroll, who became the oldest HC in NFL history this season. Carroll finished 3-14, edging a disinterested Chiefs team in Week 18 to avoid a two-win campaign. The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick as a result of Carroll’s performance, giving his replacement a silver lining as the organization retools yet again.

Mendoza holds the honor of spearheading one of the great stories in modern college football history, with non-traditional power Indiana emerging to go 16-0 and win the national championship on the back of its Heisman-winning quarterback. He is expected to be the Raiders’ No. 1 pick, as the franchise has taken a few unsuccessful swings at QB since releasing Derek Carr in 2023. To avoid having Mendoza lose his play-caller — granted, this has not been an issue for the Raiders in a long time — to another HC job, the Silver and Black could pair him with an offense-geared leader from the start.

It would seem a bit early on Webb, but the Broncos’ QBs coach is impressing in interviews. The 30-year-old assistant has garnered interest for second interviews, and this report certainly points to the Raiders being interested in a follow-up meeting. Should Denver pull an upset and edge New England without Bo Nix, Webb’s stock could skyrocket ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Raiders cannot interview him again until the Broncos are eliminated.

The same rules are in place with Kubiak, the first year Seahawks OC. Kubiak has yet to run the same team’s offense in consecutive seasons, but he certainly would be asked back in Seattle if not hired by a team this year. While Sam Darnold finished just 19th in QBR, the Seahawks went 14-3 and saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the NFL in receiving. Kubiak, 39 next month, would give the Raiders access to a Shanahan-style attack, as the second-generation coach was on the 49ers’ staff previously and grew up observing his father (Gary) and Mike Shanahan‘s similar offensive approaches.

Webb remains in the running for the Ravens’ HC job, while the Bills have him on their radar as well. Kubiak interviewed with the Cardinals and Ravens while also emerging early as a potential Bills candidate. Joe Brady, Nate Scheelhaase, Mike LaFleur and Klint’s brother Klay — the 49ers’ OC — are the other offensive candidates to interview for the Vegas job.

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Broncos Designate C Luke Wattenberg For Return From IR

By | at January 21, 2026 5:04 pm

Denver will go without starting quarterback Bo Nix when it hosts New England in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, but one of the Broncos’ top offensive linemen could return. The Broncos have opened center Luke Wattenberg‘s 21-day practice window, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.

A shoulder injury has kept Wattenberg out of three straight games. Under normal circumstances, a player on injured reserve is required to miss four contests. However, because the Broncos clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs, Wattenberg is now eligible to come off IR.

Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick in 2022, spent his first two seasons in Denver as a backup. He became the Broncos’ No. 1 center in 2024 and has since started in all 28 appearances, including 15 this season. Pro Football Focus ranked Wattenberg’s performance 10th among 38 qualifying centers in 2025. He earned solid grades as both a run and pass blocker.

With Wattenberg a few months from free agency, the Broncos awarded him a four-year, $48MM extension on Nov. 25. He now sits fifth at his position in contract value and AAV. Wattenberg’s $27MM in guarantees trails only the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey ($35MM).

On Christmas Day, a month after the Broncos locked up Wattenberg for the long haul, he landed on IR. Alex Forsyth has filled in at center during Wattenberg’s IR stint, and that will likely continue if the latter is unavailable against the Patriots. Forsyth suffered an injury in a 33-30 divisional round win over the Bills, which led the Broncos to plug in Sam Mustipher for the rest of the game. However, Forsyth participated in practice Wednesday, Tomasson relays.

Despite their injuries at center, the Broncos escaped in overtime against the Bills in an instant classic. Nix sustained a season-ending ankle injury, though, leaving the Broncos as rare home underdogs in the AFC title game. Former Patriot Jarrett Stidham will fill in for Nix as the Broncos vie for their first conference championship in a decade.

While Stidham’s facing an uphill battle this week, the return of Wattenberg would help his cause. The Broncos could also welcome No. 1 RB J.K. Dobbins back after opening his practice window on Monday.

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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/20/26

By | at January 20, 2026 6:10 pm

Today’s practice squad moves:

Denver Broncos

With Broncos starting center Luke Wattenberg expected to return from IR for the AFC Championship Game, the team decided to move on from veteran center Michael Deiter. The 29-year-old got into 17 games for the Commanders last season and appeared in two games with them in 2025. He caught on with the Broncos practice squad earlier this month. Taking his place is Brandon Johnson, who is the son of former Colorado Rockies catcher Charles Johnson and cousin of former NFL standout Chad Johnson. The wideout has seen time in 23 career games, hauling in 26 catches for 335 yards and five touchdowns.

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2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at January 20, 2026 9:00 am

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 1-29-26 (6:10pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Zac Robinson)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Todd Monken)

Denver Broncos (Out: Joe Lombardi)

  • Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach (Bills): Interviewed

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Bears): Rehired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

New York Jets (Out: Tanner Engstrand)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Arthur Smith)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills (Out: Bobby Babich)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Jesse Minter)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Anthony Weaver)

  • Clint Hurtt, defensive line coach (Eagles): Interviewed

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Teryl Austin)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Robert Saleh)

  • Gus Bradley, assistant head coach (49ers): Interviewed
  • Raheem Morris, former head coach (Falcons): Interviewed
  • Joe Woods, defensive backs coach (Raiders): Interviewed

Tennessee Titans (Out: Dennard Wilson)

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

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Joe Brady, Brian Daboll, Davis Webb Potential Candidates For Bills’ HC Job

By | at January 19, 2026 8:08 pm

After the shocking firing of Sean McDermott on Monday, the Bills are in the market for a head coach for the first time since 2017. They may not look far for McDermott’s replacement, though, with Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady emerging as an early contender for the position. The 36-year-old “has a lot of fans in that building,” according to Connor Hughes of SNY.

[RELATED: Bills Promote Brandon Beane To President Of Football Ops/GM]

Brady spent four seasons under McDermott, who hired the ex-Panthers offensive coordinator as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in 2022. While Brady opened 2023 in the same role, he finished the year as interim O-coordinator after the midseason firing of Ken Dorsey.

The Bills, 5-5 when they waved goodbye to Dorsey, reeled off six wins in their last seven after Brady began calling the plays. The team earned an AFC East title and won its first playoff game before falling to the Chiefs in the divisional round. Brady did enough over two-plus months for McDermott to promote him on to the full-time gig.

The Bills finished 10th in total offense and scored the second-most points in the NFL in 2024, Brady’s first year on the job. Quarterback Josh Allen won MVP honors for the first time, but the Chiefs again knocked the Bills out of the playoffs – this time in the AFC Championship Game.

In Year 2 under Brady, Buffalo ranked fourth in both yards and scoring, and running back James Cook led the league in rushing. The Bills’ offense amassed 57 points in two playoff games, but a 33-30 loss to the Broncos in the divisional round cost McDermott his job – a role that could go to Brady.

Although Brady doesn’t have any head coaching experience, he has drawn plenty of interest around the league over the past couple of years. The Bears, Jaguars, Saints and Jets all interviewed him before hiring different head coaches last January. As part of this year’s hiring cycle, Brady has already interviewed with the Falcons, Ravens, Raiders and Dolphins. Atlanta (Kevin Stefanski) and Miami (Jeff Hafley) have since filled their HC positions, but it appears the Bills will seriously consider Brady for another promotion.

A few years before Brady took over the Bills’ offense, Brian Daboll was in charge from 2018-21. The former McDermott sidekick is often credited with helping develop a young Allen into a superstar.

Daboll and Allen, integral parts of a top-tier Buffalo offense from 2020-21, forged a close bond during their time together. They may reunite in the coming weeks, as executives around the league told Dianna Russini of The Athletic that Daboll is a name to watch for in the Bills’ search.

As someone who grew up in the Western New York area, Daboll has close ties to the region. He also carries head coaching experience, though his first try with the Giants yielded uninspiring results.

The Giants went 20-40-1 in three-plus seasons under Daboll, whom they fired in November. After going 9-7-1 and winning a playoff game in 2022, Daboll’s rookie season, the Giants won just 11 of their last 44 games under his leadership. Despite early flashes, Daniel Jones didn’t develop into the answer under center for the Giants, which played a key role in Daboll’s struggles.

Daboll would inherit an elite QB in returning to Buffalo, but it’s debatable whether he’d provide an upgrade over McDermott, owner of a 98-50 regular-season mark and an 8-8 playoff record. At .662, McDermott boasts the 15th-best all-time winning percentage among head coaches. Daboll’s .336 mark is a whopping 326 points worse.

Former Bills signal-caller Davis Webb, who played with Allen from 2019-21 and under Daboll from 2019-22 (including a year with the Giants), is another potential option to replace McDermott, Peter Schrager of ESPN relays. Webb immediately got into coaching in 2023, the first year after his playing career ended, as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach in 2023. He continues to hold that job, but head coach Sean Payton also promoted Webb to offensive pass game coordinator this season.

Webb, who has helped 2024 first-rounder Bo Nix turn into a quality starter, has already interviewed with the Raiders and Ravens this month. Although he’s just 30 years old (he’ll turn 31 on Thursday), Webb is a strong candidate to earn second interviews with one or both of those teams.

The Broncos will host the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, meaning Webb won’t be available to meet with teams this week. He’s now focused on leading an undermanned Broncos passing attack that lost Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in their win over the Bills. No matter how far they go, the Broncos are likely to ride out the season with career backup Jarrett Stidham replacing Nix. Webb’s surging stock will continue rising if the 29-year-old Stidham performs well in his fifth career start and first since 2023. Regardless, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bills contact him, especially considering Webb’s close friendship with Allen.

Whether it’s Brady, Daboll, Webb or another candidate, the Bills’ next HC will likely have a say in the fate of their remaining coaches, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News reports. With the exception of offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who retired Sunday, all of McDermott’s former assistants are still in place.

The well-regarded Kromer, 58, had two stints running the Bills’ offensive line (the first from 2015-16, the second from 2022-25). He began his NFL coaching career assisting with the Raiders’ O-line in 2001. Kromer later worked with the Buccaneers, Saints, Bears and Rams in various roles. He went 2-4 as the Saints’ interim head coach in 2012, the year of Payton’s BountyGate suspension, and was the Bears’ offensive coordinator from 2013-14.

With Kromer hanging it up, assistant OL coach Austin Gund may be in line as his successor, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. That’ll be up to the Bills’ next head coach, but it stands to reason a Brady promotion would give Gund a better chance of returning in 2026.

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Ravens Expected To Conduct HC Interview With Darren Rizzi

By | at January 19, 2026 5:10 pm

The Ravens have conducted a wide-ranging first round of interviews in their search for a head coach. The list of candidates in their case is set to grow even further, however.

Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is expected to interview with Baltimore, 9News’ Mike Klis reports. Rizzi spoke with the Giants earlier this month before New York ultimately hired John Harbaugh. Now, he is set to be among the options to replace Harbaugh as the Ravens’ head coach.

Rizzi has a lengthy track record as a special teams coach, something which is particularly notable since that was also the case for Harbaugh when he arrived in Baltimore in 2008. Rizzi has been a ST coordinator with the Dolphins (2011-18), Saints (2019-24) and Broncos (2025). The 55-year-old was New Orleans’ interim head coach to close out last season after Dennis Allen was fired. He reunited with longtime colleague Sean Payton last winter by joining Denver.

In addition to his brief run leading a staff with the Saints, Rizzi held the title of assistant head coach in New Orleans. He also worked as an associate head coach during his final two years in Miami. At the college level, Rizzi’s Rutgers tenure included four years as an assistant head coach. On two occasions – with Division-II New Haven from 1999-2001 and with Rhode Island in 2008 – Rizzi has worked as a standalone head coach.

That gives him more experience than some of the other candidates connected to Baltimore’s HC opening to date. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has left the door open to a first-time coaching hire or a second opportunity for one of the veterans on the market. Balance between staffers with a background on offense and defense has been struck so far in Baltimore’s search, but Rizzi is the only candidate to date with one on special teams.

Since the Broncos advanced to the AFC title game, Rizzi (and colleagues like Vance Joseph and Davis Webb) cannot conduct an interview this week. Over the coming days, the Ravens may wind up making a hire depending on how many more dominoes fall around the NFL. In any case, a Rizzi interview will be something to watch for once it becomes possible.

Via PFR’s HC Search Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand for Baltimore:

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Broncos Designate RB J.K. Dobbins For Return From IR

By | at January 19, 2026 3:20 pm

The Broncos will be without their starting quarterback for Sunday’s AFC championship game. There is at least a slight chance their backfield will be at full strength for the contest, however.

Running back J.K. Dobbins is having his practice window opened, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He adds there is a possibility at this point Dobbins could suit up against the Patriots this week. The likelihood of that taking place will be worth monitoring over the coming days.

A Lisfranc injury suffered in Week 10 threatened to end Dobbins’ 2025 season, his first in Denver. The six-year veteran had enjoyed a productive year up to that point, posting 772 rushing yards in 10 games. The chance of a return in time for the Super Bowl emerged following surgery, however, and that is certainly a possibility with the Broncos one win away from getting there.

Denver’s offense will be a question mark given the fact Bo Nix broke a bone in his right ankle during overtime of the team’s divisional round win. As a result, Jarrett Stidham will handle starting duties after spending each of the past three seasons as the Broncos’ backup (logging only a pair of starts over that span). Needless to say, a strong running game would be welcomed by Denver. A healthy Dobbins would go a long way in ensuring that were possible.

Since Dobbins went down, second-round rookie RJ Harvey has become a key figure on offense. Harvey has posted between 11 and 23 offensive touches each game without Dobbins available. A heavy workload can once again be expected against New England, particularly if Dobbins is not activated from injured reserve in time for the game.

Dobbins, 27, spent the 2024 season with the Chargers after his Ravens tenure came to an end. The Ohio State product is attached to a second straight one-year contract, an illustration of his struggles to stay healthy over the course of his career. A return to the lineup this week or (potentially) in time for the Super Bowl would see Dobbins add to his Broncos production, though, something which could help him boost his market value.

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