Ladell Betts, Tyke Tolbert Among Those Joining Dolphins’ Staff
A former NFL running back, Ladell Betts made his debut coaching in the league last season. The Giants employed the former Washington cog as its RBs coach in 2025, but he is heading to Florida.
The Dolphins will hire Betts for the same role, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Betts is among Jeff Hafley‘s new hires. Veteran wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert will be Miami’s new wideouts coach, per NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe. Zach Yenser is coming over from the Texans to be the Dolphins’ new offensive line coach, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson linked Yenser to Miami previously, and he adds the team is hiring Ryan Downard from the Packers as DBs coach.
Prior to Betts’ New York arrival, he coached RBs at his alma mater — Iowa — for four seasons. Betts, 46, spent the previous seven seasons coaching at the high school level. Betts was Clinton Portis‘ top backup for much of his Washington tenure, which lasted from 2002-09. He finished his career with the Saints in 2010.
Tolbert, 58, has been coaching wideouts in the NFL since 2003. He comes over after a two-year stint as Titans WRs coach. This will be Tolbert’s eighth gig coaching wideouts in the pros. Prior to the Titans, Tolbert coached Cardinals, Bills, Panthers, Broncos, Giants and Bears receivers from 2003-23. He has not previously worked with either Hafley or OC Bobby Slowik. Tolbert earned a Super Bowl ring while in Denver.
Hafley will bring Downard with him from Green Bay. Downard, 37, has ties to both Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan. The Packers had kept Downard on their staff through the Mike Pettine, Joe Barry and Hafley DC tenures. He oversaw Xavier McKinney‘s first-team All-Pro season in Hafley’s debut and helped Evan Williams prosper early as a fourth-round pick. Downard will also serve as Dolphins defensive pass-game coordinator, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
Yenser worked under Slowik in Houston, and he spent the past two seasons as the Texans’ assistant O-line coach. He had served as Kentucky’s O-line coach under Liam Coen in 2023. This will mark Yenser’s first shot at being an NFL O-line coach. Yenser also worked with Slowik in San Francsico.
Additionally, Wilson notes Sullivan is expected to bring at least one Packers scout with him immediately. The Dolphins are expected to hire Green Bay staffer Venzell Boulware. The former college lineman spent his final collegiate season (2018) at the University of Miami.
Packers To Hire Bobby Babich As Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
After two years as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator, Bobby Babich is leaving for Green Bay. The Packers are hiring Babich as their defensive pass game coordinator/secondary, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
This closes the door on a long run in Buffalo for Babich. After joining the team in 2017, he worked in various roles (including assistant DBs coach, safeties coach and linebackers coach) under Sean McDermott for the head coach’s entire nine-year tenure.
The Bills fired McDermott after the season and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to replace him on Tuesday. Babich was not among the Bills’ HC candidates.
With Brady expected to pursue Jim Leonhard for defensive coordinator, it quickly became clear Babich would coach somewhere else in 2026. A day later, the 42-year-old will take over for Ryan Downard in Green Bay and assist new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Downard followed former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, now the Dolphins’ head coach, to Miami earlier this month. Babich will also be replacing pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley, who is leaving the organization after losing his 2025 title, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Babich, who was among the candidates Hafley beat out to become the Packers’ D-coordinator two years ago, was at the helm of the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense in 2025. The Bills also ended the year a respectable 11th in interceptions.
The Packers, meanwhile, finished 11th in pass defense and a far less impressive 28th in picks this season. They intercepted just seven passes, and Keisean Nixon was the team’s only cornerback to register an INT. Babich, known for emphasizing the importance of takeaways, will work to significantly increase the Packers’ pick total in 2026.
“We talk about it constantly, just about taking the ball away and opportunities to do that,” Babich told BuffaloBills.com last year. “Then we emphasize it in practice. We show the whole defense when we take it away in practice. We’re just constantly talking about it. It’s not just me, it’s the coaching staff and the players.”
Replacing Babich will be one of Brady’s most important tasks at the outset of his head coaching tenure in Buffalo. While the Bills may have interest in Leonhard, he’s the only potential candidate whose name has come up so far.
NFC North Notes: Walker, Doubs, Tom, Wyatt, Byard
This past weekend, Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker was arrested at LaGuardia Airport on gun charges, per a report from multiple contributors at the New York Post. On Friday morning, Walker was taken into custody after trying to check a bag that contained a handgun and ammunition.
Arthur Aidala, Walker’s attorney, explained that Walker legally owned the firearm but that it is licensed in Wisconsin, and he didn’t know that he couldn’t travel with the gun to New York. It was actually Walker’s attempt to disclose the contents of the locked gun box in his luggage that led to his arrest.
Walker was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. After an appearance at criminal court, Walker was released on his own recognizance with a return date of March 19. Aidala is confident that the case will be dismissed.
Here are a few other recent rumors from around the NFC North:
- In the Packers’ young receiving corps, pending free agent Romeo Doubs has been perhaps the most consistent contributor in the talented position group. When asked if he would be returning to Green Bay in a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show, Doubs wanted to make it known that he “would love to be a Green Bay Packer” but that he knows the nature of the business.
- Packers right tackle Zach Tom was unable to finish out the season with his team in the playoffs this year due to a knee injury, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tom tried to get back on the field using a PRP injection, but he didn’t feel he would be able to pass block with it. He’s expected to undergo surgery to repair a partially torn patellar tendon with a recovery timeline of approximately six months.
- Silverstein also reported on the injury to Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who reportedly suffered a broken fibula and torn ligament in his ankle. The soft tissue injury certainly lengthens any recovery time, but per Silverstein, Wyatt expects to be back in time for training camp.
- Following a surprising late-season run into the playoffs, Bears pending free agent safety Kevin Byard made it known that he “would love to be back” in Chicago on a new deal, according to Bears writer Gabby Hajduk. Byard expressed a desire to “finish what (the Bears) got started this year” as he “wants to be on a team that wants to win.” There’s no doubt Chicago will want to retain Byard, but the question will be if they can afford it. Byard led the NFL in interceptions this year for the second time in his career, earning a third first-team All-Pro selection as a result. Two picks in the two years before this season seemed to indicate a fall off as Byard ventured into his thirties, but he turned back the clock just in time for it to pay off in a big way on his next deal.
Coaching Notes: Titans, Cowboys, Leonhard, Packers, Eagles, Jaguars
Robert Saleh did not retain Titans OC Nick Holz or DC Dennard Wilson, but the new Tennessee HC kept special teams coordinator John Fassel. Saleh will also have some other Brian Callahan holdovers back. He is retaining running backs coach Randy Jordan, tight ends coach Luke Stocker and cornerbacks coach/defensive pass-game coordinator Tony Oden, according to veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky.
Jordan, 55, coached Washington’s running backs for 10 seasons before joining Callahan’s staff last year. Ron Rivera previously retained him from the Jay Gruden staffs. An 11-year veteran tight end who last played in 2021, Stocker initially jointed the Titans’ staff in Mike Vrabel‘s final year and has been promoted in each of the past two offseasons, rising to TEs coach in 2025.
Oden, 52, has been an NFL staffer since 2004. Of the trio known to be staying, Oden is the only one to overlap with Saleh in the past. That history is extensive. Saleh’s first NFL job — as a Texans intern in 2005 — overlapped with Oden’s Houston stint. Oden broke into the NFL with the Texans a year prior to Saleh but stayed on Dom Capers‘ staff for one more season. Saleh then worked with Oden on the 2020 49ers and brought him to New York for his Jets staff. Oden served as a senior defensive assistant who worked with the team’s corners from 2021-24. He caught on with the Titans last year.
Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:
- The Packers had eyed Jim Leonhard for their DC opening back in 2021, but the then-Wisconsin coordinator was believed to have received an offer. Leonhard did not factor into the Pack’s search to replace Joe Barry in 2024, but it was believed he was back on the team’s radar this year. Matt LaFleur was expected to talk with Leonhard, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. While Leonhard is now free to interview, Green Bay hired Jonathan Gannon shortly before the Broncos’ AFC championship game tilt. A 2024 report indicated Leonhard was LaFleur’s top choice in 2021, so it is interesting the Packers did not formally interview him this time.
- Leonhard remains on the Broncos’ staff as DBs coach but may well receive more DC consideration. The Cowboys interviewed him before hiring Christian Parker, a previous Denver DBs coach. Dallas made the Parker hire Thursday, with the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins indicating the team did not feel it could wait out Leonhard. Had the Broncos booked a Super Bowl LX berth, the Cowboys could not have hired Leonhard until after that game.
- The Cowboys set up interviews with recent Vikings staffer Marcus Dixon and Eagles assistant linebackers coach Ronnell Williams, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. Dixon worked with Parker on the Broncos’ staff from 2022-23, serving as the team’s D-line coach. Dixon spent the past two years as the Vikings‘ D-line coach, and ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes his contract has expired. While Minnesota could work out a new deal as it did with Brian Flores, Dixon is scheduling interviews elsewhere. Dixon was with the Cowboys as a player from 2008-10. Williams has worked with the Eagles since 2023, overlapping with Parker over the past two seasons. Williams is still under contract with the Eagles, per Watkins.
- Philadelphia made an in-house promotion after losing Parker to Dallas. The Eagles are elevating safeties coach Joe Kasper to DBs coach/defensive pass-game coordinator, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe tweets. Interest came in from elsewhere, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s EJ Smith, but the Eagles will retain Kasper by promoting him. Kasper followed Vic Fangio from Miami in 2024; he served as Dolphins safeties coach in 2023. Kasper, however, is in his second stint with the Eagles; he was on Nick Sirianni‘s staff from 2021-22.
- The Jaguars are adding Brian Picucci from the Buccaneers’ staff. Picucci is joining Liam Coen‘s staff as the Jags’ run-game coordinator on offense, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Bucs blocked Coen from poaching Picucci last year, after Coen’s acrimonious Tampa exit, but the two have an extensive history. Picucci followed Coen from Kentucky to Tampa in 2024; he served as the Bucs’ O-line coach in 2025, after Tampa Bay had blocked him from interviewing for that job in Jacksonville.
Packers To Hire Jonathan Gannon As DC
The Packers recently lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley when he took the Dolphins’ head coaching position. The search for his replacement has come to an end.
Green Bay is hiring Jonathan Gannon to fill the DC position, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The former Cardinals head coach has thus managed to find a new opportunity not long after his Arizona firing. Gannon was one of three candidates known to have interviewed with the Packers. 
Interest in multiple D-coordinator openings was present in Gannon’s case. The Commanders interviewed him once, while the Cowboys conducted a follow-up with him last week. Gannon was also among the candidates who spoke with the Titans about their head coaching position, but a return to the DC ranks has long been expected in this case. Both the Chargers and Giants were interested in Gannon, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports. Green Bay moving quickly with this hire may have been a reaction to the threat of other DC offers being made shortly.
Gannon spent three seasons leading the Cardinals. Hired alongside general manager Monti Ossenfort to oversee a rebuilding effort, Arizona went 4-13 during his first year on the sidelines. The team’s win total doubled in 2024; that encouraging campaign saw the Cardinals in contention for a playoff berth for much of the season. A poor showing after the bye produced only a pair of wins down the stretch, however.
Expectations were high for Gannon’s team to at least match its success from the prior year entering 2025. Things did not go according to plan, however. Following a 2-0 start, the Cardinals lost five consecutive one-score games. A win coming out of the bye seemed to offer the potential for a turnaround, but as injuries across the roster piled up Arizona ended the year on a nine-game losing streak. Leading up to ‘Black Monday,’ it increasingly appeared as though Ossenfort would be safe while Gannon would be dismissed. That was indeed the path ownership took.
Prior to his Cardinals tenure, Gannon coordinated the Eagles’ defense for two years. Philadelphia ranked top 10 in yards allowed during the 2021 and ’22 seasons; the team improved from 18th to eighth in scoring defense under Gannon. With the Eagles reaching the Super Bowl during Gannon’s final year in Philadelphia, it came as little surprise when he received a head coaching opportunity. Expectations will no doubt be tempered if Gannon, 42, is to get another HC look in the future.
Upon returning to coordinator duties, however, Gannon could once again see quick success. Green Bay largely thrived on defense during Hafley’s two-year run leading the unit. Injuries midway through the 2025 campaign – highlighted of course by Micah Parsons‘ ACL tear – proved to be impactful, and the Packers struggled on defense through the end of the season and in the wild-card round. That did not stop Hafley from being among the top HC candidates during this year’s hiring cycle, and few were surprised when he followed Green Bay colleague Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami.
Gannon had a lengthy track record of NFL coaching gigs prior to his Eagles coordinator opportunity. Much of that time was spent as a position coach working with defensive backs, and the secondary looms as a unit which could see considerable attention from the Packers this offseason. Gannon will be tasked with overseeing improvement on the back end in particular for Green Bay in 2026 as he takes charge of a defense for the second time in his career.
Titans Seeking Experienced OC
Almost every head coaching candidate the Titans spoke to had experience in the position at the NFL level. Robert Saleh‘s staff will unsurprisingly target a veteran play-caller on offense as well. 
So far, the Titans have been connected to former head coaches Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll with respect to their offensive coordinator position. Daboll’s top OC destination appears to be Tennessee, although he is also interested in returning to the Bills as their head coach. The list of Titans targets is set to expand shortly.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Tennessee’s options include former Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Packers OC Adam Stenavich and Dolphins pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik. Each have them has been a coordinator at the pro level before, and all but Stenavich have called plays during at least one NFL stint.
Kingsbury has conducted multiple head coaching interviews recently, and he was among the staffers linked to Tennessee in that regard. The former Cardinals HC also met with the Ravens about their offensive coordinator position. Without a hire taking place on either front, Kingsbury remains on the market at this point. His NFL stints have included time overseeing the development of quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels, and working closely with Cam Ward during his second year and beyond will be a top priority for any OC hire.
Smith also met with the Titans early in their head coaching search. The 43-year-old was then linked to OC vacancies in Detroit and Los Angeles. The Lions and Chargers (provided Mike McDaniel does not land a head coaching position) have filled them, however. Smith thus looms as another offensive coordinator option with experience not only as a play-caller but as a head coach as well.
Slowik, 39, followed DeMeco Ryans from San Francisco to Houston in 2023. During his two seasons as the Texans’ offensive coordinator, Slowik’s unit ranked 13th and then 19th in scoring. He received an interview request from the Eagles, but one could also be coming shortly from the Titans. Stenavich has been with the Packers since Matt LaFleur‘s arrival in 2019. For the past four seasons, he has operated as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator (albeit without calling plays).
The Titans ranked 30th in total and scoring offense in 2025. Improving on the team’s showing under former head coach Brian Callahan and interim replacement Mike McCoy will be a major priority for next season, and a veteran OC will likely be leaned on to lead the way.
Packers Interview Al Harris For DC
Looking for a defensive coordinator to replace the departed Jeff Hafley, the Packers could turn to one of their former players. They’ve completed an interview with Bears defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Al Harris, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Harris, a former cornerback, spent a large chunk of his playing career in Green Bay. A Packer from 2003-10, Harris piled up 14 interceptions and earned two Pro Bowl nods in their uniform. He’s now a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.
After wrapping up his career with the Rams in 2011, Harris jumped into coaching as an intern with the Dolphins.
Since he got his feet wet for a year in Miami, Harris has coached defensive backs with the Chiefs, Cowboys and Bears. Harris doesn’t have any experience as a coordinator, but he has learned from the likes of Bob Sutton, Mike Zimmer, Dan Quinn and Dennis Allen.
In 2025, his first season in Chicago, Harris helped guide a turnover-happy defense that led the league with 23 interceptions. The Bears pulled that off despite going without two high-end corners, the injured duo of Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, for significant periods. Johnson missed 10 games, and Gordon sat out 14. The Bears nonetheless finished 11-6 and won the NFC North before knocking the archrival Packers out of the wild-card round with a 31-27 comeback victory.
After dropping a nail-biter to the Rams in the divisional round, the Bears could lose Harris to the Packers. The 51-year-old joins former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones and Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker as early candidates to succeed Hafley. After two years running the Packers’ defense, Hafley left to become the Dolphins’ head coach on Monday.
In Hafley’s last year in Green Bay, the team ranked a solid 11th in points allowed and 12th in yards. The Packers’ defense likely would have enjoyed more success had the unit’s best player, superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons, not gone down with a torn ACL in Week 15. The rehab process is expected to sideline Parsons for the start of 2026, but he’s optimistic he’ll return by Week 4.
Packers Cut CB Trevon Diggs
JANUARY 21: As expected, Diggs has cleared waivers, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. He’s now a free agent.
JANUARY 20: Trevon Diggs exited the season still attached to his five-year, $97MM Cowboys-designed extension. But it was unrealistic for the veteran cornerback to expect that to continue much longer, given his play on the deal.
The Packers are indeed moving on. They are cutting Diggs, per a team announcement. This confirms the veteran cornerback’s status as a late-season rental. He will not be eligible to join one of the four remaining teams’ rosters before season’s end.
The six-year veteran will end up in free agency, being given a chance to catch on before unrestricted FAs hit the market on March 9. Technically, Diggs is subject to waivers, but it is extraordinarily unlikely a claim comes in to keep him on this contract after the playoffs conclude.
This will not tag the Packers with any dead money and free up $15MM in cap space for the team ahead of the 2026 offseason. Diggs, 27, was not expected to remain attached to his Dallas terms for much longer. The Cowboys waived him after Week 17, leading to a Packers claim. Although the Packers deployed Diggs as a backup, most of his work came in a meaningless Week 18 game in Minnesota. Diggs played just one defensive snap in the Packers’ wild-card loss to the Bears.
It should not be ruled out Diggs comes back at a far lower rate, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. Packers defensive pass-game coordinator Derrick Ansley coached Diggs at Alabama. Though, Green Bay is set for some defensive staff changes after Jeff Hafley‘s departure for Miami. It is unclear who will be part of the team’s 2026 defensive staff; some degree of turnover will be expected.
Diggs’ 11-interception 2021 season placed him on the radar for a big-ticket extension, and the Cowboys followed through with that move in summer 2023. But an ACL tear in September of that year sidetracked the former second-round pick. Diggs has battled knee trouble since, and a dustup with the Cowboys regarding Christmas Day travel plans preceded his early exit. Had the Cowboys not waived him before Week 18, they would have done so after the season.
Playing in just nine games this season, Diggs ended up missing 29 games since he signed the lucrative second contract. He made it back from another knee surgery by Week 1, but a concussion sustained in his home parked him on IR. A disagreement about the corner’s health between player and team also factored into a turbulent final Diggs Dallas season. As a result of the poor return on investment, Diggs will not be a candidate to sign for anything close to his most recent Cowboys terms.
Packers To Interview Jonathan Gannon For DC Job
After being fired as Cardinals head coach earlier this month, Jonathan Gannon continues to generate interest for defensive coordinator openings. The latest team to schedule an interview is the Packers, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
[RELATED: Cowboys Scheduling Second Interviews With DC Candidates]
Gannon spent years coaching defensive backs in Minnesota and Indianapolis before being hired as the Eagles defensive coordinator in 2021. Following an inconsistent first season at the helm, Philly’s defense took it to another level in 2022, finishing second in yards allowed and eighth in points allowed. That performance ended up earning him the Cardinals head coaching gig (although not without a bit of controversy).
The coach’s stint in Arizona proved to be forgettable, as he never guided the Cardinals to a winning record during his three seasons with the organization. His best showing was in 2024, when the team finished 8-9. However, they took a major step back in 2025, finishing with a 3-14 record. Gannon also struggled to get the most out of his defense during his time in Arizona; the Cardinals never finished better than 15th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed.
Still, Gannon clearly has a reputation as a respected defensive mind. He’s garnered a second interview for the Cowboys defensive coordinator job, and he was a candidate for the Commanders gig. Gannon also interviewed for the Titans head coaching vacancy before the team opted for Robert Saleh.
Now, he’s drawing interest from Green Bay to replace Jeff Hafley, who recently took the head coaching job in Miami. As Matt Schneidman of The Athletic notes, Matt LaFleur praised Gannon earlier this year, describing him as a “really good coach” and saying that he did a “hell of a job” in Arizona. Gannon is joining a group of candidates that currently features Vikings DBs coach Daronte Jones and Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/20/26
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Chicago Bears
- WR Maurice Alexander, RB Brittain Brown, TE Stephen Carlson, LS Luke Elkin, DB Dallis Flowers, DL Jonathan Garvin, LB Dominique Hampton, OL Kyle Hergel, TE Nikola Kalinic, DB Dontae Manning, DL Jeremiah Martin, DB Gervarrius Owens, WR JP Richardson, LB Nephi Sewell
Green Bay Packers
- DL Jaden Crumedy, QB Kyle McCord
Houston Texans
- DE Solomon Byrd, C Eli Cox, WR Josh Kelly, TE Luke Lachey, S Kaevon Merriweather, G Sidy Sow, DT Junior Tafuna, LB Xavier Thomas, WR Jared Wayne
Philadelphia Eagles
- CB Ambry Thomas
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DB Doneiko Slaughter, OL Lorenzo Thompson
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Isaac Alarcon, DL Evan Anderson, CB Eli Apple, WR Junior Bergen, DL William Bradley-King, DB Derrick Canteen, LB Andrew Farmer, S Darrick Forrest, LB Jalen Graham, QB Adrian Martinez, OL Drake Nugent, OL Brandon Parker, WR Malik Turner, DL Sebastian Valdez