NFL Staff Updates: Partridge, Bicknell, Bricillo
The Colts are set to lose defensive line coach Charlie Partridge after just his second season with the team. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, the 52-year-old assistant is heading back to the college ranks to coach the defensive line at Notre Dame.
Partridge’s stay in Indianapolis saw his NFL coaching debut after a long college coaching career. Starting as a graduate assistant at Drake for two years and following that up with two more years as a GA at Iowa State, Partridge spent two years as the Cyclones director of football operations before earning his first position coaching gig at Eastern Illinois, coaching defensive line and linebackers.
After a single season with Eastern Illinois, Partridge spent five years at Pitt (three as defensive ends coach, one as special teams coordinator/DL coach, one as ST coordinator/LB coach), five years at Wisconsin (three as ST coordinator/DL coach, two as assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/DL coach), and a year at Arkansas as assistant HC/DL coach. Those 12 years of position coaching gave Partridge his first shot at a head coaching gig at Florida Atlantic, but after going 3-9 three years in a row, Partridge returned to Pittsburgh, where he spent a season as DL coach before adding co-DC to his title for six more years.
Partridge’s NFL opportunity came next, and in Year 1, his defensive line was part of a unit that ranked 24th in run defense, 26th in sacks, and 24th in total pressures. This year was much improved (fifth in run defense, 14th in sacks, fourth in total pressures), but Partridge will head back to the college ranks of the game to reunite with Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash, with whom he worked at Drake, Wisconsin, and Arkansas.
Here are a couple other assistant coaching updates from around the league:
- Rittenberg also reported today that recently fired Raiders senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell is also going to a coaching job in the NCAA. Unlike with Partridge, this seems like a temporary gig for Bicknell, who has only coached at the college level for one of the past 19 years. He started out coaching safeties then running backs then linebackers at Boston University from 1993-97. He then spent eight years as a coach in NFL Europe coaching defensive line in Frankfurt for a year before switching to offensive line and serving as offensive coordinator/OL coach in Berlin and Cologne. He returned to the States in 2006 to coach OL at Temple, and aside from spending 2017 as a wide receivers coach at Baylor, Bicknell has been in the NFL ever since, coaching offensive line, tight ends, and wide receivers at different points in time for the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, 49ers, Bengals, and Patriots, with two stints as a senior offensive assistant with the Saints and Raiders, as well. He has been hired to coach tight ends at Northwestern, but if his history is any clue to his intentions, he may look to return to an NFL role after a year with the Wildcats.
- In New York, Giants fans will be happy to hear that offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo‘s contract extends into 2026, according to Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports. Following the firing of Brian Daboll, nothing is set in stone for the rest of this year’s coaching staff, but Dunleavy claims that Giants fans on X have been advocating for Bricillo to stay under the team’s next head coach. Bricillo has confirmed that his contract extends into next season, so he should remain on staff unless the team makes the decision to fire him.
Colts Likely To Retain GM Chris Ballard
The Colts will become just the sixth team since the 1970 merger to start 8-2 and miss the playoffs. This had not happened previously since the 1995 Raiders pulled it off. Considering Chris Ballard‘s time on the GM job in Indianapolis, it is logical to wonder if ownership pulls the plug here.
Ballard engineered a blockbuster trade at the deadline, surrendering two first-round picks and second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for Sauce Gardner. The All-Pro cornerback’s calf injury wounded Indy’s defense considerably, and the team has now lost six straight games. Philip Rivers‘ arrival has shined a spotlight on this losing streak. Beyond the human-interest angle, the 44-year-old passer lost his three starts to move the Colts out of the playoff race.
[RELATED: Riley Leonard To Start Over Rivers In Week 18]
This will be Ballard’s fifth straight season without a playoff berth, with Rivers’ one-and-done first stint being the most recent qualification. The Colts then lost a win-and-in game as a double-digit favorite in Jacksonville — where the team has not won throughout Ballard’s tenure — before striking out on Anthony Richardson in the 2023 draft. Plenty has gone wrong for Ballard, who has nevertheless retained much of the core he had built dating back to Andrew Luck‘s final season. The Colts have also not won the AFC South on Ballard’s watch.
All this said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Ballard is believed to be safe for what would be a 10th year at the helm. Ballard has a good working relationship with new controlling owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Fowler colleague Dan Graziano adds. While Fowler notes some around the league believe Ballard would be the first to go if Irsay-Gordon signs off on changes, the quality working relationship with the former Jim Irsay hire represents a plus.
Irsay-Gordon effectively challenged Ballard and Shane Steichen upon taking over for her late father, and the third-generation NFL owner has become famous for wearing a headset on the sideline to learn more about the Colts’ gameday inner workings. She has worn the headset for years, and although she does not communicate with coaches in-game, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicates one team called Ballard to complain about the new owner wearing the headset. Not that Ballard is in a position to indicate he doesn’t want the team’s owner on a headset, but the veteran exec vehemently expressed support (via Rodrigue) for her doing so.
Steichen was in his first months on the job when the Colts drafted Richardson, who underperformed in 2024 — as woeful inaccuracy and maturity concerns defined his second season — and has battled extensive injury trouble. Richardson’s orbital injury led to Rivers’ unretirement, and the former No. 4 overall pick will not be activated from IR this season. He is a decent bet to be elsewhere in 2026, the final year of his rookie contract.
Ballard and Steichen missing on Richardson — after a crowded QB carousel spun post-Luck — and then going from 8-2 to a playoff absence represents a tough sell, but not too much was expected of the Colts this season. The team also sitting 8-4 when Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles tear also provides a point of defense for Ballard, who looked to have done well to stop the carousel with the former Giants starter. Jones and the Colts are expected to enter some complex contract talks, based on the leverage the QB gained with the Gardner trade removing a first-round pick from the equation and then suffering another major injury, in the near future.
It should be expected Ballard will lead those conversations from the Colts’ side. While it would not be shocking to see Irsay-Gordon fire Ballard based on this year’s collapse, it currently appears he will be back. If that happens, the embattled GM should certainly be considered a hot-seat occupant come 2026.
QB Philip Rivers Will Not Play In 2026
Philip Rivers largely impressed (considering expectations) during his three-game return to the NFL. After attempting to rescue the Colts’ season late in 2025, though, he will not continue his comeback into next year. 
In the wake of Daniel Jones suffering an Achilles tear, head coach Shane Steichen reached out to Rivers about unretiring. A deal was quickly worked out, and the 44-year-old made three consecutive starts. Indianapolis lost all three games, ending the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs. Rivers will not start in the season finale, and he will not attempt to land a spot with the Colts or any other team in 2026.
“There’s no chance,” the eight-time Pro Bowler said during an appearance on the Up & Adams show when asked about continuing his career (video link). “It was a place I’d been, a team I was familiar with, the offense was exactly the same, a coach I knew, it was all those things, our football season was over, all those things made it the perfect storm… This was a fun three-week blur that nobody saw coming, including myself. And that’ll be it.”
Rivers confirmed, to little surprise, his attention will return to his high school coaching duties. His two eldest sons will be together in 2026 on the team he coaches. The Colts, meanwhile, will look to retain Jones after the success he enjoyed on a one-year deal this season. Sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard – who will start this week – figures to remain in the team’s plans moving forward. (Seth Henigan will be the Colts’ backup this week, per Fox59’s Mike Chappell, opening the door to Rivers being inactive for his final game.) The same may not be true of Anthony Richardson, who looms as a candidate for a change of scenery depending on the nature of his trade market.
Rivers was a semifinalist for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Returning to the NFL reset his five-year eligibility clock, however. A lengthy wait will now ensue to see if he the longtime Chargers QB1 ultimately winds up in Canton.
On a few occasions prior to 2025, Rivers’ name emerged as a candidate for a post-retirement run of action. It appeared as though his window of opportunity on that front had closed before the Colts gig became available. Now, Rivers will reprise his role as a coach without giving further consideration to another short-term NFL stint.
Colts To Start Riley Leonard In Week 18
DECEMBER 31: Steichen has now confirmed (via Holder) Leonard will get the start this week. Richardson, meanwhile, will not be activated. Henigan and Rivers will thus serve as backups to close out the season.
DECEMBER 30: When speaking after Sunday’s game, Philip Rivers reflected on his three-game return to NFL action. Since that point, signs have pointed to the Colts going in a different direction under center for Week 18. 
It continues to appear as though Rivers will not play in the season finale. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Stephen Holder report Riley Leonard is instead expected to get the nod this week. The sixth-round rookie has made four appearances so far this season. With the Colts out of playoff contention, he will now turn his attention to preparing for his first regular season start.
Daniel Jones‘ impressive debut Indianapolis campaign ended with an Achilles tear. With Anthony Richardson on injured reserve, head coach Shane Steichen reached out to Rivers and a deal allowing him to unretire was quickly worked out. At the age of 44, Rivers made three starts and totaled 544 passing yards and four touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. The Colts’ losing streak has extended to six games and the team now sits at 8-8 as a result, a dramatic turn of events for what was once a contender for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Richardson’s practice window is open, although as he continues to recover from an orbital bone fracture it is unclear if he will be activated from IR. The former No. 4 pick’s future is murky, as his time on the field for Indianapolis has left plenty to be desired. That, coupled with his injuries limits the value Richardson would generate in any potential trade. Leonard, meanwhile, profiles as a depth option for the foreseeable future as his rookie contract runs through 2028.
Yesterday, the Colts signed quarterback Seth Henigan to the practice squad. That move pointed further in the direction of Rivers sitting out Week 18 against the Texans and their vaunted defense. The QB1 role is set to go to Leonard instead, with Henigan representing an option to dress as a backup in the event Richardson is not activated.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/30/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: TE Messiah Swinson
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Mecole Hardman
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Ross Dwelley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Calvin Throckmorton
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Damien Martinez
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Solomon Byrd
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Wyett Ekeler
- Released: OL Zachary Thomas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Kam Arnold, DT Marcus Harris
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: S Brandon Hill
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Simeon Barrow Jr.
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Marshall Lang
- Released: RB Jashaun Corbin
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Myles Purchase
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LS Charley Hughlett
- Released: DE Titus Leo
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Josh Williams
- Released: RB Michael Wiley
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Aside from tonight’s Rams-Falcons game, Week 17 is in the books. Most of the playoff field has been set in both conferences, but there is still plenty to be determined regarding the first-round draft order.
By virtue of their loss on Sunday, the Raiders are now in pole position to secure the No. 1 pick. Vegas sits at 2-14 on the year, with four teams sporting a record of 3-13. Only one of those, however – the Giants – is still in contention to land the top selection. Vegas will play against Kansas City in Week 18, while New York’s season will end against Dallas.
Fernando Mendoza looms as the projected top quarterback option in the 2026 class, with the futures of Dante Moore and Ty Simpson still uncertain. Demand usually outweighs supply at the top of the draft when it comes to signal-callers, and scarcity at the position could very well come into play in April. Mendoza may find himself on the radar of teams not immediately in need of a quarterback depending on how things play out.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)
- New York Giants (3-13)
- New York Jets (3-13)
- Tennessee Titans (3-13)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
- Cleveland Browns (4-12)
- Washington Commanders (4-12)
- New Orleans Saints (6-10)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Miami Dolphins (7-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)
- Detroit Lions (8-8)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Carolina Panthers (8-8)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
- Buffalo Bills (11-5)
- Chicago Bears (11-5)
- Houston Texans (11-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
- New England Patriots (13-3)
- Denver Broncos (13-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Ameer Speed
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB Seth Henigan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Kyler Baugh
- Released: CB Daryl Porter
The Steelers shook up their practice squad today by shuffling through defenders. The team brought back former Minnesota standout Kyler Baugh, who spent most of this season on Pittsburgh’s taxi squad. He was cut by the squad last week. In a corresponding move, the team moved on from Daryl Porter, who got into one game with the Steelers this season.
The Colts appear to be trending towards ending Phillip Rivers‘ comeback story and opting for Riley Leonard as their Week 18 starter at QB. The team started the process today by adding an extra signal-caller to the practice squad in Seth Henigan. The Memphis product spent the preseason in Jacksonville, and he spent about a month on the Jaguars practice squad before earning his walking papers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/25
Here are today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the penultimate weekend of the regular season:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: LB Jay Higgins IV
Buffalo Bills
- Signed from practice squad: TE Keleki Latu
- Elevated: K Michael Badgley, DE Andre Jones Jr.
- Waived: WR Mecole Hardman Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: G Luke Newman
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, WR JP Richardson
- Waived: DT Jonathan Ford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Howard Cross III, CB Bralyn Lux
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: TE Sal Cannella, QB Bailey Zappe
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: TE Drake Dabney, QB Clayton Tune
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from IR: WR Ashton Dulin
- Signed from practice squad: DT Chris Wormley
- Elevated: C Jimmy Morrissey, G Josh Sills
- Placed on IR: WR Anthony Gould, TE Andrew Ogletree
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: G Jerome Carvin, S Juan Thornhill
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: OL Andrew Meyer
- Signed from practice squad: WR Theo Wease Jr.
- Placed on IR: WR Dee Eskridge, CB Isaiah Johnson, DT Benito Jones
- Elevated: LB Derrick McLendon, OL Josh Priebe
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Ronnie Bell, TE Treyton Welch
New York Giants
- Signed from practice squad: DE Elijah Chatman, C Bryan Hudson, S Raheem Layne, K Ben Sauls
- Elevated: TE Zach Davidson, RE Dante Miller
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: CB Tre Brown, G Marquis Hayes, WR Quentin Skinner
- Elevated: QB Hendon Hooker
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: CB Brandon Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: T Jack Driscoll, CB D’Shawn Jamison
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: LB Eric Kendricks, TE Brayden Willis
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, T Amari Kight
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: OLB Jason Pierre-Paul
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: CB Kemon Hall
- Placed on IR: CB Marcus Harris
With Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox both dealing with injuries, the Bills add Latu to the 53-man roster for depth. To make room, Buffalo has parted ways with the veteran, Hardman, just a week after activating him from injured reserve.
A number of players are being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third and final time on their current contracts. This is the case for Flowers in Chicago, Zappe in Cleveland, Sills in Indianapolis, Driscoll in Pittsburgh, and Kight in Seattle. If their respective teams wish to see them appear in another game this year, they will need to be signed to the 53-man roster, as was done with Wormley in Indianapolis and Chatman in New York this week after they exhausted their three elevations already this year.
Colts To Place DT DeForest Buckner On IR; Sauce Gardner To Return In Week 17
DeForest Buckner returned in Week 16, coming back after a lengthy absence. A durable player throughout his Indianapolis stay, the veteran defensive tackle will not play the rest of the way.
The Pro Bowl presence aggravated his neck injury and is heading back to IR, Shane Steichen said Friday (via Fox 59’s Mike Chappell). The Colts do not expect this to threaten Buckner’s 2026 season, but he will be shut down. Surgery will be required on Buckner’s disk herniation before a return commences this time, Steichen said.
[RELATED: Philip Rivers To Remain Colts’ Starter For Week 17]
Indianapolis activated Buckner from IR ahead of its Week 16 Monday-nighter; he returned to his place in the team’s starting lineup and played nearly 67% of the Colts’ defensive snaps. Buckner rehabbed without surgery to return against the 49ers, but the ex-San Francisco first-round pick will be unable to finish out a last-ditch Indianapolis playoff push.
On a better injury note for the Colts as they cling to wild-card hopes, Sauce Gardner is expected to return from a calf injury that cost him three games. Gardner and left tackle Bernhard Raimann are expected back against the Jaguars, per Steichen (via Chappell).
The Colts’ Gardner trade has not panned out like the team hoped. After being squarely on track for their first playoff berth since 2020, the Colts sent the Jets two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for the All-Pro cornerback. Gardner played in three Colts games before going down, and Indianapolis has sunk to 8-7. Daniel Jones‘ presence represented part of the team’s equation in acquiring Gardner, as a first-round pick was unlikely to be deemed necessary to add another starter-level QB. Jones has since suffered an Achilles tear. Although Indianapolis is still interested in re-signing him, another major injury complicates the veteran arm’s path.
Gardner and Raimann, who is coming back from an elbow injury that cost him a game, signed lucrative four-year extensions this summer. Gardner, of course, signed his re-up as a Jet; the Colts inked their left tackle to a deal just before the season. Buckner, 31, is tied to a deal he signed in 2024. The 10-year veteran’s two-year, $46MM contract includes a $10MM guarantee for 2026. The Colts would take on $20.8MM in dead money if they do not retain Buckner, who has been with the team since a March 2020 trade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/25
NFL minor moves this Christmas Eve:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DE L.J. Collier
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: CB Clark Phillips
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: C Matt Lee
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Steelers’ practice squad: G Kendrick Green
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed from practice squad: CB Corey Ballentine
- Elevated: LB Justin Barron
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: OL Kingsley Eguakun, TE Giovanni Ricci
Indianapolis Colts
- Designated for return from IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed from practice squad: S Terrell Edmunds, WR Shedrick Jackson
Los Angeles Rams
- Designated for return from IR: CB Roger McCreary
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: G Henry Byrd
- Elevated: LB Sione Takitaki
- Placed on IR: TE Gavin Bartholomew, C Ryan Kelly
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Chris Smith
Washington Commanders
- Signed from practice squad: QB Sam Hartman
- Elevated: DT Ricky Barber, WR River Cracraft
A month after coming off injured reserve, Kelly is headed right back to the injured list. Kelly was initially placed on IR after two concussions limited him to only three games in the early stages of the season. It is unfortunately a third concussion this season — and the sixth of his career — that will end his 2025 campaign. This will conclude the first half of Kelly’s two-year deal with the Vikings, who will once again turn to backup Michael Jurgens in his absence.
Also in Minnesota, Byrd’s contract to join the 53-man roster will not just be a two-week deal. According to a post from the X account of his agency, JL Sports, Byrd is joining the active roster on a two-year contract.
In Detroit, these will be the third and final standard gameday elevations for Eguakun and Ricci. If the Lions want to see them in the regular season finale, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster. That’s what Dallas is doing with Ballentine, who exhausted his third elevation last week.