HEADLINES

Titans RB Derrick Henry Addresses Pending Free Agency

January 18th, 2024 at 12:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Throughout the 2023 season, signs pointed to Derrick Henry departing the Titans in free agency. He offered a public acknowledgement of the team’s fans before leaving the field in Week 18, a further sign that he will be playing elsewhere in 2024.

When speaking further about his situation, the All-Pro back doubled down on the signs pointing to a departure. During an appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, he noted his surprise at Tennessee’s decision to fire head coach Mike Vrabel (video link). That move was made in large part due to the disconnect between the former Coach of the Year and the vision for the franchise held by owner Amy Adams Strunk and general manager Ran Carthon.

The latter has kept the door open to a new Henry deal, and the four-time Pro Bowler likewise did not entirely discount an agreement keeping him in Nashville. With the team set for a reset under a new coach and a full season with 2023 second-rounder Will Levis at quarterback, though, Henry could be better-suited to join a roster set up for immediate contention. Heading into his age-30 season, he could generate interest on a short-term contract in particular.

“I want to be somewhere that, whatever happens, that gives me the best shot of winning the Super Bowl,” Henry said. “The business side is the business side. At the end of the day, it has to make sense. I’m not just going to accept anything because it’s a long season, we put our bodies through a lot. But at the same time, I definitely want to be on a roster that can go out there and put ourselves in position and be able to win games, get in the playoffs and contend for a ring.”

Henry is set to see his four-year, $50MM contract expire in March. Unlike many other positions, running backs have seen their value stagnate and drop in recent years, something which will of course be taken into account should he test the market for the first time in his career. The two-time rushing champion matched a career low with a 4.2 yards per carry average, but his 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns helped demonstrate his sustained value into the waning years of his prime. Henry would provide an experienced backfield option to any contending team in need of help in the backfield.

The Titans (a team with a number of roster holes to fill) are currently projected to have the second-most cap space in the league, and third-rounder Tyjae Spears racked up 838 scrimmage yards in his rookie season while logging an unusually high workload for a Henry backup. The Titans could very well turn to Spears as their lead back moving forward, something which would pave the way for Henry to join a new team for the first time in his career during free agency.

Titans Schedule Second HC Interview With Brian Callahan; Team Eyeing Aaron Glenn?

January 18th, 2024 at 10:34am CST by Adam La Rose

Teams are still in the midst of their first round of coaching interviews, but arrangements can be made for in-person meetings amongst finalists. For the Titans, that is the case with Brian Callahan.

The Bengals offensive coordinator has been contacted to schedule a second head coaching interview by Tennessee, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports. In-person interviews (such as the one being arranged) cannot take place until after the divisional round, but it is telling Callahan is the team’s first candidate for a follow-up. To date, the Titans have conducted first interviews with four other candidates, and they have sent out requests for five others.

Callahan has once again been a top HC candidate during this year’s hiring cycle, as has been the case previously. The 39-year-old has interviewed with the Falcons, Panthers and Chargers in addition to his Titans summit. Callahan has been in his current post with Cincinnati since head coach Zac Taylor‘s arrival in 2019, and the pair have enjoyed success together particularly when Joe Burrow has been healthy. That was not the case for much of 2023, but the Bengals still managed to go 9-8 and finish mid-pack in scoring with Jake Browning at the helm.

Contrasting with a number of other HC-needy franchises, the Titans have not been connected with Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh. The two high-profile candidates headline the options available in this year’s cycle amongst experienced staffers, but Callahan is one of many younger play-callers whose stock has risen in recent years. He has never been a head coach, but his NFL tenure dates back to 2010. His background on offense would be welcomed as Tennessee looks to take a step forward on that side of the ball in 2024 with quarterback Will Levis atop the depth chart.

As Graziano notes, however, Callahan is not the only candidate to watch closely as it pertains to the Titans vacancy. Lions DC Aaron Glenn is Graziano’s predicted hire for Tennessee based on conversations with those connected to the search. Glenn, like his counterpart Ben Johnson, has been one of the hottest names around the league with respect to head coaching prospects. He has received an interview request from the Titans, but the parties have yet to speak.

Glenn’s attention will currently be on the Lions’ upcoming divisional round game against the Buccaneers. Next week, however, he will be eligible to conduct in-person interviews with the Titans and other interested teams. He and Callahan will be worth watching closely as it pertains to Tennessee’s ongoing search.

The third-year Detroit DC’s interview itinerary is coming into focus. Glenn does plan to meet with the Titans, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Glenn plans to meet with each team who sent him a slip, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. The Falcons, Chargers and Commanders have also requested Glenn meetings.

Bill Belichick To Conduct Second Falcons Interview

January 18th, 2024 at 9:11am CST by Adam La Rose

Days after meeting with the Falcons for the first time, Bill Belichick will speak with the team again shortly. The longtime Patriots coach will have a second interview with Atlanta this weekend, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Falcons have increasingly been named as a team to watch with respect to a Belichick pursuit. As a result, it came as no surprise that the six-time Super Bowl winner met one-on-one with owner Arthur Blank on Monday. A mutual interest between the two sides was reported to exist after the summit, leading to more signs pointing the way of a Belichick-to-Atlanta move. Today’s news moves further in that direction. The upcoming sit-down will involve Belichick and a Falcons executive group, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

Atlanta has cast a wide net so far in the team’s ongoing search for an Arthur Smith replacement. Experience is believed to be more of a driving factor than Blank’s previous hires, and Belichick obviously tops the list of available options in that department. Jim Harbaugh has also interviewed once for the position, so the Falcons have been involved with the league’s highest-profile candidates in the 2024 cycle. Harbaugh has more closely been connected with the Chargers and Raiders, however.

The Falcons have conducted a first interview with six candidates other than Belichick, but the window for second interviews (which can be in-person) will open for staffers currently employed once the divisional round is complete. Having parted ways with the Patriots, though, Belichick is free to take any position at any time. The fact a second meeting with Blank and Co. has been arranged quickly is certainly a positive sign as it pertains to momentum for a deal to be reached in the near future.

Just like Harbaugh, Belichick has been connected to the vacancies in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. However, the latter has not yet lined up an interview with any team other than the Falcons so far. Pending the outcome of this weekend’s summit, it will certainly be interesting to see if any meetings are scheduled with teams outside Atlanta looking to bring in the winningest coach of the 21st century.

Belichick is likely two years away from surpassing Don Shula for first on the NFL’s all-time coaching wins list. At the age of 71, any posting he takes will no doubt have short-term success in mind. The Falcons have invested heavily at the skill positions in recent years, and the team has one of the league’s top offensive lines. Improvement on defense was also seen in 2023 after that unit was a point of emphasis in the offseason. A major roster hole exists at the quarterback spot, however, and filling it will be the top priority for the team and its next coach in the coming weeks and months.

Belichick’s track record with the Patriots after Tom Brady‘s departure certainly leaves plenty to be desired on offense in particular, and any arrangement with a new team will likely take on a different setup than the one he had in New England which allowed him to operate as coach but also de facto general manager. Mutual interest between he and the Falcons obviously exists, though, so this situation will be worth watching closely.

Ravens Waive RB Melvin Gordon, Sign RB Dalvin Cook To Active Roster

January 18th, 2024 at 8:20am CST by Ely Allen

JANUARY 18: To little surprise, Gordon’s roster spot has indeed gone to Cook. The latter has been promoted from the practice squad and he will play in the divisional round on Saturday, per his agency. It will be interesting to see how much usage Cook receives as the third option on the depth chart behind Edwards and Hill in his Baltimore debut. If he clears waivers, meanwhile, Gordon will be eligible to remain with the Ravens via the taxi squad.

JANUARY 17: The Ravens have been clearing plenty of roster space over the past few days in the lead up to their first game in this year’s playoffs. In the most recent roster shift, Baltimore made the decision to waive veteran running back Melvin Gordon from the 53-man roster.

Gordon signed with the Ravens back in the offseason, adding running back depth for a team that had seen two starters in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards go down with season-ending injuries in recent years. He failed to make the 53-man roster but ended up signing to the practice squad as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option. That glass broke fairly early in the season when Dobbins suffered his second-career season-ending injury in Week 1 of the regular season.

As a result, the Ravens called Gordon up from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation twice early in the year. The eventual emergence of undrafted rookie sensation Keaton Mitchell, pairing with Edwards, made Gordon mostly superfluous, but a season-ending ACL tear to Mitchell would continue Baltimore’s rotten luck with running back health.

With Mitchell joining Dobbins on injured reserve, Gordon was officially signed to the active roster for the last two weeks of the season, earning snaps in a blowout win over the Dolphins and a meaningless rest game in Week 18 against the Steelers. His performance against Pittsburgh came shortly after the team’s free agent addition of Dalvin Cook. In a rainy regular season finale, Gordon unfortunately demonstrated one of the biggest issues throughout his career, fumbling the ball in what was likely an audition for the postseason roster.

Whether or not a direct result of that fumble, Gordon will not be on the 53-man roster this weekend. Along with the waiving of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and the placement of cornerback Damarion Williams on IR two days ago, the Ravens now have three open spots on the active roster. Many are speculating that star tight end Mark Andrews will soon be making a return from IR, joining with Isaiah Likely to form one of the league’s deadlier tight end duos. Former All-Pro return man Devin Duvernay has also returned to practice and is eligible to make a return from IR. Lastly, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey not practicing over the last three weeks, the team could opt to activate defensive back Ar’Darius Washington from IR. Originally an undrafted safety out of TCU, Washington opened the season as the team’s starting nickel corner before finding his way to IR.

Another popular thought, especially with Edwards and Justice Hill remaining as the only running backs on the active roster, is that one of the three open roster spots will be used to bring Cook up from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Despite having made the Pro Bowl in four consecutive years as the Vikings’ starting rusher, Cook took a disappointing backseat to Breece Hall for the Jets this year. Cook claimed to be really close to signing with Baltimore in the offseason, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, and he got a second chance after New York decided to move on from him earlier this month.

Whether Andrews or Cook or Duvernay or Washington, the Ravens are set to add some key reinforcements in time for the Divisional Round matchup against the Texans. Baltimore will have until 4pm EST on Friday to make the decision on who will be activated for Saturday’s game.

Cowboys To Retain HC Mike McCarthy For 2024 Season

January 17th, 2024 at 10:55pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys’ impressive 2023 regular season ended unceremoniously in an all too familiar fashion when the team lost at home to the Packers much earlier into the playoffs than expected. Despite many fans and pundits claiming they’ve seen enough of head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the fourth-year Cowboys coach will return for the 2024 season.

The Cowboys have not advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since the last time they won the Super Bowl in 1995. Since then, they have seen early exits from the playoffs in 13 seasons, and frustratingly enough, their season has been ended by the Packers in heartbreaking fashion three times in the last nine years.

McCarthy has a long history of coaching winning football as a head coach. Before his time in Dallas, McCarthy spent 13 years as the head coach in Green Bay, amassing a 125-77-2 regular season record. Under McCarthy, the Packers made the playoffs nine times, including eight straight years from 2009-16. While they only won a single Super Bowl in that time, McCarthy still left Green Bay with a winning record in the playoffs (10-8) and advanced to the NFC championship game four times.

After the 28 years of failing to make it to the league’s semifinal game, Dallas invited McCarthy with open arms in 2020. He replaced Jason Garrett, who had been in place with the Cowboys for 10 years, making him the second-longest tenured head coach in Dallas history behind Tom Landry. Garrett went 85-67 during his time and led the team to the playoffs three times, all three times losing in the divisional round, two of those times to the Packers.

Since McCarthy has taken over, the Cowboys have been nothing if not consistent. After a getting-to-know-you introductory season that saw the team go 6-10, Dallas has gone 12-5 in each season since, winning the NFC East in two of those years. Unfortunately, McCarthy’s playoff success from Green Bay hasn’t quite translated. Under McCarthy, the Cowboys have only gone 1-3 in three playoff appearances, twice being the dreaded one-and-done team.

In a statement, team owner/president/general manager/supreme ruler Jerry Jones touted McCarthy’s .627 winning percentage as the Cowboys’ head coach, the highest percentage for a head coach in Dallas’ storied history. Jones claimed that the team will “dedicated (themselves), in partnership with (McCarthy)” to translate his regular season success into postseason victories, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Jones historically has a pretty long fuse with head coaches. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, during Jones’ 35 years of ownership, only two coaches failed to make it through four years on the job. That being said, he didn’t fire Garrett before hiring McCarthy; he simply allowed Garrett’s contract to expire and made the decision not to extend him for more time.

With that in mind, McCarthy is headed into the final year of his contract in Dallas. It wouldn’t be out of Jones’ pattern of behavior to use 2024 as a prove-it year for McCarthy. Jones pronounced his dedication to McCarthy in today’s statement, but an extension within the next year would be a much louder statement. Until we see a new contract for McCarthy or a postseason with multiple wins, McCarthy’s seat in Dallas is going to continue feeling hot.

Latest On Eagles, HC Nick Sirianni

January 17th, 2024 at 10:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

After their one-and-done showings in the postseason, both the Cowboys and Eagles are the subject of speculation with respect to coaching changes. In the latter case, staff alterations can be expected amongst the coordinator positions at a minimum, though questions remain one peg higher up the ladder.

Head coach Nick Sirianni‘s job security has come into question in the wake of Philadelphia’s late-season collapse, punctuated by the team’s lopsided wild-card defeat. Nothing is certain at this point, but Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports there are multiple people within the organization who are “at least bracing for the possibility” Sirianni could be let go. Such a move would be noteworthy given the Eagles’ run to last year’s Super Bowl, but not entirely unprecedented (as evidenced by the Broncos’ firing of John Fox following the 2014 season).

A report from earlier this week suggested Sirianni would be safe, although it has become clear at this point that a disconnect exists within the organization. As Vacchiano confirms, owner Jeffrey Lurie is among those in the building who have “soured” on the coordinators Sirianni chose to replace Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon this offseason. Brian Johnson was promoted to OC, while Sean Desai was brought in to lead the team’s defense. Friction between the former and quarterback Jalen Hurts has been documented, while the latter was stripped of play-calling duties last month in favor of Matt Patricia.

Given the Eagles’ struggles on defense in particular after the switch to Patricia, it was expected before the team’s playoff loss that at least one coordinator change would be coming. Both Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman would expect Sirianni to change his current OC and DC in the event he was retained, per Vacchiano. Turnover at both spots in consecutive years would certainly be an unwanted development, especially considering the presence of Dennard Wilson on last year’s staff. Wilson served as defensive backs coach for the Eagles in 2022 before taking the same position in Baltimore once it was learned he would not be promoted to defensive coordinator. That decision is considered “a big mistake” in the organization now, Vacchiano notes.

Sirianni has posted a 34-17 record across his three years at the helm, including a 25-9 regular season mark since 2022. The nature of the team’s collapse from a 10-1 start to losing six of seven games, however, has increased the pressure on him in part as a result of the depth of high-profile options on the coaching market at the moment. One of those is Bill Belichick, and seven sources each told Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post that Philadelphia would represent the most logical landing spot for Belichick.

The longtime New England coach has interviewed with the Falcons, the team with which he has most closely been connected to date. However, he has been floated as an option for a number of other openings, and a win-now roster would no doubt appeal to him. Given the number of holdovers from last year’s Super Bowl run, the Eagles figure to enter the 2024 campaign with significant expectations. The moves made in the near future as it pertains to Sirianni and his lieutenants in the near future will certainly be worth watching with the goal of another deep playoff push in mind.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/17/24

January 17th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s reserve/futures contracts:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bryant joined the Cowboys in November, and though he didn’t appear in any games, Bryant left a good impression in Dallas after several weeks on the practice squad. He was released late in the season as the team shuffled the roster a bit but makes his return to Dallas for the offseason.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/17/24

January 17th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The remaining playoff teams continue manipulating their practice squads:

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

As they deal with myriad injuries in their receiving corps, the Texans have made the call to add a veteran pass catcher in Byrd. Tank Dell and Noah Brown are on injured reserve, and Robert Woods (hip) and John Metchie (foot) are both currently questionable with one practice remaining before Saturday’s matchup in Baltimore. It’s been three years since Byrd’s season as a starter in New England when he recorded career-highs in catches (47) and yards (604), but Houston brings him in with the hope that the depth he brings at the position is unnecessary.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/17/24

January 17th, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves:

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jones’ rookie season has come to an end, given the requirement for players on injured reserve to miss four weeks. The UDFA was used primarily on special teams this year, but he appeared in all 17 regular season games as well as the Chiefs’ wild-card win. Christiansen last played in Week 17, which marked his fifth appearance of the campaign. Kansas City will need to make another roster move soon to create room for wideout Skyy Moore to come back into the lineup, after he was designated for return earlier today.

Saints Request OC Interview With Seahawks’ Shane Waldron

January 17th, 2024 at 3:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

A third candidate has emerged for the Saints’ OC vacancy. New Orleans has sent an interview request for Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.

The Saints are in the market for an OC for the first time since 2009 after Pete Carmichael was fired yesterday. The team (which has competition for the top candidates) has moved quickly in looking for replacements. Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher as well as Rams assistant Zac Robinson received interview slips earlier today.

That pair will now be joined by Waldron, who has also drawn interest from the Bears. Chicago is looking for a Luke Getsy replacement, though that team’s offseason outlook will be driven in large part by the decision to retain or replace quarterback Justin Fields. New Orleans, by contrast, has a more stable situation under center in the form of Derek Carr. The longtime Raider did not enjoy the debut Saints campaign he or the team envisioned, though most of his statistics fell roughly in line with his career averages.

Taking a step forward on offense – and finding more consistency in the run game in particular – will be a key priority for the new Saints OC. Whomever the team hires in that capacity (which, unlike most of Carmichael’s tenure, will include play-calling duties) may very well have ties to Rams head coach Sean McVay. Just like Pitcher and Robinson, Waldron has a history with McVay dating back to his time in Washington and Los Angeles. Waldron spent four years with the Rams before taking Seattle’s offensive coordinator position in 2021.

The 44-year-old has delivered middling results in terms of total and scoring offense during his time in the Emerald City, but he has now drawn interview requests for a pair of lateral moves. Much is yet to be determined in Seattle with respect to the team’s coaching staff with Pete Carroll having been moved to an advisory role. His replacement is not in place, leaving assistants like Waldron free to at least explore other options. In addition to the Bears gig, that process will now include an interview regarding the Saints vacancy.

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