AFC South Rumors: Caserio, Callahan, McNair
The Texans enjoyed a nice run of success with playoff appearances and wins in each of the past two seasons led by head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Year 3 with the duo has been less than ideal with a 1-3 start making a postseason run a daunting task, but some blame seems to be falling on general manager Nick Caserio, according to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.
The biggest weakness of last year’s team was an offensive line that gave up the third-most sacks in the league in 2024. This year’s biggest weakness, per Bien-Aime, is still the offensive line. Aside from right tackle Tytus Howard, the entire starting five across the line is different this year from last. This required Caserio and Co. to sign left tackle Cam Robinson and left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, trade for Ed Ingram, and draft Aireontae Ersery in the second round of the draft, while also trading away Laremy Tunsil, whom Caserio extended shortly after his arrival.
The lack of improvement along the line could be the result of several factors, but Bien-Aime suggests that Caserio’s inability to build a better line for his quarterback could have him on the hot seat. Bien-Aime points at another failed offseason move — the trade for (and eventual release) of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — as another strike against the third-year exec. The recent evidence does seem to show evidence of some poor personnel decisions, but it will be interesting to see if Caserio continues to receive blame for the team’s lack of growth in Year 3.
Here are a couple other staff rumors from around the AFC South:
- In the same ESPN article, other contributors were putting another AFC South staffer on the hot seat. Turron Davenport and Seth Walder each made comments concerning the job security of Titans head coach Brian Callahan. There’s no debate that Callahan’s team lacked elite talent in Year 1, but a slew of penalties added on to the team’s struggles to give them the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The undisciplined penalties have continued heavily in Year 2, and just this week, Callahan relinquished play-calling duties in an effort to open up the offense more for his rookie quarterback. Davenport suggests that controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk has made impulsive decisions in the past — pointing to the departure of former head coach Mike Vrabel, as an example — and suggests further that a loss to Vrabel in Week 7 could mean the end for Callahan’s tenure in Tennessee. Walder agrees that “questions of whether he’s the right coach will only get louder with each successive loss.”
- Lastly, going back to Houston, Cary McNair, son of the late Texans founder Robert McNair and brother of team owner Cal McNair, is reportedly accusing the NFL and his brother of engineering his “ouster” from the Texans and other McNair family business interests, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Cary’s representative, Tony Buzbee, became well-known for representing clients against Deshaun Watson. Buzbee claims that Cary began “asking pointed questions that potentially implicated the NFL and its personnel.” The questions pertained to both the Texans’ and the league’s handling of the Watson scandal and their handling of the sexual assault scandal of Texans minority owner Javier Loya, as well. Cary levies a number of other allegations, asserting that the NFL and his brother pushed him out for challenging their acceptance and tolerance for alleged abhorrent behavior. He’s seeking more than $60MM in direct financial losses.
NFL Looking To Renegotiate Broadcasting Deals In 2026?
In a recent interview, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that the league “could seek to begin renegotiating its broadcasting deals as soon as next year,” per Mark Maske of The Washington Post. 
The original deals to be renegotiated were reached back in 2021. Though the detailed financial details of the deals were not released, it was estimated that the value of the deals potentially exceeded $110BB. The deals preserved several existing deals with CBS and FOX covering Sunday afternoon games, NBC covering Sunday Night Football, and ESPN/ABC covering Monday Night Football.
The deals also established the first all-digital package with Amazon housing Thursday Night Football. More deals would see NFL Sunday Ticket move from DirecTV to YouTube TV, and some individual games aired exclusively on Netflix and YouTube.
But, as Maske explains, “the NFL’s broadcasting deals contain opt-out clauses,” and many expect the league will exercise those options for an opportunity to rework the deals “before the end of the decade.” In his interview, Goodell said, “I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them. I like that opportunity. Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year, but it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”
While it’s natural for an entity as big as the NFL to reexamine these types of deals to tweak as needed, it’s also worth examining recent events to see why these renegotiations may be necessary. Not long ago, the NFL received a 10-percent ownership stake in ESPN in exchange for brand and TV distribution rights for the NFL RedZone Channel and NFL Network, among other properties and assets.
We noted at the time that such a deal may have an impact on the NFL’s decision-making once the current broadcasting rights expire. When the NFL is trying to decide which networks will be receiving which games, how many games will be going to the network the league has a 10-percent stake in? What will other networks have to concede in order to ensure some semblance of competition?
The NFL’s desire to renegotiate its deals could have nothing to do with its recent acquisition. Regardless, it has become one of the new aims of Goodell for the next year or so, along with his crusade for an 18-game season.
Browns Rumors: Rookie QBs, Kicker, Jones
While Joe Flacco may be the best available quarterback to start for the Browns offense at the moment, the 40-year-old is clearly not the team’s quarterback of the future. After a 1-3 start to the season, some may be calling to get a look at one of the two rookies Cleveland drafted back in April, but according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it doesn’t seem like either quarterback could do anything to prevent the team from drafting a first-round passer next year.
It made some sense to start Flacco even if the Browns didn’t have much confidence in their ability to contend for a title. An opening slate of games against the Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers — all playoff teams from last year after Week 1 — would be a brutal introduction to the NFL for a rookie passer and may do more harm than good for the player’s development. It made sense to have Flacco start a good number of these games and reevaluate.
If Flacco could amass a good record through a daunting opening stretch, the team could stick with him and hope for a potential playoff run with an easier stretch of games later on in the season. If the team was clearly far from contending for a playoff spot, the back portion of the season could be used to see what they have in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. One of the two rookies could really spark the offense and prove themselves as the team’s quarterback of the future.
Not according to Breer. While Breer agrees that, at some point, Gabriel and Sanders may find the field later this year, he doesn’t believe that there’s anything the two could do over the next four months to prevent the Browns from taking a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks in 2026. Breer points to the travel schedule of the Browns’ top personnel staffers, who went “to see a few of the top college quarterbacks over Labor Day weekend,” something he expects they’ll continue to do.
Here are a couple other rumors coming out of Cleveland:
- After some early season struggles, some wondered if the Browns had made the right decision going with Andre Szmyt as their kicker, but the team stood behind him. According to Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland, the team did reach out to another kicker to “be on hold” when Szmyt suffered a midweek calf injury last week, but Szmyt recovered and won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking a 55-yard game-winner against the Packers. We had noted a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright on the Saturday before the Green Bay game, but whether or not the two reports are related is unknown.
- Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reported that left tackle Dawand Jones‘ surgery to repair the LCL tear in his knee and his hamstring aversion was successfully performed last Thursday. James Voo, the team physician who performed the surgery, expects Jones to make a full recovery in time for the 2026 NFL season.
Ravens TE Isaiah Likely To Return In Week 4
SEPTEMBER 28: The Ravens are banged up at other positions (most notably the defensive line), but they will be at full strength with respect to the tight end spot. Baltimore’s list of inactives for today’s game (h/t Zrebiec) confirms Likely will indeed play.
SEPTEMBER 26: After two weeks of limited practice participation, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely had his first full practice of the regular season today. Head coach John Harbaugh was judicious with his comments, relaying that Likely “looks good,” but the team will “have to see if it’s the best thing for (them) on Sunday” for Likely to play, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. 
Though, at the moment, they remain undecided, Harbaugh expressed hope that Likely would be able to play on Sunday, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken echoed those sentiments, per Hensley, emphasizing how Likely adds another tool to a potent Ravens offense.
Likely technically runs as TE2 behind veteran Mark Andrews, but each year, he’s shown an ability that could make him a top weapon on many other teams. His presence has been missed, too. Though the Ravens put up 81 points in their first two games, tight ends only accounted for two catches on five targets for seven yards. Andrews and Charlie Kolar got a boost in Week 3, but Likely will add another dynamic to the position group upon his eventual return.
The news is less positive for defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. After missing last week’s game, Madubuike did not participate in any practices this week as he deals with a neck injury. Harbaugh confirmed that the two-time Pro Bowler would not be available this weekend, per Hensley, and when pushed on his long-term availability, Harbaugh admitted some concern but declined to give any more information until the doctors are able to provide it to him.
Madubuike is a key piece of the Ravens pass rush with 19.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He was certainly missed on Monday as the Ravens failed to amass a single sack for the first time in 57 contests. Another reason for the defense’s struggles getting to the quarterback this past week was the absence of another key pass rusher, Kyle Van Noy.
According to Zrebiec, Van Noy returned to practice on Friday after also missing last week’s game. Van Noy’s career resurgence has seen him collect 21.5 sacks since arriving in Baltimore two years ago. After Madubuike (13.5) led the team in sacks in 2023, Van Noy (12.5) led the Ravens last year. With their two most-recent sack leaders out last week, it’s no wonder they were unable to get to Jared Goff.
Harbaugh said “it would mean a lot” to have Van Noy back on the field this weekend, per Hensley, but like with Likely, they’ll have to wait and see how Van Noy is doing come Sunday. With a matchup that usually sees offensive fireworks and heroics from Patrick Mahomes, the potential additions of Likely and Van Noy could be huge boosts for Baltimore. In the meantime, they’ll continue to gather information on Madubuike’s situation.
Clarity On Texans RB Joe Mixon’s 2025 Outlook Coming Soon?
The Texans have endured a winless start to the season. A key reason for the team’s struggles is a lack of success on the ground. 
Houston entered Sunday’s action sitting 23rd in the league in rushing yards. With a number of new offensive linemen in place and a shorthanded RB room, that development has come as little surprise. Joe Mixon – who handled a heavy workload in 2024 for the Texans and would be doing the same now if healthy – resides on the reserve/NFI list with a foot/ankle injury.
During roster cutdowns, general manager Nick Caserio indicated it was unclear if Mixon would be able to play at all in 2025. Like any other player on the NFI list at this point, the two-time Pro Bowler can be activated no earlier than Week 5. It certainly seems as though Mixon will remain sidelined past that point, but an update in this case could be coming shortly. Dianna Russini of The Athletic writes (subscription required) clarity on Mixon’s outlook is expected to emerge in mid-October.
Finding out more about Mixon’s outlook for this season would be welcomed by all involved. The 29-year-old served as a workhorse last season, his debut campaign for the Texans (245 carries). That produced the fifth 1,000-yard season of his career along with 12 total touchdowns. Expectations were high for a strong follow-up this year, but Mixon suffered the injury this summer and missed all of training camp while rehabbing.
A lengthy ramp-up period will thus be necessary even if Mixon is cleared to return at some point in 2025. The longtime Bengal is under contract through next year, but none of his $8MM base salary for 2026 is guaranteed, Much of Mixon’s financial future will depend on his health status as a result, so an update of any kind will be worth watching for during the midway mark of the campaign.
In the meantime, Houston will proceed with a backfield featuring free agent addition Nick Chubb along with the likes of Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale. That unit could receive a boost late in the campaign, depending on what transpires in Mixon’s case.
49ers Hosted DB Shilo Sanders
While Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is still awaiting his first snap in a regular season NFL game, his older brother, Shilo Sanders, is simply trying to get back into the league. Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Shilo worked out for the 49ers earlier this week.
Shilo, a defensive back, signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May. Of course, he and Shedeur spent four collegiate seasons together, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado, all under head coach/father/NFL icon Deion Sanders. While Shedeur’s draft stock was one of the preeminent storylines of this offseason, Shilo’s NFL future largely flew under the radar.
Facing the same uphill battle that all UDFAs encounter, Shilo did not help his cause by getting flagged for pass interference and being ejected for throwing a punch in the Bucs’ preseason finale. The club ultimately waived him during final cutdowns at the end of August and elected against bringing him back to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Shilo’s visit with San Francisco is the first time he has received publicly-reported interest since Tampa Bay waived him. The Niners were apparently looking for secondary/special teams depth, as they also hosted fellow DBs Brandon Joseph and Jaylen Mahoney at the same time, per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. The team ultimately added Mahoney – who saw action in three games with San Francisco last year – to the taxi squad, leaving Shilo to continue looking for an NFL employer.
Should he choose to explore a football career north of the border, he may have such an opportunity. As JC Abbott of 3DownNation.com writes, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League added Shilo to their negotiation list, just as they did with Shedeur earlier this year.
As a reminder, being on a CFL club’s negotiation list does not mean a player has expressed an interest in playing for that club, or even playing in the CFL at all. It merely means that the team will have the first opportunity to sign the player should he ever attempt to play in the league.
Cowboys’ Jadeveon Clowney Expects To Play In Week 4
SEPTEMBER 28: Clowney is expected to make his Dallas debut against the Packers in Week 4, per Machota. As the Cowboys go up against Micah Parsons, the superstar they traded to Green Bay shortly before the start of the season, they will hope Clowney can give their Parsons-less pass rush a lift.
SEPTEMBER 21: Clowney is indeed inactive for Week 3, as noted by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. His debut will need to wait at least one more week. In more positive injury news, cornerback Trevon Diggs – who emerged on the injury report yesterday – will be active.
SEPTEMBER 20: Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Friday afternoon (via team writer Patrik Walker) that edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney will be a game-time decision on Sunday, adding that “the lean is toward him not playing this week.”
However, owner Jerry Jones said on Friday morning (via the Athletic’s Jon Machota) that he expected Clowney to make his Cowboys debut, though his snap count might be limited. Clearly, the team has yet to make a final determination regarding their recent signing.
Even Clowney has waffled on his status for Week 3. When asked on Monday, he said that he expected to play in Chicago, adding, “That’s what I’m here for,” per Walker. On Friday, he was much less certain.
“Whatever they have planned, I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to get out there,” he said, according to Walker.
The former No. 1 overall pick missed training camp and is joining a different team for the third year in a row, so he needed some time to ramp up physically and get acclimated to a new scheme.
On Monday, Clowney also revealed that the addition of Kenny Clark was a major factor in bringing him to Dallas. He instructed his agent to reach out to the Cowboys “as soon as Kenny Clark signed here,” and days later, the deal was done.
Clowney has also been dealing with an unfortunate incident off the field. He was arrested in his hometown of Rock Hill, Texas while attempting to park at his aunt’s house before a high school football game, according to Clarence Hill of All City DLLS. Clowney was officially charged with trespassing and failure to provide his ID, per WSPA’s Doug Coats.
The 32-year-old also told Hill that he has dealt with similar situations in Texas in the past, but had never been arrested before. He is planning to fight the case.
Falcons OC Zac Robinson Expected To Be A Top Choice For OSU’s Head Coaching Job
In December, we learned Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson would have been Oklahoma State’s top choice to replace head coach Mike Gundy if Gundy had not accepted a contract restructure to remain with the program. Now, after back-to-back embarrassing defeats, Gundy is out as Oklahoma State’s HC, and Robinson is again on the radar.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Robinson is on the “very short list” of candidates for Gundy’s job, which Gundy held for over 20 seasons. Now 38, Robinson played collegiately under Gundy, serving as OSU’s starting quarterback from 2007-09. One of Robinson’s former college teammates, Dez Bryant, quickly took to social media after Gundy’s ouster to advocate for Robinson as the long-time coach’s replacement.
Rapoport makes clear that, as of the time of his report, there has been no contact between Robinson and OSU, which has hired a search firm to aid in its quest for its next permanent head coach. And even if the search takes an expected turn in Robinson’s direction, there could be complications.
For instance, although national signing day is not until February, most high school stars commit to colleges in December, at which point the Falcons’ season will still be ongoing. So while Robinson could hire a staff to do the bulk of the recruiting work, he would be pulling double duty for a time, and the recruits may not have as much contact with their prospective head coach as they would like.
The situation would be difficult, but not unprecedented. As Rapoport points out, then-Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis charted a similar course when he was hired as Notre Dame’s head coach during the 2004 season (of course, the collegiate landscape has changed dramatically over the last two decades).
For now, Robinson will attempt to get the Falcons’ offense and second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back on track. After a solid Week 1 effort against the Bucs, Penix has completed 31 of 57 passes (54.4% completion rate) for 307 yards and zero touchdowns against two interceptions in his last two games combined. The team was blanked in a 30-0 drubbing at the hands of the Panthers in Week 3.
It is unclear what an inability to right the ship will do to Robinson’s status with OSU, though it will obviously damage his NFL stock. Like many Sean McVay disciples, Robinson became a popular name in coaching circles not long after he joined McVay’s Rams staff as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019. He attracted OC interest from the Chargers and Ravens in 2023 and was one of the most popular names in the 2024 cycle, drawing OC interview requests from the Bucs, Bears, Patriots, Raiders, Saints, and Steelers in addition to the Falcons.
In his first year in charge of the Atlanta offense, which was quarterbacked first by Kirk Cousins and then by Penix, Robinson’s unit finished sixth in yards per game and 13th in points per game.
Commanders Rule Out Jayden Daniels For Week 4; QB Expected To Return In Week 5
SEPTEMBER 28: Daniels is expected to return for Washington’s Week 5 game against the Chargers, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). Rapoport says Daniels’ workout on Saturday went well.
SEPTEMBER 27: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave some updates on Daniels and McLaurin this morning. Fowler confirmed Reed’s report from yesterday that Daniels is pushing to play, but the medical and coaching staffs view his knee injury as a mobility issue. Per Fowler, if Daniels’ legs didn’t add so much to his game, the Commanders may be willing to stick him back there and force him to be a pocket passer for a few games until healthy. Instead, they’re opting to give him more time to heal his knee, so that he’ll be able to deliver a more complete product upon his return and avoid the disaster of further injury that the franchise has seen in the past.
While there’s a decent chance Daniels could return for Week 5, the question marks remain that week for McLaurin. While Fowler has been told that Fowler will not go on injured reserve, he’s still week-to-week without a clear timetable for a return.
SEPTEMBER 26: The Commanders ruled out star quarterback Jayden Daniels for their Week 4 matchup with the Falcons, per Tashan Reed of The Washington Post.
That decision will position Marcus Mariota to start for the second week in a row, this time facing his former team. He impressed against the Raiders last Sunday, completing 15 of his 21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. He also added 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground as he led Washington’s offense to 34 points.
Daniels was pushing to play this week, per Reed, telling reporters on Wednesday that he feels back to full strength after spraining his knee in Week 2. He was absent from Friday’s practice but participated in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. When asked about his activity level, he said that he did “enough to feel good if I play on Sunday.”
However, he admitted that his status would be “up to the doctors,” adding, “It’s not my decision.”
Despite concerns about Daniels’ propensity to take big hits as a runner, the 2024 first-round pick played through an October chest injury to start all 17 games as a rookie. Despite an apparent desire to do the same this year, the Commanders are taking a more cautious approach with their franchise quarterback.
Washington’s passing game will also be without multiple receivers on Sunday. As expected, Terry McLaurin was ruled out with a quad injury, and Noah Brown is likely to miss his second game in a row. The Commanders will need Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore, and Jaylin Lane to step up alongside Deebo Samuel, who leads the team in receptions.
The Commanders did get some encouraging news for their offense on Friday with rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt returning to practice after missing the last two days. His availability would be crucial to a Commanders backfield that lost Austin Ekeler to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
McLaurin did not practice at all this week, while RB JCM returned to practice on Friday and would be crucial on Sunday to a Commanders backfield that lost Austin Ekeler to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
Cowboys G Tyler Booker Expected To Miss Extensive Time; Booker, WR CeeDee Lamb Could Be Placed On IR
SEPTEMBER 28: Team EVP Stephen Jones said the Cowboys will make a determination in the next few days as to whether Lamb and/or Booker will need to be placed on IR, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. Both players are currently in walking boots.
SEPTEMBER 22: The Cowboys lost two offensive starters to high ankle sprains in Week 3. In addition to CeeDee Lamb going down, Tyler Booker will not be available to the team for the foreseeable future.
Booker is expected to miss at least three weeks because of the high ankle malady he sustained in Chicago, AllDLLS.com’s Clarence Hill reports. ESPN.com’s Todd Archer pegs the timetable at 4-6 weeks. The latter duration being where this settles would make the first-round pick an IR candidate.
This represents another bad break for the Cowboys, who have center Cooper Beebe on IR. Brought in after Zack Martin‘s retirement, Booker started at right guard in Dallas’ first three games. The injury also comes after second-year left tackle Tyler Guyton — the team’s 2024 first-round pick — missed several weeks due to a knee injury sustained early in training camp. Guyton returned in time for Week 1 but continues to see new faces along the O-line.
IR is a possibility for both Lamb and Booker, Jerry Jones said (via WFAA’s Ed Werder). This comes after a report indicated Lamb was not an IR candidate. An IR transaction would sideline either until Week 8. Booker played through the injury but will take a seat for a while.
If the Cowboys are planning on carrying Lamb on their 53-man roster, a Booker IR move would make more sense. Two of Dallas’ injury activations went to Jonathan Mingo and Payton Turner in August. The team will likely hold another for Beebe, and rookie running back Phil Mafah also landed on IR shortly after roster-cutdown day. These placements would stand to factor into the Cowboys’ decision with Booker.
Weeks after the Martin news, the Cowboys drafted Booker at No. 12 overall. Sporting a keen eye for first-round talent over the past several years, the Cowboys only placed 12 first-round grades on prospects this year. This led to the team staying at 12 and taking Booker, doing so after previously eyeing Tetairoa McMillan. The Cowboys identified four All-Pro O-linemen (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Martin, Tyler Smith) in Round 1 from 2011-22, and they will hope Booker — now opposite a guard-record contract given to Tyler Smith — will follow that path.
The Cowboys have 2023 UDFA T.J. Bass and waiver claim Trevor Keegan as options to replace Booker. Bass would seemingly be the more likely option, having started five games from 2023-24 and having played in all three Cowboys contests this season. Keegan has not played this year.
In better Cowboys news, cornerback DaRon Bland is on track to return for Week 4, Archer adds. Joining Tyler Smith as a recent extension recipient, missed Dallas’ past two games with a foot injury.