2026 NFL Offseason Outlook Series
Pro Football Rumors is breaking down how all 32 teams’ offseason blueprints are shaping up. Going forward, the Offseason Outlook series is exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, and that link provides details on how to sign up for an annual membership.
This post will be updated as more Outlooks are published.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
AFC West
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
NFC North
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
Bills To Hire Bo Hardegree As QBs Coach
After two years as the Titans’ quarterbacks coach, Bo Hardegree is taking the same position with the Bills, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
Hardegree will replace Ronald Curry, the Bills’ QBs coach from 2024-25. New Bills head coach Joe Brady, who took over for the fired Sean McDermott last week, was the team’s offensive coordinator during that span.
Despite Brady’s familiarity with Curry (the two were also together on New Orleans’ staff from 2017-18), he’ll bring in an outsider to coach superstar Josh Allen and the rest of the Bills’ quarterback room in 2026.
This will be the fourth stint as an NFL QBs coach for the 41-year-old Hardegree, whose initial experience came with Ryan Tannehill and Jay Cutler in Miami from 2016-18. Cutler came out of retirement in 2017 to fill in after Tannehill suffered a torn ACL. It proved to be the last season for Cutler, who completed 62% of passes with 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and an 80.8 rating in 14 games.
Hardegree later held the job with the Raiders from 2022-23. He led Derek Carr, Aidan O’Connell and Jimmy Garoppolo to uninspiring results in two years in Las Vegas.
After the Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels midway through 2023, Hardegree finished the season as the Raiders’ interim offensive coordinator. The Raiders promoted interim head coach Antonio Pierce to the full-time job after the season, but he didn’t retain Hardegree.
With Brian Callahan grabbing the reins as the Titans’ head coach in 2024, he tabbed Hardegree to guide young passer Will Levis. While Levis was only a year removed from going 33rd in the draft, any hope he’d break through as the Titans’ solution under center went out the window that season.
Desperate for an answer at the game’s most important position, the Titans used the top pick in last year’s draft on former Miami QB Cam Ward. With little help around him, Ward predictably struggled as a rookie. Hardegree spent most of the season as the Titans’ play-caller after Callahan handed off those duties in late September. The Titans fired Callahan in mid-October, though, and they went on to rank 30th in total offense and 31st in scoring during a three-win campaign.
Hardegree should have a far easier time in Buffalo, where he’ll coach a 2024 MVP winner who is a finalist for the award again this season. The dual-threat Allen piled up 39 touchdowns (25 passing, 14 rushing), ranked top five in the league in completion percentage (fourth), yards per attempt (fifth) and passer rating (fifth), and led his position with 579 rushing yards in 2025.
Titans To Hire Gus Bradley As DC
Known to be an interested party with respect to Gus Bradley, the Titans are indeed bringing him aboard. Tennessee is hiring Bradley for the role of defensive coordinator, as first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. 
The 49ers assistant saw Raheem Morris brought in as San Francisco’s new defensive coordinator yesterday. That move opened the door to a departure on Bradley’s part. The Titans and Cardinals emerged as potential destinations in short order. As such, today’s news come as little surprise.
Robert Saleh returned to the 49ers as their defensive coordinator last year. Following one season in that familiar role, the ex-Jets head coach managed to land a new HC gig with Tennessee. Bradley loomed as a candidate to be promoted as Saleh’s replacement in San Francisco. Instead, he will now follow Saleh to Nashville.
Saleh will call plays on defense, a departure from his approach during his time in New York. Bradley’s newest DC gig will still see him handle a key role on staff, though, and he will represent another experienced voice in Tennessee. Brian Daboll is in place as the Titans’ offensive coordinator, and Saleh’s staff also includes longtime special teams coordinator John Fassel. Tennessee prioritized veteran coaches in the team’s HC search, and several of them are now in the fold.
Bradley has worked as a defensive coordinator with the Seahawks, Chargers, Raiders and Colts over the course of his lengthy NFL career. The 59-year-old also served as the head coach in Jacksonville from 2013-16. His record on that front has not yielded a second HC opportunity, but Bradley remains a well-regarded defensive mind around the league. He spent 2025 with the title of assistant head coach/defense in San Francisco.
The Titans saw Dennard Wilson depart last month when he took the defensive coordinator position on John Harbaugh‘s staff. Tennessee ranked second in the NFL in total defense during Wilson’s first year in place, but the team regressed in 2025 in a number of areas. Improvement across the board will be sought out with Saleh and now Bradley in place.
Via PFR’s Coordinator Search Tracker, here is a final look at how Tennessee landed on Bradley for the defensive coordinator position:
- Gus Bradley, assistant head coach (49ers): Hired
- Aaron Whitecotton, defensive line coach (Cowboys): Interview requested; hired as DL coach
- Al Harris, defensive backs coach (Bears): Interviewed 1/24
- Mike Rutenberg, defensive pass-game coordinator (Falcons): Interview requested
- Dino Vasso, defensive backs coach (Texans): Interviewed 1/24
Titans, Cardinals Eyeing Gus Bradley For Defensive Coordinator
Less than two weeks ago, it appeared 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley was poised to replace the departed Robert Saleh as the team’s defensive coordinator. While Kyle Shanahan called Bradley an “obvious” candidate for the position in late January, the head coach hired Raheem Morris to run the 49ers’ defense on Sunday.
Bradley is still on the 49ers’ staff, but other defensive coordinator jobs are on the table for the 59-year-old. Both the Titans and Cardinals are interested in Bradley, Albert Breer of SI.com reports. Landing with either team would give Bradley a fifth chance to serve as an NFL defensive coordinator.
Bradley previously led defenses with the Seahawks (2009-12), Chargers (2017-20), Raiders (2021) and Colts (2022-24). He was particularly successful from 2011-12, the beginning of Seattle’s dominant “Legion of Boom” era, which convinced the Jaguars to hire him as their head coach.
The Bradley era couldn’t have gone much worse for Jacksonville. The Jags gave Bradley nearly four full seasons, but after he managed just 14 wins in 62 games, the team pulled the plug in December 2016.
Bradley’s Jaguars tenure produced disastrous results, though he garnered more working experience with Saleh after the two coached on the same staff in Seattle from 2011-12. They reunited in San Francisco this past season, but Saleh left last month to become the Titans’ head coach. There’s now a chance Bradley and Saleh will work together with a fourth different franchise in 2026.
Although Bradley’s relationship with Saleh is a plus, the latter will call the defensive plays in Tennessee. Conversely, Bradley would work as the Cardinals’ play-caller, and that could tip the scales in their favor, according to Breer. Bradley and just-hired Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur have no previous experience together. Nevertheless, bringing in Bradley would give the offensive-minded, first-time head coach a grizzled complement on the other side of the ball.
Despite the presence of a defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon, LaFleur’s predecessor, the Cardinals ranked a subpar 27th in yards allowed and 28th in points surrendered in 2025. The Titans, 21st and 28th in those categories, endured similar struggles under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Saleh is now eyeing Bradley to take over for the fired Wilson, but he’ll have to fend off the Cardinals for his services.
Mike Rutenberg ‘Leading Candidate’ For Titans’ DC Job
New Titans head coach Robert Saleh has found an offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll, but the team’s D-coordinator position remains open. That may change soon, though, as Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg has emerged as a “leading candidate” to take over as the Titans’ DC, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports. The Titans requested an interview with Rutenberg last week.
The 44-year-old Rutenberg is coming off his first season in Atlanta, whose pass defense ranked a respectable 13th in the NFL. The Falcons also tied for sixth with 16 interceptions, five of which came from rookie third-round pick Xavier Watts, and 11th in passer rating against (88.2).
A few weeks after his productive first season with the Falcons ended, Rutenberg could reunite with Saleh in Tennessee. The two already have a long history together that began in Jacksonville over a decade ago.
Saleh was the Jaguars’ linebackers coach in 2014, and Rutenberg was their assistant defensive backs coach. Six years later, Rutenberg worked under Saleh, then San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, as the 49ers’ passing game specialist in 2020. Saleh then brought Rutenberg with him to New York when he became the Jets’ head coach in 2021.
Rutenberg coached the Jets’ LBs through last season, Saleh’s final year on the job. Jeff Ulbrich finished the campaign as the Jets’ interim head coach after they fired Saleh in October 2024. With Ulbrich on his way out to take the Falcons’ defensive coordinator gig last offseason, Rutenberg accompanied him to Atlanta.
Since beginning his career as an intern with Washington in 2003, Rutenberg hasn’t worked as a defensive coordinator at either the pro or college levels (he coached at UCLA and New Mexico from 2006-12). Past play-calling experience isn’t a must in this case, though, with Saleh set to handle those responsibilities in 2026.
Aside from Rutenberg, here’s the small list of DC candidates Saleh has considered to replace the fired Dennard Wilson:
- Aaron Whitecotton, defensive line coach (Cowboys): Interview requested; hired as DL coach
- Al Harris, defensive backs coach (Bears): Interviewed 1/24
- Dino Vasso, defensive backs coach (Texans): Interviewed 1/24
Titans To Hire QBs Coach Shea Tierney, OL Coach Carmen Bricillo
New Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has started filling his staff, with multiple of his former Giants assistants set to join him in Tennessee.
Shea Tierney will be the Titans’ next quarterbacks coach, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He held the same role in New York and spent the previous four years working under Daboll in Buffalo. Tierney was a Bills offensive assistant in 2018 and 2019 before a promotion to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. He worked closely with Josh Allen during that time and later coached several different passers in New York, including Jaxson Dart and Daniel Jones.
Tierney will be tasked with developing 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward, who had a rough rookie year with little talent around him. He led the league in sacks, sack yardage, and fumbles, and the Titans were a bottom-three team in nearly every offensive category.
Daboll will also be bringing former Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo to Tennessee, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. After rising through the college coaching ranks, he joined the Patriots as an offensive assistant in 2019. He was promoted to co-offensive line coach in 2020 and held the position on his own the following season. Bricillo then followed Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas and served as the Raiders’ offensive line coach for two years before joining Daboll in New York.
Bricillo is a well-respected coach around the league. John Harbaugh‘s decision not to retain him drew some criticism, especially with Harbaugh’s original target for his offensive line coach, George Warhop, set to join Todd Monken in Cleveland. In Tennessee, he will work with recent first-round picks Peter Skoronski and JC Latham, as well as veteran left tackle Dan Moore Jr.
For his new wide receivers coach, Daboll is making an outside hire. Greg Lewis will be leaving Baltimore for Tennesseee after three years on Todd Monken’s offensive staff in the same role, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Lewis played a key role in the development of Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers and also oversaw Rashod Bateman‘s breakout 2024 campaign. Before that, he spent six years in Kansas City, working with their running backs and receivers and earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. The Titans will be hoping Lewis can quickly develop young wide receivers Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo into more reliable targets for Ward.
With Tierney, Bricillo, and Lewis in hand, Daboll seems to building a strong foundation for the Titans’ offense as the franchise enters the Robert Saleh era.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/28/26
Today’s reserve/futures move:
Tennessee Titans
A former sixth-round pick by the Bengals, Trey Hill got into 25 games in Cincinnati, starting three of those appearances. After spending most of the 2024 campaign on the Bengals practice squad, he spent last offseason with the Packers organization, although he ended up being cut loose at the end of the preseason. He later signed with the Bears practice squad, where he spent most of the 2025 season.
Cowboys To Interview Shane Bowen, Dismiss Defensive Staffers
Dismissed by the Giants late in the season, Shane Bowen has not resurfaced on the coordinator carousel. But the two-time DC is back in the mix for another potential position.
The Cowboys hired Christian Parker from the Eagles as defensive coordinator, and they are now looking into adding the Giants’ previous DC. Bowen is interviewing for a Cowboys job, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. It is not known which position Bowen is discussing, but he coached the Titans’ outside linebackers prior to his Tennessee promotion under Mike Vrabel.
Dallas also interviewed Steelers OLBs coach Denzel Martin, according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz. This meeting will be about Martin making a lateral move to Dallas. Martin spent the past 10 seasons with the Steelers, working his way up to OLBs coach. He was at the helm when T.J. Watt tied the single-season sack record in 2021 and was a central figure in Alex Highsmith‘s development to an extension-worthy Watt sidekick.
With the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin, there will be staff turnover. The same goes in Dallas, where some of the defensive assistants are not being retained. Defensive pass-game coordinator Andre Curtis, who doubled as the team’s safeties coach, will not be back. Neither will secondary coach David Overstreet nor linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins notes.
Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton is joining the Titans as their D-line coach, veteran Tennessee reporter Paul Kuharsky adds. Whitecotton, who also interviewed for Tennessee’s DC job, will also serve as the team’s run-game coordinator on that side of the ball, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Whitecotton has an extensive history with Robert Saleh; he served as the Jets’ D-line coach from 2021-24. Whitecotton was also a 49ers assistant in 2020 and a Jaguars staffer from 2014-16, a period where Saleh was on the Jacksonville staff.
The Giants hired Bowen in 2024, and he played a memorable part in their infamous Hard Knocks: Offseason series. The Giants ranked 21st defensively in 2024 but dropped to 26th this past season, plummeting despite the additions of Abdul Carter, Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. The team fired Bowen not long after canning Brian Daboll. Bowen, 39, has not been connected to other jobs during this year’s cycle.
Prior to New York, Bowen spent six years on the Titans’ staff under Vrabel. The final three came as DC, where he served as the team’s primary play-caller. Bowen came over from the Texans, following Vrabel from Houston to Tennessee. It would stand to reason Vrabel would consider adding Bowen to New England’s staff, but the two-time DC is on Dallas’ radar presently.
Titans Hire Brian Daboll As OC
11:28pm: The Titans announced Daboll’s hiring. It seems he’s no longer a contender to become the Raiders‘ head coach. Daboll agreed to a three-year contract, according to veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky. The Raiders still have another HC interview left, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. It is not known which candidate will meet with the Silver and Black this week.
11:18am: The Titans are set to hire Brian Daboll as their next offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. However, Daboll remains a candidate for the Raiders’ head coaching job. He conducted a second interview with Las Vegas on Tuesday, per Schefter. Daboll will join the Titans if the Raiders don’t hire him.
Daboll had been in the running to fill the Bills’ head coaching vacancy, which he reportedly preferred, but that’s now off the table after they promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Tuesday. The Raiders are now the only team the Titans will have to fend off for Daboll’s services.
Daboll has given Titans HC Robert Saleh his word that he’ll go to Tennessee if he doesn’t land a head coaching gig, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. In the event the Raiders hire Daboll, the Titans would have to pivot to a different play-calling choice. Along with Daboll, former Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, Packers OC Adam Stenavich and ex-Buccaneers QBs coach Thad Lewis have all interviewed with the Titans.
For now, Saleh appears poised to reel in an accomplished offensive coordinator to join his first Titans staff. It also pairs up a couple of of former New York head coaches. Saleh coached the Jets from 2021-24, while Daboll led the Giants from 2022-25.
If he heads to Tennessee, the 50-year-old Daboll will receive his fifth try as an NFL O-coordinator. He previously held the position with the Browns (2009-10), Dolphins (2011), Chiefs (2012) and Bills (2018-21). The Giants hired Daboll after an excellent run in Buffalo, where he helped quarterback Josh Allen go from raw prospect to superstar.
Daboll didn’t have nearly as much success in New York with Daniel Jones, another former first-round QB. Despite early flashes, Jones didn’t develop into the answer under center for the Giants, which played a key role in Daboll’s struggles. Daboll worked with yet another first-round signal-caller, Jaxson Dart, in 2025. While Dart performed well as a rookie, Daboll wasn’t around for the entire season. The Giants fired him after a 2-8 start.
Catching on with the Titans would give Daboll another chance to work with a prized young passer in Cam Ward. The Titans chose Ward first overall in last year’s draft, but he wasn’t in an ideal spot to succeed in 2025. The Miami product took a league-worst 55 sacks, tying him with the Raiders’ Geno Smith, lacked weapons in the passing game and didn’t enjoy stability on the sidelines during a 3-14 campaign.
The Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan in October, leaving Mike McCoy to take over for the rest of the season. QBs coach Bo Hardegree called plays, but Daboll is now primed to play a major role in developing Ward going forward.
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.