Anarumo’s defensive implosion last season wasn’t enough to keep teams away this offseason. Once considered a potential head coaching candidate, the veteran coordinator saw his defense rank 25th in points and yards allowed per game last season, as their inability to keep points off the board proved to be enough to keep the Bengals out of the postseason despite MVP-caliber play from Joe Burrow. During his six seasons with the Bengals, Anarumo’s defense never ranked higher than 16th in yards allowed and ranked inside the top 15 only once in points allowed per game. Now, he’ll be tasked with taking over a Colts defense that’s ranked among the league’s worst for three straight seasons. It’s easy to argue that Anarumo was never given enough talent in Cincinnati to make him successful, but it’s also fair to wonder if the Colts will give him the players he needs to help them turn a corner.

Just hours after it was reported that Johnson would be finalizing his interview schedule, Johnson appears headed for the Windy City. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report it, as any rumors of Johnson being the next coach of the Raiders can be laid to rest just days after he was being hyped as the favorite to land in Vegas. Johnson will now be tasked with helping Caleb Williams and the Bears take the next step after a tumultuous 2024 that featured multiple offensive coordinators and head coaches for the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft. During his three years in Detroit, Johnson’s offense consistently finished in the top five in yards and points per game and led the league with 33.2 points per game this season. Known for his elaborate schemes and ability to create room for his receivers to operate, Johnson is the exact kind of coach many believed Williams would need to reach his full potential as a pro after entering the league as one of the highest touted prospects of the last decade. Johnson will now take the upcoming days to round out his staff as he prepares to embark on his much-anticipated first season as a head coach.

“While he was Denver’s leading rusher with 513 yards, he had his share of struggles and is not the same player he was before suffering a serious knee injury in October 2022,” Tomasson writes. Yup, that about sums it up. Tomasson writes that Jaleel McLaughlin will be back as a reserve but that the Broncos “likely will look for a potential starter in free agency or the draft.” It sure seemed like the way the Broncos managed the running back room this year that they didn’t have a real No. 1 back on the roster, and this report pretty much confirms that finding.

This sounds more like Schefter’s opinion than a known fact, but there’s something to be said for Kingsbury still not interviewing with a team despite multiple requests to speak with the Commanders’ offensive coordinator. Kingsbury, who said he won’t take an interview as long as the Commanders are in the playoffs, also went on record saying he was “very happy” with his current role while adding it “would take a lot” for him to leave Jayden Daniels. The Commanders are one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance since 1991. If they advance past the Eagles next week, it’s possible Kingsbury won’t speak to a team regarding a head coaching vacancy until after the Super Bowl.

This interview was forecasted last week, but now the two sides officially appear ready to speak. Per Underhill, the “logistics are still being set,” and the weather could play a factor in when the meeting takes place. Regardless, McCarthy will have a chance to make his pitch about how he can fix the Saints, who finished the year with a 5-12 record after getting off to a 2-0 start with back-to-back 40-point games. McCarthy has already met with the Bears and is rumored to be one of their top candidates, with Detroit’s Ben Johnson being the other.

Glenn’s meeting with the Saints on Wednesday may depend on whether or not he has a deal in place with the Jets before then. Glenn played one year with the Saints in 2008 but served as their defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020 before being hired as the Lions’ defensive coordinator in 2021. His ties to both the Saints and Jets (1994-2001) are part of what makes them the most likely to land the highly sought-after coordinator. Glenn will meet with the Jets on Tuesday, presumably giving them the first chance to make him an offer if they wish to do so. Like last year’s coaching cycle, Glenn appears to have multiple suitors this time around as well. There’s a good chance his days with the Lions are over, with the only question being where he’ll play next.

Holder calls Fields “intriguing” and notes that Colts GM Chris Ballard “evaluated [Fields] closely during the player’s days at Ohio State” and noted the eighth-year GM had “a fondness for Fields before the 2021 draft.” This is not the first Colts beat we’ve seen this offseason linking Fields to the Colts as a measuring stick for Anthony Richardson. Holder also noted that Richardson’s back injury is “not something that will impede Richardson in the long term” and that it is believed to be “related to the use of an orthotic walking boot Richardson had been wearing.” If the Colts do shift to a run-heavy offense with quarterback keeper plays more heavily emphasized, Fields would be a perfect fit for the system. That also could make the winner of a Richardson-Fields quarterback competition a league-winner type of fantasy football pick. The possibility is, as Holder said, “intriguing.”

Glenn’s closest ties are to the Jets and Saints, but it was the Jets who selected them No. 12 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft. The fourth-year defensive coordinator will have an in-person interview with the Jets this time and could receive an offer at any moment. With other teams still lined up to speak with Glenn, there’s a chance he will have more interviews before deciding where he wants to start his head coaching career.

Campbell hasn’t received any official word on whether or not Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn will be departing for heading coaching roles with other teams, but Campbell and the Lions’ media clearly see the writing on the wall. Both Johnson and Glenn have been hot names on the head coaching circuit for the last few years, and both appear destined to land head coaching roles in the coming days. While Campbell said that he believes the Lions do have the right people in the building to replace both coordinators, he didn’t rule out the possibility of looking outside of the organization if people are uncomfortable with being put into those roles. It’s going to be a busy offseason for the Lions, who could find both sides of the ball hiring new coordinators to teach new schemes. After seemingly topping out with a 15-2 record in the regular season, it will be interesting to see how they can adjust to a new environment in 2025.

As Russini points out, the Raiders, Bears, and Jaguars have all shown “strong interest” in Johnson, whose offense came up short in an upset loss to the Commanders in the Divisional Round. Johnson is expected to take his time when it comes to deciding if and where he would serve as a head coach and is not a lock to meet with all teams interested in his services. In three seasons as Lions’ OC, Johnson’s offense has ranked in the top five in both yards and points per game. Considered to be one of the top offensive minds in the game, there will be high hopes for whatever team he lands with, which could also prove to have several viable fantasy assets for the 2025 season and beyond.