NFL Player News

Yarbrough wasn’t a starter last year, but he did rotate in, allowing him to make 29 tackles across 15 games. The former UDFA signed a one-year contract this offseason. Yarbrough will get another shot at making a roster as a depth option.

According to Pelissero, Saleh is scheduled to meet with the Jaguars on Tuesday and will then sit down with the Raiders on Thursday. Despite a disappointing tenure with the Jets that never saw him win more than seven games in a season, Saleh remains a popular head coaching candidate in some circles. If he doesn’t return as a head coach in 2025, the veteran defensive coordinator also has a chance to return to the 49ers in the same he previously served in from 2017-2020. Saleh met with the 49ers last week and is rumored to be high on their list of potential candidates to replace former defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.

This news comes days after NFL Networks’ Tom Pelissero reported on Friday that McCarthy and the Cowboys were “expected to open talks” on a new contract. McCarthy has already drawn interest from several teams in search of a new head coach, but the Cowboys have declined any requests to speak with the veteran head coach, whose contract expires on January 14th. If McCarthy and the Cowboys don’t have a new deal in place by then, he will be free to speak with any team. The Saints and Bears have both expressed interest in speaking to McCarthy, who has gone 49-35 in his five years with the Cowboys with three playoff appearances. We’ll see if anything changes between now and the next 24 hours, but Schefter reports “it’s now looking like McCarthy will indeed become a coaching free agent.”

Fired by the Saints after a 2-7 start to the year, Allen is still viewed by many as one of the top defensive coordinators in the game. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Allen “is expected to have several options” available to him this offseason, but the Colts will be the first to sit down with Allen when he interviews with them on Friday. From 2020 to 2023, Allen’s defense ranked in the top-10 in points allowed every season, and was top 10 in yards allowed in three of those four seasons. Things bottomed out for him in 2024, but, but Allen’s track record over 14 seasons will be more than enough to land him another look as defensive coordinator down the line. The Colts defense ranked among the leagues worst in 2024, which is something head coach Shane Steichen can ill-afford heading into what may be a do-or-die 2025 season.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first with the news, adding that Dean “has a long road to recovery” and will “likely miss the start of the season.” Dean set career-highs in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, and turnovers forced this season, and will be a major loss to an Eagles defense that allowed the fewest yards per play (4.7) and second fewest points per game (17.8) of any team this season. Backup linebacker Oren Burks, who replaced Dean in Sundays NFC Wild Card Game, will likely serve as his replacement for the remainders of the postseason.

The Saints are allowing Kubiak to speak with other teams as they continue to work through their head coaching interviews. The son of long-time offensive coordinator and Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak joined the Saints last offseason after working as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023. In his lone season with the Saints, Kubiak’s offense started hot with back-to-back 40 point outings, but wound up finishing 24th in points scored and 21st in total yards. The team’s collapse was undoubtedly impacted by the injuries to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, who combined to miss 20 games this season, while Derek Carr missed seven games of his own due to a number of injuries. Long viewed as an up-and-coming offensive mind, Kubiak the Seahawks and Browns both appear willing to give him a mulligan for 2024. Kubiak will almost certainly get another shot as a play-caller in the near future, even if it’s not in 2025.

CEH was never signed to the Saints’ 53-man roster after joining their practice squad in late December. The former first-round pick saw his practice squad expire today, meaning he is now a free agent who can sign with any team. In two games played with the Saints, CEH rushed for 46 scoreless yards on 13 carries while adding another three receptions for 24 yards on five targets. He will turn 26 in April, and could land with another team this offseason in hopes of winning a roster spot in camp. In addition to Edwards-Helaire, running back Dalvin Cook, and wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie also saw their practice squad contracts expire and are now free agents.

Joseph’s last head coaching gig came with Denver from 2017 to 2018. The highly-respected defensive coordinator went 11-21 during his two seasons with the team, but returned to the Mile High City in 2023 after Sean Payton was hired as head coach. Joseph’s defense took a massive leap this season after ranking in the bottom third in the league in points and yards allowed in 2023. The Broncos allowed the seventh fewest yards and third fewest points of any team in the league this season, and trailed only the Eagles in yards allowed per play (4.9). Joseph’s recent run of success also drew interest from the Bears and Jets this coaching cycle, making the Raiders the third team to request a sit down with him.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after Dean was carted from the field in the second quarter of Sunday’s win. It gave the early appearance of a season-ender and the team, although Dean will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the full extent of his injury. It would be a massive loss for the Eagles after Dean stepped up to become a leader on the defense in his third season. His 128 tackles, three sacks, and nine TFLs on the year were all career highs, while he also picked up one interception and two fumble recoveries. If Dean is out for the season, Oren Burks would be the favorite to replace him after taking over for him on Sunday.

According to Pelissero, Brown “impressed team brass with how he handled a challenging situation.” Brown made the leap from passing game coordinator to interim head coach in less than a month. Brown replaced Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator on November 12th, and was named interim head coach on November 29th following the dismissal of Matt Eberflus. Brown went 1-4 in his brief tenure as head coach, but he’ll get a chance to lay out his vision for the team and how he can right the ship with his own staff and people in place. Brown is one of several candidates being interviewed by the Bears, who hope to find the best candidate to get Caleb Williams and the team on track after a trying 2024.

With Cade Otton back from injury, this was not a surprise. Durham caught 11-of-14 targets for 115 yards and two touchdowns on the season with most of his production coming in two weeks at the end of the season when Cade Otton was out. The second-year pro figures to remain Tampa Bay’s backup tight end in 2025 but that doesn’t give him much fantasy value.