NFL Player News

Hooker went down early in the game but wasn’t ruled out until the third quarter. When healthy, Hooker plays on every defensive snap for the Titans. He has an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in four appearances this year.

Rizzi has been linked to over a half-dozen teams in various capacities, with the report indicating he could be lured to the Bears to form a star-studded cast of new coaches under new head coach Ben Johnson in a complete turnover. The report comes after rumors swirled that Johnson was likely to bring on former Saints head coach Dennis Allen to serve as his defensive coordinator, potentially drawing another link to Rizzi, who previously served as the special teams coordinator under Allen in New Orleans. There are still many dominoes to fall in this year’s coaching cycle but top candidates appear to be flying off the shelf.

Coen clearly made a good impression in his first interview with the Jaguars and will now have a chance to sit down with them in person. The 39-year-old offensive coordinator shined in his first season with the Buccaneers, as his offense finished in the top five in both points and yards per game, while Baker Mayfield turned in his best season as a pro (4500-41-16) in his seven years as a pro. Coen has at least two more finalists to compete with in Robert Saleh and current Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, but he could be exactly what Trevor Lawrence needs to turn things around after a disappointing 2024.

Graham is one of at least three finalists to receive a second interview with the Jaguars. Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh and current Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen will also have second interviews with the team. Graham, who interviewed for the Seahawks’ and Chargers’ head coaching openings last offseason, is reportedly already a finalist for the Bengals’ defensive coordinator position. Even if he doesn’t land in Jacksonville, it sounds like his services will be in high demand for the 2025 season.

This news comes shortly after it was announced that Saleh’s chances at landing the Jaguars’ head coaching gig would “increase” after the Bears hired Ben Johnson. Saleh showed well during his initial interview with the Jaguars and could soon find himself back in the driver’s seat of a team just months after being dismissed by the Jets following a 20-36 record over four seasons. It’s possible we’ll know by Friday if Saleh has a new home in Jacksonville.

It’s the exact kind of vague statement we’d expect from Sirianni, who often spearheads the team’s vague approach when it comes to discussing injuries. Hurts said after the game that he expects to play in next week’s NFC Championship Game against the Commanders. With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, we’d expect the same. Hurts will likely be limited in practice this week, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he logged a DNP or two along the way. That said, he feels like a near-lock to start on Sunday, barring a major setback.

The Cowboys have now done three interviews: Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh, and Frazier. They are Rooney Rule compliant. Frazier got an interview for the Chargers head-coaching gig in 2024 and with the Giants in 2022. He’s been somewhat pushed off the radar in recent years after leaving Sean McDermott’s Bills staff, but latched on with the Seahawks as an assistant head coach. Given how wacky the Cowboys head-coaching search has been, anybody can legitimately be called a real candidate for the job, but all insider direction seems to point to Kellen Moore as the favorite.

Fassel has spent the last five seasons with the Cowboys but was free to speak with other teams following the dismissal of head coach Mike McCarthy. Fassel has held roles as a special teams coordinator since 2008 and moonlighted as an interim head coach for the Rams in 2016 for three games, where he went 0-3. In the first season with the new dynamic kickoff rule, the Cowboys ranked second in total kick return yards and first in yards per return. Having electric return man KaVontae Turpin certainly helped with those numbers, but Fassel is a widely respected special teams coach who should help elevate the Titans’ unit next season.

Benford will have six days to clear protocol before the AFC Championship game. It would be a huge loss for the Bills if they didn’t have their most effective cornerback (78.8 PFF coverage grade) against the Chiefs. Benford played all but one snap against the Ravens in the Wild Card round. McDermott also said that Taylor Rapp (hip) is “day to day” after leaving with just 19 snaps in the first half. Cole Bishop replaced Rapp.

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.

Allen would be a solid hire for the Bears as they try to get the defense back to where it was before they fired Matt Eberflus mid-season. 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. It’s not hard to argue that the reason the Saints defense fell apart this season was simply that it got too old. Johnson was, per Dianna Russini, also talking to Lou Anarumo about a defensive coordinator job.