NFL Player News

This year’s “low” tender is worth $2.6 million. It gives the Pats the right of first refusal if Bryant signs an offer sheet elsewhere. Since he is a former UDFA, the Pats will receive no compensation if Bryant signs and New England does not match. Bryant was the Pats’ primary slot corner last season, but they are probably looking for an upgrade after he was a weak link over the middle of the field.

Other sources have reported it as a done deal. Schefter, on the other hand, says no contract offer has been made and the two sides “haven’t started negotiations yet.” Still, both sides want to get a deal done sooner rather than later, and we fully expect them to do so. Borgonzi has already had two interviews with the Titans and another with the Jets this offseason. He joined the Chiefs in 2009 as their administrator of college scouting and has worked his way up the corporate ladder ever since. Borgonzi was promoted to assistant general manager in 2021. Assuming the contract talks go smoothly, Borgonzi’s tenure in Tennessee will begin with a franchise-shaping decision via the No. 1 overall pick.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said this morning that the ankle issue isn’t major and Mixon has a “real chance” to play, so Schultz’s reporting all but guarantees Mixon will take the field on Saturday. The Texans added Mixon to the practice report on Wednesday and then downgraded him to a DNP on Thursday. He is officially questionable for Saturday’s game. The moves all seem to have been precautionary. Barring a setback, Mixon will face the Chiefs. Per Schultz, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, questionable with a knee injury, is also expected to play.

Davis was limited in all three practices this week. He remains in the league’s concussion protocol but has a chance to clear it over the weekend. If he doesn’t, Ty Johnson, who is already operating as the team’s top back on passing downs, could see more work as the clear backup to James Cook. Davis is the only player with a game status for the Bills.

Leftwich, who has been out of the league for two seasons, interviewed with the Patriots for their head coach opening earlier this month. Now, the former Buccaneers offensive coordinator could once again find himself calling plays, only this time for the Seahawks. Leftwich’s work with the Buccaneers from 2019-2022 resulted in a Super Bowl title during the 2020 season, and an offense that ranked in the top five in scoring in three of those four years. The Buccaneers’ offense bottomed out in Leftwich’s final season with the team, but it’s hard to overlook the decline in play we saw from Tom Brady in that final season. During his four years as Tampa Bay’s OC, the team ranked sixth in EPA per play and offensive success rate while boasting the third-highest early-down pass rate. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald seems to be looking for a coordinator who will steer the team in a more balanced approach. It seems unlikely that Leftwich would fit that mold, but it’s possible I’d be willing to change up his philosophy with Geno Smith under center and two solid backs in Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.

Flowers was spotted doing some light work before Friday’s practice but did not participate in the session itself, presumably marking his third and final DNP of the week. As Harbaugh previously noted, Flowers does not need to practice to suit up on Sunday, but it’s still a bad sign for the young wideout. It looks like he won’t play, though the Ravens are taking it down to the wire to be sure. The impending questionable tag also forces the Bills to consider the possibility of Baltimore having their top receiver for this game. If Flowers is ruled out, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews will split the No. 1 target duties in his absence. Isaiah Likely will also be used as a de facto second receiver, giving him plenty of fantasy value for the upcoming DFS slate.

According to Fowler, tackle D.J. Humphries is healthy, but the team was impressed with how Thuney filled in at tackle earlier this season. In his three starts at left tackle, Thuney allowed 14 pressures and no sacks and didn’t surrender a single pressure in Week 17’s win over the Steelers, per PFF. Taking a “ride the hot hand” approach, the Chiefs will hope Thuney can continue his impressive play against Will Anderson and the Texans’ defensive front.

Brown has spent the last three seasons as the Steelers’ secondary coach and has also spent time as a defensive backs coach and cornerbacks coach at the college ranks from 2010-2019. In 2022, he helped the Steelers finish first in interceptions (22) and also coached Minkah Fitzpatrick to a First-Team All-Pro finish in the same season.

We’ll see if the team gives Davis additional time to clear protocol, but it’s not a great sign for the rookie’s availability as far as Sunday’s game against the Ravens is concerned. If the Bills don’t rule out Davis on Friday when they release their final injury report, they’ll presumably give him until Saturday to clear protocol before deciding on his availability. We’ll know more on this soon.

Udinski met with the Seahawks just days ago and will now have a second in-person interview with the team on Friday. The 28-year-old assistant QB coach has played a key role in the success of the Vikings and Sam Darnold since joining Kevin O’Connell’s staff in 2023 and previously worked with the Panthers from 2020-2021. As it stands right now, Udinski and Saints OC Klint Kubiak are the only two coaches to receive second interviews for the Seahawks’ OC vacancy.

Rizzi took over as the Saints interim head coach after Dennis Allen was fired following his 2-7 start. Rizzi’s Saints went 3-5 under his watch, which included wins over the Falcons and Browns in his first two games. Rizzi wasn’t given much to work with during his role as interim HC, as Derek Carr, Chris Olave, and Rashid Shaeed were sidelined for all or most of his eight weeks long tenure. Rizzi caught the eyes of Jets brass and interviewed for their head coaching job last week. It seems unlikely the Saints would hire Rizzi with so many “big-name” coaches available, but he’s a familiar face who has been with the organization since 2019, which could bear some weight in the decision-making process.