NFL Player News

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Week 11’s 13-10 loss to the Browns was the final straw for Canada, who took over as offensive coordinator in 2021 and never had an offense finish better than 21st in points per game (20.2). The Steelers are 6-4 on the season and boast a defense that’s allowing the seventh fewest points per game (19.5), Canada’s offense currently ranks 28th in points and yards per game and has been held to 10 points or fewer in four games. The development of quarterback Kenny Pickett has been close to non-existent, as Pickett ranks 32nd among 39 QBs (min. 400 plays) in EPA per play since entering the league last season. The Steelers currently rank 31st in passing yards per game (170.0). While Pickett’s struggles don’t fall solely at the feet of Canada, his dismissal was the obvious first step in trying to right the ship. With seven games left to go and the playoffs still in sight, head coach Mike Tomlin is expected to name running backs coach Eddie Faulkner as offensive coordinator, while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan handles play-calling duties, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Steelers “new-look” offense will make its debut in Week 12 against the Bengals.

Samuel has been limited all week with the rib injury, getting in three partial practice sessions. Samuel has not been a particularly important part of the Bills game plan since Week 11’s win over the Chiefs, and if he did play he’d likely be more of a foil to Buffalo’s other receivers.

The James Conner show rides again. With Amari Demarcado on injured reserve, the Cardinals only currently have DeeJay Dallas as a rostered Conner backup for Week 16. They will likely elevate Michael Carter or Tony Jones for the game. Conner is a good bet for RB1 production against the Panthers.

Kelly is in the last year of his contract and will turn 32 this offseason. The Colts drafted Tanor Bortolini as a potential Kelly replacement this year, and they’ve already had to use him quite a bit as Kelly has missed time with neck and knee injuries. The Colts’ interior offensive line could be a big source of churn this offseason with Kelly and Will Fries entering free agency and Quenton Nelson on a huge cap figure that he hasn’t played up to this year.

Sanders has not officially declared for the draft yet, but that is almost seen as a formality and Sanders has already said in a moment captured on Colorado’s X account that it was his “Last game at Folsom” on Senior Day in Boulder. The Giants and Raiders are tied for the worst record in the NFL with three weeks to play. The Giants have certainly done a lot of homework on Sanders as well, and Raanan adds “Sanders seems to be the most likely option should New York (currently 2-12) finish with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.” As things currently stand it would appear that Sanders and Cam Ward are potential top-10 picks, and having two teams likely to pick in the top-five tied to Sanders tells us a lot about what the NFL is thinking.

Barmore reportedly is dealing with recurring symptoms from the blood clots that forced him to miss most of this season. Mayo added: “I feel for Barmore. He did everything right.” It sure sounds as if the Patriots should go into this offseason not relying on Barmore for 2025. Barmore signed an extension in April that ties him to the roster that won’t allow the Patriots to save any money on a release through next season, so they’ll likely give him more runway for a comeback next season. Hopefully he’s able to shake the symptoms and return to the field at some point.

Because of how Cousins’ contract is structured, he’ll get a say in his future. The Falcons are taking either a $65 million cap hit in 2025 or $40 million in 2025 and $20 million in 2026 as part of post-June 1 release if they so choose. They can save cap space by trading Cousins — depending on how much of his guaranteed salary they’d have to eat to move him — but Cousins also has a no-trade clause. It’s hard to imagine a huge market for Cousins given his rough finish to the season, but perhaps a desperate team can be sold on him being another year removed from his Achilles injury and hope he rebounds physically.

“Obviously, he’s a popular player in the locker room and with the fan base, but the Browns will have to determine what they think Chubb has left as a player — and he will have to determine where he feels the Browns are headed and how he might fit in that plan,” Jackson adds. Chubb enters free agency at 29 this offseason. The Browns are an intriguing landing spot for a drafted running back if Chubb leaves. Jerome Ford will enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2025.

Vele snagged a six-yard touchdown from Bo Nix near the middle of the second quarter to give the Broncos a 21-10 lead. The Chargers dominated from that point on, and Vele wasn’t a factor for the rest of the contest. The 27-year-old rookie — still a weird thing to type — has been much more relevant than anticipated, but fantasy players should be able to find much better options than Vele in Week 17 against the Bengals.

Sutton’s game was about as non-descript as it gets; especially from what should be the top option in the passing attack. The wideout had a long gain of 18 yards, and while there was just one target that wasn’t completed, far too many of the receptions were of the short-yardage variety. Sutton will be in the WR2 conversation against the Bengals in Week 17.

The overwhelming majority of the yardage for Mims came on a swing pass from Bo Nix that resulted in a 53-yard dash down the sideline. Outside of that he was mostly a non-factor, but that shouldn’t have been the case. Mims cooked the Chargers’ secondary on what should have resulted on a long touchdown, but Nix put far too much air on the pass to change the long score into an incompletion. Mims will likely remain a gadget player for Week 17 against the Bengals. The question is whether that will change in the coming years.