NFL Player News

Johnston suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers but did manage to play out the remainder of the game. Monday’s DNP designation could simply be a matter of rest as the Chargers look to get him ready to play on a short week on Thursday night. We’ll see if things look any different on Tuesday or Wednesday’s injury report’s before allowing ourselves to get too concerned about Johnston’s Week 16 availability against the Broncos.

Allen has four years left on his deal, which is a front-loaded contract. Rapoport said he “would not be surprised at all” if the Bills gave Allen an adjusted deal that would offer him more money sooner after the Bills’ QB1 played at an MVP caliber level, again, this season. Allen has the Bills within one game of playing for the AFC Championship next week, and was one of four quarterbacks to total 40-plus touchdowns this season.

Rapoport reports Flowers had a “promising” workout with the team on Friday, which could put him on track to return in the AFC Championship Game should the Ravens beat the Bills on Sunday. Flowers is officially doubtful heading into the game, and has been trending on the wrong side of playing after missing an entire week of practice.

It was reported last week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Bengals had an interest in the former Bears head coach, but the Falcons became the first team to officially have an interview with him after they shared the news via their social media accounts. Eberflus went 14-32 during his time as the Bears’ head coach, but he rose to prominence as a respected defensive coordinator with the Colts from 2018-2021. Eberflus’ defense ranked in the top 10 in fewest points allowed in three of his four seasons with the team, and ranked 12th in EPA per play over that span. Despite the Bears’ struggled in 2024, Eberflus’ defense also ranked 13th in points allowed and finished 13th in EPA per play. Eberflus could also see growing demand as teams begin to fill their head coaching vacancies in the coming days/weeks.

Head coach Mike Tomlin was non-committal on their quarterback situation days after their playoff loss to the Ravens and will likely dance around the issue until we get closer to free agency. That said, Dulac is of the opinion that Fields could be the QB1 next season due to his age, and the success he enjoyed during his six games as a starter this season. Fields posted a 4-2 record as the Steelers’ starter, and threw for 1,106-5-1 while completing a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes. On the flip side, Dulac also points out that Russell Wilson “was brought here to end the playoff victory drought, and it didn’t happen,” and a reason to move on from the 36-year-old vet. There’s a lot to play out in the coming weeks/months, but the Steelers’ re-upping with Fields this offseason rather than overspending on an underwhelming QB market would make a lot of sense for both sides.

Schefter also reports that “at least one team besides the Bears checked into the idea that it could somehow try to trade for Tomlin.” Any trade for Tomlin would require his approval, as the veteran head coach currently has a no-trade clause baked into his current deal. It’s a bold move by the Bears, but one that clearly shows their desire to nail their next head coaching hire after cycling through four different head coaches and interim head coach Thomas Brown since 2013. When asked earlier about the possibility of approving a trade to another team, Tomlin simply said, “Save your time.” We also know the Steelers don’t have any plans to move on from Tomlin, as previously reported by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Barring an unexpected turn of events, Tomlin, who signed a three-year extension last offseason, will remain with the Steelers in 2025.

The Saints put in a request to speak with Moore nearly two weeks ago. Now, the team will have a chance to speak with the 35-year-old offensive coordinator a day before the Eagles are set to face the Rams in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs. Moore has already talked to the Cowboys about their head coaching vacancy, and is expected to be a top candidate to return to Dallas, but he’ll have other potential suitors in the Saints and also the Jaguars, who requested to interview him. Moore’s stock was at its highest when he was the Cowboys offensive coordinator (2019-2022) but it took a bit of a hit after the team opted to move on from him for the 2023 season. His one-year stop with the Chargers didn’t do much to help his case, either, but a strong first season in Philly again has him in consideration for head coaching jobs. It feels like only a matter of time before Moore eventually gets his shot as a head coach. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if the Saints or Cowboys were the first to give him that opportunity.

Rapoport reports that linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) will also play after being listed as questionable on Friday. Mixon suffered his ankle injury on Wednesday and was a DNP on Thursday, so we don’t know much about the severity of his injury other than it’s not believed to be “a major injury,” according to a report from Friday. It sounds like the Texans will be able to lean on Mixon in his normal role on Saturday as the Texans hope to top the Chiefs and make a trip to the AFC Championship Game next week.

Brady helped helm the Chargers’ passing offense to a 10th-ranked 7.6 yards per attempt average this season. He spent five seasons in various passing-game and offense-related roles with the Colts before serving as an offensive consultant (2022) and senior offensive assistant (2023) for the Eagles. His single season with the Chargers has evidently impressed folks in the Patriots’ organization and he is now a name to watch in this hiring cycle.

The Jaguars have interviewed eight head coach candidates thus far and the two Lions coordinators appear to hold the top two spots on the ownership’s wish list. While Glenn is considered a highly sought-after coach in his own right, it stands to reason that Johnson is the organization’s top choice.

The meeting reportedly took place on Tuesday but impressively remained under wraps until Friday evening, perhaps a sign of things to come with new no-nonsense head coach Mike Vrabel at the helm. Brown worked for the Panthers in 2023 and the Bears in 2024, receiving three in-season promotions of sorts during that span. Brown was given play-calling duties for three games in the Panthers’ failed 2-15 season as team leadership searched for answers. Brown then began the 2024 season as the Bears’ passing game coordinator before rising to offensive coordinator and eventually the interim head coaching position. Studying under Vrabel for a season or two could give Brown the mentoring he needs to officially make the leap into the NFL’s head coaching ranks once and for all.