NFL Player News

Fantasy managers will take it, but it was another dispiriting “real life” effort from the sixth-year starter as the Cardinals were eliminated from playoff contention. Murray’s fourth quarter interception down 30-27 at the 3:20 mark was probably the worst throw of his entire career, as he ranged past the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball directly to Demani Richardson. It was a baffling, inscrutable decision that somehow didn’t cost the Cardinals the game. Murray, nevertheless, got outplayed in the extra period by star-crossed Bryce Young. Incapable of finding Trey McBride for touchdowns or Marvin Harrison Jr. for anything at all, Murray remains plateaued. Now with nothing to play for, the Cardinals face a Rams team with everything to play for in Week 17.

McKenzie is looking to get back in the general manager’s chair after spending the last six seasons with the Dolphins in his current role. McKenzie served as the Raiders’ general manager from 2012-2018 and played a hand in delivering them their first 12-win season since 2000 when the team went 12-4 in 2016 only to lose in the AFC Wild Card Round to the Texans. McKenzie’s experience in NFL front offices dates back to 1994, making him a tenured and well-qualified candidate option for the Titans should they decide to extend a job offer to him.

The Bucs will also have Jamel Dean back in the lineup after Dean missed Week 18’s game with a knee injury. Winfield, who hasn’t played since Week 14, is also returning from a knee injury, providing two immediate boosts to a secondary ahead of the Buccaneers’ biggest game of the season.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after Hurts was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice. It was only a matter of time before the Eagles’ QB1 cleared protocol and was given the green light for Sunday’s Wild Card game. Hurts has participated in all three practices this week, and should be well-rested after missing the team’s last two games and barely playing in Week 16 against the Commanders before exiting the game. The Eagles are getting healthy at the right time, and should be at near full strength heading into Sunday.

After saying earlier in the week that Lattimore “hit all the markers” the team needed to see to clear him, Quinn confirmed Lattimore’s availability for Sunday night’s game against the Buccaneers. It will be the latest installment of the Marshon Lattimore vs. Mike Evans saga, as Lattimore expected to see plenty of his former division rival in the tilt. How healthy Lattimore is remains a mystery, as the veteran corner has dealt with this nagging hamstring injury for most of the season, but he’s well-enough to take the field for the Commanders in what will be just his third game with the team.

Glenn spoke to the Jets on Thursday and has now sat down to speak with the Saints. The highly-coveted head coaching candidate still has meetings with the Raiders, Jaguars, and Bears on tap but declined a chance to speak with the Patriots. Glenn has ties to the Saints that go back to 2008, which marked his final year in the league as a player, but he also served as their defensive backs coach from 2016-2020 before joining the Lions in 2021 as their defensive coordinator. Glenn’s interviews are just getting started. He’ll likely go through a second round with several teams in the coming week.

Things go from bad to worse for Watson, who tore his Achilles for a second time after suffering the initial injury less than three months ago. It’s hard to know the impact of this injury on the Browns, as the team has long been rumored to be interested in adding other quarterbacks this offseason. Some have gone as far as to speculate that Watson will “never play a meaningful snap for the Browns again.” Regardless, Watson faces an even longer road to recovery after undergoing another surgery on Thursday to repair this second tear. It wouldn’t be surprising if this injury sidelined Watson for all of next season. According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, if Watson re-injured himself while doing something “he was not supposed to be doing” the guarantees in his contract could be at risk.

The Jets are truly leaving no stone unturned. Their in-depth search for their next head coach has now hit the college ranks in a somewhat unprecedented fashion. Locksley, who has spent the last six seasons with Maryland, has a lifetime 35-67 record as a head coach and has never held a job in the NFL. Well-renowned for his ability as a recruiter, Locksley seems like an unlikely candidate to make the leap from college to the pros with no NFL experience, especially when you consider his .343 career winning percentage.

Pittman played through most of the season with his back injury. It should come as no surprise that he turned in the worst season since his rookie year as a result, but Pittman still posted a respectable 69-808-3 line over 16 games in a season that proved challenging for all Colts pass catchers. It sounds like some rest and rehab will be all Pittman needs to return healthy for a 2025 season that is already setting up to be a do-or-die year for Anthony Richardson, head coach Shane Steichen, and Ballard.

Things felt as if they were trending in this direction after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones praised McCarthy’s efforts late in the year despite the lost season. The fact McCarthy wasn’t dismissed by Jones immediately after the season ended was also a good sign for the veteran head coach. McCarthy’s contract with the team is set to officially expire on January 14th, giving the Cowboys little time to get a deal done before McCarthy is free to speak with other teams. McCarthy has led the Cowboys to a 49-35 record during his first five seasons, but had three-straight 12-win seasons from 2021-2023. The team has work to do on the defensive side of the, but with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb under long-term deals, the offensive weapons are there to make the Cowboys a contender again in 2025.

Ryans spoke highly of Johnson, who caught 2-of-4 targets for 12 yards in the Week 18 finale against the Titans. Ryans said he was “really impressed with this last week of practice” from Johnson and praised him for picking up the offense quickly. It’s been a trying season for Johnson, who caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games with the Panthers before a brief stint with the Ravens in which he caught 1-of-5 targets for six yards before being suspended by the team after refusing to go on the field in a game. With a big offseason coming up in free agency, a strong playoff performance would benefit Johnson, who has some brand rebuilding to do after being one of the league’s premiere target hogs through his first five years in the league.