NFL Player News

Ryan led the Jets to a 46-50 record during his six seasons as their head coach (2009-2014) and led them to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. A strong start led to a tumultuous ending, as the Jets went just 12-20 in Ryan’s final two seasons, but his tenure with the team has been the best of any coach the Jets have hired since firing Ryan after the 2014 season. Ryan’s coaching style wore on people at times and likely played a role in the Bills dismissing him in 2016 after going, but his reputation as a player’s coach is also well-noted. Ryan’s presence would immediately improve whatever defense he takes over, but he would need to find an immediate answer to the team’s quarterback woes, something he could not do during his first stretch with the team.

Rivera evidently still holds clout in the NFL despite his unfortunate Commanders stint. The old-school coach would likely employ many of the same conservative concepts as former head coach Antonio Pierce but the Raiders press on nonetheless. The results expected from a coach like Rivera could not be more different than if the Raiders were to hire Ben Johnson.

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.