NFL Player News

Ekeler has been on the shelf for the previous four games but will miss the minimum with a concussion sustained in Week 12. The Commanders have said they will approach Week 18 like any other week as they look to avoid the No. 7 seed out of the NFC, but time, and game environment, will tell if they keep their starters on the field late in the contest should they be playing with a comfortable lead.

McCaffrey told reporters he could have played if the 49ers had made the playoffs. He will probably still be in the RB1 pool on the massive upside of his receiving talent in 2025 drafts, but he looked noticeably slower when he returned in 2024 and, well, we won’t blame grudge-holding fantasy managers for not trusting updates about his health after this past season. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in best ball over the coming months.

Smith has done a solid job in Pittsburgh this year, even if it remains memeworthy how often Cordarrelle Patterson will pop up in a big moment. The former Falcons head coach has three consecutive 7-10 years under his NFL belt as a head coach in Atlanta, as well as three highly-regarded years with the Titans and now Steelers as an offensive coordinator. The Bears are reportedly trying to find both a “leader of men” type as well as someone who can spark Caleb Williams’ development.

The Bears become the second team to request an interview with Flores, who is also being eyed by the Jets early in the coaching cycle. The former Dolphins head coach (2019-2021) has spent the last two seasons serving as the Vikings defensive coordinator and helped coach up one of the top defensive units in the game this season. Flores led the Dolphins to a winning record in two of his three seasons at the helm and is one of the stronger retreads to pickup steam thus far.

Hurts entered the league’s concussion protocol after suffering a brain injury in Week 16 against the Commanders. While there’s still a good chance the Eagles’ signal-caller will be back in time for the NFC Wild Card game against the Packers, his extended stay in protocol gets more concerning by the day. The Eagles won’t take the practice field until Wednesday, giving Hurts nearly two more days to get cleared in time to resume practicing with the team. If he’s not able to get on the field Wednesday, there will be legitimate cause for concern about his availability come Sunday. Things remain wait-and-see for now.

“It’s not good,” LaFleur said when asked about Watson’s injury on Monday. While we still don’t know the full severity of Watson’s injury, we do know that initial tests confirmed a torn ACL, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that Watson is believed to have “suffered additional damage” beyond that. It sounds like Watson will be on a long road to recover in time for the start of the 2025 season. His absence in the postseason will likely lead to more opportunities for both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks on Sunday against the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round.

Brady gains his second interview on the circuit from a team he worked for as an offensive assistant in 2017 and 2018 before taking over the LSU passing game for one incredible season you may remember. The Saints were rumored before the offseason started to have interest in coaches with familiarity to the team under GM Mickey Loomis, and Brady certainly fits that bill. Aaron Glenn likely starts out as the favorite for the job, but Brady looks to have course-corrected his stock in Buffalo after a disastrous time in Carolina in 2020-2021.

It’s unknown how bad Moreau is injured, but if he has ligament tears he could open training camp on the PUP list. If Moreau’s knee injury is deeply serious, the 2025 season would probably be in jeopardy given how late in the season this injury occurred. Moreau enters the final year of his three-year Saints contract in 2025 and has a $4.6 million cap hit. The Saints can save $2.5 million against the cap if they release him.

It’s possible that Hall Jr. starts training camp on the PUP list depending on how many months are involved. Hall Jr missed five games due to a personal conduct policy suspension this season after a domestic violence arrest. He wound up playing eight games and finishing with one sack, 14 combined tackles, and six quarterback hits as a rotational lineman.

Lewis, slated to be a 41-year-old free agent, told reporters before Chicago’s win against the Packers that he wants to keep playing. “My body feels good. I am still dominant at the point of contact. I don’t miss games. It’s not like I’m an old guy trying to milk it. I am not that guy. I am not out here wearing a jersey on the sideline being a leader. I want to lead from the front, and when I’m asked to do a job and counted on to do a job, I dominate and do that job,” Lewis said. He’d make a fine second or third tight end on a contender as a blocker.

It hasn’t even been 24 hours since the Jets’ season officially came to an end, but they’re already casting one of the widest head coach/general manager searches in recent memory. Brown becomes the latest name to be added to the GM list and has spent the last four seasons with the Bengals after joining them as a scout in 2021. He also worked in a variety of scouting jobs with the Patriots and Eagles from 2010-2018. This isn’t the first time Brown has been interview for general managers roles, as he also met with the Bills, in 2017 and on two separate occasions with the Raiders in 2018 and 2022. Brown has multiple names to compete with early on, and will likely see more competition added to the mix before the process is finished.