NFL

Benford will have six days to clear protocol before the AFC Championship game. It would be a huge loss for the Bills if they didn’t have their most effective cornerback (78.8 PFF coverage grade) against the Chiefs. Benford played all but one snap against the Ravens in the Wild Card round. McDermott also said that Taylor Rapp (hip) is “day to day” after leaving with just 19 snaps in the first half. Cole Bishop replaced Rapp.

Anarumo’s defensive implosion last season wasn’t enough to keep teams away this offseason. Once considered a potential head coaching candidate, the veteran coordinator saw his defense rank 25th in points and yards allowed per game last season, as their inability to keep points off the board proved to be enough to keep the Bengals out of the postseason despite MVP-caliber play from Joe Burrow. During his six seasons with the Bengals, Anarumo’s defense never ranked higher than 16th in yards allowed and ranked inside the top 15 only once in points allowed per game. Now, he’ll be tasked with taking over a Colts defense that’s ranked among the league’s worst for three straight seasons. It’s easy to argue that Anarumo was never given enough talent in Cincinnati to make him successful, but it’s also fair to wonder if the Colts will give him the players he needs to help them turn a corner.

Allen would be a solid hire for the Bears as they try to get the defense back to where it was before they fired Matt Eberflus mid-season. From 2020 to 2023, Allen’s defense ranked in the top-10 in points allowed every season, and was top 10 in yards allowed in three of those four seasons. It’s not hard to argue that the reason the Saints defense fell apart this season was simply that it got too old. Johnson was, per Dianna Russini, also talking to Lou Anarumo about a defensive coordinator job.

A rumored “surprise” candidate for the Jaguars, Saleh reportedly impressed there when he was a linebackers coach in the 2010s and would likely be someone who wouldn’t demand a general manager change to get the job. Saleh has also landed interviews with the Raiders and Cowboys (for their head coaching vacancy) and the 49ers (for their defensive coordinator vacancy) this cycle. The Jets were 2-3 under Saleh’s guidance in 2024 and 3-9 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.

Just hours after it was reported that Johnson would be finalizing his interview schedule, Johnson appears headed for the Windy City. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report it, as any rumors of Johnson being the next coach of the Raiders can be laid to rest just days after he was being hyped as the favorite to land in Vegas. Johnson will now be tasked with helping Caleb Williams and the Bears take the next step after a tumultuous 2024 that featured multiple offensive coordinators and head coaches for the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft. During his three years in Detroit, Johnson’s offense consistently finished in the top five in yards and points per game and led the league with 33.2 points per game this season. Known for his elaborate schemes and ability to create room for his receivers to operate, Johnson is the exact kind of coach many believed Williams would need to reach his full potential as a pro after entering the league as one of the highest touted prospects of the last decade. Johnson will now take the upcoming days to round out his staff as he prepares to embark on his much-anticipated first season as a head coach.

“While he was Denver’s leading rusher with 513 yards, he had his share of struggles and is not the same player he was before suffering a serious knee injury in October 2022,” Tomasson writes. Yup, that about sums it up. Tomasson writes that Jaleel McLaughlin will be back as a reserve but that the Broncos “likely will look for a potential starter in free agency or the draft.” It sure seemed like the way the Broncos managed the running back room this year that they didn’t have a real No. 1 back on the roster, and this report pretty much confirms that finding.

This sounds more like Schefter’s opinion than a known fact, but there’s something to be said for Kingsbury still not interviewing with a team despite multiple requests to speak with the Commanders’ offensive coordinator. Kingsbury, who said he won’t take an interview as long as the Commanders are in the playoffs, also went on record saying he was “very happy” with his current role while adding it “would take a lot” for him to leave Jayden Daniels. The Commanders are one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance since 1991. If they advance past the Eagles next week, it’s possible Kingsbury won’t speak to a team regarding a head coaching vacancy until after the Super Bowl.

With Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson the hottest coaching names on the market, it makes sense that alignment-seeking front offices would turn Lance Newmark into a hot GM candidate. Newmark also has an interview lined up with the Raiders. This could be read as a sign that the Jets have moved to Aaron Glenn as the team’s No. 1 choice for their head coaching vacancy. Newmark originally interviewed with the Jets on January 11th.

The Raiders have bet big on their chances of getting Ben Johnson, with an interview with former Lions executive Lance Newmark the latest sign that they are hoping to create a coalition around what Johnson wants. It appears the Ben Johnson silly season will come to a close soon with the Bears and Jaguars also circling. However, Reed writes that the big question that remains is “whether Johnson would take the job,” as the Raiders lack talent compared to the other two squads, especially at quarterback. Carroll would be a strong rebound hire despite his advanced age. He had a strong 14-year run with the Seahawks and would likely bring some semblance of stability to an organization that has had trouble instilling that.

It sounds likely that the Texans will be on the lookout for some supplemental help at receiver with Stefon Diggs (torn ACL) a free agent and only John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson on contracts behind Nico Collins. C.J. Stroud campaigned for the team to keep Diggs. The truth of the matter is that the Texans are going to need at least one more major receiver addition ahead of the 2025 season if they can’t count on Dell to play at all this season. By not putting a timeline on it, what they are saying is that they hope to be happily surprised.