16 January 2026
Stefanski has met with the Falcons, Ravens, Dolphins, Giants, and Titans so far. Obviously it doesn’t look likely he’ll be getting the Giants gig. Stefanski would seem like a strong fit with “president of football” Matt Ryan as he tries to re-establish some Shanaclan roots in the Atlanta offense. And Stefanski is used to quarterback quagmires after the last few years, so that part of the job might give him less pause than it would for some others.16 January 2026
Dotson was injured in Week 16 against the Seahawks when LB Derick Hall “unnecessarily stepped on” Dotson’s left leg after a play. Hall received a one-game suspension for the act. Dotson’s return is good news for the Rams’ offense. He is a capable interior blocker.16 January 2026
He also notes that Chris Ballard “openly theorized about [Riley] Leonard being the team’s backup in 2026" while saying that he believes both Richardson and the team could benefit from a divorce. We doubt that Richardson would bring back much draft capital at this point, but every bit of it might matter for a team that dealt two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner. Richardson could be a low-cost or rehab option for teams this offseason in what looks to be a pretty barren quarterback market.16 January 2026
Pierce had also been on the docket for the Giants, but with John Harbaugh all but sewn up it feels unlikely to happen. It does not feel likely that Pierce, 47, will rejoin the head coaching ranks this offseason. He spent 2025 as a CBS Sports analyst, which gives him a natural link to Falcons “president of football” Matt Ryan.
16 January 2026
16 January 2026
Gonzalez was a full participant yesterday and will likely be a full participant in practice today. We’d suspect he’s on the optimistic side of questionable to play against the Texans on Sunday, but concussion protocols can be tricky and there’s probably a small chance he sits out still.16 January 2026
16 January 2026
Schwartz isn’t the only candidate who will get a second interview to fill the Browns’ head-coaching vacancy, per Cabot, but the longtime defensive coordinator has already secured one. Schwartz has spent the last three seasons as the Browns’ defensive coordinator and served as the Lions’ head coach from 2009 until 2013. Promoting Schwartz to head coach would make for an easy transition for a defense that finished fourth in yards allowed last season and that has been among the league’s b ...16 January 2026
Rees is still cutting his teeth as a coach and was always considered a long shot for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy. The 33-year-old joined the Browns in 2024 as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2025 season. Now out as a candidate for the Browns’ job, it’s fair to assume his days as the team’s offensive coordinator could be numbered once a new head coach is locked in.16 January 2026
16 January 2026
A true veteran of the game, Smith, 72, has spent the last 13 seasons leading the Steelers’ special teams unit, and spent time as the special teams coordinator for the Bills (2001-2003), and Commanders (2004-2012) before that. Smith’s special teams units with the Steelers were often some of the best the league had to offer, making him an enticing candidate for the Buccaneers, who struggled mightily in that area last year.16 January 2026
Minter has been in high-demand this offseason after leading the Chargers to a top-10 finish in points and yards allowed in his second season as a DC under Jim Harbaugh. The 42-year-old coach recently completed head coaching interviews with the Dolphins, Falcons, Raiders, and Ravens, and field eight interview requests in total. He seems like a lock to land a head-coaching role somewhere in the coming days, although he’s clearly taking his time vetting all options.16 January 2026
Stefanski said he believes the Titans, Falcons, and Ravens “are all potential landing spots” for the two-time coach of the year. Stefanski has been highly sought after since being fired by the Browns following a 5-12 season marred by problems at quarterback. Stefanski lost out to John Harbaugh for the Giants’ head coaching job, but with eight more openings, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to land elsewhere if he wants to continue his career elsewhere as a head coach.16 January 2026
Day has been on the Chargers’ coaching staff in four of the last five seasons, separated by a one-off campaign with the Texans, serving as a senior offensive assistant in 2023. From 2021-2022, he was the Chargers’ pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He currently serves only as the quarterbacks coach at this time.16 January 2026
The news comes from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, who notes that Smith “will also interview with the Detroit Lions to be their offensive coordinator.” The implication seems to be that Smith will speak to the Lions on Friday as well.16 January 2026
The Dolphins have been busy today. They completed an interview with Chargers DC Jesse Minter for the same role just a few hours ago. Saleh, similarly, is scheduled to interview for the Cardinals’ head-coaching vacancy later tonight, after helping the 49ers’ defense navigate their way through an injury-impacted ongoing season.16 January 2026
16 January 2026
The 49ers currently list six combined linebackers and defensive linemen on injured reserve, including defensive stars Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. Saleh has helped keep the 49ers’ Super Bowl aspirations intact in his first season back with his old team despite the personnel losses. His successes have earned him head-coaching interview requests with four different teams. Good for him.16 January 2026
Minter has completed head-coaching interviews with the Raiders, Falcons and Ravens since yesterday afternoon. He still has four more to go, two of which are with the Giants and Cardinals. Minter has spent the last four seasons studying under Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, running his defenses in Los Angeles and at Michigan.16 January 2026
Per Schrager, Bullen has a chance to remove the “interim” part of his title, which makes sense. He significantly improved the Giants’ defensive performance after receiving the in-season promotion in Week 13, improving their quarterback pressure rate from 32.9 to 39.9 percent and lowering their yards allowed per play average from 6.1 to 5.1. The remaining four candidates include former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Ravens DC Zach Orr and Browns DC Jim Sch ...
