Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that RB Darrell Henderson (knee) is "looking optimistic" for the Super Bowl. Henderson suffered an MCL sprain in Week 16 but was designated to return a couple of weeks ago. We don't expect him to play a big role vs. the Bengals on Sunday, but Henderson could steal a few carries from RB Cam Akers.
Lovie Smith has been named Texans HC. He has 11 seasons of NFL HC experience -- 9 with the Bears, 2 with the Bucs -- compiling an 89-87 record. Smith left the NFL from 2016 to 2020 to coach Illinois, where he went 17-39. He returned to the pros this past year to serve as Texans DC. Houston is expected to promote passing-game coordinator Pep Hamilton to OC, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
The Saints named Dennis Allen their new HC. The 49-year-old has 8 seasons of experience as an NFL DC, including the last 7 with the Saints. He made it just a little over 2 seasons as Raiders HC from 2012 to 2014, winning just 8 of 36 games before getting fired 4 weeks into the 2014 campaign. We'll see if he fares better in his 2nd try. And we'll see who he tabs to run the offense in the post-Sean Payton era.
Las Vegas police arrested Saints RB Alvin Kamara on Saturday, charging him with "battery resulting in substantial bodily harm." According to a police department release, the charges arose from a fight in Las Vegas night club. The investigation is reportedly ongoing, so we'll see how the situation develops and what it might mean for Kamara's status.
The Dolphins have agreed to terms with Mike McDaniel to become the team's next HC. McDaniel spent 2021 as San Francisco's OC after serving as the run-game coordinator the previous 4 seasons. McDaniel arrived with Kyle Shanahan, whom he had also worked under with the Falcons, Browns, Washington and Texans. McDaniel got his NFL start as an intern with the 2005 Broncos, coached by Mike Shanahan. So we should expect a strong Shanahan influence on McDaniel's offensive approach in Miami. He inherits an offense with QB Tua Tagovailoa heading into Year 3 and WR Jaylen Waddle coming off a terrific debut campaign. Plenty of questions need to be answered, though, with "TE" Mike Gesicki and multiple WRs facing free agency. The Dolphins also sport an unsettled backfield that found Duke Johnson leading in rushing yards per game last season. This will be an interesting offense to watch through the offseason, especially because McDaniel looks like a potential plus for the unit.
Bucs GM Jason Licht said the team is “very excited” about the development of QB Kyle Trask. Licht noted the value of sitting behind Tom Brady while adding that he will “explore all avenues” to find the best QB. Perhaps Trask, who enters year 2, will be given a shot at landing the Week 1 job. But with the Bucs’ roster in win-now mode, our money is on a veteran taking over come September. Plus, as a strict pocket-passer, Trask doesn't have the desirable, fantasy-friendly skill set.
The Jaguars are hiring Doug Pederson as their next HC, according to multiple reports. Pederson, of course, spent 5 seasons at the helm in Philadelphia. He piloted the Eagles to a 13-3 record and Super Bowl victory in his 2nd season and finished with a 42-37-1 record (including a 4-11-1 final season). Philly's offenses ranked 14th or lower in yards in 4 of Pederson's 5 seasons and 16th or lower in scoring in 3 of 5 years. We'll see how he fills out the rest of the staff and what that staff has to say about the returning players. We'll also see whether Jacksonville retains free-agent WR D.J. Chark.
The Vikings are expected to name Rams OC Kevin O'Connell their new HC, according to multiple reports. The move can't be made official until after the Super Bowl. The 36-year-old O'Connell was a 3rd-round pick of the Patriots back in 2008. He washed out of the league after just 5 seasons and took his first coaching job with the Browns in 2015 under OC John DeFilippo. O'Connell worked for HC Chip Kelly in San Francisco in 2016 before spending the next 3 seasons in Washington, earning the OC title in 2019. He's spent the past 2 seasons as Rams OC, although HC Sean McVay has called the plays.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will have surgery today on the left ankle he injured in Week 12 against the Giants, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The injury was reported to be a high-ankle sprain, though Hurts missed just 1 game (with the bye week mixed in). Hurts suffered a similar injury to his right ankle in 2018 at Alabama, requiring "tightrope" surgery to address it, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It's not yet clear whether he'll have the same procedure this time. Pelissero reports that Hurts is expected to be ready for OTAs, and he returned to play Philly's final 5 game. So it appears the ankle should not be an issue going forward.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan expects WR Deebo Samuel’s hybrid role to remain in place next season. “This way you can make sure he gets touches,” Shanahan said via The Athletic. “You can do that at receiver, but not when you can just hand the ball to a guy. So we’ve always got to keep that threat. That’s what separates him. Deebo knows that, too.” 2022 is a contract year for Deebo, but GM John Lynch is already talking extension with the 26-year-old’s reps. “Yes, there are some interesting dynamics with Deebo playing multiple positions, but the bottom line is he’s an excellent football player,” Lynch said. “I’m sure that we’ll find a way to get that [deal] done.” Samuel finished 3rd in PPR scoring behind only Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams.
The Bills have promoted QBs coach Ken Dorsey to OC. The Giants reportedly made a run to reunite Dorsey with new HC Brian Daboll, but Dorsey will instead stay with QB Josh Allen in Buffalo. Dorsey has been with the Bills since 2019. He has no OC experience at any level -- but at least there will be some continuity with the Bills offense.
Two days after pushing back against reports of his retirement, Buccaneers QB Tom Brady announced Tuesday morning that he is calling it a career. He leaves with NFL records including most career TD passes (624), most career passing yards (84,520) and most career completions, passing yards and TD passes in the playoffs. He led the NFL in completions, pass attempts, passing yards and passing TDs this past season, racking up his highest single-season yardage total (5,316) in the NFL's 1st 17-game season. Brady's retirement leaves 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask as the only QB under contract for Tampa Bay, so we'd expect a move or 2 at the position this offseason. Blaine Gabbert served as Brady's backup the past 2 years but is headed for free agency in March. The Bucs are set to pick 27th in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. We wouldn't be surprised to see a retirement announcement from Brady buddy TE Rob Gronkowski in the coming weeks as well. For now, we'd avoid Gronk in 2022 best-ball drafts.
NFL insider Albert Breer writes that the 49ers “feel good about where they are with [Trey] Lance and are poised to hand him the reins.” Lance proved to be predictably raw in his limited 2021 action. But the 49ers' staff felt like he was “ascending” late in the season, per Breer. If Lance can even assemble a league-average passing performance, he'll carry top-10 fantasy upside into year 2. Note that he rushed 24 times for 120 yards in 2 starts. While Jimmy Garoppolo is currently under contract for 2022, San Francisco can cut or trade him with minimal cap repercussions.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson's ankle "feels great," HC John Harbaugh said Monday. Jackson ended up missing the final 4 games of the season with a bone bruise to that ankle, but it shouldn't impact his offseason.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee avoided "significant damage" to his knee in Sunday's NFC Championship win over the 49ers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Higbee's availability for the Super Bowl is "up in the air," per Rapoport, but it at least sounds like Higbee's injury won't impact his 2022 season.
Update: HC Sean McVay called Higbee's injury an MCL sprain. Consider the TE truly questionable for Super Bowl Sunday.
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo will have surgery on his right thumb, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Garoppolo suffered a torn UCL and fracture in that thumb in Week 16. He missed just 1 game but admitted that the thumb was a problem for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Garoppolo's rehab is expected to take 4-6 weeks, per Rapoport, so it shouldn't impact his offseason too much. Rapoport also confirms that Garoppolo has likely played his last down for the 49ers with the Trey Lance era set to begin in 2022. We'll see where Garoppolo lands.
Colts beat writer Zak Keffer expects both WR T.Y. Hilton and TE Jack Doyle to retire. Speaking on the Colts’ TE situation, Keffer notes that Mo Alie-Cox is slated for free agency, making 2021 rookie Kylen Granson the current starter. Indy will surely add competition over the next few months. But note that Granson has the catch-first skill-set and athleticism to potentially develop into a sleeper. He exited college with 129-1,879-16 in 37 games. This past year, he notched 11 catches for 106 yards as the Colts’ 3rd TE.
The "initial belief" is that Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah sprained his left MCL in the AFC Championship win over the Chiefs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Uzomah is scheduled for an MRI to get a better look at the damage, but it sounds like he avoided a significant injury that would impact his 2022 season. Uzomah remains iffy for the Super Bowl. We should get another update on his status this afternoon.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee left in the 1st half of the NFC title game with a right knee injury. Initially called questionable, he was downgraded to out by the middle of the 3rd quarter. We'll see about the severity of his injury.
Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) is active for tonight's NFC Championship game vs. the 49ers. He only got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday, so don't expect Jefferson to be operating at 100%.
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