Two more hiring dominoes fall with Raheem Morris returning to Atlanta and Bucs OC Dave Canales the choice in Carolina.

Adam Schefter on where things stand:

@AdamSchefter

The last two head coach openings of this cycle are the Seahawks and Commanders. Neither team is expected to hire anyone until next week, after Sunday’s conference championship games, per league sources.

Available coaches for the final two available spots include Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, Anthony Weaver, Mike Macdonald, Ejiro Evero, Dan Quinn and Bobby Slowik.

Jeff Howe and Steve Buckley of The Athletic finds Belichick in danger of not getting a 50^th straight season as an NFL coach:

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is viewed as a long shot for the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks coaching vacancies, league sources said, opening up the possibility the second-winningest coach in NFL history could be without a team in 2024.

The chances of that increased Thursday when the Atlanta Falcons, the only team to interview Belichick this offseason, moved to hire Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

It would take a change of direction for something to happen with the Commanders or Seahawks, according to league sources. The other six head-coaching vacancies this offseason have been filled.

Entering the 2023 season, it was more or less accepted that Belichick would remain with the Patriots for as long as it took to supplant the late Don Shula as the winningest coach in NFL history. But Belichick and New England parted ways after going 4-13. Belichick interviewed with the Falcons twice last week.

Counting the regular season and playoffs, Belichick has 333 coaching victories. This leaves him 15 coaching victories from passing Shula, who won 347 games as coach of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins.

Time is becoming Belichick’s enemy as he pursues the record. He turns 72 on April 16.

If Belichick does not coach in any capacity in 2024, it will end a streak of 49 consecutive seasons on a coaching staff in the NFL. He began his career as a “special assistant” with the Baltimore Colts in 1975 under head coach Ted Marchibroda.

Chad Graff of The Athletic finds no shortage of possible Belichick landing spots – in 2025:

Why has it gone this way? It was always going to take the right scenario. Belichick is expected to want more than $20 million per year, which is more than many owners want to pay a head coach. He’s also 29-38 since Tom Brady left New England. And he runs things differently than most after serving as both head coach and de facto general manager for so long with the Patriots. At a time when many owners are seeking collaboration, it’s understandable some would be reluctant to hand total power over to one man.

So it’s looking more and more like Belichick, who has been chasing Don Shula’s all-time wins record (he’s 15 shy of overtaking him), might not be an NFL coach in 2024 for the first time in 49 years. His wait for another head-coaching job — if he still wants one by then — could continue into 2025.

With that in mind, let’s have a little fun and imagine the teams and scenarios that could return Belichick to the head-coaching ranks next year.

Dallas Cowboys

When the Cowboys lost in the wild-card round earlier this month, it was easy to envision Jerry Jones sending a quick text to Belichick asking him to hop on the next plane to Big D. Instead, Jones is keeping Mike McCarthy around for 2024, albeit without a long-term contract. Belichick has developed a relationship with Jones over the years, and it’s not outrageous to think Jones could make a splash post-McCarthy by bringing in the best coach of the NFL’s modern era.

New York Giants

This would be a full-circle moment. Belichick won his first two Super Bowls as an assistant on Bill Parcells’ staff with the Giants. He left with an appreciation for the Giants, which didn’t always happen when he left previous jobs (more on that later). Brian Daboll is returning to the Giants for a third season, but the 2022 NFL coach of the year is coming off a 6-11 season and is replacing two coordinators. If that doesn’t go well, perhaps there could be an opening here for Belichick.

Cleveland Browns

Since we’re talking full-circle moments, how about a reunion where Belichick got his first head-coaching gig in 1991? Kevin Stefanski did a great job keeping the Browns afloat after an injury to Deshaun Watson and through the subsequent transition to Joe Flacco. But this will be his fifth season at the helm in Cleveland, and if it concludes without a playoff win, perhaps there’s a path here for Belichick.

Chicago Bears

The Bears need stability. They’ve had four coaches in the last 10 years. Belichick isn’t going to be a long-term answer for anyone, but he can take over an organization and implement a winning culture. Matt Eberflus is back for another season, likely with a rookie quarterback at No. 1 overall. But let’s not forget that the Bears fired head coach John Fox at the end of the 2017 season, one year into working with a highly drafted quarterback.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints feel like a team that has been lost without Drew Brees and Sean Payton, one that seemingly always has an old roster and salary-cap problems. Bringing in Belichick would mean handing over the keys to the entire operation. But if the Saints struggle again next season, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Speaking of good stories, what if Belichick followed in Brady’s footsteps? The quarterback needed a break from Belichick’s intense and exhausting coaching style, so he left New England in 2020 and won a Super Bowl the following season with the Buccaneers. Coach Todd Bowles’ Bucs were one of the NFL’s most positive surprises this season, but he’ll have to hire a new offensive coordinator after Dave Canales is set to get the Panthers’ top job.

Buffalo Bills

Like the Cowboys, there was talk of Buffalo looking for a new leader after a disappointing playoff loss, but that won’t be happening for at least another year. Under Sean McDermott, the Bills have become one of the best teams in the league — though they haven’t been able to get over the hump and reach the Super Bowl. So why not bring in a coach with ample experience and loads of success on the biggest stage? This one wouldn’t be ideal for Patriots fans who would have to see Belichick twice a year in the division. But it wouldn’t be as bad as …

Kansas City Chiefs

All right, hear me out. Andy Reid is 65 years old. There were rumors last year that he was considering retirement. If the Chiefs win another Super Bowl in a few weeks, perhaps Reid would surprise many around the league and hang ’em up. Then, what if the Chiefs decide to pair Patrick Mahomes with the coach who helped turn Brady into the GOAT? Yes, it’s a little crazy. It’s also hard to imagine a worse scenario for Patriots fans than being stuck watching Belichick and Mahomes topple some of the dynastic New England records that once seemed like they’d stand forever. (I’m sorry for even putting this one into the ether, Pats fans.)

New York Jets

Now we’re getting into the really absurd. Belichick’s disdain for the Jets has lasted 24 years, going back to when he dismissively ditched the franchise via a note and joined the Patriots. When he did a “30 for 30” documentary with Parcells revisiting their time in New York, Belichick refused to even visit the Jets locker room after discussing his time with the Giants. So this probably ain’t happening. But … the Jets could be looking for a restart if Aaron Rodgers, whom Belichick is friendly with, struggles next season. Could you imagine?!

In the meantime, what about a podcast with Nick Saban?  We don’t listen to many podcasts, but this could be an exception.

Richard Dietsch on Belichick and broadcasting:

Every network that airs the NFL would be interested in talking with Belichick. There might be some network executives who wonder whether Belichick could be engaging enough to be part of a studio group, but his cachet is such that you would audition him and do your best to make it work. There are no lead analyst jobs at the moment, and it seems unlikely that a road job outside of coaching would interest Belichick. But if he’d be interested in a game-analyst role, some networks would attempt to make that work too.

Here’s something you might not have known about Belichick and television: He won a Sports Emmy in 2021 for his work as an analyst on the NFL Network’s “NFL 100 All-Time Team” series.

“He was outstanding in his role on the NFL 100 series,” said Amazon Prime Video’s Al Michaels, who has been in countless production meetings with Belichick. “Shows like that would be his sweet spot if he makes the jump to television. He’s extremely thoughtful and really never says anything simply for effect. Bill would bring light to a discussion, not heat.

“I don’t see him in a conventional analyst role on game telecasts. He’d be expected to create some artificial energy, and that’s not him. His value would be in a role where the discussions would be relevant and meaningful and devoid of so-called ‘hot takes.’ He’s not Don Rickles, but he has a subtle sense of humor that would play well. His presence on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ show that preceded the Army-Navy game showed that he’s not averse to having some fun. I don’t know what he plans to do next, but there’s definitely a ‘right’ role for him in television.”

Nick Goss at YahooSports.com:

ESPN’s Adam Schefter talked Thursday morning on Get Up! about the possibility of Belichick taking over for Andy Reid if the Kansas City Chiefs head coach retires. Schefter was very adamant that this was pure speculation on his part, but it’s still pretty interesting nonetheless.

“The only thing I would just say and, again, this is purely speculative: I want to be very clear. And we’re just throwing this out there, having some fun, but we’ve heard over and over about the possibility that, at some point in time, Andy Reid could walk away from football,” Schefter said.

“So if the Chiefs were to win the Super Bowl this year, would that make him more likely to walk? And if he did walk, at that point in time and you’re the Kansas City Chiefs and Bill Belichick were still sitting out there, would that not be an interesting possibility? If that’s what Andy Reid decided to do, to go take a run at arguably the greatest coach of all time and to replace one legend with another? Again, we’re having fun. We’re throwing things out there, but it’s interesting to watch if the Chiefs can find a way to win the Super Bowl.”

Another option for Belichick is doing TV for a year and maybe returning to coaching in 2025. You’d have to assume someone of his stature would be coveted by the networks.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

Rather than hire Bill Belichick, the Falcons are bringing back Raheem Morris as their head coach.  He was once an interim HC for the Dirty Birds.  Charean Williams ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Falcons announced the hiring of Raheem Morris as the 19th head coach in team history.

The team’s news release says Morris and Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot will report directly to owner Arthur Blank on all football matters. Rich McKay remains CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE) and continues to represent the team on league matters and the NFL’s Competition Committee. Greg Beadles remains president of the Falcons and will continue overseeing all day-to-day business operations.

The Falcons interviewed 14 candidates for the head coaching job, including Bill Belichick, but they chose Morris, who served as the team’s interim head coach in 2020.

“This is a historic day for the Atlanta Falcons,” Blank said in a statement. “After a comprehensive search we are thrilled to welcome Raheem Morris back to Atlanta as the team’s new head coach. With 26 years of experience in the NFL, including the last three in an outstanding organization that has won our league’s championship in that time, Raheem emerged from a field of excellent candidates and is the right leader to take our team into the future.

“His time in LA has given him an enhanced perspective on everything from personnel, team operations, game planning, working with an outstanding offensive staff and many other things that has helped him develop into an even more prepared coach in all aspects of the game. I believe his leadership skills have grown and his understanding of what it takes to have a highly collaborative one-team culture are now at a much higher level.”

The Falcons passed on hiring Morris in 2021 after he replaced Dan Quinn the final 11 games of the 2020 season. The Falcons were 4-7 under Morris.

He spent three seasons in Tampa, going 17-31 from 2009-11, including a 10-6 mark in 2010.

Morris has spent the past three seasons with the Rams, helping them win Super Bowl LVI.

“I’m beyond excited to work side-by-side with Raheem in bringing a championship to Atlanta,” Fontenot said. “We have conducted one of the most thorough and comprehensive searches and saw many incredible candidates through this process. Raheem is the right fit for our team, culture, and shared vision for success in Atlanta, and I cannot wait to start working with him and have his energy in our building.”

After many interviews for head coaching jobs since his time leading the Buccaneers, Morris finally gets his second chance.

“I am overjoyed for the opportunity for my family and I to return to Atlanta as the Falcons’ head coach,” Morris said. “We know from firsthand experience what a first-class organization Atlanta is and what this team means to its city and its fans. I am incredibly appreciative of Arthur Blank for his leadership and for this entire organization for putting its trust in me to help lead this team.

“I can’t thank the Rams organization enough for the experience and opportunity with the team. From the Kroenke family, Kevin Demoff, Les Snead, Sean McVay and the entire staff, the Rams are a first-class organization all around. We loved our time in LA, loved the fans and know the Rams continue to have a very bright future.”

He is ATL’s first fulltime Black Head Coach and the Falcons now have a GM-HC tandem that is 100% African-American.

Mike Florio with thoughts on Rich McKay:

Falcons CEO Rich McKay, whose roles with the team over two decades have shifted and changed, will undergo another adjustment to his duties. At least in name.

Owner Arthur Blank announced on Thursday night that McKay will “day-to-day football operations” with the team. That same thing occurred with the hiring of G.M. Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith in 2008, when McKay’s primary duties became working on the construction of the team’s current stadium. After the stadium was finished, McKay gradually re-entered football operations.

Most recently, both the head coach and the General Manager reported to McKay. Now, McKay will exit the football side and return to the business side, while also taking control of Blank’s MLS team.

“As CEO of AMBSE, McKay oversees the business operations of the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the shared services functions that support the entire [AMB Sports and Entertainment] portfolio,” the team said in a press release. “In the coming weeks he will add direct oversight of Atlanta United, with its CEO, Garth Lagerwey, reporting directly to him. He’ll also join the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation board as an associate director. AMBSE President Tim Zulawski and Falcons President Greg Beadles, as well as senior leaders of AMBSE’s shared services, will continue to report to him.”

The move continues to give McKay considerable authority, while also allowing him to (frankly) avoid the normal accountability that comes with direct and conspicuous involvement in football operations. For most NFL teams, those are the folks who are at risk of termination if the football operations are not deemed to be sufficiently thriving.

“It is hard to quantify the positive things Rich has done to impact our organization over the last 21 years, laying a strong foundation for our football team and getting Mercedes-Benz Stadium built and functioning as one of the best in the world, chief among them,” Blank said. “While he’ll no longer be involved in day-to-day football operations, Rich’s role will broaden in our organization, and I’ll continue to trust him with some of the most important work we’re engaged in across the Blank Family of Businesses.”

It’s similar, but not identical, to the shift that likely would have been needed to secure a coach like Bill Belichick, if that’s the coach Blank had hoped to hire. (At least one source with knowledge of the dynamics of the organization tells PFT that Blank did indeed want to hire Belichick, at least at one point over the past couple of weeks.) Whatever the impetus for the move with Raheem Morris returning to the team as head coach, McKay now exits the “day-to-day” role and assumes a higher position in the organization, where he continues to serve essentially as Blank’s right-hand man.

That dynamic was on display 17 days ago, when McKay literally sat at Blank’s right had while the two conducted a lengthy press conference after the firing of coach Arthur Smith.

It’s still a win, all told, for McKay. If he was opposed to relinquishing the full entirety of the football operations to Belichick, and if Belichick wanted that type of power, McKay now emerges with ongoing authority over the team, given that the team president reports directly to McKay. But McKay becomes even more insulated from any argument, internal or external, that his employment should be or could be in jeopardy to replacement if/when Blank decides in the future that changes need to be made to the football operations.

Per the team, Morris and G.M. Terry Fontenot will now report directly to Blank.

The change for McKay ultimately appears to be a distinction without a difference. As one source explained it to PFT, McKay wasn’t heavily involved in day-to-day football operations, anyway. He essentially bounced around to the various facilities under the AMBSE umbrella, meeting with the leaders of the football operations roughly once per week and receiving updates from the coach and G.M. via a group text chain that included Blank.

And “appears” seems to be the key word. There was a degree of sensitivity to the McKay vs. Belichick storyline that had emerged since Belichick landed on the Falcons’ radar screen. If, as a practical matter, McKay didn’t have much involvement in day-to-day football operations, it made more sense to officially extricate him from that capacity to avoid questions and scrutiny over his responsibility, and lack of accountability, for any and all perceived or actual failures of the football team.

In the end, the only person deemed accountable for the perceived or actual failures of the last three seasons was Smith. Fontenot remains in place, and McKay slides to official duties and titles that better reflect the realities of his overall job with the organization.

That job nevertheless includes constantly talking to Blank about everything within all of Blank’s businesses. So McKay will still maintain significant influence with Blank and, in turn, a high degree of power within the broader organization, including the Falcons. Indeed, he will continue to represent the team in league matters, and he will retain his role as chairman of the NFL’s Competition Committee.

Still, McKay avoided being frozen out completely of anything and everything regarding the football team, which Belichick presumably would have wanted, if he had gotten the job. While Blank surely wouldn’t have fired McKay to get Belichick, Blank likely would have had to promise Belichick that he would never have had to deal with McKay, directly or indirectly, daily or weekly, now or ever.

Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com also mines this turf battle – and we think he comes up short in talking about Terry Fontenot, not just McKay:

The Dallas Cowboys’ job never opened. The Los Angeles Chargers’ vacancy was never on the table. And the Atlanta Falcons chose to go another way. Now, with only two head-coaching jobs remaining across the league — the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks — it’s looking more feasible than ever that the 2024 NFL hiring cycle could leave Bill Belichick behind.

The reasons? Time and power. Belichick has a short supply of one and continues to seek an abundance of the other.

– – –

The crossroads, according to a source familiar with the Falcons and Blank, was the element of realignment that would’ve needed to take place inside the Falcons to maximize a Belichick hire. While Blank and Belichick apparently never discussed a detailed plan of how a linear chain of command under the head coach would work, the source said meetings with Blank crystalized Belichick’s continued belief that the full scope of football operations, personnel and coaching should be under his decision-making umbrella.

But the Falcons, like virtually every other team in the NFL, have never entertained that type of CEO/coach power structure. Embracing it under Belichick would have raised the specter of either shuffling or redefining multiple jobs within the organization — if not rebooting some parts altogether.

That process likely would have been messy, particularly given Blank’s longtime loyalty to team CEO Rich McKay, whom Blank hired in late 2003 to be the Falcons’ general manager. McKay eventually ascended to the role of team president and CEO in 2008, and he continues to be Blank’s most influential executive — both inside the organization and across the league. So much so that it’s not uncommon for former Falcons coaches and executives to relate McKay’s role as being a direct day-to-day extension of Blank’s authority in virtually every facet of the franchise.

This is where the path away from Belichick toward the hiring of Morris comes into more detailed focus. Despite being passed over for Arthur Smith when the Falcons last hired a head coach, Morris continued to be held in high esteem in both the ownership and executive suites in Atlanta. He was also someone who had the support of the locker room as a motivator and connector, a trait he showcased this season with a remarkably young Rams defense that rounded into form quickly under his guidance. Despite going 4-7 in his stint as an interim in 2020 (after the Falcons started 0-5 under Quinn), Morris was praised within the franchise for going 4-2 in his first six games and keeping the team engaged and competitive despite injuries to an already undermanned roster.

That impression undoubtedly lingered around the Falcons, particularly with McKay, who has a relationship with Morris dating to 2002, when McKay was the general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Morris landed his first NFL coaching job with that franchise. The subtext: McKay has known Morris for a long time and is well-versed in what he brings to the table. The two can work together. And that’s more than Blank could’ve known about Belichick and McKay, given that McKay’s authority within the franchise likely would’ve been blunted under the type of power structure Belichick prefers.

A Belichick hire anywhere — as his preferred coach-centered power structure currently stands — would almost certainly involve a team owner pulling significant decision-making power away from the general manager, the team president and likely a multitude of other individuals. That’s a litany of executives who, like McKay with Blank, likely already have a track record with their club owner and would view their diminished roles as a demotion at best. In some cases, it could even necessitate a spate of firings as Belichick lines a surrounding staff with his own trusted hires.

Any franchise owner in the NFL is equipped to make that kind of change if they feel it’s necessary. But it’s very rare in today’s NFL and entirely unprecedented on the level that Belichick achieved in New England. For a team owner to consider attempting to replicate that with Belichick then raises the question of shelf life. A studs-up rebuild of a coaching staff, executive ranks and a personnel department takes time. The Patriots’ structure was built over decades, with franchise owner Robert Kraft gradually ceding more power to Belichick as time went on. Today, a team owner has to consider handing over the entirety of everything all at once to a head coach who is on the doorstep of turning 72 years old.

That’s the second complication with a Belichick dance. Kraft hired Belichick when the coach was 48 and watched him shape his surroundings over a long period of time. There was a significant window of commitment available for both coach and club owner. Now? Not only is the window infinitely smaller — maybe only a few years — but also the rate of installation would likely have to be steeper than anything the NFL has ever seen.

All of which brings us back to the Falcons and how their decision projects for every other franchise that considers Belichick. Was Blank going to pull the rug out from under a longtime and influential executive in McKay and also general manager Terry Fontenot — who has done an admirable job rebuilding the team in his three years at the personnel helm — just to embrace a short retooling under Belichick? And what if it failed? Furthermore, what if Belichick didn’t have the patience with Blank that other head coaches did in the past? Those would’ve been a lot of unknowns to embrace, whereas the hire of Morris guides the team into a familiar space of continuity and collaboration with the CEO and general manager.

When you wonder why Belichick has engaged in interviews with only one team, the answer might be as simple as it seems. At the outset, it appears that Blank was the franchise owner willing to ask the questions about how Belichick would transplant his culture and success, then consider the potential costs to achieve it. Ultimately, it was too much for Atlanta — and maybe too much for every franchise in this hiring cycle.

If Belichick gets shut out of a head-coaching job this winter, that’s why. And unless something changes moving forward — either in Belichick’s approach to his next job or in a team owner’s willingness to expend the immense financial and relationship capital to implement it — next season and beyond could be no different.

What about that Falcons offense with the hire of Morris?  Jonathan Jones of CBS has this:

@jjones9

A strong candidate to be Raheem Morris’s offensive coordinator is Rams pass game coordinator/QBs coach Zac Robinson, source says.

CAROLINA

The Panthers have surprised with the hiring of Dave Canales as their head coach – and he will be collecting paychecks (and maybe coaching) for David Tepper for awhile.  Anthony Rizzuti of USA TODAY:

Upon firing his last head coach in late November, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said he’d like the next guy to last 20 to 30 years on the job. Well, how about we start off with just a handful for now?

According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Panthers are giving new head coach Dave Canales a six-year contract. The organization officially announced the hiring of the 42-year-old on Thursday night.

While rare, a deal of that length for a first-time head coach isn’t a first-time occurrence. In fact, it’s worked out rather well for the teams who have recently done the same. (Just ask the Houston Texans and DeMeco Ryans, the Detroit Lions and Dan Campbell and the San Francisco 49ers and Kyle Shanahan.)

Panthers owner David Tepper is hoping the third head-coaching hunt is a charm, as his previous two picks for the post did not pan out. Tepper dismissed Matt Rhule after 38 games from 2020 to 2022 and Frank Reich after just 11 this past season.

New GM Dan Morgan may have been instrumental in steering Canales to the Panthers, but he will not be the new coach’s boss.  Rizzuti:

On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers officially announced the hiring of new head coach Dave Canales. And, in typical Carolina Panthers fashion, that official announcement wouldn’t go without a few intriguing nuggets.

The first of which may be a tell on the direction of the offense, as the official release from the team noted that Canales is expected to call plays. This, of course, shouldn’t be much of a surprise—especially considering the crux of the organization’s head-coaching hunt.

As was the case during last year’s search, which ultimately ended up on Frank Reich, the Panthers were believed to be focusing in on an offensive-minded candidate. A rough rookie campaign from No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, who averaged just 179.8 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, probably only heightened that desire.

So, Carolina nabbed one of the game’s fastest rising play-callers in Canales. The 42-year-old’s work as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2023, particularly with quarterback Baker Mayfield, helped put him on the radar.

The second key takeaway is that Canales, as well as new president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan, will report directly to owner David Tepper.

That practice is not uncommon in the NFL, as numerous teams currently follow the same approach. But given the public perception of Tepper’s control over the on-field product, the optics on that little tidbit aren’t exactly encouraging.

Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com likes the hire:

Panthers: Dave Canales

Impatience has been the name of the game in Carolina, with owner David Tepper burning through coaches and QBs in recent years. At 42, fresh off his first year as an offensive coordinator, Canales could represent a genuine pivot for the franchise. He’s certainly more of an unknown than his fellow 2024 hires, but he doesn’t lack for promising credentials, working 13 years as a Pete Carroll assistant in Seattle before helping revive Baker Mayfield’s career as the Buccaneers’ play-caller. An ascending QB whisperer, he’s precisely the kind of coach who could accelerate Bryce Young’s growth under center.

Grade: B+

TAMPA BAY

The selection of Dave Canales as head coach of the Panthers may or may not help the Carolina team, but it sure threw a wrench into Tampa Bay’s feel good moment.  Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times:

The Bucs suddenly find themselves with a lot of questions to answer in the offseason on offense after winning the NFC South for the third straight season.

Both Mayfield and Evans remain unsigned for 2024, and the Bucs suddenly have a need for a new play-caller.

Quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis would be the No. 1 candidate currently on Bowles’ coaching staff. The Raiders have asked the Bucs permission to interview Lewis, presumably for their coordinator’s job.

With Bowles’ job security a little safer, the Bucs may not have as much trouble attracting candidates for offensive coordinator this year. They could have several candidates that they interviewed last year, such as the Panthers’ Thomas Brown and recently fired Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who interviewed with Tampa Bay twice last year.

Would it surprise you to know that RB RACHAAD WHITE was 4^th in the NFL among RBs with 1,539 yards from scrimmage in 2023?  White knew and this was his reaction on Twitter/X to the news:

@Chaad_1

Nooooooo!!!! 😷🤒

Help could be on the way in the form of Kellen Moore – but the Buccaneers have to beat out at least two other teams.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Friday brought word of a candidate who will be in the mix for the job. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Kellen Moore is scheduled to interview with the Bucs on Monday.

Moore spent the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator of the Chargers and he was in the same role with the Cowboys for four seasons before coming to Los Angeles.

The Chargers have not formally dismissed Moore since hiring Jim Harbaugh as their head coach, but it looks like he is almost certainly leaving the team. He’s met with the Eagles about their offensive coordinator opening and is interviewing with the Browns on Friday.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay (who only relinquished his status as the NFL’s youngest head coach) are tied for 4^th on the NFL coaches seniority list in terms of current job.  They are first in the NFC.  Tim Kawakami conversed with Shanahan about that and other subjects:

Now that Bill Belichick has left the Patriots after 24 seasons and Pete Carroll has exited from the Seahawks after 14, Shanahan and the Rams’ 38-year-old Sean McVay are now tied as the fourth-longest tenured coaches in the league and are co-No. 1s in the NFC. They’re both still relatively young men, of course. And McVay has a Super Bowl title and Shanahan doesn’t (though that status might change in a few weeks).

But when you think of significant, proven, consistently high-performing, name-brand characters in the league — the New NFL Establishment — Shanahan qualifies in just about every category. He needs to win a Super Bowl to certify the prominence, but the rest of the boxes are being checked regularly.

Meanwhile, he says he always thinks of himself as a young guy and young coach, but the accumulation of years and experiences tells a different story these days.

“I thought I was a pretty young coordinator, and I thought I became a head coach pretty young,” Shanahan said. “But I’d been coordinating for nine years, too. I feel like I’ve always felt older than my age.

“And now when I look in the mirror, and I see a lot more grays, or when I talk to some of these 24-year-old players, I can just tell they don’t look at me the same way I feel. Like … when I talk to some 32-year-old players, I realize, oh man, I think I am getting old. It’s not just looking that way.”

Which is probably why he immediately frowned hard when I told him he sort of calls games like an old coach — valuing every possession, playing the percentages, avoiding daredevil strategies that add too much risk to the potential result.

“I feel like I coach like a person who has experience,” Shanahan said, still frowning. “No one’s ever told me the way you worded it. Like, people have actually worded it the exact opposite — to settle down, not do something crazy; those were things maybe I needed to hear when I was a coordinator.”

The list: Mike Tomlin is the longest-tenured coach in the league, having just concluded his 17th season with the Steelers. The two AFC finalists, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh (16 years) and Kansas City’s Andy Reid (11 years) are second and third. Reid, of course, coached 14 seasons in Philadelphia before joining the Chiefs, so, unless Belichick lands elsewhere this winter, Reid has by far the most seniority in the league.

And tied for fourth are the four guys who were hired in 2017 and are still going: Shanahan, McVay and Buffalo’s Sean McDermott.

I think it was a pretty good conversation, held in the howling wind in the parking lot between the 49ers’ locker room and the administrative offices.

What’s your best story about competing against Bill Belichick over the years? You’ve had some big games against each other and also maybe some quieter moments that were meaningful.

Just every time going against him is so cool because of the respect you have for him. I know everyone does from just a national standpoint and how he’s been one of the best coaches if not the best coach of all time.

But just me when I got in the league (with Tampa Bay as a quality control coach in 2004), is when he and Tomlin were kind of starting. So I always study everybody. (The Patriots are) the one team that I’ve consistently been able to study since I’ve gotten into the NFL ’cause they’ve never changed. They’ve always had him; they’ve always had (Brady). I just can’t tell you how much I’ve learned just by being able to have a team that I can consistently watch; you can learn their philosophy just from tape, because it’s over and over again.

I remember the first time I got to play against him. It was in Houston (in 2009, Shanahan’s fourth year as Texans assistant and second as an offensive coordinator). … And they had this huge all-out blitz thing they were doing … and I was doing the third-down thing and I couldn’t come up with a protection to pick it up. They were just always bringing one extra. And I remember making up a protection for my first time and trying it out because we had to do it because it was something he was doing schematically.

And now I’ve used that protection my whole life. It’s just little things like that that you don’t have to do until you face someone that gives you some issues, then all of a sudden, you’ve gotta make some stuff up because he makes you work that hard. It’s pretty cool, because he made us make up a sound protection that I’ve used forever since then.

I know Belichick and your dad respected each other. Did some of that carry over to you personally?

The first time I ever talked to Bill was after they beat us when I was in Atlanta at the Super Bowl. And after the game, three days later, I had a voicemail on my phone, which I have no idea how he got, just for a couple minutes, just really saying some cool things. It was probably the biggest compliment I could ever get, coming from someone like him, it was amazing. Then after that, we were able to develop a relationship.

I can’t tell you how cool of a guy I think he is, how funny he is, how funny he is to talk to and how much ball he knows.

OK, what’s your best story about competing against Pete Carroll, somebody you played twice a year for six seasons and three times last season?

Pete’s a different deal because I remember (when Shanahan was working) in Houston, he was down there with the Trojans at USC, and (then-Trojan assistant) Steve Sarkisian called me up and they were trying to get me to come down there and to work with Pete. And it was real tempting ’cause of what they were doing and stuff. But I kinda had the same position at Houston and I was such an NFL fan. But that’s where I felt we got close to working together.

Then after we got let go in Washington (in December 2013), I remember Seattle was playing in the Super Bowl. And I didn’t know if I was gonna get a job. So I was hoping that I could maybe just come there and help out and be under contract and stuff. But fortunately, I got a job, went to Cleveland (as the Browns’ offensive coordinator). And Pete and I never really talked until we started competing against each other.

Then competing against him, it was different. Bill, I always had to go against schematically growing up (as a coordinator). But with Pete, it was as a head coach. And Pete, you just learned what you had to do as a head coach to prepare your team to play against them. Their team played at another level than most guys. And when you talk about how they compete and all that stuff and all those words that he uses, which is great, but what really is great is the film that he had.

And I really caught it right away in my first year as a head coach, just how physical they were on offense, defense, special teams. Regardless of what you were playing with schematically, really what it came down to is how much you got after it and how physical guys were.

That’s what I always felt like. Us and Seattle played a little bit differently. I think that always started with Pete.

I didn’t know about the USC thing. You really could’ve been on Carroll’s USC staff? That must’ve been around when Lane Kiffin left (after the 2006 season)?

It never went to fruition, is what I told Steve. They were trying to collect some younger guys and build them up, knowing they were probably going to lose people in the next few years. It was one of the first times someone reached out to me like that. I was flattered from it. But made the decision to stay at Houston.

Does the fact that you and McVay are tied as the NFC’s longest-tenured coaches blow your mind?

Yeah, it blows my mind. But they also told us like four years ago we were second. It blows my mind that Sean and I have been doing it this long.

It also is a very good example of what coaching’s like. Because it’s hard to keep your job. You’ve gotta be fortunate, you’ve gotta do it the right way, you’ve gotta be with a great organization and you’ve gotta get lucky, too. But Pete’s done this as good as anyone.

So do you get a better spot in the coaches’ meetings and group picture during the offseason now? Seniority?

(Laughs.) I doubt it. I play it pretty low at those.

Would you like to have a big voice on league topics? Maybe something like a position on the Competition Committee?

It sounds good and all. And I do have some strong opinions about all that stuff. But when it comes to the offseason and stuff, I think my family would get very annoyed with me if I started going working on something else really hard besides the 49ers.

Do you feel like one of the truly established coaches now?

To a degree, yeah, just because of what we’ve been through. It’s been seven years. But we’ve been through a lot of stuff. We took over a team, we had the second pick in the draft (in 2017), you know, the 31st(-ranked) offense, 32nd defense (in 2016), really just having to build it for those three years. And getting so close the third year (losing in the Super Bowl to the Chiefs in February 2020), then it felt like we almost started over the next year because of the COVID year. But it was really just a setback.

Then been kind of back here these last three years. Getting that experience and stuff and going through those makes you realize in these seven years, I feel like I’ve been through a lot. Probably more than a lot of people have been in seven years. But I also felt that way as a coordinator.

This is your fourth trip to the NFC Championship Game with the 49ers and third in a row. Do you feel like the situation is something pretty comfortable for you now?

Yeah, totally. I understood the magnitude growing up. When I was between I think my fourth grade and senior (year) in high school, I think my dad was in the (conference) championship, like, nine out of 11 years or something. So I just always remember going and either going to the Super Bowl or traveling with the Pro Bowl (as the conference-championship losing coaching staff) as a little school kid and just knowing how my family felt after those, good or bad. And it was extreme, one way or the other. So I’ve always kind of been aware kind of the magnitude of all of this. And one of the things I’ve been blessed with, just growing up around it.

It’s something that I’ve always tried to instill in the players, that they know, but that’s what’s kind of different now, because I feel our players are kind of that way. Because they’ve kind of been through this, not our whole team, but most of our team. And our players understand what this means, what it is and how hard it is to get here. And how hard it is to get back. That’s why we don’t waste a moment and we know no matter what happens it’s going to come down to just three hours. That’s why we don’t waste a second here, and we’re going to be prepared to do as good as we can with what presents itself.

AFC WEST

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com with an update on Jim Harbaugh’s whereabouts:

New Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh will make Los Angeles the last stop in a busy weekend — and perhaps the last stop in his coaching career.

Harbaugh told the Detroit News that he will say goodbye to his Michigan players today, travel to Baltimore to cheer on his brother John and the Ravens in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, and then get to work with the Chargers.

“And Monday, head back [to Los Angeles] for good,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh hasn’t been known for staying long in any of his stints as a head coach: He lasted three seasons at the University of San Diego, four at Stanford and four with the 49ers. He coached Michigan for the last nine years, but he always kept an eye on NFL job openings, including an interview with the Vikings that he claimed was a one-time thing and his last time chasing an NFL job.

Still, at age 60 and having reached the pinnacle of college football, Harbaugh may mean it when he says he’s in Los Angeles for good. The one career goal he has not yet reached is winning the Super Bowl, and he’s driven to do so as head coach of the Chargers.

AFC SOUTH

JACKSONVILLE

GM Trent Baalke is being less than forthright with LB JOSH ALLEN on a new contract.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

After the Jaguars beat the Texans in late November, Jacksonville pass rusher Josh Allen talked to PFT about his performance that day. I asked him, among other things, whether he wants a new contract, given that he was playing under his fifth-year option.

“Of course I want to get one,” Allen said. He also made it clear he wants it from the Jaguars, not from someone else. He said there had been no talks toward signing one.

“That’s up to the high man,” Allen said. “i just come in and play for my people.”

One of the high men in the organization spoke to reporters on Thursday about Allen. G.M. Trent Baalke said that the seventh pick in the 2019 draft “will be a Jaguar.” Baalke admitted, however, that there have been no talks on a long-term deal.

That remark didn’t sit well with Allen and his representatives. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Allen’s camp is not happy that Baalke would take time to talk to the media about Allen before taking time to Allen or his agent about Allen. Allen’s camp has been ready, willing, and waiting to engage in negotiations.

The lack of engagement at this stage of the calendar points to a franchise tag for Allen, not a multi-year deal. A Pro Bowler in 2023, Allen set the single-season franchise record with 17.5 sacks. He has 45 in his career, which puts him in second place in all-time team history, behind Tony Brackens with 55.

The 2011 rookie wage scale was aimed at keeping top draft picks who don’t pan out from removing millions from the system. It also has given teams the ability to squat on great players, delaying for years the financial reward they have earned. Allen has been waiting five years.

It’s unfortunate for the Jaguars, who ultimately bungled the relationship with high-end defensive players like Jalen Ramsey and Yannick Ngakoue, both of whom were traded. Given that Allen’s agent has engineered trades for high-end defensive players like Khalil Mack and DeForest Buckner, the combination could be more explosive than nitroglycerine, the weapon of choice for many an old-school cartoon villain.

From Allen’s perspective, Baalke is currently playing the role of Dick Dastardly. The only way to change that is for Baalke to talk not to the media about Allen, but to Allen about Allen.

TENNESSEE

The Titans have hired Bengals OC Brian Callahan for his playcalling. Josh Alper ofProFootballTalk.com:

Titans head coach Brian Callahan laid out some of the plans for his first year with the team at a press conference on Thursday, including the process of calling plays on offense.

Callahan was the offensive coordinator for the Bengals, but head coach Zac Taylor handled the play calls in Cincinnati. Callahan said that he will be taking that responsibility with the Titans and said that he doesn’t feel it is “a big adjustment” because he was part of a collaborative approach with the Bengals as well.

“As far as my role, I’m going to take it every day as it comes, and I’m going to learn a lot as we go,” Callahan said, via Nick Suss of the Tennessean. “But I feel really confident in my ability to handle all the different parts that are asked of me on a day-to-day basis, as a play caller, as a head coach, as an offensive head coach overseeing a defense. And so, I’m incredibly confident in my ability to do that. So, that’s probably the best way I can say it.”

Callahan said he’s excited to work with quarterback Will Levis and Levis’ development will be a major factor in how well Callahan’s tenure as both the head coach and the play caller plays out in Nashville.

THIS AND THAT

SECRET SUPERSTARS

Thomas Valentine of ProFootballFocus.com identifies a “secret superstar” who emerged on each of the 32 member clubs in 2023:

ARIZONA CARDINALS: HB JAMES CONNER

The 2023 season was a career year for James Conner regarding efficiency. He cracked 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career, doing so on a career-high 5.0 yards per carry. Everything about Conner’s 2023 season has been exceptional. He’s second in the NFL in missed tackles forced per attempt (0.28) and is tied for the fourth-most explosive runs among all ball carriers.

Conner was a consistent focal point for a Cardinals offense that struggled early in the season, and once Kyler Murray returned, Conner still retained his importance to the team — his 89.2 PFF grade was a career-high and the fourth-highest among running backs in the NFL.

ATLANTA FALCONS: LB KADEN ELLISS

Kaden Elliss was rewarded with a three-year, $21.5 million contract by the Atlanta Falcons last offseason after impressing with the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons should be extremely happy with the deal they made. Elliss has been a jack-of-all-trades on a much-improved Falcons defense in 2023, racking up 122 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks.

The linebacker earned an impressive 75.0 PFF grade this season and racked up 26 pressures, the fourth-most at his position. He’ll likely continue to be a key component for the spine of the Falcons defense.

BALTIMORE RAVENS: HB JUSTICE HILL

The Ravens rushing attack was once again one of the premier units in the NFL, racking up a league-leading 156.5 rushing yards per game as the team finished with a 13-4 record. The load carried by Lamar Jackson in the running game was predictably large, but Gus Edwards and particularly Justice Hill‘s efforts are commendable.

Hill was a big factor on the ground, rushing for a career-high 387 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He also featured heavily in the passing game, catching 28 passes for 206 yards. Hill even showed up in pass protection too, coming up big with a 63.9 PFF pass-blocking grade on 70 snaps. He was the whole package for the Ravens, shining all over the field.

BUFFALO BILLS: WR KHALIL SHAKIR

Shakir popped in his second season in the NFL, becoming an integral part of the Bills’ passing attack and carrying his share of the load when Stefon Diggs’ numbers dwindled in the second half of the season. His 76.8 PFF grade was 29th among all wide receivers and though he only caught 39 passes, Shakir averaged 14 yards per reception and tallied 611 yards through the air.

The former fifth-round pick came up big in the playoffs too, catching 10 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns across two games. He’s shown that he can be a real weapon for Josh Allen as the Bills look to re-tool in the offseason.

CAROLINA PANTHERS: LB FRANKIE LUVU

Frankie Luvu has been the Panthers’ Swiss army knife for the last few seasons, and that didn’t waiver in 2023. The hybrid linebacker earned a 78.5 PFF grade, the 14th-highest among all linebackers, and had the highest PFF pass-rushing grade at the position.

There are playmakers all over the defense with Brian Burns, Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn, but Luvu is the unsung hero. He can affect the game as a pass-rusher, a run defender, a blitzer and even in coverage. Luvu’s multidimensional skillset makes him a true every-down player.

CHICAGO BEARS: LB T.J. EDWARDS

The Bears signed T.J. Edwards to a three-year contract in the offseason after an impressive stint with the Eagles, hoping that he could fill the void left by Roquan Smith. The linebacker responded with another excellent season, racking up 155 total tackles, totaling eight games with double-digit tackles.

Edwards was excellent across the board, finishing with an 80.2 overall PFF grade, the 10th-highest among all linebackers, as well as top-20 PFF grades in run defense and coverage. The Bears defense kicked on Montez Sweat‘s arrival, but Edwards has had a quiet hand in their success.

CINCINNATI BENGALS: S JORDAN BATTLE

Battle was part of the efforts to paper over the cracks in the Bengals safety as the team lost Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell in the offseason. The third-round pick only started seven games for the Bengals, but his impact was felt in every game. Battle’s 82.5 PFF grade was the second-highest among rookie safeties and the 10th-highest in the NFL, and his 81.3 PFF run-defense grade also ranked 10th.

Despite being a rookie, Battle became a starter down the stretch, earning a 90.0 PFF grade in the season-finale against the Browns. He’ll continue to shine through as a pivotal player in the secondary.

CLEVELAND BROWNS: LB JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH

The Browns’ 2023 defense was one of the best in recent memory, with key contributors all over the field. Not many made a bigger splash than Owusu-Koramoah. The linebacker plays like he was shot out of a cannon, and his 75.2 PFF grade ranked 20th at the position.

Owusu-Koramoah also recorded a career-high 101 total tackles in 16 games, as well as 3.5 sacks in 16 games — the most he’s played in his career. He’s molding himself into one of the best linebackers in the NFL, on one of the best defenses in the NFL.

DALLAS COWBOYS: DI OSA ODIGHIZUWA

Osa Odighizuwa doesn’t play at the flashiest position in the league, and most of his work is tasked as dirty work, but not many players do it better. The defensive tackle eats gaps, takes on double-teams and creates holes for his fellow defenders to attack, but he also showed up with 43 pressures in 2023.

Having Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the defensive line helps, but Odighizuwa is still a monster of a man in his own right. There aren’t many better defensive tackles in the NFL, and he’s only 25 years old.

DENVER BRONCOS: G QUINN MEINERZ

The unsung heroes of NFL teams usually reside in the trenches. That much can be said for Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, who has been one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL this season. His 83.8 PFF grade is third among all guards while his 88.8 PFF run-blocking grade is tied for first.

The Broncos running game averaged just four yards per carry in 2023, but Meinerz was nothing but a positive force for the team. It’s ugly work, but someone has to do it. Meinerz proved there aren’t many who can do it better.

DETROIT LIONS: DI ALIM MCNEILL

There was a noticeable shift in the demeanor of the Lions’ defensive line when they lost Alim McNeill for the season — the former third-round pick had been a brick wall this season and was having a career year as a pass-rusher.

Despite playing in just 13 games, McNeill still managed to notch 34 pressures and a career-high five sacks while surging up the middle of the Lions defensive line. He’ll return next season to carry on being a quiet superstar.

GREEN BAY PACKERS: WR DONTAYVION WICKS

The Packers’ young receiving room exceeded all expectations in 2023 alongside Jordan Love, and Wicks’ involvement in the offense was a nice surprise. The rookie fifth-round pick hit the ground running and never looked back, catching 39 passes for 581 yards and four touchdowns, earning a 77.8 PFF grade — 26th among all receivers in the NFL.

Wicks was one of the best yards-after-catch receivers in the NFL too, showing his real ability as a playmaker with the ball in his hands. He averaged 5.6 yards after the catch per reception this season, 19th-most in the NFL.

HOUSTON TEXANS: LB BLAKE CASHMAN

Blake Cashman has come to life in his second season with the Texans, becoming a figurehead of DeMeco Ryans’s defense and starting 13-of-14 games this season. The linebacker has been playing like a bat out of hell, earning an 83.7 PFF grade in 2023, the fifth-highest among all linebackers.

He’s an ever-present being at the second level and racked up 106 tackles and nine tackles for loss this season as the Texans’ defense looked to establish itself as a much-improved unit. The sky is the ceiling for this defense, and Cashman is a big reason why.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: OT BERNHARD RAIMANN

Raimann showed some promise in his rookie season with the Colts but was held down by a poor offensive line around him – so those rookie growing pains were magnified. However, his ascension in his second season has been excellent. Raimann earned an 82.3 PFF grade — the seventh-highest among all tackles, while his 80.6 pass-blocking grade was eighth-highest.

With Anthony Richardson returning next season, Raimann’s status as one of the up-and-coming left tackles in the NFL will matter even more. He’ll have the task of protecting the Colts’ franchise quarterbacks blindside for the foreseeable future.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: S ANDRE CISCO

Cisco has quietly been a dependable figure on the Jaguars’ defense for the last two seasons, earning a 67.1 PFF grade in 2022, a 68.9 PFF grade in 2023 and a 71.5 PFF coverage grade this season.

The third-year safety proved his ability to be a ballhawk too, snagging four interceptions in the secondary and helping the Jaguars defense earn a top-10 PFF coverage grade in 2023.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: LB DRUE TRANQUILL

The Chiefs defense surprised this season, cementing themselves as a top-five unit in the NFL. In his first season with the Chiefs, Tranquill impressed, racking up 78 tackles and a 70.6 PFF grade. He really impressed as a blitzer in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

Tranquil earned the second-highest PFF pass-rushing grade among all linebackers in 2023, and his 19 pressures were the 15th-highest. He only started eight games and 652 snaps, but any time he was on the field, Tranquil was making plays.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: EDGE MALCOLM KOONCE

All attention naturally and justifiably goes to Maxx Crosby when discussing the Raiders defensive line, but Malcolm Koonce deserves credit for the impact he’s made this season. The edge defender tallied a career-high 52 pressures and eight sacks in 2023, forcing himself into the Raiders starting lineup and becoming a real piece of an improving defense.

Koonce was 20th in pressure rate this season and his pass-rush win rate of 14.8% was 32nd among all edge rushers. Playing beside Crosby helps, but Koonce had an excellent season and could take another leap forward in 2024.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: EDGE TULI TUIPULOTU

The Chargers rookie dominated in his first season in the NFL, earning 51 pressures, the second-most among all rookies, and 4.5 sacks. His 88.4 PFF run-defense grade was elite too, only Khalil Mack, DeMarcus Lawrence and Maxx Crosby earned a better grade. That’s exceptional company right there.

Tuipulotu stepped up, starting 11 games to fill the void left by Joey Bosa, and he looked like a real find. Even though the Chargers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, it’s clear that Tuipulotu will be a big part of the roster moving forward.

LOS ANGELES RAMS: DI KOBIE TURNER

Like Tuipulotu, Kobie Turner was a rookie who made an exceptional splash in 2023. The Rams’ third-round pick tallied nine sacks and 50 pressures, outperforming every other rookie interior defensive lineman in the process. His 83.2 overall PFF grade was the 11th-highest at the position too.

The Rams needed a splash from their rookie defender, and they got it. The partnership of Turner and Aaron Donald is already one of the NFL’s better interior duos.

MIAMI DOLPHINS: EDGE ANDREW VAN GINKEL

It took some time, but Andrew Van Ginkel fully broke out in his fifth season in the NFL. His six sacks weren’t outstanding, but Van Ginkel comfortably earned career-highs across the board, including 53 pressures.

His 91.1 PFF grade was the eighth-highest among all edge defenders, his PFF pass-rushing grade was the seventh-highest, and Van Ginkel even flashed in coverage. The Dolphins would love to hang on to his services this offseason, but he’ll likely be in high demand.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS: S JOSH METELLUS

Sometimes, all a player needs is a fresh system to awaken them. The Vikings defense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2022, but Brian Flores’ arrival awakened something in it this year, and the Vikings defense was an impressive unit that consistently got after offenses.

Metellus had a big part to play in that revival in his fourth season. No other safety registered more than his 29 pressures, and Metellus proved to be a constant force in the backfield as a blitzer. He shone through in all aspects of the game too, earning more defensive stops (45) than any other safety. He’s a force to be reckoned with.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: T MIKE ONWENU

Mike Onwenu has quietly been one of the game’s better offensive linemen since his rookie season, earning a 70.0-plus overall PFF grade in all four of his NFL seasons. The Patriots offensive line struggled all season, but Onwenu allowed just a 4.8% pressure rate — the 10th-lowest among all tackles in the NFL.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: CB PAULSON ADEBO

After a down year in 2022, Paulson Adebo responded in 2023 with an excellent season. His 80.5 PFF coverage grade ranked 15th among all cornerbacks in the NFL and only Benjamin St-Juste had more forced incompletions when targets. Adebo fully cemented himself as a lockdown corner.

Adebo also showed up with four interceptions on the season and allowed a completion percentage of just 54.1% — only three other cornerbacks allowed a lower percentage. There aren’t many better cornerbacks than the Saints star.

NEW YORK GIANTS: LB BOBBY OKEREKE

Okereke proved his value to the Giants in his first season with the team in 2023, leading the team with 149 tackles — the 10th-most in the NFL — and earning a 78.2 overall PFF grade in the process. The former Colt was a leader and stepped up when the Giants needed him the most.

He did everything from rush the passer, earning 20 pressures, to snagging two interceptions and proving to be reliable in coverage.

NEW YORK JETS: EDGE BRYCE HUFF

Bryce Huff wreaked havoc on offensive lines across the NFL despite not starting a game this season. The former undrafted free agent has carved out a role for himself as an excellent pass rusher on one of the best defenses in the NFL. His 10 sacks and 67 pressures were by far career-highs, and Huff was second in pressure rate and fourth in pass-rush win rate among all edge defenders.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: OT JORDAN MAILATA

Being a part of one of the NFL’s best offensive lines that has an all-time great center and right tackle means that Jordan Mailata often doesn’t get the credit he deserves, especially playing at left tackle. However, he’s been a top-10 tackle in overall PFF grade for the last three seasons, and his 84.8 PFF grade ranked third among all tackles in 2023.

The fact that Mailata hit the ground running so quickly after converting from rugby is incredible in itself, but he’s quickly become one of the game’s best left tackles.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS: HB JAYLEN WARREN

Jaylen Warren impressed in his second season in the NFL, carrying the ball 149 times for 784 rushing yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. On top of that, Warren caught 61 passes for 370 yards and proved to be an impressive weapon out of the backfield.

His efficiency and explosiveness as a ball-carrier made him one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL in 2023. He averaged more missed tackles forced per attempt than any other running back and also had the 12th-most explosive runs in the NFL. He’ll only feature more in the Steelers offense next season too.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: CB DEOMMODORE LENOIR

Deommodore Lenoir stepped up in a big way in his third NFL season. He spent most of his time at outside corner but filled in occasionally in the slot, and wherever he played, Lenoir was excellent. His 72.5 PFF grade ranked 28th among all cornerbacks in the NFL, and he was part of a 49ers defense that allowed 214.2 passing yards per game in 2023.

Lenoir is still just 24 years old too, and the former fifth-round pick has formed an excellent partnership with Charvarius Ward on the outside. Another young up-and-coming talent on a great defense.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: EDGE BOYE MAFE

The Seahawks have been waiting for an edge rusher to appear for some time now, and they may finally have their answer in Boye Mafe. The former second-round pick notched nine sacks and 58 pressures in his second season in the NFL and became a real problem for opposing offensive lines.

Mafe’s pressure rate was 38th among all edge rushers in the NFL, but his improvement from just a year before was vast. The sky is the limit for the excellent edge rusher.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: G LUKE GOEDEKE

After a tough start to his NFL career in 2022, Luke Goedeke switched from left guard to right tackle, filling the hole left by Tristan Wirfs, who slid across the line to left tackle. It was a big ask, but Goedeke performed well above expectations.

His 72.5 PFF grade was a huge improvement from his 43.7 PFF grade from his rookie season, and Goedeke allowed just a 6.9% pressure rate despite playing every single offensive snap in 2023. He, like the Buccaneers, was a major surprise in the best way.

TENNESSEE TITANS: HB TYJAE SPEARS

Spears was drafted in 2023 as the perfect compliment to Derrick Henry, a smaller, shifty back with excellent burst and ability as a pass catcher. And Spears flashed every bit of that ability in 2023, carrying the ball 100 times for 453 yards and two touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 385 yards and a touchdown.

The former Tulane running back had the 11th-most receiving yards among all running backs this season and should likely take on a bigger role with Derrick Henry hitting free agency. He might not be a bellcow, but Spears commands a big role in the offense.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: G SAMUEL COSMI

Cosmi was an adequate performer at right tackle for the first two seasons of his career, but a shift inside in 2023 has awoken something in the former Texas offensive lineman. His 80.6 PFF grade is a career-high and Cosmi has the 20th-lowest pressure rate among all guards in the NFL at 4.3% — the same as Cowboys titan Zack Martin, one of the best guards in the business.

It’s still early days, but Cosmi earned the fifth-highest grade among all guards. As well as an 80.9 run-blocking grade and a 74.0 PFF pass-blocking grade. He’s showing the traits of an all-around quality guard. Those are hard to come by.

THE PICKS

We went 4-0 last week to get to 7-3 and guarantee a winning record this postseason.

For the Championship Games, we’re going with the two home teams and top seeds.  It was hard to pick against Kansas City, less hard to see the 49ers winning.

Let’s call it – Ravens, 24-22 and 49ers, 37-23.