@JoshDubowAP

With #49ers and Chiefs having no Alabama players on active roster, a remarkable streak will continue. No player who finished college at Alabama has scored a point in a Super Bowl. Players from 143 other colleges from Coast Guard (1 point) to Miami (84) have scored in Super Bowl

Here are the Alabama players who have scored the most TDs in the postseason:

Shaun Alexander        8

Julio Jones                  7

(Jalen Hurts                5)

Tony Nathan               5

Derrick Henry             4

Alvin Kamara              4

The key phrase is “finished college at Alabama” because Jalen Hurts had 3 TDs last year.

Eleven Alabama players have either rushed or caught a pass in the Super Bowl.

– – –

An update with 11 days to go – the Super Bowl line opened with the 49ers 2.5-point favorites, then quickly moved towards the Chiefs by 1.5 points.  But from -1, the 49ers are now back to -2.

And just as they did four years ago, the Chiefs, as the home team, will wear their red jerseys against the 49ers.

CHICAGO

Thomas Brown, who was in Carolina last year, is Chicago’s new passing game coordinator under OC Shane Waldron.  Luis Mendoza of Bleacher Nation:

The Chicago Bears continue to fill out Matt Eberflus’ coaching staff.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports the Bears are set to hire Thomas Brown as the team’s passing game coordinator. You might be familiar with Brown because of his time as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator last year. Perhaps you might recall him being a candidate and interviewing for the Bears’ offensive coordinator opening earlier in the month. Or maybe you’re a football nerd who knows that Brown and new Bears OC Shane Waldron worked together under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams. Whatever the case is, you’ll soon know him as a Chicago Bears assistant coach.

Who is Thomas Brown?

I strongly recommend reading Patrick’s write-up on the Bears’ initial interest in discussing the offensive coordinator position with Thomas Brown earlier in January. And it wouldn’t hurt to dig into Patrick’s profile of Brown. Both pieces are worth your time. In the meantime, here is a snippet from Patrick’s work:

Brown is a former NFL player turned coach. He was part of the Rams’ offense that won the Super Bowl LVI in 2021. Before joining the Rams, Brown coached at various universities, including the University of South Carolina, Miami Hurricanes, and the University of Georgia.

He coached running backs such as Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, Melvin Gordon, Mark Walton, and Travis Homer. Brown’s teams consistently had successful rushing attacks, ranking among the top rushing offenses in the league.

I’m really digging the Thomas Brown hire. And for multiple reasons. Firstly, he has play calling experience from his time in Carolina. It isn’t much, but that Panthers team did put up 30 points against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Eve. The Bears haven’t done that in what feels like ages. Secondly, he has plenty of experience coaching running backs. Sure, Brown is about to become Chicago’s passing game coordinator. But that experience in the backfield probably helps. And thirdly, the Bears continue to add minority hires to the team. Some teams talk about diversity, but it is nice to see the Bears back it up with their hirings.

DETROIT

Is this the move of a man who knows he is not getting the Seattle or Baltimore jobs – or an inspiring sign of loyalty to the Lions?  Tom Pelissaro of NFL.com dropped this at 12:50 Tuesday:

@TomPelissero

#Lions OC Ben Johnson informed the #Seahawks and #Commanders that he’s staying in Detroit, per sources.

Johnson is still only 37 and will be a hot head coaching candidate again next year. But first, he wants to take another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Detroit.

This is what Adam Schefter was told:

@AdamSchefter

Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has two years remaining on his contract with Detroit. His deal was not adjusted to stay, per league source, proving that money is not Johnson’s biggest motivation. The Lions still could opt to adjust the contract down the line, but it’s not the reason that Johnson returned to Detroit today. Johnson is loyal.

@AdamSchefter

Commanders officials were en route to Detroit for a meeting with Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn when they got word that Johnson was staying with the Lions, per sources. While the abrupt pivot by Johnson was considered “surprising” by several league sources, he was not considered a lock for the Commanders’ job, despite his strong reputation as a coordinator and a loyal coach. The Commanders leadership team remains eager to meet with the respected Glenn, who is one of several candidates the team is expected to consider for its head-coach vacancy.

WR AMON-RA ST. BROWN was half-asleep when his phone buzzed Tuesday morning.

“He calls me, I just woke up…(after small talk) – Are you leaving?  You know what, I couldn’t sleep last night.  There’s unfinished business.  I want to stay. The guys on the team, you, Jared, Frank, Panae, Decker.  My heart is in Detroit.”

– – –

On the running play that Greg Olsen astutely pointed out effectively ended the game (barring an onside kick), Campbell offered an explanation and some regret:

On Monday, Campbell admitted he probably shouldn’t have run the ball in that situation.

“The easy thing to do is to throw it,” Campbell said during Monday’s news conference. “Probably should’ve been the right thing, but for me, I wanted to run it. I thought we would just pop it. We had just — 2-minute all the way down the field, throwing the football and they were in a four-down front and I believed we’d walk right in, and we just missed a block. So then, yeah, I’ve got to use a timeout. So, hindsight, throw it four times. But I believed in that moment it was going to be a walk-in run. And it didn’t work out. So, I gambled and lost.”

Kevin Patra of NFL.com makes the point that while not a good option, hurrying up was better than taking the timeout:

First, yes, he should have passed the ball on third down. It’s fair to think how a run at that juncture might’ve surprised the Niners — and maybe Montgomery gets in if Williams makes a better block — but the risk wasn’t worth getting stuffed. If the Lions were going to run it during that sequence, they should have done so on fourth down.

Second, the Lions didn’t have to use a timeout after they were stopped. Keeping the timeout was more valuable in that exact moment than using it stop the clock. A fourth-down call should have been communicated in conjunction with the third-down run play. Campbell should have had his players ready to jump on the snap if the run was stuffed.

Even if, say, conservatively, 20 seconds comes off the clock, having three timeouts and 40 seconds left is better than 56 seconds with two timeouts. At least there still would have been a shot for the Lions to get the ball back, if they’d saved the timeout. Yes, a comeback down three, with less than one minute to play and zero timeouts, is unlikely. But that scenario is still better than one that requires recovering an onside kick.

The goal-line sequence occurred after the Lions had already squandered a 24-7 halftime lead, so it will get less attention, but from a pure decision-making standpoint, it was the most clear-cut coaching mistake of the night for Campbell.

“This is what you hear about all the time with catastrophes,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t take one or two, it takes 12 things to go wrong, and we did all 12 of those wrong in all three phases.”

FYI – on-side kick attempts are 2 for 45 this year going into the SB.

What should the chances of keeping the ball be – either by onside kick or some other method?  It shouldn’t be too easy, but we would say better than 4%.  We are starting to like the idea of letting teams put the ball at the 20 or 25 after the kick and giving them one play to make 15 yards.  Is that 10%, 15%, 20%, more?

DALLAS

By Jerry Jones standards, his comments Tuesday on QB DAK PRESCOTT fell just short of an unqualified endorsement as deciphered by Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Dak Prescott is coming off a career season, which earned him a top-five finish in MVP voting. For the third consecutive season, the quarterback helped the Cowboys win 12 games.

But his future is complicated.

While the Cowboys have gone 73-41 in the regular season in his eight seasons, they are only 2-5 in the postseason, and Prescott has a $59.5 million cap hit next season in the last year of his contract.

“Dak has done nothing to change my mind about any promise for the future,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday at the Senior Bowl, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I think I’ve said in the deal that we will go as far as Dak takes us in the playoffs. Remember that. We will go as far as Dak takes us, and that is how far we went. So my point is, that doesn’t change a thing. We’ll go as far as Dak takes us.”

Projected to be roughly $19 million over the 2024 salary cap, the Cowboys will need to lower Prescott’s cap hit. A contract extension would be the easiest way to do that, but it likely will take an average salary in the $50 million range for the sides to get there and another multi-year commitment.

Do they or don’t they?

A year ago, Jones, and his son, Stephen, were adamant about the Cowboys’ plans to sign Prescott to a long-term contract extension. On Tuesday, the Cowboys stayed away from discussion about an extension for their quarterback.

Reporters pressed Jerry Jones about his hesitation about Prescott compared to this time a year ago, and Jones’ response was a word salad.

“I’m unequivocal about it right now,” Jones said. “We’ve got a lot of contract work to do. I’m unequivocal about all of the contracts. I can be unequivocal about all the contracts. But we’re going to have to adjust all contracts to get as many of the very players that you could ask me about singly under contract. The facts are that it’s obvious who your top players are. It’s obvious who the players we want back would be. That’s obvious. It very obvious here in my mind. And so anything I’ve said, like last year, I said we see a picture of him going forward for many years, that’s alive and well. Yes, we sure do, but we’ve got a lot of contracts to address.”

Prescott has a no-trade clause and a no-franchise tag clause for 2025, so if the Cowboys don’t get an extension done before next March, he will enter free agency.

The Cowboys, though, also have to get receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons signed to long-term deals.

A Prescott extension would make that easier, and Jones was asked whether he expected that to get done.

“I don’t even want to answer the question,” Jones said. “I would let everybody say you can just assume that. You can just assume that right there. What I’m really saying is I’m not going to be discussing any part of it, because it looks like that’s an issue, when it’s not. It’s the entire thing and the balancing of the entire thing.

“You’ve got to look at everything. We’ve got to see how much we can get onto the cap. So it’s a holistic approach, more so than any year that we’ve had.”

Prescott had a career year with 4,516 passing yards, a league-best 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a career-best 105.9 passer rating.

WASHINGTON

Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com on the Commanders coaching search with Ben Johnson out:

According to multiple reports, members of the Commanders organization were in the air on their way to Detroit Tuesday when they got word that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would not be going through with a second interview for the team’s head coaching position.

The plane did not turn around to return to Washington, however. Per those reports, the Commanders are still set to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for a second time.

Johnson reportedly informed both the Commanders and Seahawks that he intends to remain in Detroit despite being a hot name in this year’s head coaching searches. Glenn has also been popular and apparently remains in the mix in Washington.

The Commanders also interviewed Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for a second time on Tuesday morning. They interviewed Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald on Monday.

CAROLINA

Dave Canales envisions working with Brad Idzik much the same way they did last year with the Buccaneers – but they both have new titles per David Newton of ESPN.com:

New Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales is hiring a familiar face as his offensive coordinator, but that person won’t be calling the plays.

Brad Idzik, who followed Canales from the Seattle Seahawks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to coach wide receivers last season, will again follow Canales to the Panthers, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Canales, however, will call plays for the Panthers as he did as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay last season, sources told ESPN. Idzik, 32, has never been a playcaller.

Prior to last season, Idzik spent four seasons with Canales in Seattle as the assistant wide receivers coach.

Canales, who officially will be introduced as Carolina’s head coach at a news conference Thursday, had a successful 2023 season as a first-time NFL playcaller. He helped Baker Mayfield to career highs in passing yards (4,044), touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3).

He was given a six-year contract to help turn around the career of Bryce Young, who had a historically bad rookie season in 2023 after being selected with the top pick of the draft.

Young, who was 2-14 as the starter, had only 11 touchdown passes — tied for the fewest in NFL history for a quarterback with at least 500 attempts. His Total QBR (33.3) ranked 29th out of 30 qualified quarterbacks.

Canales helped Mayfield go from last in the NFL in Total QBR (26.2) in 2022 with Carolina and the Los Angeles Rams to 18th this past season (54.4).

Idzik’s specialty has been developing receivers. The Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett had more than 1,000 yards receiving in each of his four seasons with Idzik. From 2019 to 2022, Idzik’s receivers had the second-most receiving touchdowns (92) in the league, the third-most air yards per target (11.6) and the seventh-highest receiving percentage (65.7).

Idzik has Carolina ties, as he played wide receiver for four years at Wake Forest (2011-14).

Canales and Idzik inherit a Carolina offense that finished last in the NFL in yards per game (265.3) and tied for last in scoring (13.9 points per game).

The Panthers still are waiting to see whether Ejiro Evero, still under contract as their defensive coordinator, gets the head-coaching position in Seattle. If he doesn’t, Evero will get strong consideration to remain as Carolina’s defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.

TAMPA BAY

A new name as Tampa Bay casts a wide net for an OC, just as they did a year ago:

@AdamSchefter

Lions’ passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand will interview for the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job, per source. Engstrand interviewed last week with the Patriots for their OC spot.

KANSAS CITY

It’s been a good postseason for WR MARQUES VALDES-SCANTLING.  Nate Taylor of The Athletic:

A timeout taken by the opponent gave them more time than usual, more time to discuss one of their most significant snaps of the season.

Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback, walked to the sideline to chat with coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Within a few seconds, Mahomes was joined in the mini-huddle by his skill-position teammates. The situation, a third-and-9 play just before the two-minute warning of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, was distilled into one question: Should the Chiefs, leading by 7 points, run the ball to ensure the next play comes after the two-minute warning or should they select a passing play to gain a first down and seal a trip to Super Bowl LVIII?

“Pat was like, ‘Put the ball in my hands,’” receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling said.

Reid obliged. After the Chiefs lined up with three receivers on the left side and with the Ravens hinting at man coverage, Mahomes identified two passing options.

“I looked at (rookie receiver) Rashee (Rice) first and the safety cut him (off) and gave MVS the free lane and I just put it up and let him make a play,” Mahomes said. “He did that. He made a heck of a great catch.”

Valdes-Scantling, who lined up in the slot, ran what many coaches describe as a “for the love of the game route,” a slight diagonal seam through the middle of the defense, one designed to attract the opponent’s deepest safety, a route to create more space for a teammate who can catch the ball on an intermediate pass.

For Mahomes though, Valdes-Scantling ran his route so well that he sprinted past cornerback Arthur Maulet. Mahomes threw a perfect pass, too, leading to Valdes-Scantling’s biggest highlight of a season: a 32-yard catch, securing the ball with both hands while he fell backward onto the turf.

“I blacked out everything else around me,” Valdes-Scantling said. “I didn’t see the defender, I didn’t see the fans and I didn’t see any of the other players. I just saw the ball. That was it. There was no pressure on my end.”

Mahomes celebrated by running and jumping — and screaming “Yeah!” over and over again — toward Valdes-Scantling.

“Big time s—!,” Mahomes said to Valdes-Scantling. “That’s big time s—!”

Whether on the field after the game or in the visitors locker room, teammate after teammate relished the chance to praise Valdes-Scantling, applauding him for having yet another memorable postseason after the most disastrous regular season of his six-year career.

In the Chiefs’ three postseason victories, Valdes-Scantling, 29, has recorded five timely receptions on eight targets for 108 yards, including a 32-yarder against the Buffalo Bills.

“I knew he was going to bounce back, but that’s football,” right guard Trey Smith said of Valdes-Scantling. “Everyone is going to have down plays. I mean, I got my ass whipped a couple times out there. MVS is a close friend, and just seeing him flourish is great. … You don’t give up on players. I knew he would have an opportunity to come back, show his work and play. He’s a baller, man.”

When the Chiefs signed Valdes-Scantling to a three-year, $30 million contract, with $18 million in the first two years in 2022, he was replacing the player the team traded the day before: receiver Tyreek Hill, the league’s fastest player. Known for his rare speed, Valdes-Scantling helped the Chiefs maintain their deep passing concepts.

In an unexpected bonus for the Chiefs, though, Valdes-Scantling has performed his best the past two years in the playoffs. He generated six receptions and a team-high 116 yards, including a touchdown, in the Chiefs’ thrilling victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in last year’s AFC Championship Game.

“MVS, just all of a sudden, is Mr. January, like Derek Jeter is Mr. November and Reggie Jackson is Mr. October,” Nate Tice, a former NFL offensive quality control assistant and former college quarterback, said on Monday’s episode of “The Athletic Football Show.”

Before the postseason, Valdes-Scantling produced just 21 receptions for 315 yards and a touchdown in 16 games, all career lows. He had more lowlights than highlights. He was also a part of a group of receivers who dropped 25 passes, the most by any receiver group since the 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars.

In a loss to the Denver Broncos, Valdes-Scantling fumbled the ball away. Three weeks later, he dropped a potential game-winning touchdown in the final minutes of the Chiefs’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He walked back to the locker room by himself that night and slammed his helmet against a wall.

“People were coming down on him everywhere,” Reid said of Valdes-Scantling. “That kid has taken a beating here, and he was just able to hang in there and battle.”

But Most of Mahomes’ deep pass attempts to Valdes-Scantling fell incomplete, too.

Even last month, when the Chiefs fell to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day, Mahomes either didn’t notice that Valdes-Scantling was open downfield or declined to target him on multiple plays. Valdes-Scantling was on the field for 61 snaps that day, the most among the receivers. Mahomes targeted him only once, an incompletion with the ball touching one of his hands.

“I’ve been battling things my whole life,” Valdes-Scantling said. “It’s not anything I haven’t seen already. I’ve been doubted before, told I wasn’t good enough. That doesn’t bother me, man. My faith is in God. The biggest thing I learned was keeping my faith throughout this whole ordeal.

“Obviously, you want to perform well every single week, just as a perfectionist. When you don’t, you have to look yourself in the mirror and be, like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’”

Mahomes has elevated his game in the playoffs, guiding the Chiefs through multiple long and efficient drives in victories over the Miami Dolphins, the Bills and the Ravens. Reid and Nagy simplified their play calls, using running back Isiah Pacheco more with most of the passing plays designed for Rice or tight end Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs have used Valdes-Scantling as a haymaker punch after jabbing opposing defenses over and over again.

“It was so cool to come in here and to end the game on that last throw by Pat and MVS,” general manager Brett Veach said. “You couldn’t have written a better script. It was really cool.”

Before Mahomes’ last completion, 19 of his 29 completions were either to Rice or Kelce, the pair combining for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Tice explained that, for him, the coolest part of Mahomes’ longest completion of the game was that the Chiefs used their passing tendencies to lead the Ravens defense into using a coverage they wanted and expected, Cover 0 with a double-team on Kelce, who initially stayed at the line to chip block.

“(Safety) Marcus Williams is in no-man’s land,” Tice said. “He has eyes on Kelce and he’s like, ‘Uh, what the f—? What am I supposed to do now?’ And then there’s the ball. He looked like a pitcher that just gave up a home run.

“That was a big third down. I would double Travis Kelce, too. I totally understand that play call. But it was damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We’re going to let MVS beat us. Well, he beat us.”

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

As expected, the Chargers did not give a lowball contract to Jim Harbaugh.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Chargers, stung by the perception that they’re cheap, apparently broke the bank to get Jim Harbaugh back in the NFL.

Per multiple sources, it’s believed the former Michigan coach will receive an average salary of $16 million per year from his new team.

Harbaugh’s deal, based on prior reports, covers five years. If it’s all guaranteed, that’s an $80 million commitment.

Some will ask if he’s worth it. Well, what’s a good coach worth? Look at the number of players making more than $16 million per year. Consider some of the names. A good coach is worth more to a team than $16 million per year.

It’s always difficult to know exactly how much a coach makes. Some teams have an official salary for the coach paid by the team, supplemented by payments from other businesses the owner runs. Even then, none of the information is publicly disclosed.

There’s no salary cap for coaches. There’s also no union. Plenty of people in league circles believe collusion is real when it comes to what coaches are paid.

Regardless, Harbaugh will be getting paid plenty by the Chargers. If he does what he did for Michigan and before that the Chargers, it will have been worth every penny.

HOUSTON

The Texans are keeping both of their top offensive minds.  Brian Barefield of USA TODAY:

After the Houston Texans season ended with a crushing 34-10 loss in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, quarterback C.J. Stroud was ready to “Run It Back” immediately. With the amount of success the Texans had this season, with 11 total wins, they want that feeling of exhilaration from the victories and the fans.

Stroud, the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, is securely in place to lead the franchise for the next few years. So is most of his offensive line led by 2023 Pro Bowl starter Laremy Tunsil when you add in wide receiver Tank Dell, the potential of Nico Collins being signed to a long-term deal, and additions to the running back position through free agency or the draft.

The only uncertainty was if the Texans would have offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik back to design plays and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson helping Stroud improve for another season.

Slowik, who like Stroud is also in contention to be recognized as the 2023 Assistant Coach of the Year at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas, has been interviewed by numerous teams such as the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, and Carolina Panthers since the end of the Texans season.

Yet, according to confirmed league sources, he has decided that the best course of action was for him to stay and finish what he started with his friend, head coach DeMeco Ryans, who gave Slowik an opportunity to call plays for the first time in his career based on the relationship he formed with him during their days with the San Francisco 49ers.

“I knew he was going to push me hard,” Stroud said about Slowik’s approach with him. “He was going to be hard on me. He held me to a standard all year. He held me accountable. A lot of times when you’re playing good ball, guys, they kind of let you do what you do and leave you alone. Bobby was always on me about the little details in my position, and I appreciated that because you don’t always get that. He was always just hard on me, but also showed me a lot of love – a ton of love.”

This season has been an incredible ride for quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, who, like Slowik, appreciated the opportunities he was given to interview this offseason.

Johnson, who played quarterback at Texas A&M University, was a candidate for the offensive coordinator jobs with the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers but instead stayed loyal to the Houston Texans franchise and coach Ryans, according to confirmed league sources. It was Ryans who gave him the opportunity to come back home (Johnson is a Houston native) and help develop Stroud, who finished the season with 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He also led the league with 273.9 yards per game.

“I’ve known Jerrod since I was 16,” Stroud said about Johnson in his final interview with the media to end the season. “One thing that I can say about Jerrod, you talk about somehow who knows how to play the position of quarterback and knows how to relay something, but also just a great person. A guy who loves football, he loves Houston, he loves Texas. Someone who has just taught me a tremendous amount of information, but on top of that, put a lot of confidence into me as well.”

“When I was 16 at the Elite 11, we did like this little circle group; it was like all the quarterbacks in my group. Jerrod’s one thing for me was like, ‘Be confident.’ At that time, I wasn’t really the highest recruit. I wasn’t who I would become. I always knew it would be a possibility, but I didn’t hear those type of – Jerrod is someone I looked up to. When he was like, ‘Man, you need to be more confident,’ it changed my life. From there, fast forward, and now I’m here with him in my rookie year; it’s been just a blessing to work with him. I’m excited for him, and he deserves everything that’s coming for him. I’m super blessed to be able to work with him and Bobbly [Slowik].”

Houston’s abysmal offense improved from 25th in passing yards per game in 2022 to fifth in 2023 under Slowik’s and Johnson’s guidance this season.

NEW ENGLAND

QB MAC JONES envies QB ZACH WILSON’s relationship with the Jets.  Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post:

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones reportedly envied Jets signal-caller Zach Wilson when Gang Green won their season finale, 17-3, on Jan. 7.

Jones, whose future with the Patriots is uncertain after a disastrous losing season, found himself so frustrated with the Patriots’ lack of communication that he told a Jets staffer he appreciated how they handled Wilson’s situation, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, who cited a source on the field during pregame in Foxborough.

Jones was benched for backup Bailey Zappe at the time, and Wilson also lost his starting job to Trevor Siemian — but Jones reportedly hit a breaking point when he learned he was demoted to third-string quarterback behind Nathan Rourke just 90 minutes before kickoff.

“Jones privately lamented to locker room confidants that no one talks to him,” Daniels wrote.

Although Wilson had his own struggles, the Jets had been honest with the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft — the same class in which New England picked Jones at No. 15.

After the Patriots-Jets season finale, The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported that the team informed Wilson they had plans to trade him this offseason when he was benched.

Jones reportedly found out he was a healthy scratch for Week 18 when the team released the inactive list — and his communication with former New England head coach Bill Belichick was non-existent by that point.

The 25-year-old initially lost his starting job to Zappe in Week 13 following a shutout loss to the Chargers 6-0 at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 3.

After that, Jones worked hard inside Gillette Stadium — spending more time in the weight room, arriving early and leaving late — according to his teammates, who spoke with MassLive anonymously.

The Alabama product continued to regress in his third year with the Patriots, and had his fair share of turnovers and outbursts on the field.

Jones also faced allegations of being a “dirty player” for the second straight year when Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner accused him of hitting him in the groin in a loss to the Patriots in Week 3.

Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple also called out Jones for a controversial hit when his Bengals played the Patriots in December 2022.

Jones’ relationship with Belichick was “broken” by the end of the 2023 season — and it started to sour the season prior when Josh McDaniels was replaced at offensive coordinator by Matt Patricia, according to MassLive.

Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways four days after New England’s season-finale loss to the Jets — ending a historic 24-year run.

The Patriots finished this season at the bottom of the AFC East with a 4-13 record, the franchise’s worst since 1992.

Now, Jones’ future with the Patriots is uncertain under newly hired head coach Jerod Mayo.

Mayo was a Super Bowl champion linebacker across eight season with the Patriots, and rejoined the organization as the team’s linebackers coach under Belichick for the past five seasons.

Belichick’s services are available following two rounds of interviews with the Falcons — who announced Raheem Morris as their head coach on Thursday night.

Wilson’s future with the Jets is also up in the air after he failed to prove he could be a solid backup this season for Aaron Rodgers, who’s expected to be healthy for Week 1 after tearing his Achilles four plays into the season.

THIS AND THAT

THE SECONDARY MARKET FOR SUPER BOWL TICKETS

Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com is keeping an eye on ticket prices for SB58.

Since the NFL awarded a Super Bowl to Las Vegas in December of 2021, secondary ticket brokers have been dreaming about this game.

The math was simple: With a middling Las Vegas Raiders franchise drawing a significant premium for their home games versus the rest of the NFL (since relocating), the first Super Bowl in Vegas was an almost guaranteed land-rush for tickets. Any tickets. All tickets. Especially if that Super Bowl had some ideal circumstances mixed into the matchup. A set of conditions that, for example, might include one nationally popular franchise (hello, San Francisco 49ers), and one iconic superstar quarterback who is fast-becoming the NFL’s answer to Michael Jordan (howdy, Patrick Mahomes). For the ticket market, that would be a very serendipitous pairing for a city that is the self-proclaimed entertainment capital of the world.

And now Las Vegas has it.

If the early returns on ticket demand are any indication, the fervor is living up to everything the secondary market sellers were dreaming of. According to reseller StubHub, the first day of sales data for Super Bowl LVIII represented a 150% spike over the 2019 season’s matchup between the Chiefs and 49ers in Miami. Not only that, StubHub pegged demand as “trending 90 percent higher” than last year’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chiefs in the first 24 hours of sales. A whopping 26% of those early buyers were from California, showcasing how strongly 49ers fans have come out of the gate for this championship matchup (Kansas/Missouri accounted for 7% of StubHub sales in the early going).

 “As predicted, the first Super Bowl in Vegas is seeing strong numbers. Sales are nearly double this time last year and early demand has far surpassed the last time Kansas City and San Francisco met in Miami,” said StubHub director of partnerships and business development Adam Budelli. “The 49ers fan base has rallied early, accounting for 26% of all tickets sold.”

As you’d expect, that demand resulted in staggering early prices for tickets across virtually all reselling platforms. TicketIQ CEO Jesse Lawrence, whose platform is a brokerage and tracker of prices across the market, pegged the early average ticket price at a whopping $10,752. In the first 24-hour window of selling, that’s the highest average ticket price in history, aside from the reduced capacity “COVID” Super Bowl in February 2021, which had an average ticket price of $15,253 — after the first day of sales when both Super Bowl participants had been determined. The least expensive ticket listed on the secondary market in the first 24 hours of sales for this year’s game? According to Lawrence’s data, it was put up at $8,529. The most expensive? A suite seat located at the 30-35 yard line, for $60,130. All these prices are before brokerage fees are added.

“If prices for this year’s Super Bowl were to hold,” Lawrence said, “the average price for this year’s game would be the most expensive Super Bowl of all time — 2021 fell to $8,161 by game day — and 96 percent higher than the historical average for a Super Bowl. This jump in price is nothing new for the NFL in Las Vegas. … [T]icket prices for Las Vegas Raiders home games averaged $1,035 this season. [That is] 149 percent higher than the average ticket price for the rest of the league. If this Super Bowl ended up matching that increase, this year’s Super Bowl would end up with an average price of over $12,700.”

Of course, we’re still more than 12 days from Super Bowl LVIII. Prices have risen and dropped at titanic rates in the past with this game. But given this matchup, and the entertainment draw of the city that surrounds it, the final hammer on Super Bowl ticket prices could be the stuff of brokerage dreams for years to come.

BROADCAST NEWS

Huge ratings for the championship games, one of which featured glimpses of Taylor Swift.

First the AFC, per Mike Florio:

This year’s AFC Championship has become the champion of AFC Championships.

Via CBS, Chiefs-Ravens averaged 55.473 million viewers. It’s the most-watched AFC Championship ever.

It’s a 17-percent increase over last year’s comparable window. Which featured the quarterback-free (eventually) 49ers losing to the Eagles.

Coupled with even higher ratings for the Lions-49ers game on Fox, it bodes well for massive numbers on CBS, when the 49ers and Chiefs get together, again, for the Super Bowl.

But, Swift could not carry CBS to victory over FOX:

Jerry Glanville was wrong.

The NFL doesn’t mean Not For Long. It means Nobody F—king Looks away, especially as the stakes get higher.

Sunday night’s NFL Championship between the Lions and 49ers averaged 56.9 million viewers for Fox.

It was a 19-percent increase over last year’s NFC Championship, which became borderline unwatchable after the 49ers ran out of quarterbacks. It’s also a seven-percent bump over the game played in the same window last year, between the Bengals and Chiefs.

Per Fox, it was the fourth most-watched non-Super Bowl NFL game on Fox, and it was the most-viewed NFC Championship since 2012.

More from the AP:

The television audiences for the first three rounds of the NFL playoffs are the highest on record going back to 1988.

According to the league and Nielsen, the first three weekends of the postseason averaged 38.5 million viewers on television and digital platforms, a 9% increase over last year.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens averaged 55.47 million on CBS, making it the most-watched AFC Championship Game ever. The previous mark was 54.85 million when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Jets to advance to the Super Bowl in the 2010 season.

The audience peaked at 64.02 million. It was also CBS’ most-watched non-Super Bowl program since the 1994 Winter Olympics in prime time on Feb. 25, 1994.

The San Francisco 49ers’ 34-31 comeback victory over the Detroit Lions on Fox averaged 56.69 million, the most-watched NFC Championship Game since 2012. It is also the fourth most-watched non-Super Bowl telecast in network history.

It peaked at 58.97 million during the fourth quarter.

The 56.1 million average for the conference championships is an 11% jump over last year.

CBS, which has the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, is averaging 45.61 million for its postseason games. It is the network’s highest average since the NFL returned to the network in 1998 and a 12% increase from last year.

FREE AGENTS

Matt Bowen of ESPN.com offers his 50 top free agents – at the moment:

Right now, two quarterbacks make the top 50, but there are multiple playmakers on both sides of the ball who could sign for big money. Let’s stack the free agent class.

1. Chris Jones, DT, Kansas City Chiefs   Age: 30

Jones had 10.5 sacks this season and shows the versatility to align off the edge, where his pass rush win rate jumps from 19.6% to 22.1%. The eight-year veteran is still a game-wrecking talent on the defensive front as a true disruptor. He has 75.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and 26 pass breakups over his career, and he should get a big contract come March after returning to the Chiefs in 2023 on a one-year deal.

2. Josh Allen, EDGE, Jacksonville Jaguars             27

Allen’s 17.5 sacks tied for second in the NFL this season, but he also had 66 tackles, 51 pressures and 2 forced fumbles. He’s a versatile, 6-foot-5 edge defender who can rush the passer, defend the run or even drop into coverage. Allen fits as a base 3-4 outside linebacker, with the ability to rush in multiple sub fronts because of his frame and closing speed.

3. Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings         36

Before tearing his right Achilles in Week 8, Cousins was completing 69.5% of his throws and had 18 touchdown passes to five interceptions. He’s an easy fit for a system with play-action elements in the pass game, and he should be viewed as an immediate upgrade for many offenses this offseason.

4. Justin Madubuike, DT, Baltimore Ravens      26

Madubuike had a career-high 13 sacks this season after posting 5.5 in 2022. The foot quickness and short-area juice jump off the tape, which allow him to leverage blockers and create interior pressure. The arrow is pointing up on him; he can win one-on-one or push the pocket in schemed fronts, and he pursues to the ball consistently. He also had 12 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles last season.

5. Christian Wilkins, DT, Miami Dolphins            28

Wilkins has the position versatility to produce in multiple NFL fronts; he can align as a 3-technique, play nose tackle or even slide to the edge. He’s an explosive mover off the ball with the lateral juice to impact both the run and pass defense. Wilkins recorded 9 sacks, 35 pressures and 63 tackles this season.

6. Brian Burns, DE, Carolina Panthers            26

Burns had 12.5 sacks in 2022 and followed it up with eight more this season. His 21.7% pass rush win rate also ranked seventh in the NFL. Burns is just now entering his prime playing years, and he has high-end edge-rushing traits, including the speed, explosive power and lower-body flexibility to consistently create pocket disruption.

7. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals             25

The 6-foot-4 target can produce at all three levels of the route tree, making him our top wide receiver in free agency. Higgins has 24 touchdowns over four seasons, along with two 1,000-yard seasons — despite sharing targets in the Bengals’ offense with Ja’Marr Chase. He has the inside/outside alignment flexibility and vertical stretch traits to post high-end numbers as a volume pass-catcher.

8. Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Minnesota Vikings      29

Hunter’s 16.5 sacks ranked fifth in the NFL this season, and he also had 54 pressures, 23 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles. With his long frame and great short-area speed, Hunter has the upper-level pass-rushing traits that NFL teams want on the edge.

9. Jaylon Johnson, CB, Chicago Bears          25

Johnson had a career-high four interceptions this season, and he has logged 34 pass breakups over his four pro seasons. He can challenge in both press and off-man alignments, and he plays with the backfield vision to drive on the ball in zone schemes. Johnson is a physical corner who fits best in today’s split-safety systems.

10. Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers    26

Winfield is an impact defender with the multidimensional traits to match in coverage, create pressure and show range to the ball. Entering his peak years, he already has 15 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 7 interceptions over his career.

11. L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Kansas City Chiefs              27

Sneed has the traits to match up on the perimeter or play a disruptive role as a slot defender, using his 6-foot-1 frame to challenge receivers. He is a scheme-versatile corner who can fit in both man and zone systems. Over his four-year career, Sneed has 10 picks and 6.5 sacks — and he had nine pass breakups in 2023.

12. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers              31

Evans has the frame to isolate as the boundary X receiver, creating matchup potential outside the numbers. The vertical ability is still there — Evans’ 11 catches on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield tied for 10th this season — and he has the route traits to uncover. With 1,255 receiving yards (ninth) and 13 touchdowns (tied for first) this season, Evans should be viewed as a priority target in free agency.

13. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers            29

Mayfield topped the 4,000-yard mark and threw 28 touchdown passes this season, leading the Buccaneers to a playoff win. He’s at his best when throwing in rhythm from the pocket, and he uses his quick release and arm talent to decisively target multiple levels of the field. A good fit for an offense with a lot of play-action and schemed verticals, Mayfield moves up our free agent board given his production over the second half of the season, including two 300-yard playoff games.

14. Robert Hunt, G, Miami Dolphins                28

At 6-foot-6 and 322 pounds, Hunt has the movement ability to mirror and win in pass pro, where he registered an 89.6% pass block win rate this season. He’s a fit for multiple run schemes, too; he can reach and climb as a zone blocker or displace defenders on gap concepts.

15. Chase Young, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers     25

The start to Young’s pro career has been disrupted by injuries, but he played in 15 games this season. He was traded from Washington to San Francisco at midseason, and he compiled a combined 7.5 sacks in 2023, including 2.5 in seven games with the 49ers. Young is just entering his prime years, and he has the physical tools to produce double-digit sack production.

16. Leonard Williams, DT, Seattle Seahawks         30

Williams, who was acquired in-season from the Giants, had 5.5 sacks, 33 pressures and 62 tackles this season. He’s a versatile player along the defensive front, with straight-line power at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds. Williams can create interior pressure and hold the point to clean up against the run game.

17. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts     26

With his physical 6-foot-4 frame and high-end ball skills, Pittman can play on the boundary or create vertical matchups from slot alignments. He has the vision to produce on catch-and-run concepts, with 44.5% of his career-high 1,152 receiving yards coming after the catch this season. Pittman’s 109 receptions in 2023 were also a career best, and he is more than willing to work the dirty areas of the field.

18. Bryce Huff, EDGE, New York Jets      26

After recording a total of 7.5 sacks over his first three pro seasons, Huff produced 10 in 2023 for the Jets — and his pass rush win rate of 21.8% ranked eighth in the league. He’s a flamethrower off the edge, with an electric first step and the lower-body flex to turn the corner at a high rate of speed. Huff is a 3-4 outside linebacker with major upside in nickel passing situations.

19. Kendall Fuller, CB, Washington Commanders        29

A veteran with savvy coverage technique and transition speed out of his pedal, Fuller grabbed two interceptions this season, giving him a total of 16 in his career. He’d be a smart fit for a quarters-based system. And Fuller can set an edge against the run, too, with 79 tackles in 2023. I see a player who can boost the profile of a contender’s secondary.

20. Tyron Smith, OT, Dallas Cowboys                      33

Availability has been a concern for Smith; he has missed 33 games over his past four seasons. When healthy, however, the veteran is a detailed technician with the physical demeanor to win on the edge. In 13 games this season, Smith had an 89.1% pass block win rate and a 78.8% run block win rate.

21. Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Houston Texans               27

Greenard’s career-high 12.5 sacks tied for 10th in the league, and his 22% pass rush win rate ranked sixth. With his explosive lower body and hip flexibility, Greenard can launch off the ball. And he has developed his hand usage to create more counter moves. Greenard is also an instinctual player against the run, logging 52 tackles in 2023.

22. Jonah Jackson, G, Detroit Lions                     27

Jackson is an interior mauler who can keep the pocket firm in pass pro, evidenced by a 93.2% pass block win rate this season. He also plays with a physical edge in the run game, with the ability to latch onto defenders and move them off the ball.

23. Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars                 29

As a sudden mover in the route tree, Ridley can create second-level separation and test defenses vertically; he had 17 receptions of 20 or more yards this season. He gets out of his breaks with speed. Overall, Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

24. Kevin Dotson, G, Los Angeles Rams                         27

After being traded from Pittsburgh in the 2023 offseason, Dotson put up the best tape of his career. He finished with a 92.4% pass block win rate and 73.5% run block win rate. A phone-booth brawler, he’s at his best in a gap run scheme.

25. Kyle Dugger, S, New England Patriots                      28

Dugger has rare position versatility at 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, with the impact traits to play from depth or roam underneath as a hybrid defender. That makes him a fit for a multiple defensive system that uses dime personnel. Dugger has 343 tackles, 9 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks in his four pro seasons.

26. Mike Onwenu, OT, New England Patriots              : 26

At 6-foot-3 and 350 pounds, Onwenu has the ability to play guard or tackle. But I see him as a better fit inside at guard, where he can use his size and power to move defenders in gap schemes and anchor in pass pro. Onwenu posted an 88.7% pass block win rate at guard this season.

27. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants                 27

Barkley has the traits to produce in any pro system, thanks to his ability to hit home runs. He’s a true lead back: a volume player who has amassed 288 receptions and 47 total touchdowns over his six pro seasons, and he tied for ninth this season in runs for 10-plus yards (26). But while he is averaging 98.8 scrimmage yards per game over his career, he has played only two full seasons since being draft No. 2 in 2018.

28. Marquise Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals                    27

 Brown has the vertical speed to threaten defenses down the field, with separation quicks and easy acceleration after the catch. Given his slight frame (5-foot-9, 180 pounds), Brown isn’t a contested-catch target. But he can create explosive plays and has 28 touchdown receptions on his career résumé. Ten of them came on throws of at least 20 air yards.

29. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Cincinnati Bengals                 29

Awuzie returned from a 2022 ACL injury to post 1 interception, 3 pass breakups and 57 total tackles this season. At 6-foot and 200 pounds, he not only has the man coverage skills to challenge on the perimeter but also the fluid movement traits and closing speed to play off the ball in zone schemes. Awuzie could upgrade a secondary for a contending team.

30. Jonah Williams, OT, Cincinnati Bengals   : 26         

Williams, who had an 85.4% pass block win rate this season (53rd out of 69 qualified tackles), doesn’t have upper-tier power or length at the position. But he wins with technique, gaining depth to create blocking angles and pass-set lines. He can help an offensive front on the right side, and he gets a boost here because he plays a premium position.

31. Kenny Moore II, CB, Indianapolis Colts                  29

He’s still one of the top slot corners in the league, picking off three passes this season, giving him 17 interceptions for his career. Moore has the profile to play inside, and he’s rugged and aggressive versus the run game. But he also has the awareness to play in space and can match in coverage.

32. DJ Reader, DT, Cincinnati Bengals                 30

A season-ending quad injury pushes Reader down in our ranks, but we know the 6-foot-3, 335-pounder could boost multiple fronts across the league. He wins with leverage, power and pad level at the point of attack, and he can get up on the toes of opposing quarterbacks as an interior pass-rusher (15 pressures in 2023).

33. Patrick Queen, LB, Baltimore Ravens                  25

Queen can clean up in the run game, blitz or drop into coverage. In addition to 133 tackles, Queen chipped in 3.5 sacks and 18 pressures this season. He hits those blitzes hard, too, challenging running backs in protection. And with an interception and six pass breakups, Queen can produce in zone coverage.

34. Xavier McKinney, S, New York Giants                 26

Here’s a versatile safety with the ability to cover down, the post range that NFL teams covet and the ball skills to produce takeaways. McKinney had three interceptions this season, and he has nine picks and 14 pass breakups in his four pro seasons.

35. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders                  26

Jacobs is a volume grinder with the pad level and physical running style to finish runs. But he also has the lateral quickness to shake defenders. Jacobs averaged 3.5 yards per carry this season and missed the final four games of the season with a quad injury, but let’s not forget that he led the league in rushing just one year ago with 1,653 yards. Plus, he can produce as a receiver on swings, screens and unders.

36. Kamren Curl, S, Washington Commanders              25

I’d like to see Curl create more on-the-ball production — he hasn’t had an interception since grabbing three in his 2020 rookie year — but he’s a highly instinctive safety with the ability to align at multiple levels of the field. He fits best in a split-safety scheme where he can run the alley and drive top-down on the football. Curl had 115 tackles and forced a fumble in 2023.

37. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans              30

Henry had only three games with 100 or more rushing yards this season, and the play speed is starting to decline. But he’s still a downhill hammer who scored 12 touchdowns in 2023, and he’s a good fit as an early-down/goal-line runner. Henry can play a productive role in both zone and gap schemes.

38. Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB, Tennessee Titans          27

With his long, lean frame and fluid hips, Murphy-Bunting has the coverage traits to play in multiple NFL systems. Over his five pro seasons, he has eight interceptions and 22 pass breakups.

39. Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans                28

Schultz caught 59 passes and five touchdowns in Houston this season. He’s a seam-stretcher who can also work the underneath levels and slip tacklers after the catch. Plus, he’s a willing blocker in the run game. Schultz has the makeup of a traditional in-line tight end, but I see the ability to flex out as a receiver, too.

40. Kevin Zeitler, G, Baltimore Ravens                   34

Zeitler is a physical inside presence with the power to displace defensive tackles and the movement ability to pull on gap schemes. He wins in pass pro, using his strong base to hold off interior rushers. In 2023, Zeitler had a solid pass block win rate of 93.8%, 26th in the NFL among all offensive linemen.

41. Trent Brown, OT, New England Patriots              31

At 6-foot-8 and 370 pounds, Brown can use his massive frame to absorb power rushers and close the door on the edge despite his limited foot quickness. He has more natural strength than raw power, and he can lean on defenders and move them off the ball. Brown is better in space than you think, too. Still, he is turning 31, and his 2023 pass block win rate of 82.7% ranked 60th of the 69 qualifying offensive tackles.

42. Frankie Luvu, LB, Carolina Panthers                27

Luvu posted career-best numbers this past season in Carolina, totaling 125 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He can be schemed off interior blitzes and has enough range to track the ball on the edges.

43. Connor Williams, C, Miami Dolphins              27

A December torn ACL drops Williams here, but he was stellar for the Dolphins with a 93.9% pass block win rate before the injury. He counters his lack of power and anchor with the movement skills to play as a positional blocker. Williams is also very good in space, creating positive angles to cut off defenders.

44. Devin White, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers         26

White has great second-level range and is a productive blitzer who can get home to the quarterback. He has 23 career sacks since going No. 5 overall back in 2019. White has the ceiling of an impact linebacker against today’s NFL passing games, but his 2023 production and tape wasn’t as impressive as previous seasons. After three straight seasons with 120-plus tackles, he managed 83.

45. Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE, Baltimore Ravens           31

Clowney’s 9.5 sacks tied a career high, and he ranked fifth in pass rush win rate (24.2%). He has straight-line juice when he’s schemed in pass rush matchups, and Clowney can close off stunts and loops. With 43 tackles on the season, he can still set an edge versus the run, too.

46. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys                        27

In his first season as the lead back in Dallas, Pollard rushed for 1,005 yards and averaged 77.4 scrimmage yards per game. I expected higher numbers, especially since Pollard produced just three touchdown runs on 17 carries inside the 5-yard line. He fits best in a backfield rotation where his workload can be managed to maximize his dual-threat traits.

47. Josh Uche, EDGE, New England Patriots        : 25

After a breakout 2022 that included 11.5 sacks, Uche had three this season. Watching the tape, however, you can see the sudden burst off the line and the ability to rip and bend against offensive tackles. And with his ability to close on the QB, Uche can be schemed on stunts to loop inside as a sub-rusher.

48. Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers        34

David has had more than 100 tackles in six of past seven seasons, and he has 33.5 career sacks. Sure, his age will factor into his free agent grade, but David is still a reliable and instinctive linebacker who can key and diagnose plays quickly. His 17 tackles for loss in 2023 tied for seventh.

49. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers              29

Ekeler averaged 76 scrimmage yards per game this season, a drop from 96.3 in 2022. The play speed is down, as is the rushing efficiency (3.5 yards per carry). But with his receiving traits, Ekeler can play a defined role for a contending team in 2024. He caught 51 passes this season and has 440 receptions for his career.

50. Za’Darius Smith, EDGE, Cleveland Browns              31

An ideal fit for a defense that uses schemed fronts, Smith can play on the edge or align inside as a stand-up defensive tackle/nose. He’s a power rusher with the short-area burst to close, and he had 5.5 sacks in 2023, giving him a total of 60 for his career.