| NFC NORTH |
| MINNESOTADan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler on the questions that have to now be racing around the Minnesota front office: What’s the buzz on J.J. McCarthy through five starts? Are the Vikings concerned? Fowler: The accuracy is a concern. There’s no hiding from that. Balls are sailing, and that affects the entire offense. McCarthy needs to hit the layups. The Vikings will be working to help him find more consistency as a thrower. From a developmental standpoint, the team still believes in his work ethic and skill set — he’s “made of the right stuff,” as coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. Minnesota really has no choice but to work through this and help McCarthy manage the growing pains. Carson Wentz underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and Max Brosmer has potential but is an undrafted free agent. Perhaps Brosmer would get a shot if McCarthy were a middle-round pick, but I just don’t see that happening in the short term.. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert put it best Monday: The Vikings’ two goals — competing for championships and developing a young quarterback — are cannibalizing each other. Graziano: They sure are, as Kevin lays out well, and you can see some of the frustration from the other players on the offense. Justin Jefferson slamming his helmet on the sideline isn’t something you see very often. I think that’s a big part of the concern the Vikings have — keeping everything together around McCarthy as he endures the growing pains. I don’t believe they’ve seriously considered going to Brosmer, who as you mentioned probably needs even more seasoning than McCarthy. The Wentz injury has really deprived them of any serious alternative even if they wanted to sit McCarthy to let him catch his breath. And I agree that Minnesota still does believe in him, and it points to his fourth-quarter efforts in the games against the Bears as proof that he has the right kind of stuff in him. But he’s obviously missing too many throws, and by way too much. A scout with another team told me this week that McCarthy’s throwing at only one speed — all fastballs — and attributed that to trying to be the hero in a situation where he knows his team is counting on him to help it win. The general sense I get from inside the Vikings’ building and out is that he just needs time and reps. The problem is, as Kevin writes, the plan was to compete this year while McCarthy ramped up, and his sluggish development is keeping them from doing so. Fowler: Most NFL storylines pale in comparison to the Vikings’ recent quarterback journey. They could have had a variation of Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking the team. Those passers are a combined 21-9 on the season. The Vikings’ thinking — which is typically correct when a rookie quarterback is on the books — is to load up the roster with support on both sides of the ball, hoping to contend for a Super Bowl with the starter on a rookie-scale deal. As a result, the Vikings lead the league with a $344.9 million payroll. But all of this is contingent on the young quarterback showing progress. Right now, Minnesota has the next seven games to cash in on that investment — or possibly pivot to a new plan. Graziano: That’s my question, looking ahead. The schedule eases out a bit and McCarthy should have a chance to show improvement over the final seven weeks of the season (and beyond, if they rebound and make the playoffs). But if he doesn’t, what do they do in the offseason? Bring in a veteran mentor? Bring in a veteran for competition, the way the Colts did with Jones for a struggling Anthony Richardson Sr. this past offseason? Look to draft a potential replacement? The Vikings’ quarterback plan next spring will tell us everything we need to know about where they really are with McCarthy, who, again, still has more than one-third of a season to show the team that it was right to put its faith in him.. |
| NFC EAST |
| NEW YORK GIANTSFirst team out of the playoff? It’s likely to be the Giants. This from Joe Ferreira: @JoeNFLNFL PLAYOFFS:Heading into NFL Week 12, we have our first playoff elimination scenario, but no playoff clinchings possible this week. ELIMINATIONS…NEW YORK GIANTS (2-9)– Will be eliminated from playoff contention with:1) NYG loss + DAL win2) NYG loss + MIN win3) NYG loss + SEA win or tie It’s a bit complicated due to all of the games left between teams that can possibly best NYG at 7-10 (4-8 in conf), but the loss to the Lions creates a domino effect where the only way to stay alive for NYG is to have DAL lose or tie (vs PHI) + MIN lose or tie (at GB) + SEA lose (at TEN). If NYG were to be eliminated this week with 6 weeks to play it would be the earliest playoff exit for the @Giants since 1976(!) when they moved into Giants Stadium…the 0-8 Giants were eliminated in 14-week season. This would also be the earliest playoff elimination in the NFL since 2020 (NYJ in week 11 in 17-week season). (Side note: We also have some teams that can be eliminated this week from division title: LV w/ loss/tie; NYJ w/ loss/tie OR NE win/tie; ARZ w loss + LAR win + EITHER SEA win OR SEA tie + SF win) But QB JAXSON DART is back at practice. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Quarterback Jaxson Dart is on his way back to the Giants lineup. Interim head coach Mike Kafka told reporters on Wednesday that Dart is set to return to practice later in the day. Based on where Dart is in the concussion protocol, Kafka said that the expectations is that Dart will be cleared in time to play against the Lions in Detroit on Sunday. Dart suffered a concussion during the Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Bears. Jameis Winston got the start against the Packers in his place last Sunday. Dart has been evaluated for concussions several times during his rookie season and there was word last weekend that the team is working with the rookie to be more cautious while running in order to avoid future injuries. |
| WASHINGTONDan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com look at the Commanders and their injured QB JAYDEN DANIELS: Graziano: As for Daniels, the Commanders have a bye this week and will examine everything. They’ve lost six games in a row to drop to 3-8 in what looked like a promising season, and there has been external debate about whether it makes sense to bring back Daniels at all this season. From what I’ve been told, the plan in Washington is still that Daniels will return to the starting lineup once doctors clear him from his elbow injury. Fowler: Washington’s situation with Daniels is more complicated from my view. Sources have maintained that while Daniels could return as quickly as three weeks from the occurrence of the injury (so, Week 13 vs. Denver), the team has loosely braced for a five-to-six-week absence just in case. That tells me that shutting him down remains a possibility, based on his durability this season (three separate injuries) and the team’s current standing. Big-picture talks about how to proceed will play out over the coming days and provide clarity one way or the other. Graziano: I’m pretty sure the way this season has unfolded has thrown the Commanders for a loop. They did not see a 3-8 record coming. So this bye week offers a chance to reset and make some longer-lens decisions without having to prepare for a game. Daniels will lobby to get back on the field as soon as he can, and the fact that the injury he’s dealing with right now isn’t to his legs or his throwing arm certainly offers grounds for encouragement. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| ATLANTAAnd surgery it is for QB MICHAEL PENIX, Jr. Chris Partee of YahooSports.com: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will undergo season-ending knee surgery, the team announced Wednesday. This is Penix’s fifth season-ending injury dating back to college. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the timeline for Penix’s ACL surgery will put his return close to the start of the 2026 NFL season. With the normal recovery time for the injury being around nine months, Penix could return to the field around mid-August. Atlanta will need a backup plan if it isn’t going to be Kirk Cousins. Penix left Sunday’s loss to Carolina in the third quarter after being hit on an incomplete pass. He was 13-of-16 with 175 passing yards at the time of the injury. Cousins came in to finish the game as the Falcons lost in overtime, 30-27. Penix had already missed a game earlier this season with a bone bruise in his left knee. |
TAMPA BAYAs Greg Auman looks at the FOX Sports power rankings, he notes something about the Buccaneers: @gregaumanBucs’ four losses are to teams ranked 2 (Eagles), 4 (Patriots), 7 (Bills) and 9 (Lions), with No. 1 ahead (Rams) on Sunday on the road … From Jay Busbee of YahooSports.com:
If there’s a play that defines the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ entire ethos, it came with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. Down 7-3, facing a fourth-and-inches on the Buffalo 4-yard line, Baker Mayfield took the snap, spent about a quarter of a second sizing up receivers, then tucked the ball and began to run for the end zone. Mayfield hurdled Buffalo’s Cole Bishop, broke the plane of the goal line … … and promptly landed right on his neck. He was fine — or as close to “fine” as a battered soul like Mayfield can get at this point in his career — and the Bucs took the lead in what would be a back-and-forth game they would ultimately lose. Tampa Bay simply does not give up, not on a play, a game or a season, and it’s why the Bucs have won the last four NFC South titles and are on track for a fifth. But the cost of that style is becoming apparent … as is the Buccaneers’ willingness to fight through an avalanche of injuries that would have derailed most other teams in the league. Consider, for instance, the plight of receiver Mike Evans. One of the most reliable receivers in the game — he has an active-but-about-to-end streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons — he’s already suffered a hamstring injury, a concussion and a broken clavicle that will keep him out until late in the season. Then there’s fellow receiver Chris Godwin, who missed the first few games of the season from 2024’s lingering ankle fracture, then promptly injured his fibula in Week 5 and has been out ever since. Running back Bucky Irving has been out since Week 5 with injuries to his ankle and shoulder. Earlier this week, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said both would be getting “worked in” this week during practice before making a determination on their availability.)“They’ll get worked in more, get more reps, and then we’ll kind of evaluate them as the week goes on,” Bowles said. “But they’ll definitely get worked in.” The beat goes on — left tackle Tristan Wirfs missed games early in the season recovering from knee surgery. Season-ending injuries have bitten defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and guard Cody Mauch, among others. Injuries are a painful part of life in the NFL, but Tampa Bay seems to have drawn some of the worst cards in the league this year, all season long. “It’s concerning,” Bowles said in September. “I mean, we’re running out of bodies, but we’ll find somebody to play.” On the plus side, Next Man Up is real, and in Tampa Bay’s case, the next man has stepped up. Rookie Emeka Egbuka is already one of the league’s better receivers; his 15.9 yards per catch rank seventh in the league. And Mayfield seems like he’s capable of shaking off everything short of an airstrike. Still, it’s worth noting Tampa Bay has now lost three of its last four, and all three of those losses are to playoff-caliber teams — the Lions, Patriots and Bills. That gaudy 5-1 start came at the expense of a trio of field-fillers — Atlanta, Houston and the Jets — and a couple of question marks in San Francisco and Seattle. The good news for Tampa Bay — and it’s very good news indeed — is that after Sunday and the Rams, the schedule widens, smooths out and slopes gently down into the postseason. Look at this run of opponents: Arizona, New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina (twice), Miami. With the exception of Carolina, who might have a little more juice than expected, that’s a manageable run of teams that won’t be threatening for the playoffs this year. Tampa Bay just needs to hold it together until some combination of Godwin, Irving, Evans and others can return, and the Bucs ought to be able to slide into the playoffs. After that, they’ll have an entire offseason to recover from whatever injuries they suffer … or inflict on themselves. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIDan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler exchange thoughts on QB JOE BURROW and his impending return: Graziano: The Bengals plan to give Burrow more work in practice this week than he got last week. He has said he’s targeting the Thanksgiving Day game against the Ravens, which is of course next Thursday. A lot of the answer here will depend on how his toe responds to the work he’s getting in practice. But from what I’ve been told, so far, so good. If he doesn’t make it back for Thanksgiving, the Bengals would still have a couple of more days after that left on his 21-day practice window to activate him for the Week 14 game in Buffalo. Fowler: What appears clear is that Burrow wants to play football, record be damned. Whether he actually plays remains to be seen — the team will have something to say about that — but he’s of that mindset right now. The AFC North has left the door slightly open for the 3-7 Bengals if they can somehow upgrade their defense to passable. Stranger things have happened than Cincinnati making a run, especially since it has the offense to pull it off. Graziano: I expect him to play as soon as he’s cleared. The Bengals are going to regret blowing those fourth-quarter leads against the Jets and Bears in Weeks 8 and 9, respectively, because they could be 5-5 and one game out of first place in their division. I still expect them to get him back on the field, because this coaching staff might need to win some games to feel fully comfortable about keeping jobs. And this team expected huge things out of this season. I don’t expect the Bengals to white-flag it until the math says they’re done. Fowler: Burrow produces at an elite level when healthy but has also missed significant portions of three different seasons since 2020. So returning to play — even if the playoffs are out of reach — could help build confidence and momentum for both the player and team. Maybe the Bengals opt to save him for 2026, but I could see him playing this season. With Cincinnati in danger of a third consecutive season without a playoff berth, coach Zac Taylor would welcome Burrow’s return. After all, the Bengals’ organization could be taking a hard look at the operation in the offseason as a hopeful season turns sour. With owner Mike Brown turning 90 in August, expect executive vice president Katie Blackburn to play a pivotal role in the direction of the franchise. By the way, a keen observer of the Bengals tells us, upon seeing Notre Dame RB JEREMIYAH LOVE tabbed for Cincinnati in a Mock Draft that – If bengals 1st pick is love there will be a revolt The team sorely needs help on defense or in the offensive line,. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW YORK JETSJets CB KRIS BOYD is doing well after getting shot while out on the town Sunday night.This from CBSNews.com: New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd is in critical, but stable, condition after a shooting Sunday in New York City. The NYPD said officers found a 29-year-old man shot in the abdomen at around 2 a.m. on West 38th Street near Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, but did not confirm the victim’s name. Sources told CBS News New York the shooting followed a verbal dispute that escalated. CBS Sports, ESPN and the New York Post reported Boyd was the man rushed to the hospital. Mayor Eric Adams later confirmed Boyd as the victim. A statement from the Jets said, “We are aware of the situation involving Kris Boyd and will have no further comment at this time.” The NYPD said the victim was leaving Asian fusion restaurant Sei Less with a small group when they were confronted by another group that had also left the eatery. An argument occurred, and one person in the opposing group took out a gun and fired twice. One shot hit the victim in the chest, police said. The man was transported to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, going in and out of consciousness. He was in stable condition as of Sunday night, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Police still haven’t pinned down if the dispute the attacker had was with Boyd’s group or another group that was there. It’s been a challenging investigative environment and police have not yet uncovered a motive, the sources said. The NYPD released images of a man wanted for questioning in the case, saying he was last seen wearing a black hat, black sweatshirt, black pants, multicolored sneakers and carrying a black backpack. Police said he fled on foot, heading east on West 38th Street. Investigators are also searching for two luxury vehicles — a BMW and a Mercedes — that fled the scene. So far, no arrests have been made. Adams said on social media, “I am praying for New York Jets player Kris Boyd and his loved ones. Although we’ve gotten shootings to historic lows in our city, we must continue to work to end gun violence. Too many young lives have been tragically altered and cut short by this epidemic.” An update from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Jets cornerback Kris Boyd remains hospitalized after he was shot in New York City over the weekend, but Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said today that Boyd will be OK. Glenn said he has spoken with Boyd and that Boyd sounded positive about his prognosis. “He’s going to come out of this thing really, really well,” Glenn said. “That’s what eases my mind, is that he’s in good spirits, his wife and his kid, they’re in good spirits, and he’ll walk away from this just fine.” Glenn said he’s not thinking about Boyd’s future in football, just about his life. “Once I heard about the situation, talking about Kris in general, the first thing I thought about was, he just had a kid, and I’m thinking about his wife, I’m thinking about his kid, and I want to make sure that he’s OK. And that’s the only thing that really went through my mind,” Glenn said. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| TOP ROOKIESMatt Verderame of SI.com has his top 10 rookies – from 10 to 1: 10. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots Previous ranking: N/AHenderson has started to take on a bigger workload in New England, and he’s showing why coach Mike Vrabel should continue leaning into his fellow Buckeye. The second-round pick has 492 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry with five touchdowns, while also ranking 20th in rushing yards over expectation (RYOE) at +62 despite having only 100 carries. With the Patriots at 9–2, Henderson is going to have crucial carries in the upcoming weeks after gaining 339 rushing yards over the past four weeks. 9. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, CommandersPrevious ranking: N/AThe Commanders haven’t had many bright spots this year after a surprise trip to the NFC title game, but Croskey-Merritt is one. The seventh-round pick out of Arizona has been a jitterbug in the Washington backfield, rushing for 498 yards to rank 23rd in the league. With Jayden Daniels out due to an elbow injury, expect offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to lean on Croskey-Merritt even more. 8. Oronde Gadsden II, TE, ChargersPrevious ranking: 8Gadsden had a slow start while trying to find his way on the field, but the Syracuse product has been fantastic for the Chargers, becoming a nice complement to slot receiver Ladd McConkey. Gadsden has caught 29 passes on 38 targets for 451 yards and two touchdowns. After six years without a suitable replacement for Antonio Gates, Gadsden might be the man. 7. Quinshon Judkins, RB, BrownsPrevious ranking: 4Judkins entered the NFL in a crowded backfield, competing for snaps with veteran Jerome Ford and fellow rookie Dylan Sampson. However, Judkins has emerged as the top option, rushing for 620 yards to lead all rookies. While his 3.9 yards per carry average isn’t ideal, he’s been a workhorse with 157 carries across nine games, while also rushing for 294 yards against stacked boxes (eight-plus defenders), the most in football. 6. Jacob Parrish, CB, BuccaneersPrevious ranking: N/AParrish has done an excellent job stepping in as a Day 1 corner for the Buccaneers, locking down the slot. The former Kansas State star has played 309 slot snaps while posting a grade of 66.0 on Pro Football Focus, 37th of 108 corners. He’s allowed only 294 yards against, the 51st-most in the NFL. Not bad for a rookie playing 67% of the defensive snaps. 5. Carson Schwesinger, LB, BrownsPrevious ranking: 6Schwesinger is playing elite football. Period. The UCLA product has been phenomenal in all phases, recording two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, 85 total tackles and playing 96% of the defensive snaps. While little has gone right for the Browns outside of Myles Garrett’s 15 sacks, Cleveland’s rookies are excellent, with Schwesinger having All-Pro potential. 4. Jaxson Dart, QB, GiantsPrevious ranking: 10Dart is a tough long-term evaluation because the Giants will have a new coach in 2026 after firing Brian Daboll, and the team is without its two top weapons, receiver Malik Nabers and fellow rookie running back Cam Skattebo. Still, Dart has started seven games (playing in nine) and thrown for 1,417 yards and 10 touchdowns against three interceptions while also rushing for 317 yards and another seven scores. New York is in the midst of another long campaign with a rebuild on the horizon, but the Giants appear to have found their quarterback. 3. Tyler Warren, TE, ColtsPrevious ranking: 2Last year, Bowers was a first-team All-Pro, taking the mantle from veterans George Kittle and Travis Kelce. This year, it’s Warren entering the conversation with the elites. The first-round pick from Penn State has 50 receptions for 617 yards, ranking behind only Trey McBride and Kelce in those categories. With the Colts at 8–2, Warren will have a chance to show his stuff on a national stage with the playoffs on the horizon. 2. Emeka Egbuka, WR, BuccaneersPrevious ranking: 1Egbuka has been a star all year for Tampa Bay, which has one of the league’s top draft classes under general manager Jason Licht. With Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Chris Godwin all missing a lot of time this year, the rookie has 45 receptions for 717 yards and six touchdowns, with the yardage ranking 12th. Egbuka dropped a spot in the rankings because he’s gone relatively cold over the past five weeks, posting 60 receiving yards only once in a game. 1. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, PanthersPrevious ranking: 3McMillan is already one of the league’s best receivers, and his presence is helping the Panthers stunningly compete for a playoff spot. Carolina is 6–5, and McMillan is the only legitimate receiving threat, notching 54 receptions for 748 yards (sixth-best in the league) and four scores. How important has McMillan been for the Panthers? If you combine the yardage of every other Carolina receiver, including Xavier Legette, Brycen Tremayne, Jalen Coker, Hunter Renfrow, Jimmy Horn Jr. and David Moore, they have 675 receiving yards, 73 fewer than McMillan. The DB will go out on a limb and says that QB TYLER SHOUGH of the Saints will be on this list before the end of the season. |
| THE COACHING MARKETDan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com look at who might go and who might replace them among the 32 NFL coaching positions (it’s the first time we’ve seen the name of Panthers OC Brad Idzik on such a list): Which coach has the hottest seat at the moment? Graziano: The usual disclaimer applies here. A lot of the “hot seat” speculation this time of year is from other people around the league monitoring these situations, and in the end, not many people know what the team owners will decide to do. That said, the team owner in Atlanta was expecting the Falcons to be competitive this season, and they are not, so you do wonder about the possibility of a change there even though Raheem Morris is a personal favorite of Arthur Blank and in only his second season as head coach. People I talk to also are watching the situation in Cincinnati with Taylor, and potentially Cleveland with Kevin Stefanski (who I think would be a candidate in other places if the Browns were to decide to let him go). The easy answer a few weeks ago would have been Mike McDaniel, but he survived the firing of GM Chris Grier, and the Dolphins are playing hard for him. Do you get the sense McDaniel can still salvage his job? Fowler: I do. I wouldn’t call it likely, but in my mind, there’s a plausible scenario where he sticks in Miami. The team is coming off back-to-back wins and the vibe seems to be good. The Dolphins are responding to McDaniel more than they are tuning him out, which players will do when the message grows stale. And as one NFL executive put it in a conversation recently: If you’re looking for an offense-minded candidate, McDaniel is still better than most from this cycle’s pool, which is considered weaker. So, while cleaning the house feels entirely possible, McDaniel is at least making things interesting. Graziano: One more point on McDaniel. He did something like this last season, when the team started 2-6 and then won six of its next eight to claw back onto the edges of the playoff race. He might still end up gone, but he has made the case that he can hold onto the locker room even when things are going badly, and that says something about him that ownership will surely consider when making its decision. Fowler: Arizona’s Jonathan Gannon is also on the radar of people in the league who track such things, though opinions are split on whether Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill will take action. The Cardinals are clearly the odd team out in a loaded NFC West. Bidwill can’t be thrilled with that reality. But the notion of paying Gannon and Kyler Murray big money to go away (Murray has nearly $40 million in 2026 guarantees on the books) can’t be enticing, either. Gannon is 15-29 in the middle of Year 3, but he also hasn’t been able to hand-pick a young quarterback to groom. Graziano: Agreed, but the sense I get on that one is that Cardinals ownership seems likely to stick with Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort and let them pick that QB. (They inherited Murray.) The way Jacoby Brissett is performing in Drew Petzing’s offense gives the team reason to believe the structure is relatively sound and that more reliable QB play could unlock some things. Of course, as well as Brissett is playing, the Cardinals have still lost seven of their past eight games, and sometimes the record gets bad enough that the team feels it has to make a change. What do you think about a couple of first-year head coaches who are struggling? I don’t think the Jets will dump Aaron Glenn after one year, no matter how rocky things get. But Pete Carroll only got a three-year contract in Las Vegas. You think there’s any chance of a one-and-done with any of the hires from this past offseason? Fowler: Agreed on Glenn. Carroll is a name to monitor because the Raiders are clearly in rebuilding mode from a roster/talent standpoint. At 74, he is in it to win now and to prove that he’s capable of turning around an organization. Those plans aren’t meshing. I don’t necessarily see him walking away, though he’s clearly not getting what he signed up for in January. So, a question of whether the Raiders should reset and continue the rebuild with another coach is worth asking. At least the Raiders have pillars such as Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby and Ashton Jeanty for a hopeful turnaround in 2026. Either way, something has to change with the offense and playcaller Chip Kelly, whose name could surface for college jobs again. The 30th-ranked offense is a tough watch, especially when it involves the act of handing off the ball. Who is the hottest name on the head coaching market right now? Fowler: This cycle feels different than the past one, which featured two clear-cut standouts in Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel. Those two quickly turned around Chicago and New England, respectively. This cycle is far more wide open. The group of “formers” — coordinators with head coaching experience — will be a factor. Vance Joseph’s defense in Denver might break the NFL record for sacks in a single season, and he has ties to Miami and Cincinnati if those jobs come open. From the defensive side, San Francisco’s Robert Saleh and Minnesota’s Brian Flores were heavy on last offseason’s circuit, and Green Bay’s Jeff Hafley — a Boston College head coach for four seasons — has impressed in two seasons with the Packers. On offense, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy (has connections in Tennessee), former Cowboys/Packers coach Mike McCarthy, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury (less momentum than last time around but teams are still intrigued) and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could get looks. Graziano: I think the offensive coordinator names to watch are Joe Brady (Bills), Smith, Nagy and maybe Kingsbury, though Washington’s season has gone off the rails and that could dampen interest from teams in him. Otherwise, the OC pool has kind of thinned out in recent years, as so many of them have gotten head coach jobs and been fired within two or three years. I’m curious to see how Mike Kafka does the rest of the way with the Giants. He has been a finalist in Arizona and Seattle in recent years, and I think he’ll get a legitimate look from the Giants. But there aren’t a ton of places right now where a playcalling offensive coordinator — who isn’t also the head coach — is having the kind of success that lands interviews. Could teams start looking beyond the coordinator positions to position coaches with potential, such as Josh McCown in Minnesota. He has been on head coach interviews in the past and is well regarded. McCarthy turning it around in these final weeks of the season would help his case. Fowler: Yes, this seems like the ideal year to explore young change-of-pace options beyond the trendy coordinator names. McCown’s a good one. And Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase come to mind in that mold. The thinned-out offensive pool helps Kafka, who should have opportunities leaguewide and could push for the Giants job full time with a strong finish. Seattle’s Klint Kubiak has made an impression with the Seahawks attack, as have Indianapolis’ Jim Bob Cooter and Tampa Bay’s Josh Grizzard. Baltimore’s Todd Monken has interviewed for several jobs in recent years. To me, though, Dan, the emerging defensive pool is really intriguing. I expect Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be on teams’ radar, as well as Rams’ DC Chris Shula. A name to file away: Seattle’s Aden Durde, a British minority candidate. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see Indy’s Lou Anarumo interview in New York, which showed interest in him in 2022. Graziano: It’d be great to see Anarumo get another look after he got close in Arizona three years ago and then things fell apart for him in Cincinnati last season. He has bounced back nicely in Indianapolis, to no one’s surprise. I do hear a lot about Minter as a potential candidate in a couple of places. But to bring this back to where you started it, I was in Denver last week and got an up-close look at that Vance Joseph defense. I continue to think he might just end up being the guy at the top of a bunch of these lists. Tom Pelissaro of NFL.com piles on with 24 coaching candidates, mainly from the assistant coach ranks, listed alphabetically (Thomas Brown? Zac Robinson?) CANDIDATES FOR THE COMING CYCLE Bills OC Joe Brady, 36: A former William & Mary receiver and still one of the NFL’s younger coordinators, Brady first appeared on this list in 2020, after he’d parlayed a national title run with the Joe Burrow-led LSU Tigers into the Panthers’ offensive coordinator job. He got five head-coaching interviews after that season (with the Chargers, Eagles, Falcons, Jets and Texans) before things went south in Carolina. Back in a play-calling gig with Buffalo starting in the fall of 2023, Brady interviewed for the Falcons job again after that season and with the Saints, Bears and Jaguars last January after his first full season as OC. (He turned down an interview with the Jets.) Despite some recent struggles, the Bills rank second in yards per game (387.4) and fourth in scoring (29.2 points per game) this season. Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen recently backed Brady publicly, saying he loves Brady like a brother and that he has “been awesome for my career.” He’ll be a hot name again. Patriots passing game coordinator/TE coach Thomas Brown, 39: A one-time Falcons draft pick at running back whose playing days were cut short by injury, Brown moved swiftly into coaching, winning a Super Bowl with the Rams and old high school rival Sean McVay, who has called Brown “one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around.” Brown was collateral damage in disasters surrounding the No. 1 overall pick the past two years. In 2023, he was in a back-and-forth play-calling situation with Bryce Young in Carolina, when the Panthers fired Frank Reich after 11 games. With Chicago last year, while Caleb Williams was struggling, Brown was promoted to interim OC (to replace the fired Shane Waldron) and head coach (to replace the fired Matt Eberflus) in an 18-day span. The Bears won their final game under Brown, stunning the Packers at Lambeau Field to end a 10-game losing streak. When he interviewed for the Patriots’ OC job later that month, Mike Vrabel was so impressed, he found a spot for Brown on staff. Brown is no stranger to the interview circuit, having spoken with the Dolphins, Texans, Titans and Bears about their head-coaching jobs over the past four Januarys, respectively. With the Patriots rolling, Brown could get a look again. Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile, 43: A former Rutgers safety and linebacker, Campanile coached for 14 years at the high school and college level before the Dolphins hired him as their linebackers coach in 2020. He brought his authentic, colorful coaching style — memorably immortalized in a speech seen on HBO’s Hard Knocks — to the Jaguars in his first NFL coordinator job this year. And Jacksonville got off to a fast start, logging 14 takeaways in its first five games. Injuries in the secondary have contributed to some recent struggles. But if the Jaguars finish strong, it wouldn’t be a surprise if some team takes a closer look. Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter, 41: A one-time backup quarterback at Tennessee, Cooter was just 31 when he took over as the Lions’ play-caller in 2015 and instantly sparked a turnaround for Matthew Stafford and Detroit’s offense. A decade later, he’s an integral piece of Indianapolis’ No. 1-ranked offense, even though head coach Shane Steichen calls the plays. Steichen loves Cooter because he lives in the details — leverage, spacing, timing, intent behind each look — that can change the entire picture. Cooter’s ability to stay one step ahead has been integral to the Colts’ process and is one reason other teams may be intrigued to spend more time getting to know him. Bears OC Declan Doyle, 29: One of the youngest coordinators in modern NFL history, Doyle spent three years as a student assistant at Iowa before then-Saints coach Sean Payton hired him as an offensive assistant in 2019. When Payton ended a one-year retirement to take the Broncos’ head coaching job, he hired Doyle as tight ends coach in Denver, where Doyle spent two seasons before Ben Johnson hand-picked him to serve as OC. With the Bears off to a fast start and QB Caleb Williams playing better, Doyle’s pedigree could compel some teams to at least want to pick his brain in January. Panthers DC Ejiro Evero, 44: A former college safety at UC Davis who went to training camp with the Raiders, Evero has coached all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — and was well-regarded at each stop during his previous 17 NFL seasons, working under everyone from Vic Fangio to Dom Capers. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams and then got his first DC job in 2022 with the Broncos, whose defense was a bright spot in a frustrating season. Same with the Panthers’ defense in 2023, before injuries decimated the unit last season. Evero’s defense has improved this season (13th in scoring) on a Carolina team in the playoff hunt. He interviewed for eight head coaching jobs in the hiring cycles after the 2022 and 2023 seasons, earning second interviews with the Colts, Falcons, Panthers, Seahawks and Texans, and could be in the mix again. Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman, 39: A fifth-round draft pick of the Bears in 2009, Freeman never appeared in a regular-season game, but his story in pro football might not be written just yet. NFL teams — including the Bears last year — have inquired about Freeman in recent years amidst his meteoric rise in coaching, from his first GA job at his alma mater (Ohio State) in 2010 to his appointment as head coach of one of college football’s most iconic programs (Notre Dame) 11 years later. Since taking over in the aftermath of Brian Kelly’s midnight exit for LSU, Freeman has led the Fighting Irish to a 41-12 record and current No. 9 national ranking. He’s an engaging presence who will win the interview — if and when he’s willing to take one. Bucs OC Josh Grizzard, 35: A former Yale player turned student assistant, Grizzard interned with the Panthers in 2012, coached Daniel Jones at Duke and returned to the NFL in 2017 with Miami, where he held a variety of roles under three head coaches before joining the Bucs last year. Injuries have decimated the Bucs’ offensive line and receiving corps this season, Grizzard’s first as OC. But the Bucs still rank in the top half in scoring (10th, 25.2 points per game) and lead the NFC South at 6-4. Dave Canales and Liam Coen got head-coaching jobs after their first seasons as Bucs OC. Could Grizzard make it three in a row? Giants interim HC Mike Kafka, 38: A former NFL quarterback who was drafted by Andy Reid’s Eagles in 2010, Kafka earned a strong reputation as a QB tutor after reuniting with Reid in Kansas City as a quality control coach in 2017. The Giants’ surprise success in 2022, his first year as offensive coordinator in New York, helped propel Kafka’s head-coaching candidacy; he has interviewed for eight jobs over the past three cycles and gotten second interviews for four of them (with the Cardinals, Seahawks, Texans and Saints). Kafka served as a head coach in the East-West Shrine Bowl (2024) and Senior Bowl (2025); earlier this month, the firing of Brian Daboll thrust Kafka into a more extended audition as the interim head coach on a Giants team depleted by injuries. At minimum, it’s another opportunity for Kafka to demonstrate he can handle running the show. Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, 38: A former Colorado State safety, Kubiak is the son of Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak and, like his dad, an NFL lifer. He got his first NFL job as an offensive quality control coach in 2013 with the Vikings, who later brought him back as QB coach and eventually offensive coordinator. He has called plays at several stops — none more successful than this year in Seattle, where the team ranks third in yards per play (6.18) and third in scoring (29.4 points per game), and Sam Darnold has played his way into the MVP conversation. Kubiak’s low-burn personality is an asset in the pressure-cooker of play-calling, and the results on the field will put him in the conversation. Rams OC Mike LaFleur, 38; pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, 35; and DC Chris Shula, 39: It’s a good bet that one former Sean McVay assistant will get hired in any given cycle, especially when the Rams are rolling. And there are several logical candidates on staff this year. LaFleur — the younger brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur — has been the Rams’ OC the last three seasons after a stint calling plays with the Jets. McVay calls the plays in L.A., but LaFleur is heavily involved. So is Scheelhaase, a former Illinois QB who coached at his alma mater and Iowa State for almost a decade before McVay hired him last year. Shula, the grandson of coaching legend Don Shula, has assisted his old Miami (Ohio) teammate McVay since 2017, spending the last two years as DC. It wouldn’t be a shock to see all three get interview requests in this cycle, with Shula perhaps the closest to being ready for the big seat. Chargers DC Jesse Minter, 42: A one-time wide receiver at tiny Mount St. Joseph University in Delhi Township, Ohio, Minter is part of the Michigan-Baltimore-Harbaugh connection that helped land Mike Macdonald the Seahawks’ head-coaching job two years ago. Like Macdonald, Minter worked under John Harbaugh with the Ravens (2017-2020) and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan (2022-23) before returning to the NFL and having one of the league’s best defenses. This season, the Chargers rank fourth in yards allowed (280.2 per game), fourth on third downs (34.2%) and eighth in scoring (20.3 ppg). Minter has traits — leadership, presence, confidence, player evaluation skills — that would translate well into a head job. Jim Harbaugh has spent two years serving as Minter’s de facto campaign manager in media interviews. It didn’t land Minter an interview last year, but this cycle figures to be a different story. Eagles OC Kevin Patullo, 44: A former quarterback and receiver at USF, Patullo has held all kinds of titles — offensive quality control, QB coach, WR coach, pass game coordinator, associate head coach — and leadership roles since entering the league as a QC with the Chiefs in 2007. He has been on Nick Sirianni’s staff since their days in Indianapolis and has been exposed to all parts of building the program, helping prepare him for whenever his opportunity comes. Now in his first year as OC, Patullo has faced scrutiny as the Eagles offense has scuffled to find its footing, in a market that can be as tough as any when things aren’t going well. But the Eagles still rank in the top half of the league in scoring (23.4 points per game, 16th), thanks in part to an NFL-best 75% red-zone touchdown percentage, and they sit comfortably atop the NFC East at 8-2. Two of Sirianni’s last three coordinators (Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore) landed head-coaching jobs. If the Eagles keep winning, it only makes sense that teams will at least consider making Patullo the third. Cardinals OC Drew Petzing, 38; and DC Nick Rallis, 32: When Jonathan Gannon took the Arizona head coaching job three years ago, he assembled the NFL’s youngest staff, with designs on letting bright young coaches he knew well grow into big roles. And while it’s been a trying season for the Cardinals, who sit at 3-7 with five one-score losses, people around the league have taken notice of how the plan is unfolding. Last year, the Bears had a head-coaching opening and interviewed Petzing, a one-time Middlebury College defensive back who has risen through the ranks, starting as a football operations intern with the Browns in 2013. Two of Petzing’s three seasons as OC have been impacted by injuries to QB Kyler Murray; Arizona has still made strides as this season has gone on. Rallis, a former Edina High School and Minnesota linebacker (and younger brother of WWE star Mike Rallis, a.k.a. Riddick Moss), is considered a rising star. Gannon brought him to Philadelphia and then Arizona, where Rallis calls the defensive plays. Like Arizona’s offense, the defense, too, is middle of the pack. But many within the league believe it’s a matter of when, not if, Rallis gets his shot to run the show. Bengals OC Dan Pitcher, 38: A college QB who was a finalist for the Division III version of the Heisman Trophy, Pitcher broke into the NFL as a scout with the Colts in 2012 before joining the Bengals in 2016 as an offensive assistant. He held a variety of titles in Cincinnati, including a game-management role in 2019, before being promoted to OC when Brian Callahan got the Titans job two years ago. Pitcher doesn’t call plays — that’s Zac Taylor — but puts together most of the game plan with input from other coaches and collaborates with Taylor leading up to and on game day. Following a slow start, the Bengals’ offense actually took off this season after losing star QB Joe Burrow to injury, keeping Cincinnati in games week after week in spite of the NFL’s last-ranked defense. Pitcher’s diverse background and level demeanor are assets for a future head coach. Falcons OC Zac Robinson, 39: A star quarterback at Oklahoma State who was drafted by the Patriots and bounced around for parts of four NFL seasons, Robinson worked as a private QB tutor and Pro Football Focus analyst before Sean McVay hired him as the Rams’ assistant QBs coach in 2019. While Atlanta’s offense has been inconsistent this season, ranking 16th in yards (332.5 per game) and 27th in points (19.5), Robinson has the traits — detailed, organized, demanding, charismatic — to be a head coach eventually, whether at the NFL or college level. Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard, 37: An eight-year NFL veteran as a linebacker, Sheppard finished his playing career in Detroit and rejoined the team on Dan Campbell’s staff as outside linebackers coach in 2021. When Aaron Glenn got the Jets job last January, it was an easy decision to promote Sheppard, whose high-octane personality and understanding of the big picture immediately impressed in the bigger role. Detroit’s defense hasn’t missed a beat, improving in many categories from 2024 with the return of star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Campbell believes Sheppard will be an outstanding head coach sooner than later. For any team seeking the next Dan Campbell, Sheppard fits the mold. Dolphins OC Frank Smith, 44: A 16th-year NFL coaching veteran with a background in tight ends and the offensive line, Smith is in his fourth year on Mike McDaniel’s staff in Miami, where he’s involved in all aspects of running the program. While McDaniel calls the plays, Smith is a big piece of game-planning for a Dolphins offense that’s finally getting healthy. Smith’s close relationships with players are a strength; the Dolphins offense has improved since Smith moved from the booth to the sideline, allowing him to interact directly with players on game day. The Panthers and Seahawks interviewed Smith for their head-coaching vacancies after the 2023 season, when an NFL Players Association poll of players rated him the NFL’s No. 1 offensive coordinator. Smith has big ideas about how he’d run his own show and figures to get another chance to present them soon. Packers OC Adam Stenavich, 42: An All-Big Ten offensive lineman at Michigan who bounced around for parts of five NFL seasons, Stenavich returned to pro football as the 49ers’ assistant offensive line coach in 2017 and then the Packers as OL coach in 2019. He handles most of Green Bay’s run game and works with not only the offensive line, but the quarterbacks, too. The Green Bay offense has scuffled recently amidst a rash of injuries to key players. But Matt LaFleur considers Stenavich an invaluable asset, and he’s already on the radar. Stenavich got an interview for the Bears’ head-coaching job last year, in addition to multiple interviews for play-calling OC jobs. He’ll remain in the mix. Browns AHC/STC Bubba Ventrone, 43: A 10-year NFL special teams standout, Ventrone started his coaching career as a special teams assistant with the Patriots in 2015 — earning a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 2016 Pats’ staff — before getting the Colts’ special teams coordinator job in 2018. Now in his third year as the Browns’ assistant head coach, Ventrone gets even more time in front of the team, building on his understanding of the big picture. Mike Vrabel, a former teammate of Ventrone’s in New England who spent last year on Cleveland’s staff, recently raved about Ventrone and said, “I’m sure that if presented with those opportunities, he would do an amazing job with any head-coaching opportunities that would come his way.” Ventrone was selected to coach in last year’s Senior Bowl, a small audition for a future opportunity — and his American team mounted a dramatic comeback win. It’s rare for special teams coordinators to even get an interview, but it worked out well for Baltimore with John Harbaugh. Broncos offensive pass game coordinator/QB coach Davis Webb, 30: A third-round pick by the Giants in the 2017 NFL Draft, Webb spent parts of six seasons as an NFL QB. But he always planned for a future in coaching. He’s been on the fast track since Sean Payton hired him as quarterbacks coach in 2023 and was promoted this year. Payton even let Webb call plays in the second preseason game — one in which a group of mostly second-stringers put up 24 points in the first half against Arizona. Those who know Webb believe it’s a matter of when, not if, he becomes an NFL head coach. Even with Denver’s offense up and down, the Broncos are 9-2, and Webb’s first look could come this January. |
| 70 IS THE NEW 60Dan Robson of The Athletic with a hugely long look at the evolution of kicking. Excerpts below: There’s a kicking revolution afoot in the NFL, a league that has seen 46 field goals of 60 yards or longer in its 105-year history, more than half coming since 2020. A position once akin to a glorified ball boy is attracting better athletes, and specialized training and technological advances are pushing the limits. After kicking a 63-yard field goal for the New Orleans Saints in 1970, Tom Dempsey held the NFL record for 43 years. But after Dempsey’s mark was first broken by the Denver Broncos’ Matt Prater 12 years ago, it has since been bested six times, with three of those coming over the past three months. Jacksonville’s Cam Little set an NFL record with a 68-yard field goal on Nov. 2, a little more than two months after he hit from 70 yards in the preseason. Prater remembers Broncos punter and holder Britton Colquitt’s words as they prepped for a kick at the end of a half in Denver back in December 2013. “Oh sh–,” Colquitt told him, looking up from the spot. “This is for the record.” Prater hit it thin and thought it was short as Colquitt jumped on his back — “You’ve got it! You’ve got it!” — and the ball dropped just beyond the left edge of the crossbar, good from 64 yards. Today, Prater, a 41-year-old father of four, sits in a stall inside the Buffalo Bills practice facility viewing videos of his 9-year-old son, Pax, playing quarterback. He was coaching the youth football team in Arizona, comfortably courting retirement, when the Bills called in September and asked him to step in for an injured Tyler Bass. Prater grabbed some cleats, angled the edges with a belt sander in his garage and flew from Arizona to Buffalo. Prater knows about finding chances on the game’s margins. After bouncing around NFL training camps and practice squads for a couple of years after college, he landed as the Broncos starting kicker in 2008. That year, NFL kickers attempted 104 field goals from beyond 50 yards, and 80 were successful. In 2024, there were 279 field goals attempted over 50 yards, with 195 made. Through his nearly two decades in the NFL, Prater has hit a league record 82 field goals from more than 50 yards, but he’s still not entirely sure why he found such success from distance. There was no secret, Prater said, other than the enjoyment he always got from kicking long. Aside from his father showing him basic techniques when he was young, Prater never worked with a dedicated kicking coach. During his first NFL preseason with the Detroit Lions in 2006, special teams coach Chuck Priefer asked Prater how he liked the ball held on field goals. Prater wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never worried about the direction of the laces or the angle of the ball. Prater didn’t realize that he wasn’t supposed to watch the snap and eventually learned to keep his eye on the spot and start his kicking motion as the holder’s hand moved to catch the ball. “That was the first time I started realizing that it’s not just about kicking the crap out of the ball and hoping it goes straight,” Prater said. That self-taught approach was in line with the generation of kickers who came before him. The position was inherently something of an afterthought for NFL teams. In the mid-1990s, kicker Chris Boniol broke in each of the Cowboys’ 36 game balls every week, making sure the grip and texture were set to quarterback Troy Aikman’s liking. Several days a week, Boniol would scald the balls in hot water and run them through the team’s industrial dryers for three to four minutes to remove the wax and stretch the leather. “That was part of our job,” Boniol said. “Instead of sitting in meetings all day, we were breaking in footballs.” But in the 2010s, as Dempsey’s 40-year record fell, something shifted in the art of kicking. “Everything has improved,” Boniol said. “And so the standard of performance for these kickers, the expectations, have gone through the roof. Because now there is no excuse.” Prater experienced the evolution. “It’s such a specialty position now,” he said. “Even the snappers and holders are so much better. … The coaching is getting better. And like any other position, guys are getting bigger, faster and stronger.” In his 19th NFL season, Prater rarely kicks beyond 50 — he’s hit one for the Bills this year — but every week, as a fan, he marvels at his younger counterparts. “Aubrey hasn’t stopped,” Prater said. “He just keeps getting better and better.”– – –A dozen men in their 20s and 30s lean forward on folding chairs and a couch near the entrance of Carney Coaching, a training facility in an industrial complex next to the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, Calif. These free agents have come to train with and learn from a sinewy 61-year-old Super Bowl champion who played 23 seasons in the NFL. Among the pupils is an office supply salesman, a golf caddie and a public works manager. Several years ago, a software engineer from Plano, Texas, sat in the same seat. Carney stands next to a row of blue lockers at the front of the makeshift classroom. Weights clank and thud in the background as he plays a series of inspirational clips on an overhead screen. “Try not. Do — Or do not,” Yoda tells Luke Skywalker. “There is no try.” In Carney’s classroom, there is room for honest reflection but not self-doubt. “Sometimes we have to fool ourselves into believing,” Carney tells his kickers. “But you’re going to have a lot more success fooling yourself and talking about it in a positive way than being a pessimist.” Every kicker here has been through the same carousel of combines and showcases, which are mostly run by Carney and Nick Novak in San Diego and Gary Zauner in Arizona. Chandler Staton, Appalachian State ’21, worked out for the Green Bay Packers and had a preseason stint with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He’s chasing a feeling: the rush of running onto a field in front of thousands, with the game at your foot. “I’m getting chills just talking about it,” he said. After being cut by the Bombers, Staton and his wife moved into an RV near Carney’s camp so he could train full-time while she works remotely. “I’m a professional athlete that doesn’t get paid,” he said. “That’s my schedule.” If Staton or his competitors perform well here, they might get noticed by a scout. If they don’t, they’re quickly dismissed. The margin of error, even on the outside of the CFL, UFL and NFL, is pitiless. But for now, optimism. Carney points to the names on the white board. “All these guys were sitting where you guys are — and now they are there,” he tells the group. “If they were here, you can be there.” After hearing whispers about a new kicker with the Birmingham Stallions, John “Bones” Fassel, the Cowboys special teams coordinator, made a covert mission to a USFL game in June 2023. He left his Cowboys jacket at home and snuck onto the sidelines during warmups so he could be as close as possible as Aubrey kicked. The Cowboys needed a kicker after Brett Maher — who once held the record for most field goals beyond 60 yards in his career (four), and put up a Cowboys-record 137 points in 2022 — faltered in the postseason, missing five point-after attempts. Now special teams coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Fassel has watched hundreds of kickers closely over his two-decade NFL coaching career. There are more people vying for the positions than ever before, he said — and that increase has led to bigger and stronger kickers. Aubrey got his kick at it. And Fassel knew from the sound — the booming thud — that he was it. The height and distance of Aubrey’s kickoff, taken from the 20-yard line in the USFL at the time, confirmed it. “The ball just fired off his foot,” Fassel said. Fassel had little concern that Aubrey didn’t play football in college and that, beyond the combines, his only high-level competitive experience came from a handful of USFL games. “I really think not kicking in high school or even college was probably a plus because you can tell that he hasn’t been overcoached,” Fassel said. “He hadn’t been overly analytical with anything. Everything was very natural. … You can make a case that not playing was maybe the best thing for him just because nothing he does is ever overthinking the swing.” The outcome is a kicking technique that Fassel describes as simply “smooth.” So smooth, in fact, that Aubrey made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2023 and again in 2024. Prescott — who welcomed Aubrey as one of the Cowboys’ captains — nicknamed him “Butter.” Cameron Dicker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, strolls through the Los Angeles Chargers locker room barefoot with a wide sombrero perched on his head after a post-practice workout that he jokes was mostly focused on his biceps. “Dicker the Kicker” is a freckled 25-year-old who has the aura of a retreat on a Kauai beach. He describes how a position that is so technical and pressure-packed is churned into something so seemingly effortless. “Ride that level wave,” Dicker said. He grew up in Shanghai, where he played soccer — a Liverpool fan, he didn’t see an American football, as in the ball, until he caught part of the Super Bowl on TV when he was 8. He began kicking in high school after his family moved to Texas, and has carried a measured perspective into his profession. “You’re going to miss a kick. Everybody knows it’s going to happen, so don’t let that affect you that much,” he said. “And you’re going to make big kicks … if you get a little arrogant, you get too high with that, when you fall it’s going to be a real big fall.” A few days earlier, the Chargers tied a game against Denver 20-20 with a touchdown and extra point late. With a minute to go, Dicker “chilled” with punter JK Scott, who took reps into a net. Each team had several timeouts, so Dicker figured they had at least five minutes. Then, with no time left, Dicker had a chance to win it from 43 yards. As he lined up, Scott looked up at him from the spot. “Hey, I love you, man,” Scott said. Dicker smiled. “Love you too, JK.” A few moments later, Dicker kicked and won the game.– – –They often work with the same offseason swing coaches. Little, the Jaguars’ 22-year-old wunderkind, works with Kohl and Novak and soaks in details from the fraternity. Little is an encyclopedia of information on other kickers, admiring the approaches of guys like Prater and Carlson and marveling at Aubrey’s astonishing feats. “There’s 32 kickers in the NFL, that’s the reality,” Little said. “And any time there’s a guy that goes out there, we all want each other to succeed … and we all want to share whatever is going to make the other guy successful.”– – –Improvements in training have led to better results, but the process can be a bit counterintuitive. For example, some of the kickers routinely going long likely can’t squat much weight, Carlson says. But a focus on flexibility and recovery has allowed him to kick more in practice, which has given him a faster leg. Over time, that process should help him kick longer. There’s a balance to consider, Carlson says. Getting stronger doesn’t always help, because sometimes it diminishes accuracy. There is also much more data available for kickers today than there was a decade ago. Trackman — a radar technology company prominent in golf and baseball — didn’t start working with kickers until five years ago, when Simon Mathieson, a company rep who kicked at Northwest Missouri State, saw an opportunity. “Kickers account for 30 percent of points scored in the NFL,” Mathieson said. “Yet they’re the ones that generally get the least amount of practice and coaching from the staff.” Even with more data available about ball speed, ball height at the line of scrimmage, and spin rate, kicking remains a mostly subjective art. A kicker whose best ball is 72 mph and 12 feet high at the line-of-scrimmage might be completely different from another kicker, Mathieson said. But the information supports feel and hopefully increases consistency. “It’s just about identifying your best ball,” Mathieson said. “It’s a lot like golfing,” Dicker said. “There are guys that like extreme analytics — ‘It has to be this’ — and there are some guys … who never watch stuff because they think it messes with them mentally.” Thoughts on the effect of the season’s K-ball changes — which grant each team 60 balls to break in during the season for kickers, softening them for better impact — vary throughout the league. Through the first 11 weeks of the 2025 season, 39 field goals of at least 55 yards have been made. Pundits have looked to the K-ball as the main cause, which has bothered some kickers. “I think the talent is overruling these K-balls,” said Little. “I’m telling you, guys are so good now.” leg race has emerged that has pushed the position to a new era of prominence. That has kickers quietly rooting for each other. As the old man of the league, Prater gets nervous when he watches his counterparts kick. Carlson is fine seeing an opponent’s kick get blocked, but he never wants to see a miss. “I know what it takes to be in their shoes,” he said. A sport within the game — special teams on one side, hoping to win, but also that the other guys don’t lose, exactly. “That’s the cool thing about kickers around the NFL,” Little said. “You never want to see a guy lose their job, or not do their job. That’s the last thing anyone in the kicking world wants.” Aubrey’s 61-yard field goal at AT&T Stadium in mid-October secured him the record for most career field goals beyond 60 and was his second beyond the mark this season.– – –When it comes to the accolades and fame, Aubrey carries a confident but measured sense of where he is and where he started. It was a long way to come in a short time, and there is still a long way to go. It’s unlikely that his record for 60-yard field goals will last decades. Just as it is unlikely that new markers for distance will stand against time the way that Dempsey’s did. It took more than 40 years for Prater to find another yard. Another eight for Justin Tucker to hit from 66. Last September, Aubrey kicked a 65-yard field goal, fueling anticipation of another record. This September, he made a 64-yard kick as time expired, sending the Cowboys to overtime against the Giants. Two days earlier, Jack Drygas, a senior at Legacy Christian Academy — around the corner from a ball-marked lamppost in Frisco — kicked a 64-yard field goal, too. “There’s no reason guys won’t be able to hit 60-yard field goals consistently for a long time to come,” Aubrey said. “I think 70 will be the new 60.” A day after Little set an NFL record with his 68-yarder at the end of the first half in Las Vegas, Aubrey stepped onto the field at AT&T Stadium, 50 yards behind the play. Little doesn’t swing out of his shoes, but he swings harder than Aubrey and is mesmerized by how effortless the Cowboy’s motion seems: “Not every guy has that gift.” |
