January 28, 2026
The Los Angeles Chargers are requesting to interview Denver Broncos passing-game coordinator and assistant head coach Jim Leonhard for their vacant defensive-coordinator position, a source told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Leonhard has also received interest from the Buffalo Bills, among other teams. The Chargers are looking for a new defensive coordinator after Jesse Minter left to become the next head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Leonhard has done a standout job with the Broncos' defense, one of the best units in the NFL, as they allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards per game (187.2) during the 2025 regular season. The Chargers' defense was sneaky good this past season, too, allowing the seventh-fewest yards per play and the fifth-lowest offensive success rate. Leonhard will have a lot to work with if he chooses to go to L.A.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 28, 2026
The Cleveland Browns are hiring former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their next head coach, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. The 59-year-old spent the last three years running the Ravens' offense under head coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore. Monken served as the offensive coordinator for the Browns in 2019 under head coach Freddie Kitchens. This will be Monken's first head-coaching job in the NFL, although he did serve as the head coach in college at Southern Mississippi from 2013 to 2015. The Browns fired previous head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons at the helm after the team finished 5-12 in 2025. Monken will have his work cut out for him in his first head-coaching gig in the NFL. First and foremost, on the offensive side of the ball, the Browns must decide who their quarterback will be.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 27, 2026
Denver Broncos passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach
Davis Webb is receiving some serious interest around the NFL this cycle for not only head-coaching jobs, but also offensive-coordinator positions. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that after Webb interviewed this week for the Las Vegas Raiders' and Buffalo Bills' head-coaching jobs, he received interview requests for offensive-coordinator jobs with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Baltimore Ravens. The former backup QB is a hot, rising name in the coaching ranks after the work he's done with
Bo Nix in Denver. The Broncos appear intent on not letting Webb leave, though, after firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday. The expectation is that head coach Sean Payton will try to promote Davis to OC to keep his bright offensive mind around.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 27, 2026
The New York Jets reached out to former NFL head coach Jon Gruden about the idea of joining head coach Aaron Glenn's coaching staff, multiple sources told Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. However, Gruden wasn't interested in the job. The report comes after the Jets parted ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on Tuesday. The expectation is that former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich will be brought in to call plays for the Jets' offense in 2026. It's unclear exactly what role the Jets had in mind for Gruden. Gruden has not coached in the NFL since he resigned as the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach after an email scandal that featured insensitive language in 2021. After finishing 3-14 in 2025 in Glenn's first year, the Jets need a lot of help on offense, but it must start with a quarterback.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zack Rosenblatt
January 27, 2026
The Arizona Cardinals interviewed former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera in-person for their head-coaching vacancy, a source told Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Rivera is currently the general manager for the football team at the University of California. The 64-year-old coached the Panthers from 2011 to 2019, which included a Super Bowl appearance and two NFL Coach of the Year awards. He wasn't as successful in a shorter stint as the Commanders' head coach from 2020 to 2023, as he never had a winning record in D.C. Rivera hasn't coached in the NFL for the last two seasons, but he's on Arizona's radar as they look to replace Jonathan Gannon. Rivera has plenty of experience in the NFL as a head coach, but it's believed that Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is the favorite to be named the Cardinals' next head coach.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
January 27, 2026
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who won eight Super Bowls, will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, according to Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham of ESPN. Belichick fell short of the 40 of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility, according to four sources with first-hand knowledge of the outcome. Sources who spoke with the coach over the weekend described Belichick as "puzzled" and "disappointed." "Politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments," a source familiar with Belichick's thinking said. Per Ari Meirov, former Bills and Colts general manager and long-time Patriots rival Bill Polian told some voters that he thought Belichick should "wait a year" as penance for the Spygate and Deflategate scandals. Most fans considered Belichick to be a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Famer with an NFL coaching record of 333-178, including the playoffs.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham
January 27, 2026
Washington Commanders running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a fantasy darling during draft season last fall when the team's RB picture was unsettled. His fantasy stock rose even further after
Austin Ekeler suffered a season-ending injury early in the year. The 24-year-old seventh-rounder ended up leading the team in carries (175), rushing yards (805), and rushing touchdowns (eight), but he was the RB29 in half-PPR scoring, and he averaged just 8.2 half-PPR points per game in his 17 contests. It didn't help JCM's cause that starting quarterback
Jayden Daniels missed most of the season with various injuries. Croskey-Merritt had two 100-yard games in his rookie season, but he also failed to eclipse 50 rushing yards in a game 12 times. The Commanders will have a new offensive coordinator in 2026, and it's hard to say how they'll attack the RB position in free agency and the draft. Croskey-Merritt will have a role next year, but there's a good chance he'll be more of a committee back than a workhorse.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 27, 2026
Carolina Panthers wide receiver
Jalen Coker's stats in his first two NFL seasons don't stand out. He has produced 65 catches on 89 targets for 872 yards and five touchdowns in 22 regular-season games. The 24-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross has played in exactly 11 games in each of his first two years in the NFL due to injuries. A quad ailment was the reason he didn't debut in 2025 until Week 7. It took Coker a little while to get in the groove, but once he did, he was essentially Carolina's WR2 behind impressive rookie first-rounder
Tetairoa McMillan. In the last five games of the regular season, Coker had 19 grabs for 244 yards and three touchdowns, and he stepped up in the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams for a 9-134-1 line. If Coker can finally stay healthy in 2026, he has the potential for a Year 3 breakout as the Panthers' WR2.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 27, 2026
Cleveland Browns tight end
Harold Fannin Jr. exceeded all expectations in his first year in the NFL after being taken in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Bowling Green. Fannin quickly proved that he could hold his own at the next level, and he finished with 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns on 107 targets in 16 games. The 21-year-old led the Browns in catches, targets, receiving yards, and touchdowns, and he quickly surpassed
David Njoku as Cleveland's go-to pass-catching tight end. A whole new coaching staff is coming to Cleveland for the 2026 season, but regardless, Fannin should have a major role in the passing attack going into his sophomore campaign. If David Njoku, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March, doesn't come back, Fannin's fantasy upside will soar even higher. After his rookie breakout in 2025, expect Fannin to be a popular TE1 selection in fantasy drafts this fall.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 27, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Emeka Egbuka entered the NFL with high expectations after Tampa took him with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Egbuka quickly showed that his talent was for real, catching 25 of his 38 targets for 445 yards and five touchdowns in his first five NFL games. The 23-year-old would only go on to catch one more touchdown pass the rest of the way, though, to finish with 63 receptions for 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 17 contests. Egbuka opened 2025 with a substantial role, with both
Chris Godwin Jr. and
Jalen McMillan dealing with injuries. Veteran
Mike Evans also went down due to injury during the season, which assured Egbuka of a heavy target share. Once both Evans and Godwin returned, Egbuka saw his role shrink dramatically. Egbuka's talent will play long-term, but he could have his fantasy upside capped in 2026 if Evans, Godwin, and McMillan are all in the fold.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 27, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Tee Higgins will always be in the shadow of
Ja'Marr Chase as long as the two stay in Cincy, but it doesn't mean that Higgins cannot continue to be productive. The 27-year-old hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since 2022, but what he's lacked in yardage the last two seasons, he's made up for with trips to the end zone, scoring a whopping 21 times in 27 games the last two years. In 15 regular-season games in 2025, Higgins caught 59 of his 98 targets for 846 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns. Despite missing some games due to injury and losing valuable targets to Chase, Higgins still managed to finish as the WR14 in half-PPR scoring. The former second-rounder isn't without injury concerns, but when he's healthy, he has excellent chemistry with quarterback
Joe Burrow and also a nose for paydirt. Higgins has had at least five TDs in each of his six NFL seasons and will enter the 2026 campaign as a strong WR2 target.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 27, 2026
The Denver Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday, a source told Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Lombardi, 54, served as head coach Sean Payton's offensive coordinator for three seasons in Denver after originally being hired in February of 2023. The move comes after passing-game coordinator
Davis Webb has drawn multiple head-coaching interviews around the league, including for the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. Now that Lombardi is out of the picture, the Broncos could very well promote Webb to the OC role if he doesn't land a head-coaching gig. Lombardi first served under Payton as an offensive assistant and later as QBs coach from 2007 to 2013, and then again with the New Orleans Saints as Drew Brees' QBs coach from 2016 to 2020. The Broncos' offense had trouble starting fast in games in 2025 under Lombardi, and they ranked 10th in total yards and 14th in total points.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
January 27, 2026
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Tuesday that both offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile will remain with the team for the 2026 season. Both Udinski and Campanile interviewed for multiple head-coaching openings this cycle, so they will return to Duval next season. The Jaguars excelled on both sides of the ball in 2025 under first-year head coach Liam Coen, which led to the team winning the AFC South. Jacksonville was unable to advance past the Buffalo Bills in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs, but they are a rising organization with the coaching staff staying intact. Under the 30-year-old Udinski, the offense ranked in the top 10 in points per game (27.9), scoring margin, first downs, and total touchdowns. Under Campanile, the Jags had the best run defense in the NFL and also set franchise records with 102 pass breakups, 31 takeaways, 22 interceptions, and a plus-13 turnover differential.
--Keith HernandezSource: Jaguars PR
January 27, 2026
Jacksonville Jaguars running back
Travis Etienne Jr. was motivated in his contract year in 2025, and he delivered with 1,399 scrimmage yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns (seven rushing, six receiving) in 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old posted his third 1,000-yard rushing season in his four years in the NFL, and it was a huge bounce-back campaign for the former Clemson star after he had only 558 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 2024 in 15 games. Determining Etienne's 2026 fantasy value is hard at the moment, since we don't know yet if the Jaguars plan to make an effort to re-sign him as he heads into his fifth year in the NFL. Etienne certainly outperformed expectations this year, but if he goes elsewhere, he might not see the kind of volume he did for the Jags as a dual-threat RB. If he stays in Duval, Etienne will be trying to hold off
Bhayshul Tuten, who seems destined for a bigger role in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 27, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Xavier Worthy caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in his rookie campaign in 2024, but he wasn't able to build on that performance in Year 2. The 22-year-old former first-rounder caught only 42 of 73 targets for 532 yards and one touchdown in 14 games in 2025 for a Chiefs organization that failed to make the postseason for the first time in a decade. Worthy is a big-play threat anytime he touches the football because of his elite speed and shiftiness, but injuries could quickly become a concern because of his tiny 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame. His fantasy stock is certainly down big time heading into the 2026 season, but perhaps new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy can get Worthy involved more. The biggest obstacle for Worthy being able to bounce back is the presence of
Rashee Rice.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
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