The Commanders are hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their OC under HC Dan Quinn, according to multiple reports. Kingsbury had an underwhelming tenure as Cardinals HC from 2019 to 2022, going 28-37-1 over those four seasons. He landed two of those teams inside the top 8 in total yards, but none cracked the top 10 in points. Kingsbury at least deployed fast-paced attacks, with three of his four offenses finishing top 3 in pace and offensive plays. He joins a Washington squad with plenty of skill-position talent and the No. 2 overall pick in this spring's draft, which will presumably be used to take a QB.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) has been designated to return from IR. That makes him eligible to play in next Sunday's Super Bowl, although it's still unclear if he will. McKinnon has been out since mid-December and had surgery to repair a core muscle injury and fractured pelvis on January 2. He averaged 1.8 carries and 2.7 targets across 12 games this season.
Kliff Kingsbury has pulled his name out of consideration for the Raiders' OC job, according to his agent. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that contract talks between the two sides broke down late in the process. We'll see who the Raiders eventually land on as OC under HC Antonio Pierce. Kingsbury, meanwhile, is a "leading candidate" for the Commanders' OC job, per Schefter.
Liam Coen is expected to be named the Bucs' new OC, according to NFL Network. Coen broke into the NFL coaching ranks as a Rams assistant under HC Sean McVay from 2018 to 2020. He headed to the college ranks in 2021 as Kentucky's OC, re-joined McVay as Rams OC in 2022, and then bounced back to Kentucky's OC job this past year. The most noteworthy aspect of this hire is that Coen spent the second half of that 2022 season with QB Baker Mayfield, who's scheduled to hit free agency next month. A return to Tampa Bay seems to make the most sense for both sides.
The Patriots named Alex Van Pelt their new OC under HC Jerod Mayo. Van Pelt spent the last four seasons as Cleveland's OC, although he didn't call plays for the Browns. Van Pelt did call plays for the Bills way back in 2009. That team finished 30th in total yards and 28th in points under QBs Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards. Van Pelt worked as QBs coach for the Bucs, Packers, and Bengals in between his OC stints and is expected to bring a West Coast offense to New England. We'll see what the Patriots do at QB this offseason. They hold the third overall pick and will have a crack at USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and/or LSU's Jayden Daniels.
The Raiders are set to hire Kliff Kingsbury as their new OC under HC Antonio Pierce, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Kingsbury had an underwhelming tenure as Cardinals HC from 2019 to 2022, going 28-37-1 over those four seasons. He landed two of those teams inside the top 8 in total yards, but none cracked the top 10 in points. Kingsbury at least deployed fast-paced attacks, with three of his four offenses finishing top 3 in pace. We'll see exactly how Kingsbury meshes with the defensive-minded Pierce. The Raiders offense has some big questions to answer this offseason, with RB Josh Jacobs set to hit free agency and QB Jimmy Garoppolo a strong release candidate.
The Commanders are hiring Dan Quinn to be the new HC. Quinn spent the past three years as Cowboys DC. Those teams finished seventh, fifth, and fifth in points allowed after checking in 28th and 11th the two years before he arrived. Quinn spent 2015-19 as HC of the Falcons, going 43-37 over that span with two winning seasons. Atlanta fired him five games into 2020 (with an 0-5 record). As a career-long defensive coach, Quinn shouldn't affect offensive outlooks in Washington with his arrival. We'll see who he brings in to assist on that side of the ball and what the Commanders decide to do at QB. We'd bet they'll select one with the second overall pick in the draft. The Washington defense can only improve after ranking last in both yards and points allowed in 2023.
RB Kareem Hunt recently underwent sports hernia surgery to repair a ruptured adductor, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hunt was on the injury report with a groin for much of the season, which might have played a part in his career-low 3.0 yards per carry. Hunt is set to hit free agency in March. He's unlikely to capture a significant backfield role or be a major fantasy factor in 2024.
The Seahawks are hiring former Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as the new head coach, according to multiple reports. The 36-year-old becomes the league's youngest HC. He spent the past two years as DC for the Ravens after a year as DC under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and seven prior seasons on the Baltimore staff. The Ravens led the league in scoring defense, sacks, and takeaways in 2023. They ranked among the top 9 in yards allowed and top 3 in points allowed in each season under Macdonald. We'll likely have to wait at least until he chooses an OC to find out more about Macdonald's offensive philosophy. He, of course, inherits a Seahawks team with plenty of passing-game upside but also a pair of second-round RBs. This will be an interesting offense to track through the offseason. For now, we're not altering fantasy outlooks for any Seattle players on this coaching news.
Bobby Slowik is getting a "significant raise" to remain the Texans' OC, according to insider Albert Breer. Slowik drew significant HC interest after leading Houston to top-13 finishes in both total yards and points this past year. His return is good news for QB C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense, although we'd like to see Slowik lean further toward the pass in 2024. Last year's Texans ranked 16th in neutral pass rate and 19th in Pass Rate Over Expected.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson underwent surgery on January 29 to repair his torn ACL, the team announced. Doctors waited for 36 days after the injury to do surgery in order to let Hockenson's MCL heal. It's standard practice but obviously pushes back Hockenson's timeline for return. Consider him iffy to be ready for the start of the 2024 season, which kicks off in about 7.5 months.
The Steelers are set to hire Arthur Smith as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Smith, of course, is coming off a baffling and underwhelming three-year tenure as Falcons HC, compiling a 21-30 record and oftentimes mismanaging his offensive talent. Smith, though, was much more successful as Titans OC in 2019 and 2020. Both of those teams ranked top-12 in both total yards and points, leaning on RB Derrick Henry to finish top-3 in rushing yards both years. We'd expect Smith to bring a run-heavy offense to Pittsburgh -- especially considering the team's questions at QB.
Ben Johnson will remain with the Lions as OC for the 2024 season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Johnson had been a hot name in this year's coaching cycle and had been linked to Washington's still-open job. His return is excellent news for Detroit's offense. The Lions lead the NFL with 387 total yards per game and rank fourth with 26.9 points per game under Johnson over the past two seasons.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Monday that TE George Kittle is "day-to-day" with a toe injury suffered in the NFC Championship. It doesn't sound like he's in danger of missing the Super Bowl in two weeks, but we'll keep you updated on his status. Kittle gets a Chiefs defense that finished the regular season 14th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.
The Browns are hiring Ken Dorsey as their OC, according to multiple sources. He'll replace Alex Van Pelt, who'd been Cleveland's OC since HC Kevin Stefanski took over in 2020. Dorsey spent a season-and-a-half as Buffalo's OC, taking over in 2022 and leading the Bills to second-place finishes in both total yards and points. He was fired midway through this past season, despite the Bills averaging 26.2 points through the opening 10 games. (They averaged 27.1 the rest of the way.) We'll see exactly how much say Dorsey has in Stefanski's offense this coming season. Stefanski has called plays the last four seasons.
The Bills on Sunday announced that Joe Brady will remain OC. He drew praise amid the Bills' 6-1 finish to the regular season. But it's tough to pinpoint evidence he actually improved the offense. Buffalo fared worse in offensive DVOA and EPA per play after the OC switch. Brady's version of the offense leaned run more, which might have helped decrease the turnovers. But that turnover dip also just might have been the positive side of normal variance. WR Stefon Diggs fell off over the season's second half, with no single pass-catcher seeing a huge fantasy benefit. Buffalo has other questions to address on offense this season, including whether Diggs stays, whether WR Gabe Davis returns (he's headed for free agency), and what changes occur in the backfield. We'll have initial projections out right after the Super Bowl, but plenty could change with the Bills beyond that point.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (ankle, toe) is active for today's game against the Ravens. He missed the week's first two practices before a limited Friday and "questionable" listing on the final injury report. Pacheco's gotta be somewhere south of full strength. But we're also seen no indication his role will be limited today. It's tough to downgrade him as a fantasy option on a two-game slate. Perhaps the combo of toe and ankle issues at least gives Clyde Edwards-Helaire some upside, especially if Pacheco gets knocked out of the game at any point.
The Eagles are set to hire Kellen Moore as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Moore is coming off a disappointing season in Los Angeles, where his Chargers finished an underwhelming 18th in total yards and 21st in points. He had a much more productive stint in Dallas the four years prior, with three of those Cowboys teams ranking top-6 in points, including first- and fourth-place finishes in his final two seasons. Moore deployed a slightly run-leaning offense (in terms of Pass Rate Over Expected) in Dallas and went slightly pass-leaning in Los Angeles last year. But his offenses have consistently played fast. In fact, all five of them ranked top-4 in both pace and situation-neutral pace. That should mean a significant shift in Philadelphia after the Eagles finished 18th in pace and neutral pace last year. We'll see exactly how much say Moore has in the offense under HC Shane Steichen.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (hip, personal) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's AFC Championship vs. the Ravens. It'll be his sixth straight missed game. Rashee Rice, Justin Watson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Mecole Hardman figure to serve as Kansas City's top four WRs in Baltimore.
The Falcons are hiring Zac Robinson as their new OC under HC Raheem Morris, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The 37-year-old Robinson played QB at Oklahoma State from 2006 to 2009. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Patriots but never attempted a regular-season pass across four seasons. Robinson then spent some time working as an analyst for Pro Football Focus before joining Sean McVay's Rams in 2019 as assistant QB coach. Robinson worked his way up to QB coach and passing-game coordinator over the last two seasons, but this will be his first time calling plays. Robinson's new offense has plenty of skill-position talent in RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts, but QB remains a major question mark. Atlanta currently holds the eighth overall pick in this spring's draft.
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