With the announcement that the Detroit Lions are reportedly hiring Drew Petzing as their newest offensive coordinator came a bunch of reactions from fans and analysts alike. One of the more popular reactions was frustration that the Lions didn’t land former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, a candidate widely believed to be the best offensive […] With the announcement that the Detroit Lions are reportedly hiring Drew Petzing as their newest offensive coordinator came a bunch of reactions from fans and analysts alike. One of the more popular reactions was frustration that the Lions didn’t land former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, a candidate widely believed to be the best offensive mind available this coaching cycle. McDaniel was a candidate for the Lions’ job and interviewed for the position last Tuesday. Why didn’t the Lions choose him? We don’t have 100 percent clarity on that yet, but ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington provided some insight into Detroit’s thought process with McDaniel. “Of coordinator jobs that Mike McDaniel has interviewed for, the Lions gig was the least likely to materialize,” Darlington tweeted on Monday. “Campbell liked McDaniel a lot, but Lions didn’t view it as quite the right fit for them.” Now, let’s be clear about this quote, because I’ve already seen some potential misinterpretations of this. That last sentence has some believing that Campbell wanted him, but he was overridden by others within the organization. I can see why that’s a possible read on the situation, but I think Campbell could be included in the “Lions” that didn’t view him as a fit. You can like a candidate while also admitting he’s not exactly what you’re looking for. Jumping to the conclusion that Campbell didn’t get his guy because of Brad Holmes, or Sheila Hamp, or Mike Disner is making a huge leap in logic. What would be more interesting to find out is why the organization didn’t like McDaniel’s fit. There is certainly a perception that McDaniel’s offense is a little more gadgety and based on speed, where the Lions have shown they like physicality and power. Personally, I think McDaniel has shown some of those gritty football tendencies when the personnel is right. Maybe the personality fit wasn’t right. Maybe McDaniel doesn’t see play-calling the way Campbell wants him to. Maybe the connection with Jared Goff wasn’t ideal. Maybe there was just going to be too much schematic and verbiage overhaul when the Lions are looking for more of a tweak. Whatever the reason, one thing appears clear from Darlington’s reporting: the Lions rejected McDaniel rather than the other way around. See More:
Small insight as to why the Detroit Lions didn’t hire Mike McDaniel
Breaking down Lions OC Drew Petzing’s 3 seasons as Cardinals OC
With reports that former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is being hired as the next Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, everyone is scrambling to dig into Petzing’s past to analyze the decision. We’re no different here at Pride of Detroit. But while Petzing’s coaching career spans well over a decade, in this piece, we’re just […] With reports that former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is being hired as the next Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, everyone is scrambling to dig into Petzing’s past to analyze the decision. We’re no different here at Pride of Detroit. But while Petzing’s coaching career spans well over a decade, in this piece, we’re just going to focus on his last three years with the Cardinals as their play-caller. We’re going to look at what he did well, what he struggled with, any sort of other factors that may have impacted the Cardinals’ offensive output, and then relate it all back to what the Lions like to do on offense. So let’s dig into the last three years of Petzing’s offenses. 2023 Overall stats: 24th in points per game 21st in offensive DVOA 22nd in EPA/play 25th in success rate Passing stats: 29th in yards per attempt 23rd in pass DVOA 27th in dropback EPA 27th in dropback success rate Rushing stats: 2nd in yards per carry 9th in rush DVOA 7th in rush EPA 12th in rush success rate Key offensive injuries: QB Kyler Murray (9 games missed) WR Hollywood Brown (3 games missed) WR Michael Wilson (4 games missed) RB James Conner (5 games missed) TE Zach Ertz (10 games missed) While the Cardinals didn’t put up a ton of points in Petzing’s first season as offensive coordinator, there were certainly some positive signs. Led by a relatively healthy offensive line, the Cardinals produced a top-10 rushing offense in just about every significant statistical category, and it wasn’t overly reliant on the mobility of quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Joshua Dobbs. Despite missing five games, James Conner had the most efficient season of his career, rushing for 1,040 yards (sixth in the NFL), seven rushing touchdowns (16th), and 5.0 yards per carry (fifth). The passing game obviously suffered from a ton of injuries. Foremost was Murray missing the first nine games of the season. He struggled upon his return, although it’s worth noting he finished the season strong, throwing for six touchdowns, one interception, and a collective 108.3 passer rating in his final three games under the new offense. Also worth noting, with Zach Ertz out for most of the season, this was Trey McBride’s breakout season in his second year in the NFL. After posting just 29 catches for 265 yards his rookie season, McBride jumped to 81 catches for 825 yards in Petzing’s first year as offensive coordinator. 2024 Overall stats: 12th in points per game 11th in offensive DVOA 10th in EPA/play 10th in success rate Passing stats: 16th in yards per attempt 13th in pass DVOA 13th in dropback EPA 6th in dropback success rate Rushing stats: 3rd in yards per carry 9th in rush DVOA 8th in rush EPA 10th in rush success rate Key offensive injuries: RT Jonah Williams (11 games missed) RG Will Hernandez (12 games missed) Despite the right side of their offensive line being depleted for most of the season, Petzing produced a borderline top-10 offense in the NFL. It was another dominant season on the ground, with Conner finishing 11th in rushing yards (1,094) and 16th in rushing touchdowns (eighth). More importantly, the passing offense took a pretty huge jump with Murray playing all 17 games. Sacks were down, efficiency was up, and it’s fair to credit Petzing with a lot of those improvements. His heavy reliance on play-action helped elevate the team’s overall efficiency in a big way. On play-action passes in 2024, Murray ranked: Second in attempts (159 — behind only Jared Goff) Eighth in EPA (+32.8%) 13th in EPA/dropback (+0.18) 16th in passer rating (104.0) First-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. had an up-and-down rookie season, but still finished with a respectable 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns, while McBride posted another incredible season, totaling 111 catches for 1,146 yards. Petzing also found a way to get Conner involved, posting his best receiving stats since his rookie year: 47 catches for 414 yards—the sixth-best production from any running back that year. 2025 Overall stats: 23rd in points per game 24th in offensive DVOA 23rd in EPA/play 24th in success rate Passing stats: 22nd in yards per attempt 24th in pass DVOA 20th in dropback EPA 19th in dropback success rate Rushing stats: 19th in yards per carry 28th in rush DVOA 29th in rush EPA 28th in rush success rate 2025 Arizona Cardinals key offensive injuries: QB Kyler Murray (12 games missed) RB James Conner (14 games missed) RB Trey Benson (13 games missed) RB Zonovan Knight (5 games missed) TE Tip Reiman (13 games missed) WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (5 games missed) WR Greg Dortch (5 games missed) WR Zay Jones (9 games missed) LT Paris Johnson Jr. (5 games missed) LG Evan Brown (6 games missed) RG Will Hernandez (10 games missed) RT Jonah Williams (8 games missed) Dear God. Unsurprisingly, after reading that list, the Cardinals were the most-injured team in 2025 per several metrics, and they really felt it on offense. Four of five starters missed at least five games this season, with two missing half the season. The running back room was absolutely devastated. Not a single running back had more than 100 rushing attempts in the season, but five different backs had at least 29 rushes. The passing game was obviously impacted by Murray’s injury, a thinned receiving corps, and an offensive line decimated by injury. Naturally, everything fell apart. The team became extremely imbalanced, finishing the season with the most passing attempts in the NFL and the fewest rushing attempts. The offensive line—which finished 26th in PFF ranking after ranking 16th
Grading the Detroit Lions’ hiring of OC Drew Petzing
On Monday, the Detroit Lions shocked a lot of people by reportedly agreeing to make former Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing their new offensive coordinator. Now, part of the shock was that there hadn’t been any connection made public between Petzing and the Lions. There were seven other known candidates at the time, and so […] On Monday, the Detroit Lions shocked a lot of people by reportedly agreeing to make former Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing their new offensive coordinator. Now, part of the shock was that there hadn’t been any connection made public between Petzing and the Lions. There were seven other known candidates at the time, and so Petzing was completely off most people’s radar. But according to Dave Birkett, the Lions did plenty of research on Petzing behind the scenes. They reportedly interviewed him last week, and even had him talk ball with quarterback Jared Goff over the weekend. But it’s fair to say some of the reaction was because many believed the Lions had the kind of attractive job opening that could lure a coordinator candidate with a better and more proven resume. Now, immediate backlash is to be expected when a candidate comes out of nowhere. But with nearly 24 hours to research the guy, looking at some expert opinions on the hire, and considering the fit, it’s time to give a more measured reaction. Today’s Question of the Day is: What grade do you give the Lions’ hiring of Drew Petzing as OC? My answer: Admittedly, I’m still doing a lot of research and have a bigger piece breaking down Petzing’s three years as Cardinals offensive coordinator coming later on Tuesday morning. But let me give a quick breakdown of what I do and don’t like. One of my biggest concerns with this hire was how the Lions were going to give the offense a fresh look without doing a complete overhaul or trying to make Jared Goff someone he is not. This hire seems to fit that concern like a glove. Petzing’s reputation is that of a coach who values the under-center run game with heavy personnel, and a myriad of good schematic tricks to create good matchups. If you watched Detroit’s run game in 2025—and, subsequently, the Bears’ run game—you could see how Detroit was missing Ben Johnson in that aspect. Throw in a heavy reliance on play-action in the passing game, and the philosophical fit seems perfect. Yet, because Petzing has never worked with Dan Campbell and his only connection to the Lions is a stint with Hank Fraley in Minnesota and a personal relationship with Ben Johnson, he’s going to bring some much-needed fresh perspective to the offense, as well. I like that he did create a borderline top-10 offense in 2024 with a mediocre-at-best quarterback and a skill position group that was still very young and developing, including rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., second-year receiver Michael Wilson, and third-year stud tight end Trey McBride. To take that young set of players and produce some impressive numbers is a very good sign. What I don’t like? Well, the 2025 season was a complete mess. Injuries certainly played a huge part, because… well, just look at this: But it’s still extremely disheartening to see the run game completely fall off, ranking bottom five in many categories. Additionally, I’m a little concerned about the situational play-calling. Here’s how the Cardinals ranked in fourth-down conversion rate in each of his seasons: 2023: 44.1% (27th) 2024: 44.4% (28th) 2025: 42.9% (29th) To be fair, though, he was actually pretty darn good on third down every season. 2023: 39.1% (14th) 2024:43.0% (eighth) 2025: 41.5% (ninth) Finally, there’s the “bigger fish” argument. While I don’t think there was any perfect candidates out there—Mike McDaniel, the favorite of many, also saw his offense fall off a cliff in the past two seasons (partially because of injury)—it does feel weird that the Lions were one of the first teams to pull the trigger on a guy who hasn’t created much buzz for the other vacancies. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t in demand or didn’t interview anywhere else—we’ll see as more information becomes public—but it’s clear most analysts saw better candidates for Detroit. Put that all together, and this feels like a B or B- overall. I see the vision, there’s proof of concept in that 2024 season, but some serious concerns about Petzing are more than just knee-jerk reactions. What grade do you give the hiring and why? Scroll down to the comment section and let us know why! POLL: See More:
2026 NFL Draft scouting report – Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
The class of wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft is an interesting one. That’s potentially good news for the New York Giants, who likely need to add at least one impact receiver this year. There are, of course, talented players at the top of the class who will get plenty of discussion over the course of the process. There’s also a sizeable “middle class” of receivers who could be valuable pieces to the right team as rotational or role players. That’s where Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields comes in. Fields is a big, powerful receiver with a skill set that allows him to help a team without the ball in his hands. Could that make him a value piece for the receiver-needy Giants? Prospect: Malachi Fields (0)Games Watched: vs. Miami (2025) vs. Texas A&M (2025), vs. Arkansas (2025)Red Flags: Foot (broken bone, 2022) Measurables Height: 6-foot-4 (unofficial)Weight: 222 pounds (unofficial) Strengths Best traits Size Play strength Blocking Catch radius Malachi Fields is a big, powerful receiver prospect. He has a prototypical frame for an outside receiver at 6-foot-4, 222 pounds and appears to have long arms to fit his height. Fields typically shows a solid understanding of his role within the offense and knows how to run his routes to find voids in coverage or use his frame to create traffic if he isn’t the primary receiver in a route concept. He also has a clear understanding of how to use his size and power to his advantage as a receiver. He’s able to play through contact and is also able to extend and high-point the ball. Fields has solid ball skills, locating and tracking the ball in the air and has enough body control to adjust and make tough catches. Fields is also a willing and competitive blocker. His size allows him to overwhelm defensive backs on the perimeter and even lose slowly against off-ball linebackers in condensed formations. He typically blocks with good technique and shows solid competitive toughness in sustaining his blocks. Weaknesses Worst traits Long speed Agility Explosiveness Fields’ greatest weakness is an overall lack of athleticism. He has adequate short-area quickness to get into his breaks, but lacks explosiveness out of his breaks or agility when changing direction. He also isn’t particularly fast over a distance and labors somewhat as a runner. As a result, he struggles to generate separation, even if initially beating a corner, and needs to rely on his size to make contested catches. Likewise, while he can find voids in zone coverage, he’s slower to exploit them and they can shrink by the time he gets there. Game Tape (Fields is the Notre Dame receiver wearing number 0) Projection Malachi Fields projects as a useful rotational piece for an offense that uses a high rate of screen passes and runs, and is also in need of a possession receiver. Fields has the potential to be a reliable depth player on offense as well as a consistent presence on special teams. He might not have the consistent Big Play threat to have universal appeal, but he should have good value to the right team on Day 3. Does he fit the Giants? Yes, as a depth piece and special teams contributor. Final Word: A good Day 3 Value See More: New York Giants Draft
Ranking the highest-graded rookies from the divisional round
PFF grades every player on every play, and these are the top rookies from the divisional round. Ranking the highest-graded rookies from the divisional round Craig Woodson played a major part in C.J. Stroud‘s poor day: He broke up two passes across three targets and also picked off a second-quarter throw, making him the week’s only rookie with a 90.0-plus PFF game grade. Grey Zabel is heating up at the right time: He is the ninth-highest-graded guard since Week 14 (80.6 PFF overall grade), powered by the fourth-best PFF run-blocking grade in that span (82.8). 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team. Estimated Reading Time: 11minutes We’re diving into the top rookies by PFF overall grade from the divisional round. To qualify, players needed to have logged at least 25 snaps. 🏈 Draft Season 2026 Prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft with PFF+ Your complete draft preparation toolkit Subscribe 1. S Craig Woodson, New England Patriots (90.3) Woodson was sticky in coverage against the Texans, breaking up two passes across three targets and also picking off a second-quarter throw that bounced off Xavier Hutchinson’s hands. Woodson earned the third-best PFF coverage grade among the position in the divisional round (85.1). He also recorded a quarterback hit as a pass rusher and two tackles in run defense, leading him to grade out as the third-best safety this weekend (90.3). The fourth-round pick from California enters the AFC title game against the Broncos as the second-highest-graded safety this postseason (90.1). Woodson leads all safeties in PFF run-defense grade (87.6), having recorded four tackles with five assists and a run stop. His 15.2% positively graded play rate is second best at the position, while his 3.0% negative play rate ranks third. Meanwhile, Woodson has been the second-best coverage safety during New England’s playoff run (81.2), holding receivers to 16 yards — the second fewest among qualifying safeties — on two catches across seven targets. He is also limiting quarterbacks to a league-best 0.0 NFL passer rating when targeted. Open Woodson’s Profile 2. G Grey Zabel, Seattle Seahawks (80.4) San Francisco had no answer for Zabel’s run blocking. The first-rounder recorded a position-best 30.3% impact-block rate in the divisional round, mostly in zone blocking schemes (23 snaps), where he earned the third-best PFF run-blocking grade (77.6). He was equally strong in gap schemes, finishing with a 74.6 PFF run-blocking grade (fourth best). Overall, Zabel logged the fourth-highest PFF run-blocking grade among guards in the divisional round, in addition to the fourth-lowest defeated rate (21.2%). Zabel did surrender a quarterback pressure in pass protection, leading to a 62.6 PFF pass-blocking grade, but he still graded out as the second-best guard over the weekend in his postseason debut. Zabel enters the NFC Championship game against the rival Rams having played the most snaps among rookie guards this season (1,055). He endured an up-and-down regular season (59.5 PFF overall grade), as he was beaten 23 times in pass protection (tied for sixth most among starting guards) and earned 58.8 PFF grades in both facets. Things have been trending upward for the 18th overall pick from North Dakota State, though. He is the ninth-highest-graded guard since Week 14 (80.6 PFF overall grade), powered by the fourth-best PFF run-blocking grade in that span (82.8). His surrendered pressure against the 49ers in the divisional round is the only one he’s allowed in his past three games. 3. RB RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos (71.0) Harvey rushed six times for 20 yards against the Bills, with a long of 12 yards in the second quarter. He also secured each of his five targets for 46 receiving yards. His biggest play came in overtime as he broke multiple tackles for a 24-yard reception to move Denver near midfield on what became the game-winning drive. He forced seven total missed tackles and logged the fifth-best PFF receiving grade among running backs (74.9) in the divisional round. The second-round pick from Central Florida has racked up 400-plus yards as a rusher and receiver this season. Harvey, who took over as the starting back after J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending foot injury in November, has 152 carries for 560 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He logged the third-most rushing touchdowns (tied) among rookie running backs, in addition to 28 first downs, 407 yards after contact and 27 forced missed tackles. Harvey has made a big impact in the passing game, where he’s caught 52 passes for 402 yards to lead the draft class. He also paces the class in receiving touchdowns (five), first downs (19) and catches of 15-plus yards (six) while ranking second in missed tackles forced (15) and passer rating when targeted (120.6). His 70.4 PFF receiving grade ranks fourth among first-year backs. 4. G Jared Wilson, New England Patriots (69.1) Wilson had one of his best games of the season, grading out as the fifth-best guard this weekend after his performance against the Texans. Wilson surrendered two hurries in pass protection but still garnered a 76.9 PFF pass-blocking grade (fifth best). He also generated the sixth-best impact-block rate as a run blocker (22.6%) on his way to a 64.1 PFF run-blocking grade. The third-round pick from Georgia has gone through growing pains in his first season, as he enters the AFC Championship game with a 52.9 PFF overall grade — the lowest mark among New England’s starting offensive linemen. Wilson has surrendered 36 pressures at a 6.8% clip, with 13 combined sacks and hits. Despite his high impact-block rate in the run game against the Texans, Wilson still holds a 9.6% clip and a 16.6% defeated rate for the season. 5. RB Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears (68.9) Chicago’s season came to an end after an overtime loss to the Rams. Monangai ripped off a 15-yard run late in the first quarter to move the Bears to the Rams’ nine-yard line, but he finished the game
Bengals News (1/20): Ja’Marr Chase makes PFWA All-AFC Team
Bengals News: Ja’Marr Chase makes PFWA All-AFC Team Chase is widely regarded as the best in the game. Joe Burrow backs NFL officials after controversial divisional round calls Burrow doesn’t talk much on social media, but he made his feelings very clear on this one. How the Bills Firing Sean McDermott Could Impact Joe Burrow […] Bengals News: Ja’Marr Chase makes PFWA All-AFC Team Chase is widely regarded as the best in the game. Joe Burrow backs NFL officials after controversial divisional round calls Burrow doesn’t talk much on social media, but he made his feelings very clear on this one. How the Bills Firing Sean McDermott Could Impact Joe Burrow and the Bengals A move in Orchard Park could have ripple effects in Cincinnati. Bengals’ offensive coordinator to interview for same position with Bucs Technically a lateral move, but a chance to be a play-caller. Bengals enjoy luxury most teams don’t going into offseason That’s a positive. NFL News: Dolphins hire Packers DC Jeff Hafley as head coach Dominoes are falling in the NFL coaching carousel. Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after 9 seasons A reset in Buffalo. Chiefs plan to bring back longtime assistant Eric Bieniemy as next OC Right back to where he made a name for himself. Seahawks’ Zach Charbonnet reportedly suffers torn ACL ahead of NFC championship A blow to the Seattle backfield. John Harbaugh already at work reshaping the Giants staff He’s not wasting any time, nor should he.
10 questions John Harbaugh needs to answer as NY Giants introduce new head coach
The New York Giants formally introduce John Harbaugh as their new head coach on Tuesday in East Rutherford, N.J. Harbaugh has given interviews to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated since signing his contract on Saturday, but this will be the first time the New York media at-large gets to hear from the man the Giants are hoping will reverse their fortunes. What are some of the questions Harbaugh is likely to be asked when he steps to the podium some time after noon on Tuesday? Here are 10 questions I hope he will be asked in some form. What does a ‘winning culture’ look like to you? Harbaugh is a CEO style head coach, a one-time special teams coordinator who does not call plays on offense or defense. He hires offensive and defensive coordinators who believe in his philosophy of how the game should be played, and empowers them to do their jobs. Harbaugh is considered a “culture-setter”, and early in his career in Baltimore he was unafraid to stand up to future Hall of Fame players like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. What are the tenets of a winning culture, or the kind of culture that Harbaugh believes in? These may not all be culture-related, but this snippet from a recent story in the Baltimore Banner, tells us something about how Harbaugh does his job. It could also take leaving Baltimore for Harbaugh to break out of the coaching rut that doomed his Ravens tenure. Among Harbaugh’s greatest virtues as a coach is his curiosity; through his work with the Harbaugh Coaching Academy, he’s interviewed a handful of fellow head coaches, even Kevin Stefanski, then leading the rival Cleveland Browns, probing them for ideas and insights. Over a disappointing 2025, Harbaugh rarely seemed to find the right message for his own Ravens team. If he fails with the Giants, it won’t be for a lack of trying. Harbaugh’s openness to evolution and compromise made him the longest-serving head coach in Baltimore’s professional sports history. Now comes the biggest change, and challenge, of his career. “Coaching at any level is a day-to-day job, and your job is to do the best job you can today, and to do everything you can to help your players and your coaches – if you’re a head coach – be the best they can be every single day,” Harbaugh said late in the season, as questions swirled about his job security. “We have responsibilities, and we’re given opportunities to steward those responsibilities, and you’re given a job to do that until you’re not. And then I try to do the job, not try to keep the job, because there’s no such thing as having a job. You’re just doing a job. “And so my focus is on always … to try to do the best job I can today and fight as hard as I can so the guys have the best chance to be successful today. And anything after today, I’m not thinking about, because it’s not given for us to think about. We don’t have control over that, except for the job we do today. And if we do a good enough job today, then the opportunity to do that job or a different job will be there tomorrow, and that’s what you hope for.” Will you consider retaining any current Giants assistants? There seems to be some confusion about the status of assistant coaches with the Giants at the end of the 2025 season. Those coaches, to my knowledge, are still under contract to the Giants. There was one report that some of those coaches had already been told by Harbaugh that they would be let go. Another report indicated that assistant coaches would meet with Harbaugh later this week in what would amount to an interview to keep their jobs. When I checked with an assistant coach, he was in the dark and had no information either way. That could indicate that assistant coaches are being considered on a case-by-case, or coach-by-coach, basis. One of the big reasons Harbaugh is now the Giants coach, and that Joe Schoen remains the general manager, is that ownership seems to believe coaching was at the root of the Giants’ issues the past couple of seasons. That could make it difficult for the Giants to keep many of the coaches left from Brian Daboll’s staff. What does ‘bolster up the analytics’ mean? What needs to be added? The Ravens have been known as a team at the forefront in terms of their use of analytics, and Harbaugh said in one of the interviews he gave after taking the Giants’ job that he would like to see the team “bolster up the analytics” department. So, what does that mean? Adding people to the analytics group? Using it to impact more game-day decisions? Adding more analytics to their study of personnel? What are the important factors in developing a young quarterback? The Giants, of course, have Jaxson Dart and making sure he becomes the quarterback the Giants believe he can be is of paramount importance. Harbaugh has done the “develop a young quarterback” thing successfully twice. His tenure as Ravens’ head coach began in 2008, when Baltimore took Joe Flacco with the 18th overall pick. The Ravens won a Super Bowl with Flacco, and he was still in the league in 2025. Lamar Jackson has won two MVP awards in eight seasons since the Ravens drafted him No. 32 overall in 2018. Picking up where Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka left off with Dart will be a new experience for Harbaugh. Daboll and Kafka said they had a multi-year plan for Dart that included a number of “benchmarks” they wanted to see him hit along the way. Does Harbaugh have similar benchmarks, or does he have another way he looks at guiding the progress of a young quarterback? Do you have final say on major personnel decisions? We already
NY Giants news, 1/20: John Harbaugh arrives, Brian Burns, DC candidate
Good morning, New York Giants fans! From Big Blue View Giants to interview Vikings’ DBs coach for defensive coordinator John Harbaugh effect: NY Giants’ over/under for 2026 season at 8.5 Brian Burns only Giant selected to 2025 PFWA All-NFL Team Ex-Giants coach Brian Daboll already being discussed as a Sean McDermott replacement Do the Giants just need better play, or better players at safety? NY Giants 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, OG, Texas A&M Other Giant observations Harbaugh in the building O’Connor: The inside story of the Giants’ John Harbaugh deal and the talks that saved it | The Athletic His father, Jack Harbaugh, a high school and college football lifer, effectively told his older son he’d be nuts to sign with anyone other than the Giants. John agreed with his dad, and yet he needed to ensure that he could change the infrastructure of the franchise enough to make it a consistent winner like the one he helped build in Baltimore. This wasn’t about Schoen; the coach definitely feels he can work with the GM. Harbaugh wanted the ability to impact the entire operation, from security to training to analytics to media relations to staff size to assistant salaries to relocation expenses to you name it. And yes, in the unlikely event there’s a stalemate on draft day between Harbaugh and Schoen, there’s no longer any question who will prevail. The Giants have been in the Mara family for more than 100 years, and it was never going to be easy to merge with the modern-day Harbaugh machine. This wasn’t a hostile takeover, or even a non-hostile takeover. This was a long-overdue reboot for a franchise that hasn’t done any meaningful winning since its fourth Super Bowl victory 14 years ago. What John Harbaugh will bring to the Giants Izenberg: Giants banking on Harbaugh DNA to resuscitate limping franchise | NJ.com You cannot fault John Harbaugh’s record with the Baltimore Ravens. He won a lot of games. He won a Super Bowl. He won the respect of coaches and general managers around the NFL. Most people agree that the New York Giants made what appears to be the only correct hire for the limping franchise. It’s easy to say the Giants can be next year’s New England Patriots or Chicago Bears with a new coach in Year 1, but they have a lot of work to do before getting to that point in terms of roster building. That might be Harbaugh’s biggest initial challenge — building a roster to his desire with the right people in the room. But make no mistake, the expectations long term are to get back into being Super Bowl contenders. The Giants and Harbaugh think they have the core and organizational structure to make that happen, and possibly make him the first coach to win Super Bowls for two different franchises. 6. Throughout Harbaugh’s 18 seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens allowed the fewest touchdowns, points, rushing first downs, rushing yards, and third-down conversions in the NFL. They also allowed the second-fewest first downs and total yards in the league during that time. One was making sure he could work with the people on hand, and he got to that point with Schoen over the past 10 days. (Schoen was a significant part of the team’s recruitment of Harbaugh.) Harbaugh knew, too, that it’d be crucial to get to know Chris Mara, with John’s younger brother taking on more within the organization as the elder sibling has been in the throes of a cancer fight. “He was great,” Harbaugh told me when we spoke Saturday. The second was ensuring that things were formatted correctly. After 18 years in Baltimore, working in one of the NFL’s most built-out football operations, Harbaugh had a pretty good idea of what he’d want from a resource standpoint. In some areas, the Giants were where they needed to be (sports science). In others (analytics), they had a ways to go. Harbaugh wasn’t asking anyone else to arrange this for him. He just wanted to pull it off himself. The Giants’ commitment assured him that he’d get what he needed. And now, in his words, “We gotta go in and build it.” 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Jets pivot to David Bailey at No. 2 | PFF 5. New York Giants: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State. The Giants should follow a simple line of thinking in the 2026 NFL Draft: Build around quarterback Jaxson Dart. Thus, the optimal pick is either an offensive lineman or a pass catcher. If New York goes the pass catcher route, then Ohio State’s Carnell Tate is the best stylistic fit, given what the Giants already have in wide receiver Malik Nabers. The next man up in an increasingly long line of impressive Ohio State wide receivers, Tate caught 85.7% of the contested targets he saw in 2025, didn’t drop a pass and averaged 3.03 yards per route run. Around the league Anthony Weaver scheduled for second interview with Ravens | Pro Football Talk Falcons retaining DC Jeff Ulbrich under coach Kevin Stefanski | ESPN.com Eric Bieniemy reunion with Chiefs? Kansas City requests interview with former OC amid Matt Nagy buzz | CBSSports.com Broncos open J.K. Dobbins’ return window, RB could play in AFC title game | The Athletic BBV mailbag Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to [email protected] and it might be featured in our weekly mailbag. BBV on X: Follow @BigBlueView | Ed Valentine: @Valentine_Ed | Threads: @ed.valentine Bluesky: @edvalentine BBV on Facebook: Click here to like the Big Blue View Facebook page BBV on YouTube: Subscribe to the Big Blue View YouTube channel BBV on Instagram: Click here to follow our Instagram page See More: New York Giants News
Rookie grades and snaps for all 32 teams
In this piece, we break down rookie production across all 32 teams from the 2025 season to date, presenting every rookie who logged meaningful snaps, with tables sorted by total snaps played and contextualized using PFF grades and PFF Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Rookie grades and snaps for all 32 teams Bears tight end Colston Loveland capped off a standout debut season: Loveland earned an 85.3 PFF grade, finishing as the highest-graded rookie tight end and the most valuable rookie at the position according to PFF WAR. Texans offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery led all rookies in workload: Ersery played 1,225 snaps while holding up reasonably well and earning a 60.2 PFF grade. 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team. 🏈 Draft Season 2026 Prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft with PFF+ Your complete draft preparation toolkit Subscribe As the NFL calendar turns toward conference championship weekend, the league’s focus has already begun to shift toward evaluating the future and the building blocks in place. In this piece, we break down rookie production across all 32 teams from the 2025 season to date, presenting every rookie who logged meaningful snaps, with tables sorted by total snaps played and contextualized using PFF grades and PFF Wins Above Replacement (WAR). All rankings are among players with at least 100 snaps, allowing for cleaner, more comparable evaluations across positions and teams. The rookie class delivered impact at both ends of the spectrum. Bears tight end Colston Loveland capped off a standout debut season with an 85.3 PFF grade, finishing as the highest-graded rookie tight end and the most valuable rookie at the position according to PFF WAR. Texans offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery led all rookies in workload, playing 1,225 snaps while holding up reasonably well and earning a 60.2 PFF grade. Arizona Cardinals Player Position Snaps WAR PFF Grade Grade Rank WAR Rank Will Johnson CB 722 0.158 60.8 8 4 Denzel Burke CB 679 0.092 55.6 10 8 Cody Simon LB 564 0.007 57.3 5 5 Jordan Burch ED 504 -0.11 49.0 17 20 Josh Fryar T 289 -0.104 56.0 11 11 Walter Nolen DI 169 0.067 74.1 1 3 Kitan Crawford S 142 0.005 70.8 T-3 13 Corey Kiner HB 30 0.006 56.0 N/A N/A Hayden Conner G 29 -0.006 65.8 N/A N/A Will Johnson played the most snaps, with 722. Will Johnson led the team’s rookie class in WAR at 0.158. Walter Nolen led the team’s rookie class in PFF grade at 74.1. Walter Nolen ranked first among rookie defensive interiors in PFF grade at 74.1. Atlanta Falcons Player Position Snaps WAR PFF Grade Grade Rank WAR Rank Xavier Watts S 1093 0.08 72.4 1 3 James Pearce Jr. ED 593 0.022 57.8 11 6 Jalon Walker ED 492 0.075 72.8 3 4 Billy Bowman Jr. CB 300 -0.026 49.8 15 15 Cobee Bryant CB 102 -0.045 40.4 21 20 Nate Carter HB 12 -0.003 60.9 N/A N/A Jack Nelson T 4 0.004 60.1 N/A N/A Xavier Watts played the most snaps, with 1093. Xavier Watts led the team’s rookie class in WAR at 0.08. Jalon Walker led the team’s rookie class in PFF grade at 72.8. Xavier Watts ranked first among rookie safeties in PFF grade at 72.4. Baltimore Ravens Player Position Snaps WAR PFF Grade Grade Rank WAR Rank Malaki Starks S 1065 0.099 68.9 6 1 Mike Green ED 713 -0.086 46.2 19 18 Teddye Buchanan LB 652 0.028 58.4 4 4 Keyon Martin CB 144 0.012 53.3 13 12 Reuben Lowery III S 76 -0.009 41.2 N/A N/A Aeneas Peebles DI 71 0.02 59.5 N/A N/A LaJohntay Wester WR 59 0.003 52.8 N/A N/A Emery Jones Jr. G 48 -0.014 50.1 N/A N/A Carson Vinson T 7 0.016 73.2 N/A N/A Jay Higgins LB 7 -0.004 45.6 N/A N/A Keondre Jackson S 1 0.02 61.2 N/A N/A Malaki Starks played the most snaps, with 1065. Malaki Starks led the team’s rookie class in WAR at 0.099. Malaki Starks led the team’s rookie class in PFF grade at 68.9. Teddye Buchanan ranked fourth among rookie linebackers in PFF grade at 58.4. Buffalo Bills Player Position Snaps WAR PFF Grade Grade Rank WAR Rank Deone Walker DI 549 0.095 58.9 7 2 Jackson Hawes TE 534 0.27 84.1 2 2 Maxwell Hairston CB 348 0.095 64.3 5 7 T.J. Sanders DI 331 -0.043 39.9 21 25 Jordan Hancock S 183 0.011 63.6 7 10 Dorian Strong CB 87 0.013 62.9 N/A N/A Keleki Latu TE 85 0.06 73.8 N/A N/A Landon Jackson ED 30 -0.006 60.5 N/A N/A Keonta Jenkins LB 23 0.002 60.8 N/A N/A Chase Lundt T 3 0.003 60.0 N/A N/A Deone Walker played the most snaps, with 549. Jackson Hawes led the team’s rookie class in WAR at 0.27. Jackson Hawes led the team’s rookie class in PFF grade at 84.1. Jackson Hawes ranked second among rookie tight ends in PFF grade at 84.1. Maxwell Hairston ranked fifth among rookie cornerbacks in PFF grade at 64.3. Carolina Panthers Player Position Snaps WAR PFF Grade Grade Rank WAR Rank Tetairoa McMillan WR 984 0.589 79.3 1 1 Nic Scourton ED 773 0.051 68.0 6 5 Mitchell Evans TE 423 0.133 67.3 6 7 Lathan Ransom S 354 0.026 57.3 15 8 Princely Umanmielen ED 235 -0.021 49.8 16 12 Jimmy Horn Jr. WR 167 0.039 61.3 16 22 Corey Thornton CB 127 0.039 68.6 3 10 Cam’Ron Jackson DI 89 -0.003 46.3 N/A N/A Trevor Etienne HB 66 0.014 68.6 N/A N/A Bam Martin-Scott LB 57 -0.007 40.9 N/A N/A Dalevon Campbell WR 9 0.001 53.8 N/A N/A Tetairoa McMillan played the most snaps, with 984. Tetairoa McMillan led the team’s rookie class in WAR at 0.589. Tetairoa McMillan led the team’s rookie class in PFF grade at 79.3. Tetairoa McMillan ranked first among rookie wide receivers in PFF grade at 79.3. Corey Thornton
Rams-Seahawks NFC Championship opening odds
The Los Angeles Rams are a 2.5-point underdog against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship this Sunday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. L.A. is coming off a terrible showing in the Divisional Round in Chicago, but will have to step up their game against their red-hot NFC West rival. Los Angeles defeated the Cardiac Bears […] The Los Angeles Rams are a 2.5-point underdog against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship this Sunday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. L.A. is coming off a terrible showing in the Divisional Round in Chicago, but will have to step up their game against their red-hot NFC West rival. Los Angeles defeated the Cardiac Bears 20-17 in overtime over the weekend. The Rams needed a stellar showing from their defense to hold off Caleb Williams’ clutch gene, particularly with Matthew Stafford and the offense struggling with cohesion for much of the game. Similar to the previous win over Carolina, things got ugly late before the veteran team managed to eke out the win. As mentioned, the Rams will need to bring their A-game in Seattle, as the Hawks are coming off a 41-6 demolition of the woefully undermanned 49ers. L.A. will present a tougher challenge, but not if they play as they did versus Chicago. Both teams split the season series, with each game decided by a combined three points. Expect another tight battle between the divisional foes with a Super Bowl berth on the line. If you are interested in wagering on this game, then check out your options as FanDuel always offers a plethora of ways to wager, and ways to play with parlays, prop bets and whatever else you can think of. PSA: Always bet responsibly, and try to have fun with it! See More: Los Angeles Rams Odds
