Category: 2024 season

Saints sign all but three practice squad players to reserve/future deals

The Saints signed all but three practice squad players to reserve/future deals, bringing them back for 2024:

This may look unusual, but it isn’t uncommon. The New Orleans Saints signed reserve/future deals with all but three players from their 2023 practice squad — essentially inviting those 13 players who are returning to their 2024 training camp. Everyone who was on the practice squad except for offensive lineman Colby Gossett, wide receiver Marquez Callaway, and rookie receiver Shaquan Davis are inked to return in 2024.

But this doesn’t shut the door on anyone. Teams often issue reserve/future contracts (which are just minimum-salary deals that guarantee players a spot on the 90-man offseason roster) in batches, and they’ll likely circle back to Davis and Co. after handling other business. They’re able to work out other players who didn’t sign reserve/future deals around the league after their practice squad contracts expired.

Davis specifically endeared himself to Saints fans during the 2023 preseason by catching 7 passes for 101 yards, largely from the slot. The former undrafted rookie from South Carolina State has rare size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, but a midseason injury sidelined him. Hopefully he can return for 2024 and compete for more snaps.

Here’s a quick look back at the 13 players who did sign reserve/future contracts with New Orleans:

Once again, the Saints have the easiest strength of schedule going into 2024

Once again, the Saints have the easiest strength of schedule going into 2024. But Dennis Allen’s team has yet to show that matters:

This might sound familiar: the New Orleans Saints are going to enjoy the NFL’s easiest strength of schedule once again in 2024, after having played the weakest slate of opponents in 2023. They’re tied with the division-rival Atlanta Falcons with a 2024 strength of schedule at .453 (131-158). We’ve previewed their full list of opponents here.

But how much does this matter? Saints head coach Dennis Allen couldn’t guide his team to a division title or even a playoff berth despite facing so many bad teams and backup quarterbacks this season. The quality of opponents might not be a big deal when the team is poorly coached and underperforming.

Still, the Saints did finish the 2023 campaign with a winning record (by a single game, admittedly, at 9-8), and internally they’re looking at that as reason for optimism. And frankly they aren’t entirely wrong to do so. Derek Carr finally hit his stride in the final six weeks of the season and led the league’s best scoring offense down the stretch. If the Saints can carry that momentum into 2024 and start strong, maybe it can buoy them to greater success while addressing their weaknesses in the offseason.

Playing in such a vulnerable division helps. All four NFC South teams rank inside the five easiest schedules of 2024. And they’re all mired in mutual mediocrity. Both the Falcons and Carolina Panthers will be introducing new head coaches this year, and it’s still uncertain whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a sure thing at quarterback in Baker Mayfield.

But this projection of an easy schedule might not be what it appears. On top of that, the Saints are going to match up with eight teams who made the playoffs in 2023. They went 1-5 against this year’s playoff teams. And a new head coach can turn a bad organization around in a hurry (just look at what DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud have accomplished with the Houston Texans). New Orleans will kick off with teams led by first-year head coaches in at least seven games in 2024.

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Bears interviewed Seahawks QB coach Greg Olson for offensive coordinator job

The Bears’ search for a new offensive coordinator continued with an interview of Seahawks QB coach Greg Olson.

The Chicago Bears are in the midst of their search for a new offensive coordinator to replace Luke Getsy, who was fired after two seasons.

The Bears interviewed Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach Greg Olson for their OC opening on Friday, according to Michael Silver.

Olson has a wealth of NFL experience dating back to 2001, where he served as quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He even served as quarterbacks coach for the Bears in 2003.

Olson served as the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2018-21 under Jon Gruden. He’s an experienced playcaller that has worked with different quarterbacks throughout his career, and adaptability is key for general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus when making the hire.

Olson is the fourth known candidate that Chicago has looked to for the offensive coordinator vacancy. The Bears’ search has included Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak, University of Kentucky offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Liam Coen and now Olson.

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Giants interview Saints RB coach Joel Thomas for a possible lateral move

The Giants are interviewing Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas for the same position. Approving a lateral move suggests changes are coming for New Orleans:

This is interesting: NFL Network’s Ian Rapport reports that the New York Giants are interviewing Joel Thomas for their open running backs coach job. That’s the same position Thomas has held on staff with the New Orleans Saints, meaning the team has given him permission to seek a lateral move — which suggests changes are on the way on Airline Drive.

Thomas is one of the longest-tenures members of the Saints coaching staff, having held his current post since 2015, and he’s the only position coach that Alvin Kamara has had during his storied career. Moving on from him would be a big shakeup.

But the New Orleans rushing attack has struggled to get going in recent years. As a team, they averaged the second-fewest yards per carry (3.6) in 2023. The Saints ranked 21st in rushing yards per game (102.5) and they didn’t have a single carry gain 20 or more yards by their running backs all season. It’s true that their offensive line hasn’t met expectations, but their running backs haven’t done enough to make a difference, either.

Thomas has drawn attention from other teams before. He interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job last offseason. Before that, he was a candidate to take over as head coach at his Idaho alma mater. He’s a respected coach and this interest from the Giants suggests he’ll land on his feet if the Saints are intending to make a change in the weeks ahead.

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NFL insiders believe Bears will draft Caleb Williams, or other QB, at No. 1

While Justin Fields has made it difficult for the Bears with their QB decision, the belief is Chicago will draft a QB at first overall.

The Chicago Bears have an important decision to make this offseason at quarterback, especially as they own the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. But it’s a decision that won’t have any clarity anytime soon, as Chicago is in the early stages of their draft evaluation.

The assumption by many is the Bears will elect to draft a quarterback with the top pick, most likely USC’s Caleb Williams. But according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Justin Fields has made the decision “very difficult” with his improved performance and the support inside the locker room.

Fowler said the Bears are still in the early stages of draft evaluation, where they’ll do some character studies and deep film work. But an interesting wrinkle is that Williams hasn’t actually declared for the 2024 NFL draft yet.

Williams has 48 hours to decide whether he’s going pro or returning to USC. If Williams does indeed declare for the draft, there are many who believe the Bears would lean Williams — or another quarterback — at first overall.

“I have talked with some people in and around the program that believe they will land on a Caleb Williams or a quarterback at No. 1 but still has to be sorted out,” Fowler said.

General manager Ryan Poles said the team is still in “information gathering mode,” as far as the quarterback position goes. While Poles believes Fields can lead this team, he has to do his due diligence during this draft process.

“We are going to turn every stone to make sure we make a sound decision for our organization,” Poles said. “I do think Justin got better. I do think he can lead this team. At the same time, there’s a unique situation and our staff has to look at everything.”

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60 free agent targets for Bears in wild-card playoffs

Here are some pending free agents the Bears could target from the NFL 2024 wild-card playoffs.

The NFL 2024 postseason begins Saturday with Super Wild Card Weekend, which will feature six games that will span three days. And there are a number of pending free agents on those squads who could find new homes this offseason.

The Bears are slated to have around $50.8 million in salary cap space in 2024, per OverTheCap, which is the eighth most in the NFL. It’ll give GM Ryan Poles plenty to work with as he looks to continue to add to the roster (and perhaps re-sign some in-house free agents).

Here are some pending free agents for Bears fans to keep an eye on this wild card weekend:

Report: Bears to interview Kentucky’s Liam Coen for vacant OC position

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports the Bears are planning to interview University of Kentucky’s Liam Coen for their OC position.

The Chicago Bears are set to interview another candidate for their vacant offensive coordinator position, and it looks like they have zeroed in on a certain type of coach.

On Friday evening, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported the Bears plan to interview University of Kentucky offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Liam Coen for their coordinator position.

Coen has coached various offensive positions since 2010, but has primarily bounced back and forth between Kentucky and the Los Angeles Rams in recent seasons as their offensive coordinator. In 2023, he coordinated a transitioning Kentucky offense that saw quarterback Devin Leary throw for 2,746 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2021, he helped put quarterback Will Levis on the map in his first season as a Wildcat with his 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions during Kentucky’s 10-3 campaign.

In between those stints, Coen spent the 2022 season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator on Sean McVay’s staff during their sluggish Super Bowl hangover, where they were a bottom-five offense in many categories, including dead last in total yards (280.5). He also worked with the Rams from 2018–2019 as the assistant wide receivers coach and in 2020 as the assistant quarterbacks coach.

The 38-year-old is the third coach to surface on the Bears’ radar, joining Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Clint Kubiak. All three coaches hail from the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, providing a glimpse into the type of offense the Bears are looking to run in 2024.

Cowboys to play in Germany in 2024? 1 in 9 shot

After the NFL announced the home teams for the four European games next season, with only one of the team’s being on Dallas’ road schedule. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The NFL has announced the four teams who will serve as hosts in the European version of the 2024 International Series. The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars will “host” games in London, England and the Carolina Panthers will be the “home” team for a game in Munich, Germany next fall.

While Dallas doesn’t haven’t any of the London teams on their schedule next year, they do travel to the Panthers as part of the NFC East and NFC South divisional rotations in 2024. That means they are one of nine opponents which could be selected to travel across the Atlantic to show some NFL diplomacy.

The Cowboys have played in the International Series just once, traveling to London to face the Jaguars, who annually play there. The NFL has yet to announce who the home team will be for the league’s first foray into South America where they will play a game in Brazil in 2024.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been very adamant about not wanting his franchise to lose a home game in order to support the league’s expansion into other markets. However he has noted he has no problem being the big-ticket draw as the visiting club, as long as he doesn’t have to give up any home dates at AT&T Stadium.

The NFL voted to expand the series during the Winter Meetings, and will have nine international games a year starting in 2025. All teams will have to host a game, but that will potentially include Mexico City, the one international destination Jones isn’t adamant in avoiding.

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham passed over for Commanders job

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham was a finalist for the Commanders’ job, which went to 49ers’ Adam Peters.

Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is once again expected to be in high demand this offseason, made evident by the fact that he’s already interviewed for two GM vacancies.

Cunningham was a finalist for the Washington Commanders head of football operations job. But the Commanders have decided to go in another direction, hiring San Francisco 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters, according to multiple media insiders.

So far this offseason, Cunningham has interviewed with the Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers. And according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Cunningham is still in the mix for the Chargers’ vacancy.

Cunningham was a top candidate during last year’s cycle, where he interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans. He was a finalist for the Titans job, which went to Ran Carthon, and reportedly turned down the Cardinals job.

General manager Ryan Poles recently spoke about Cunningham and co-director of player personnel Jeff King garnering interest for GM jobs.

“I’m extremely proud, because part of my own deal is I want to produce as many GMs in this league as possible,” Poles said. “I’m proud of them. But at the same time, those are big shoes to fill.”

What DJ Moore wants Bears to do with No. 1 pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Bears have an important decision to make with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. DJ Moore revealed what he thinks Chicago will do.

The Chicago Bears once again control the NFL draft this year as they hold the first overall pick (thanks to the Carolina Panthers). While the expectation last year was that Chicago was going to trade it, there’s more uncertainty this season.

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore appeared on the St. Brown Brothers’ podcast with 33rd Team, where he revealed what he thinks Chicago will do with the top selection.

“I think we trade back, to be honest,” Moore said.

Equanimeous St. Brown, Moore’s teammate in Chicago, agreed.

“It worked out the first time,” he said.

St. Brown is, of course, referring to to the trade of the first overall pick last year, where the Bears acquired Moore (alongside picks that turned into right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, the No. 1 pick this year and a 2025 second-rounder).

It certainly seems that Moore’s opinion carries a lot of weight within the organization. During his exit interview with head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles, Moore took time to give his feedback about the offense, which he previously alluded to in his postgame presser with the media, calling out Luke Getsy’s playcalling. Getsy was fired on Wednesday.

That’s not to say that Moore is the reason Getsy was fired, but Eberflus and Poles value player input — especially from one of their best leaders in Moore — and use that in a big picture evaluation.

Another topic of discussion that came up during that exit interview? Fields.

There’s been no bigger supporter of Fields than Moore, who had a career year with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns and has been campaigning for his QB to return for weeks. Fields and Moore have been among the NFL’s most lethal duos — and Moore nearly eclipsed 1,400 yards even with Fields missing four games.

While it certainly feels like Chicago could use the first overall pick to draft a rookie quarterback, like Caleb Williams, Poles did admit that he was “open-minded” to trading the top selection for the a second consecutive season.

“What happened last year, I didn’t see … for it to turn out the way that it did,” Poles said of the massive haul, including Moore. “Again, I’ve got to stay open-minded.”