Saints offensive coordinator search: Who’s interviewed twice, who’s off the board

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator search: Who has interviewed twice, who is off the board, and who is still available?

There isn’t a more important question for the New Orleans Saints to answer right now than this: “Who is calling plays in 2024?”

For the first time in more than a decade, the Saints are searching for a new offensive coordinator — and one who will be calling plays, not just helping Sean Payton design the game plan each week. Getting the most out of cornerstone players like Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, and Taysom Hill while curing what ails the offensive line is critical.

It’s no exaggeration to say this is the most important hire that Dennis Allen will make as head coach. If he gets this wrong and the Saints offense starts out on a cripplingly slow pace again, it’ll be curtains for him. He needs to find the right coach who can carry Carr’s positive momentum over into 2024 while reviving one of the NFL’s least-creative rushing attacks. That’s no small task.

And names keep getting added to the search as the Saints interview more and more candidates. We’ll keep this list updated and check in on who is still available, who has gotten a second interview with New Orleans, and who has been taken off the board by other teams:

USC adds transfer receiver from Division III program

A different path of sorts…

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we certainly like to keep a watchful eye on the happenings around Notre Dame’s biggest rival, USC.

On Tuesday, Lincoln Riley and the Trojans dipped into the transfer portal and added a wide receiver. Not just any wide receiver though; this one was from the Division III ranks.

Jaden Richardson stands 6 feet, 2 inches and weighs 210 pounds, and announced his intent to transfer to Southern Cal. He is coming off a year in which he produced 13 touchdowns and 830 receiving yards.

Richardson is a California native, albeit the northern part of the state. He had committed to Cal roughly two weeks ago before making his change of plans known on Tuesday.

Notre Dame will travel to Los Angeles to take on USC and Richardson in the 2024 regular-season finale.

Find out everything happening with USC by checking out the work of our colleagues at Trojans Wire.

Wisconsin Badgers 2024 transfer portal tracker

Wisconsin Badgers 2024 transfer portal tracker

Transfer portal activity is buzzing both in Madison, Wisconsin and across the country. Luke Fickell and other coaches across the sport are hot on the recruiting trail as they look to both lock up the 2024 high school class and also improve the team in the portal entering next season.

For Wisconsin, the team needs that improvement. A 7-5 2023 regular season was a large disappointment, and the 2024 schedule is only getting tougher with contests against Alabama, USC, Penn State and Oregon added to the normal Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa trio.

The Badgers have been active in the portal thus far, already with a new quarterback and several new defenders.

Here is our always-running 2024 Wisconsin Transfer Portal Tracker:

Cowboys, NFL 2023 Trade Deadline Tracker

A look at the trades that will impact Dallas, even if the Cowboys stand pat at the 2023 deadline. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t expected to make any major moves on Tuesday, as the NFL’s trade window for the 2023 comes to a close. Teams have until 4:00 p.m. eastern to lock in their rosters for the remainder of the season. Players can be moved around, from team to team, for compensation in an effort to either boost their chances for a championship or to offload salary and gain draft compensation.

Whether or not Dallas makes a move, the moves that happen Tuesday will likely impact their chances as their contenders make moves to improve and potentially future opponents become stronger or weaker. We’ll keep track of it all right here as chess pieces move around the board that is the NFL.

We’ll start things off with a list of moves that have already taken place since the start of the 2023 season.

Tracking Packers practice squad additions to start 2023

The Packers can start signing players to the practice squad on Wednesday. Follow along as we track the signings.

The Green Bay Packers can start signing players to the practice squad after the waiver period ends on Wednesday. All NFL teams can carry 16 players on the practice squad during the 2023 season.

The Packers released 32 players on Tuesday, but many will return to Green Bay on the practice squad to start 2023. Once the practice squad is filled, a 53-man initial roster will turn into a complete 69-player team for Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur.

Follow along as Packers Wire tracks all the additions made to the practice squad on Wednesday:

Patriots roster cuts: Tracking the path to 53 players

Tracking all of the Patriots’ roster cuts.

It’s one of the toughest times of the year for NFL teams to cut their 90-man rosters down to 53 players by Tuesday’s deadline. That means New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is going to have to make some hard decisions, and he won’t have long to make them.

NFL teams must have their rosters in compliance by 4 pm. ET.

The Patriots got a head start over the weekend by making multiple roster cuts after the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans. Perhaps the biggest question marks involve the fates of rookies Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Malik Cunningham.

Given Belichick’s history, we are likely due a surprise or two with the final roster. Here’s every player that has reportedly been cut by the Patriots so far.

Green Bay Packers roster cuts: Tracking the path to 53 players in 2023

Tracking the cuts as the Green Bay Packers trim the roster down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur will use the information and evaluations gained from a full training camp and three preseason games to help guide the difficult decisions necessary to trim the team’s roster to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline.

While a couple dozen players will be released over the next two days, many will return on the team’s 16-player practice squad. After the waiver period expires on Wednesday, the Packers can start building out the practice squad.

Packers Wire will track all the cuts made to get down to 53 players by Tuesday here:

Cuts by position

QB: Alex McGough
RB: Lew Nichols, Nate McCrary, Patrick Taylor, Tyler Goodson
WR: Cody Chrest, Duece Watts, Dre Miller, Jadakis Bonds, Bo Melton, Grant DuBose
TE: Austin Allen, Henry Pearson
OL: Cole Schneider, Jean Delance, Kadeem Telfort, James Empey

DL: Jason Lewan, Chris Slayton, Antonio Moultrie
OLB: Keshawn Banks, Arron Mosby, Kenneth Odumegwu
LB: Jimmy Phillips, Marvin Pierre
CB: Kiondre Thomas, Shemar Jean-Charles, Innis Gaines, Tyrell Ford, William Hooper, Corey Ballentine, Elijah Hamilton
S: Benny Sapp, Tarvarius Moore

K:
P: Pat O’Donnell
LS: Matt Orzech (expected to be re-signed), Broughton Hatcher

PUP: Eric Stokes

News and highlights from Day 1 of Packers’ joint practices with Patriots

Tracking all the news and highlights from the Packers’ joint practice with the Patriots on Wednesday.

The Green Bay Packers will welcome Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots to Ray Nitschke Field for a pair of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. The two-day event kicks off Wednesday with a practice starting at 10:30 a.m. in Green Bay.

The joint practice will provide an incredible evaluation of where Matt LaFleur’s team stands entering the second preseason week.

Packers Wire will track all the news and highlights from Wednesday’s joint practice, including LaFleur’s pre-practice press conference.

Patriots 2023 schedule leaks tracker: What we know so far

Here’s what we know so far about the Patriots’ 2023 schedule.

One of the most exciting days of the year is finally upon us with the NFL schedule slated to be released on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

For the New England Patriots, it means it’ll be an opportunity to see the actual roadmap for their 2023 season. The team has missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, and the hope is that they can finally get back on track with all of the changes they’ve made over the last several months.

One of the biggest changes was bringing Bill O’Brien back as offensive coordinator, along with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. The team also made several key additions through free agency, including signing wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight end Mike Gesicki and running back James Robinson.

That doesn’t even include the 12 rookies they selected at the 2023 NFL draft in late April. Only time will tell if it’s enough to actually win games on the football field.

Here’s what we know about the Patriots’ 2023 schedule so far:

Chiefs 2023 schedule news tracker

We’ll be keeping track of all of the latest #Chiefs schedule news here throughout the week:

The 2023 NFL schedule is slated to be released in its entirety on the evening of Thursday, May 11.

With the NFL once again turning its schedule reveal into a week-long spectacle, we’re going to be keeping track of all the news and reports coming out prior to the big reveal. Beginning on Wednesday, May 10, various NFL broadcast partners will be revealing select games from the schedule. We don’t know the exact times of those releases, but we do know where and on what date they’re coming:

International Games – May 10 on NFL Network and ESPN

Black Friday Game – May 10 via Amazon

Select individual games – May 10 on Fox & Friends and CBS Mornings

Select individual games – May 11 on Today Show and Good Morning America

Chiefs Wire will round up all the legitimate schedule news and rumors down below ahead of the official release. Check back frequently for updates throughout the next two days: