Arizona Cardinals
- WR Aaron Dobson
- P Richie Leone
Atlanta Falcons
- WR Anthony Dable
Carolina Panthers
Jacksonville Jaguars
- S Elijah Shumate
New York Jets
- LS Zach Triner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- G Jarvis Harrison
- WR Derel Walker
Washington Redskins
Controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon will forgo his senior season and enter this year’s NFL draft, he announced Thursday. While Mixon will be one of the most talented rushers available this spring, a slew of teams will keep him off their boards because of his off-field history, tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report.
The reason Mixon’s draft stock is in question stems from a disturbing July 2014 physical altercation that led Oklahoma to redshirt him that season. Mixon was caught on video striking a fellow student, Alicia Molitor, who he claims used a racial slur and spit in his face. As a result, Mixon was placed on probation for one year and ordered to release the video. After making the footage public last month, Mixon’s attorney, Blake Johnson, issued a written apology on his client’s behalf.
“Mr. Mixon asked us to once again say he is sorry for the way he reacted that night. He has apologized publicly to Ms. Molitor, her friends, his family, teammates and the University,” Johnson wrote. “He hopes that his voluntary release of these recordings will help put this matter to rest.”
Mixon, who debuted with the Sooners in 2015, was a highly productive member of their offense in two seasons. The soon-to-be 21-year-old averaged 6.7 yards per carry on 301 attempts and piled up 26 touchdowns (17 rushing, nine receiving). He’s coming off a season in which he ran for 1,274 yards, scored 15 times (10 on the ground, five through the air) and caught 37 passes.
The Saints will have a significantly different coaching staff next year, as the team parted with assistants Joe Vitt (assistant head coach/linebackers), Bill Johnson (defensive line), Greg McMahon (special teams coordinator), Stan Kwan (assistant special teams) and James Willis (assistant linebackers) on Thursday, according to Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). These changes are a sign that head coach Sean Payton isn’t going anywhere, observes Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Vitt is the longest-tenured staff member to go, having served with the club since 2006. He filled in as New Orleans’ interim head coach when the NFL suspended Payton for the entire 2012 season because of the Bountygate scandal.
Let’s check in on more of the latest coaching- and front office-related happenings:
- 49ers: With vacancies at general manager and head coach, the Niners are set to to interview a couple members of the Carolina organization. Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will meet with the 49ers next week, per FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager (Twitter links). Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable will also discuss the 49ers’ head coaching opening with the team next week, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
- Bills: Buffalo still has not submitted an official request to interview Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, per Tim McManus of ESPN.com. There has been follow-through after the initial contact between the two sides, he adds (Twitter link).
- Broncos: Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, whose contract is expiring, is unlikely to return to Denver, reports Marvez. If Dolphins D-coordinator Vance Joseph becomes the Broncos’ head coach, Denver’s defensive backs coach, Joe Woods, would likely succeed Phillips (Twitter links).
- Chargers: Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith interviewed with the Bolts on Thursday, becoming the first candidate to do so, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The aforementioned Sean McDermott will follow him Friday, relays Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. The club has also requested permission to interview Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn, according to Rapoport (Twitter links here).
- Rams: Los Angeles’ previously reported interview with Anthony Lynn will go down on Sunday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
- Redskins: In addition to bouncing defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the Redskins also canned defensive line coach Robb Akey and defensive backs coach Perry Fewell on Thursday, via James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Panthers secondary coach Steve Wilks is a name to watch as the Redskins look for Barry’s successor, Rapoport tweets. Wilks has a history with Josh Norman dating back to their time together in Carolina.
- Bookmark PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker for an up-to-date primer on who’s interviewing where.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
The two games Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory played this season will be his last for a while. The NFL has officially suspended Gregory for one year without pay for violating its substance abuse policy.
The threat of a one-year ban had been hanging over Gregory’s head since he failed a drug test in November. Gregory elected to appeal that failed test, enabling him to take the field during the process, but his hearing with the league this past Tuesday didn’t yield the results he or the Cowboys wanted.
Gregory will now miss the Cowboys’ playoff run, however long it lasts, and all of next season. He’ll have to apply to commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement when the suspension expires. The earliest he’ll be able to do that is Nov. 6, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill, who adds that Gregory won’t have access to the Cowboys’ facilities during his suspension (Twitter links).
This is now the third ban in Gregory’s two-year pro career. Each suspension has come from a substance abuse violation, and the first two forced him to sit out the opening 14 games of the Cowboys’ season in 2016. Cognizant of his issues, Gregory checked into a treatment facility last July, but he still hasn’t been able to overcome his problems. The former Nebraska standout entered the league with drug-related concerns, including a failed test at the 2015 scouting combine, which caused his draft stock to plummet. Gregory had first-round talent, but he fell to Round 2, where the Cowboys nabbed him with the 60th overall pick.
Injuries and suspensions have combined to keep Gregory off the field for 18 of 32 regular-season games since his entrance into the pros. While the 24-year-old hasn’t made a significant impact when he actually has played, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has decided to this point that Gregory’s potential outweighs his baggage.
Gregory amassed his first career sack in a Week 17 loss to the Eagles, but that will be his last notable contribution for the foreseeable future.
The Eagles denied the Jets permission to interview their quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for their offensive coordinator vacancy, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Teams are not required to allow position coaches to interview for coordinator gigs and the Eagles exercised their right to block the Jets’ inquiry on DeFilippo, even though it is a clear promotion. 
DeFilippo was not the only candidate on the Jets’ list, but he was certainly amongst the early favorites to land the job. The Jets have also been linked to former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy and today’s development could push them further in that direction.
I would speculate that the Eagles are shielding DeFilippo in the event that current offensive coordinator Frank Reich leaves for a head coaching gig. Already, Reich has been connected to the Bills job and there could be more interest coming down the pike. I would also imagine that the Eagles are giving DeFilippo a pay bump to avoid any discontent in 2017.
DC Joe Barry is out in D.C. The Redskins are firing their defensive coordinator along with the rest of their defensive staff, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. 
Barry has had only two years in Washington, but in that time the Redskins have finished near the bottom of the league in yards allowed. Prior to joining the Redskins in 2015, Barry’s only previous experience as a DC came with the Lions in 2007 and 2008. With Detroit, his defenses finished dead last in yards allowed. In between the two jobs, he had stints as a linebackers coach for the Buccaneers, USC, and the Chargers.
Two years ago, head coach Jay Gruden chose Barry over Wade Phillips. Now that the Broncos and Phillips could be parting ways, Gruden could take this opportunity to reverse that decision. Whether it’s Phillips or someone else, the next DC will have intriguing pieces to work with, including cornerback Josh Norman, linebacker Mason Foster, and utility man Su’a Cravens.
Tyrod Taylor is having sports hernia surgery today and his medical situation could complicate things for Buffalo this offseason. It seems unlikely that the Bills will want to move ahead with Taylor’s contract, which would call for $27.5MM in salary for 2017. However, if the Bills cut him while he’s injured, the union would argue that he’s entitled to his pay for next season, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. 
The Bills must wait until Taylor is healthy before cutting him and it’s not a given if he’ll be healthy by March 12th, when his $15.5MM option bonus is due (link). Once that option bonus is paid, Taylor’s $12MM base salary also becomes fully guaranteed. All in all, that adds up to $27.5MM for a quarterback that Doug Whaley & Co. do not necessarily want.
We don’t know for sure that the Bills will decline their pricey option on Taylor, but all signs have been pointing to a divorce for the last month or so. The ouster of Rex Ryan, Taylor’s biggest advocate, was the first indication that there would be a shakeup under center. Shortly after Ryan’s firing, Whaley favorite EJ Manuel was named as the team’s starter for Week 17. Then, this morning, the team released an oddly-phrased statement regarding Taylor’s operation that seemed to point at some major discord between the two sides [emphasis ours]:
“Taylor had a consultation visit yesterday with Dr. William Meyers and elected to have surgery this morning,” the statement read. “The Bills were informed late yesterday of this morning’s procedure.”
Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor is going pro. In an essay for The Players’ Tribune, the player known as “Teez” explained why he’s leaving Coral Gables for the NFL. 
[RELATED: Draft Rumors: Kaaya, Watt, Conley, Thomas]
“It’s an exciting time for me,” Tabor wrote. “I’ve decided to do what’s best for me and my family by continuing to pursue my dreams. But I’m not saying goodbye. I’m saying see you later. Hopefully I’ll make y’all proud and show how my passion for this game continues to shine through.”
Tabor now figures to be one of the best cornerbacks in this year’s class. Many have Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore ranked as the top CB, but Tabor could be the next one to come off the board and he could hear his name called in the first round. If that’s the case, that will give Florida two cornerbacks go in the first round in back-to-back years after Vernon Hargreaves was selected No. 11 overall in 2016. Fellow Florida corner Quincy Wilson also figures to go early on in the process, though he might be more of a second or third round prospect.
As shown in PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has already been linked to a number of jobs. However, we may need to pump the brakes on one potential gig. Joseph told reporters today that he has not talked to the Broncos during this cycle (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s James Walker). 
[RELATED: PFR’s 2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Here’s what we do know: the Bills, Rams, Chargers, and 49ers have all requested interviews with Joseph. The Broncos did interview Joseph two years ago before hiring Gary Kubiak, but they have yet to loop him into the discussion this time around. Recently, Broncos GM John Elway said there are three or four candidates the team is “excited about,” but it’s not clear whether Joseph is a part of that exclusive group.
So far, Denver has booked interviews with Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, and Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn.
Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out for this week’s game, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). In his place, Matt Moore will get the start. 
This week, coach Adam Gase said that the team would only have to get Tannehill on the field for one practice session in order for him to start, at the same time, he admitted they were running out of time to make that happen. Today’s news was somewhat expected for Miami, but it’s still disappointing. This year, Tannehill bounced back from a slow start and performed like a top ten quarterback once he got into a rhythm. In his 13 games this season, Tannehill completed a career-high 67.1% of his passes with 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He finished out the year as Pro Football Focus’ No. 13 ranked QB, several spots ahead of Sunday’s opposing signal caller, Ben Roethlisberger.
Moore, 32, has 28 regular season starts on his resume. In his five games and three starts this year, he has completed 55 of 87 passes (63.2%) with eight touchdowns against three interceptions.