HEADLINES

Month: March 2025

Tee Higgins Open To Staying With Bengals, Views Himself As No. 1 WR

February 11th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Joe Burrow continues to turn up the heat on the Bengals regarding Tee Higgins, the team’s longtime No. 2 wide receiver is viewed as more likely than not to hit the market next month. He will be a top-tier free agent if/when that happens.

Higgins has spoken fondly of Cincinnati, despite his Bengals partnership not including real negotiations since early during the 2023 offseason, and continues to do so. But the five-year veteran’s most recent statement points continue to point toward an exit.

“Obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy, but it’s not in my hands right now,” Higgins said, via FOX19’s Joe Danneman. “So, I’ve got to do what I need to do. If that’s go to another team, then that’s what happens.

“I love it here; I love the city; I love the fans; I love the coaching staff, everything in the building. But, it’s not in my control.”

If the Bengals do not re-tag Higgins — at $26.82MM — staying with the team would be in his control. Though, the market is expected to escalate beyond the Bengals’ rumored comfort zone. De facto Bengals GM Duke Tobin said recently the team would be interested in retaining Higgins at the “right number.” Based on where the franchise is with Ja’Marr Chase and the trajectory of the Higgins (non)-negotiations, it is safe to assume that number is south of what Higgins could fetch in free agency.

Despite Higgins having missed five games in consecutive seasons, bidding is expected to land around $30MM per year. With last year’s free agency dominoes helping Calvin Ridley secure $23MM AAV as the top unattached receiver, it may have been beneficial for Higgins to have been tagged when he was. Higgins, 26, was coming off a down 2023 season (career-low 656 receiving yards); the WR market also did not reside where it does today. At the time the 2024 league year began, Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-per-year Dolphins contract still led the way at receiver. Now, six wideouts are tied to $30MM-AAV deals. Higgins could soon be No. 7.

The Clemson alum said (via Danneman) he views himself as a No. 1 wideout. That title is not available in Cincinnati, which has placed a higher priority on extending its top target. The price of a Chase re-up almost definitely climbed after the four-year veteran’s triple crown season. A franchise not known for lofty guarantees beyond quarterback will likely need to go well outside its comfort zone to ensure Chase stays on a second contract. These proceedings certainly may drag into the summer; by then, Higgins could be long gone.

Last year’s extension run ended with the Eagles and Dolphins showing that carrying two high-end WR deals along with a franchise-QB salary is doable. Planning a Super Bowl blueprint, Philly re-upped A.J. Brown at $32MM per year and then circled back to DeVonta Smith at $25MM per annum. The Dolphins paid Waddle ($28.25MM AAV) and then authorized a significant guarantee bump on Hill’s $30MM-per-year pact. The Eagles, who also found money for Saquon Barkley (3/37.75), have been far more innovative in terms of contract structure compared to the Bengals. It would take some creativity for Cincinnati to find room for Higgins and have Chase on a WR-record accord.

Burrow has said he would restructure his contract to help the team afford Higgins, whom he has pushed the organization to re-sign for months. This is not exactly a sacrifice, as Burrow’s contract value would not be affected; rather, his payment schedule would change as a result of a restructure. The Bengals are not big on restructures, however, and the team may need to apply a second tag to ensure Higgins stays. Hitting the market when the legal tampering period starts March 10 would trigger a frenzy, as the Patriots will be one of many teams in pursuit.

Burrow’s cap number is set to check in at $46.25MM — $17MM north of its 2024 place — as the higher figures from his 2023 extension kick in. Absent a Burrow restructure, the team is expected to hold more than $46MM in cap space. If the Bengals do not reshuffle Burrow’s deal in an effort to re-tag Higgins and keep him off the market, a difficult conversation between the superstar QB and management will likely take place.

Ex-Texans OC Bobby Slowik Joins Dolphins

February 11th, 2025 at 10:11pm CST by Ely Allen

It didn’t take too long for Bobby Slowik to find another job in the NFL. About two and a half weeks after being fired by the Texans, the former coordinator will rebound by reuniting with his old boss from San Francisco. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Slowik will join the Dolphins as senior passing game coordinator.

Slowik worked alongside Miami head coach Mike McDaniel when the two were in San Francisco together from 2017 to 2021. McDaniel started in 2017 as the run game coordinator before spending that final season as offensive coordinator. Slowik began with the Niners as a defensive quality control coach before becoming an offensive assistant in 2019 and getting promoted to offensive pass game specialist in 2021. When McDaniel left for Miami in 2022, Slowik was named offensive passing game coordinator. The next year, Slowik followed DeMeco Ryans to Houston for his first offensive coordinator job.

During his first year as a coordinator and play-caller, Slowik oversaw an offense which posted middling numbers in terms of both yards and points. The Texans’ ground game left plenty to be desired, but a superb rookie campaign from quarterback C.J. Stroud helped lead the team to the divisional round of the playoffs. Slowik was among the hottest head coaching candidates during last year’s cycle as a result.

This past campaign saw a regression from his unit; Houston was marginally better on the ground with running back Joe Mixon leading the way, but a major drop-off in passing efficiency led to questions about the Texans’ postseason chances at the onset of the playoffs. While the team managed a home upset against the Chargers, it was, once again, eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Following their elimination from the postseason, Slowik didn’t garner nearly the same head coaching interest as he did last year, though he did log an interview with the Jets. The young coach’s momentum, in fact, took a U-turn with Houston relieving him of his duties. He’ll now start working towards a second coordinator opportunity through his work with the Dolphins.

The “senior” in Slowik’s new title is doing a bit of work, as Miami already has a passing game coordinator in quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell. According to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, Bevell’s title, one he’s held since 2022, will not change with the arrival of Slowik. Bevell, 55, will continue to serve as quarterbacks coach & passing game coordinator, while Slowik, 37, will serve as senior passing game coordinator.

Raiders Finalize 2025 Coaching Staff

February 11th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The Raiders reeled in the short leash allowed to interim head coach turned official head coach Antonio Pierce after only one season and have turned to former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to right the ship in Las Vegas. Two and a half weeks after the hiring of the veteran head coach, the Raiders have finalized the coaching staff they will carry into the 2025 NFL season. Though we were already aware of many of these signings, there were some breaking updates, as well.

For instance, we were already aware of the hiring of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, and run game coordinator/offensive line coach (and son of the head coach) Brennan Carroll.

To fill out the position coaches, we learned that tight ends coach Luke Steckel would be retained from the previous staff and that Deland McCullough has been hired as running backs coach. A longtime assistant with the Titans, Steckel has worked with multiple positions, though tight ends coach has been his only title lacking the word “assistant.” Last season was his first in role for the Raiders, and the result was tight end Brock Bowers setting NFL records for receptions in a rookie season (112) and receiving yards in a rookie season by a tight end (1,194). McCullough returns to the NFL after time with Indiana and Notre Dame. He previously coached running backs in Kansas City from 2018-20.

All of the assistant hirings were new information. Nate Carroll, the younger of the head coach’s two sons on staff, will join as assistant quarterbacks coach after not being retained as passing game coordinator in Carolina. After getting fired as offensive line coach of the Browns, Andy Dickerson will serve as assistant offensive line coach in Vegas. Former Patriots tight ends coach Bob Bicknell will join as a senior offensive assistant after not being retained in New England. Joining him as a senior offensive assistant will be Joe Philbin, who was retained after serving as the team’s interim offensive line coach last year. New offensive assistant Sean Binckes will be making his NFL coaching debut after two years as an offensive graduate assistant at Ohio State. Lastly, former Seahawks offensive lineman Kyle Fuller will join Carroll’s staff as an offensive quality control coach.

On defense, we were already aware of the retention of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, as well as the retention and added title of run game coordinator/defensive line coach Rob Leonard and the hiring of linebackers coach John Glenn. We also were made aware of the hiring of Joe Woods as defensive pass game coordinator, but now we see defensive backs have been added to his title, as well. This is not to be confused with the hiring of new defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who has held the same role in the past with the Raiders (2015-16), Broncos (2017-18), Cardinals (2019-22), and Saints (2023-24).

All of the assistants on defense were breaking reports, as well. Assisting Leonard on the defensive line will be Kenyon Jackson, who served in the same assistant defensive line position for the Texans last year. Ty McKenzie has been hired as defensive assistant/linebackers coach. McKenzie was an inside linebackers coach for the Titans (2018-19), a linebackers coach for the Lions (2020), and an outside linebackers coach for the Dolphins (2022) in the past but spent last year as a defensive analyst at the University of North Carolina. New defensive assistant Rip Rowan will be making his NFL coaching debut after spending the last three seasons as defensive line coach at Georgia Southern. Lastly, Beyah Rasool will be the team’s new defensive quality control coach, making his NFL coaching debut after time with multiple universities including, most recently, Florida.

On special teams, we already were aware that veteran special teams coordinator Tom McMahon was being retained, and now we know that both special teams assistant Derius Swinton II and quality control/special teams coach Kade Rannings have been retained in their same roles, as well. Additionally, we knew that former Seattle vice president of coaching operations Matt Capurro would be reuniting with Carroll, but we didn’t know in what capacity. We now know he’ll hold a very similar role as senior vice president of coaching operations in Las Vegas.

There we have it: the 2025 Raiders coaching staff. The top-10 scoring defense retains its leader, albeit with a bit of a different supporting cast, while the offense has been completely revamped, aside from the mentor of the phenom tight end. We’ve seen Carroll build a team into a winner in Seattle, and now we’ll see if he can do the same with a team that has the second-worst cumulative record (119-205) over the last 20 years.

Alex Singleton Expects To Be Ready By Training Camp; Sean Payton Addresses Broncos’ Skill-Position Needs

February 11th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although more offseason staff exits came on offense and in their front office, the Broncos boasted one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2024. After a woeful start to Vance Joseph‘s second tenure overseeing this unit, Denver rebounded despite losing perennial All-Pro Justin Simmons.

The Broncos managed a third-place defensive ranking despite losing their top linebacker in Week 3. Alex Singleton sustained an ACL tear, causing the team to move special-teamer Justin Strnad into a regular role alongside Cody Barton. As Barton is one of the few free agents of consequence in Denver, the team has Singleton under contract for one more season.

[RELATED: Courtland Sutton Extension Talks On Broncos’ Radar]

Singleton, who totaled 163 tackles in 2022 and 177 in ’23, is tied to a three-year deal worth $18MM. The Broncos let Josey Jewell walk in free agency partially because it had Singleton on a midlevel pact, and while the 31-year-old veteran could conceivably be a cut candidate ($5.9MM in cap savings) following his injury, the team is thin at this position. Strnad is also an impending free agent. As of now, Singleton is due back to help on the Broncos’ defensive second level.

It does not sound like Singleton will be ready for OTAs or minicamp, but the former CFL import and Eagles starter fully expects to be ready well before the season starts. He referenced (via 9News’ Mike Klis) the nine-month mark, common in ACL recoveries, as a return window. It would not make too much sense for Singleton to push it in order for full minicamp participation; the near-two-month break following offseason workouts would provide a nice window to ramp up to full speed.

The Broncos will need to make moves at their other linebacker spot, and they are fully expected to address their skill-position areas. Bo Nix finished the season with the second-most touchdown passes (29) by a rookie, but he was largely targeting a skill-position cadre dependent on Courtland Sutton. Although, Marvin Mims‘ late-season emergence could provide a sign where the Broncos will allocate their top resources this offseason.

Asked by Kay Adams about a potential Broncos wide receiver need, Sean Payton praised his young array of Sutton sidekicks while highlighting the need for an inside playmaker.

“I’d say we need a joker,” Payton said during his appearance on Up & Adams. “Now, a joker can be a tight end or a running back. We were spoiled [in New Orleans]. You had Reggie [Bush], you had Jimmy Graham, Jeremy Shockey, Darren Sproles, Alvin Kamara; those are interior, they have to be elite receivers that play tight end or running back.”

Payton said the Broncos are stronger at receiver “than some would think.” While it would be safe to assume Denver will look into adding another option to play alongside Sutton and Mims, the former is going into his age-30 season and the latter has yet to establish himself as a consistent receiving option. That said, Denver did use fourth- and seventh-round picks on Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele last year. Both played auxiliary roles in Nix’s rookie season, respectively totaling 263 and 475 receiving yards as rookies.

Not expected to re-sign Javonte Williams, the Broncos have already been connected to addressing their RB spot. Bush, Sproles and Kamara types are not especially easy to find. Though, Aaron Jones is a free agent option who has been connected to Denver. The Broncos cut 2022 third-round pick Greg Dulcich, whom Payton had previously hoped could be his joker-type playmaker, last season and have received little from their TE post over the past two years.

Receiving tight ends are even harder to come by, and the Broncos do not seem likely to see top TE prospect Tyler Warren (Penn State) fall to No. 20. Michigan’s Colston Loveland is riding back-to-back seasons of at least 575 receiving yards; NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Loveland as his No. 7 overall prospect (two spots behind Warren). LSU’s Mason Taylor, who accumulated 546 receiving yards last season, checks in as Jeremiah’s No. 34 overall prospect, with Miami’s Elijah Arroyo (590 yards in 2024) slotted 49th. As far as veterans go, Zach Ertz, Mike Gesicki, Tyler Conklin and ex-Saint Juwan Johnson lead an unremarkable free agent class.

Bills To Hire Chris Tabor As ST Coordinator

February 11th, 2025 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills fired special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley on Super Bowl Sunday; they had a replacement in mind. They are bringing in Chris Tabor, who spent this past season out of football.

The former Panthers interim HC is signing on to be the Bills’ ST coordinator, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Tabor, 53, has been an NFL staffer since 2008. He climbed to that interim role once Carolina fired Frank Reich, and while the Panthers interviewed him for the full-time post, he was never a likely candidate.

Tabor, however, has coached special teams throughout his pro career. This includes stays as the Panthers, Bears and Browns’ ST boss. Smiley had been in place as Buffalo’s STC for the past three years and had been with the team since Sean McDermott‘s 2017 debut. As such, this will mark a major change for the Bills’ staff.

A Kansas City-area native, Tabor has not overlapped with McDermott previously. The Panthers-to-Bills pipeline has effectively dried up, as McDermott and GM Brandon Beane have been in Buffalo now for eight years. But Tabor brings considerable expertise to this post. He has coached since 1993, moving from high school to college to the pros, and had the Panthers’ special teams operating at a high level during his final full season as their ST boss. Veteran writer Rick Gosselin had the Panthers’ special teams ranked fourth in 2022. Carolina dropped to 23rd on Gosselin’s chart in 2023.

Tabor coached both Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs, overseeing the latter’s work for two years as Cleveland’s ST coordinator, and will work on overseeing a Bills team that allowed a blocked-punt touchdown and a kick-return score in 2024. Buffalo also ranked 28th in yards allowed per kick return last season. Tabor interviewed for the 49ers’ ST coordinator job last month. The Panthers had blocked Tabor from meeting with the Giants, only to not retain him on Dave Canales‘ staff, but the experienced assistant has secured another opportunity a year later.

Kevin Patullo On Eagles, Saints’ OC Radars

February 11th, 2025 at 2:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Even as Kellen Moore‘s stock climbed after Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles‘ OC did not opt to join the handful of coaches in rejecting the Saints to hold out for a potentially better job down the road. Moore is officially in place as the New Orleans HC, and he will now get to work on building a staff.

One of the names expected to be in play may soon have a decision to make. Both the Eagles and Saints are expected to show “strong” interest in Kevin Patullo for OC, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Patullo works as Philadelphia’s pass-game coordinator, making him a natural fit to climb into Moore’s role or follow him to New Orleans for the same role.

The Eagles did not have success when they last promoted from within at OC, firing Brian Johnson after one season on the job. Like Johnson, Patullo arrived on Nick Sirianni‘s staff during the HC’s first offseason in charge (2021). He was mentioned as a candidate to replace Shane Steichen two years ago, but the Eagles did not promote Patullo over Johnson. Patullo, 43, also met with the Jets that offseason. That marks his lone coordinator interview to date. More appear likely to come soon.

Unlike Johnson, Patullo has been an NFL staffer for many years. He previously coached Jets QBs and Colts wide receivers, also enjoying stints with the Chiefs, Bills and Titans since 2007. The Eagles bumped him up to associate HC upon losing Steichen. After Moore led the charge to revitalize Philly’s offense, Patullo clearly played a big role in assisting him — to the point a one-and-done Eagles staffer looks to have hopes of bringing him along.

An offer from the Eagles would seemingly be more intriguing than one from Moore, however, as the Super Bowl champions once again need a new play-caller. Sirianni has not called plays since early during his first season as HC, which would open the door to Patullo taking a major step forward. A play-calling gig on an offense housing Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith would stand to rocket Patullo onto the HC carousel in 2026, depending on how the team’s title defense goes. Bigger questions loom in New Orleans, which will have Moore calling plays. Both teams must satisfy the Rooney Rule, which mandates one external minority interview in-person for the gig.

Additionally, the Saints will be starting on filling out a staff much later than the other six HC-needy teams this offseason. Waiting until after the Super Bowl to make their hire, the Saints are behind on the coordinator carousels. Brandon Staley is in the mix for DC. Moore worked under Staley in 2023 with the Chargers, which would make for an interesting arrangement should a reunion come to pass. Moore oversaw Patullo for one season as well, with most of the new Saints HC’s contacts coming from the Cowboys, who employed him as OC for four seasons.

Chiefs Expecting RG Trey Smith To Depart In Free Agency

February 11th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

From an offensive line perspective, the Chiefs‘ Super Bowl letdown was particularly interesting. The team rolled out a quintet housing two first-team All-Pros (center Creed Humphrey, left guard-turned-left tackle Joe Thuney) and saw Trey Smith secure his first Pro Bowl accolade. Yet, the Eagles still teed off on Patrick Mahomes to remind of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV rampage.

Kansas City both built a formidable interior trio but saw its shaky tackle plan unravel at the worst time. Unlike in Super Bowl LV, when the AFC superpower played without injured starters Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, the Chiefs had their tackles healthy. They just could not hold up, with RT Jawaan Taylor continuing to struggle and the non-Thuney LT options — Wanya Morris, second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia and in-season free agency addition D.J. Humphries — deemed less acceptable compared to kicking an All-Pro guard outside.

As the Chiefs will need a better answer at left tackle in 2025, they are bracing for their top in-house free agent to leave. Kansas City is expected to lose Smith once the market opens, according to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. Despite the Chiefs showing interest in retaining Smith at the season’s outset, his situation has trended this way for a bit.

This will break up the interior trio the Chiefs built weeks after their Super Bowl LV blowout loss, as Thuney, Humphrey and Smith began playing together — to key a successful O-line turnaround following the rough Tampa night — in 2021. With Humphrey extended and Thuney signed for one more season, Smith appears the odd man out.

The Chiefs could make a last-ditch move to ensure Smith stays by using the franchise tag on the former sixth-round find, but guards are rarely tagged. The tag formula still classifies all offensive linemen under one umbrella, meaning top centers and guards would see the same tag number as tackles. Tackle salaries thus balloon guard tag figures, paving top interior blockers’ paths to the market. There have been a couple of exceptions in recent years, with Thuney — via a 2020 Patriots tag — being one of them. Washington also cuffed Brandon Scherff for two years. But the Chiefs have other issues to address. They appear to be willing to stomach losing an impact RG talent as a result.

Kansas City already cut into one of its strengths by kicking Thuney to LT. That move had stabilized the Chiefs’ line for a stretch, but the Eagles exposed the plan on the biggest stage. The three-time reigning AFC champions already gave Humphrey a monster center extension that checks in on its own tier (four years, $72MM) at that position, and Thuney is tied to a $26.97MM cap number in a contract year. The Chiefs could look into a Thuney extension to bring that down, but the ex-Patriots draftee is also now 32. Smith is 25, which will make his expected departure sting.

As the Chiefs could look into the likes of Ronnie Stanley and Cam Robinson to help stabilize their tackle spots, they still have Taylor on the books for a guaranteed $20MM. By keeping Taylor on the roster in March 2024, the Chiefs saw the struggling RT’s 2025 base salary and $500K workout bonus lock in.

This money and the Humphrey and Thuney deals stand to limit the Chiefs up front, though one anonymous GM adds (via La Canfora) the team will likely show interest in Stanley and Robinson. Stanley is coming off his healthiest season since 2019, and that certainly would stand to make him more than a mere stopgap. The Vikings have Christian Darrisaw coming back after a season-ending injury, which would stand to point their emergency fill-in — Robinson — to the market.

The Bears have been linked to Smith, and multiple execs identified (via La Canfora) the Titans as a possible destination. Tennessee already dived into the veteran interior market last year, by signing center Lloyd Cushenberry, and used a first-round pick on left guard Peter Skoronski. The Titans still have a need at RG. A Tennessee alum, Smith should be expected to become the NFL’s fifth $20MM-per-year guard if/when he hits free agency. Pro Football Focus has graded him as a top-15 option at the position in each of his four seasons, which will make a Chiefs replacement task difficult.

Jaguars To Conduct GM Interview With Terrance Gray; Internal Candidates In Play?

February 11th, 2025 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The list of candidates for the Jaguars’ general manager position continues to grow. As the team searches for Trent Baalke‘s replacement, internal and external staffers are receiving consideration.

Jacksonville will interview Bills vice president of player personnel Terrance Gray this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The summit will take place tomorrow, per Bovada’s Josina Anderson. This will mark the second time Gray has met with an interested team for a GM gig this year. He was a finalist for the Titans’ position before they ultimately tapped Mike Borgonzi for the job.

This is the only GM search remaining, and eight confirmed candidates are in play. Though, more may be on the horizon. Around 10 candidates are believed to be in play, per Rapoport, even though the full list is not yet known. At least one of them is an internal staffer, however. That exec’s name has yet to surface. Interim GM Ethan Waugh remains with the franchise and is playing a key role, albeit as a secondary decision-maker to new HC Liam Coen, during this process.

One of Waugh’s former 49ers coworkers, Josh Williams, will go through with his GM interview Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The San Francisco scouting director is an interesting candidate, as he worked under Baalke with the NFC West club. Baalke hired Williams during his 49ers GM tenure, and he overlapped with Waugh for several years.

The Jags are set to conduct their first round of interviews over Zoom this week, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, and they are aiming to have a GM in place by the time the Combine begins. The annual Indianapolis-based scouting event is set to start Feb. 24, with position drills beginning on the 27th.

As for Gray, he has been on the GM interview circuit for a bit. In addition to his Titans meetings, the veteran Bills exec met with the Chargers and Raiders last year. He was among the execs to decline a Patriots interview, as a few minority staffers correctly assumed the meetings were to check a Rooney Rule box in order to officially promote Eliot Wolf. Gray has been with the Bills since the first Sean McDermott-Brandon Beane offseason (2017) and has held his current title since 2022.

With Buffalo having won five straight AFC East titles and qualified for the playoffs in seven of the eight seasons since the top duo’s arrival, it makes sense teams continue to look into their staffers. Gray is set to make his case for another AFC team. Via PFR’s GM Search Tracker, is how this process looks as interviews begin:

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Patriots Re-Sign DT Jeremiah Pharms

February 11th, 2025 at 10:08am CST by Adam La Rose

Jeremiah Pharms was on track for exclusive rights restricted free agency this offseason. Instead, he will be remaining with the Patriots.

The former undrafted defensive lineman has agreed to a two-year deal with New England, his agency announced. ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes the pact is expected to included a $100K signing bonus and $250K in overall guarantees. If he remains on the roster through next season, restricted free agency in 2026 will be avoided.

Pharms signed to the Patriots’ practice squad following roster cutdowns in 2022. He did not see any playing time that season, but he remained in the organization via a futures contract. The 28-year-old wound up making 12 appearances in 2023, handling rotational duties along the D-line. This past season, Pharms took on a much larger role.

With Christian Barmore being limited to four games in 2024, plenty of opportunities existed for players further down the depth chart to see playing time in New England. That allowed Pharms to log a 40% snap share, and his increased workload resulted in a spike in production (33 tackles, two sacks, five quarterback hits). He could again find himself handling a notable part-time defensive role with the Patriots next season.

New England is currently set to select fourth in this year’s draft, and addressing the offensive line is a goal which could be achieved in large part by using that pick to provide better protection for quarterback Drake Maye. Another option near the top of the board would be to add one of the many highly-touted defensive linemen in the 2025 class, something which could threaten Pharms’ playing time. For the time being, though, he is set to remain a rotational contributor with the Patriots.

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