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Bills Extend T Ryan Van Demark, Sign Seven To Reserve/Futures Deals

January 27th, 2025 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although ill-timed secondary injuries again bit the Bills in a Chiefs playoff matchup, the team has enjoyed good health along its offensive line over the past two seasons. This has kept swing tackle Ryan Van Demark mostly on the bench.

But the Bills still have plans for the backup lineman. Van Demark signed an extension Monday, allowing him to bypass exclusive rights free agency. This is a formality, as the Bills could have tendered Van Demark as an ERFA and retained him without any outside competition. Nevertheless, the young blocker is under contract for 2025.

Van Demark beat out David Quessenberry for the Bills’ swing job in 2023 and held a key backup role again this season. The 26-year-old former UDFA made his first two starts this season. While one of those came in a Week 18 after the Bills had wrapped up the AFC’s No. 2 seed, Van Demark also filled in for Spencer Brown at right tackle against the Chiefs in Week 11. He played 199 offensive snaps this season.

The Bills initially added Van Demark on a practice squad deal in September 2022; the Colts had included the UConn alum in their UDFA class that year but did not carry him onto their 53-man roster. Buffalo is still in good shape at tackle, having extended both Brown and Dion Dawkins in 2024.

In addition to Van Demark, the Bills conducted standard postseason business by handing out reserve/futures contracts. Running back Frank Gore Jr., who joined one of his father’s former teams by signing as a UDFA last May, is among the seven sticking around with the team into the 2025 offseason. Here is that contingent:

Bills S Micah Hyde To Retire

January 27th, 2025 at 5:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Micah Hyde flirted with retirement in 2024, eventually confirming he would only return to the Bills if he opted to continue his career. Buffalo kept the door open and eventually called on Hyde as insurance. Though, the team did not opt to turn to that insurance policy when a significant safety injury occurred.

The Bills did not elevate Hyde from their practice squad for the AFC championship game; Sean McDermott confirmed the team would not do so despite Taylor Rapp‘s hip injury in the divisional round. With Hyde spending his final season in Buffalo on the practice squad, he confirmed (via the Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski) he will retire.

Hyde said as much upon rejoining the Bills in early December. The Bills had split up one of the longest-tenured safety tandems of the free agency era in March, cutting Jordan Poyer and not re-signing Hyde. Poyer joined the Dolphins, but Hyde remained in Buffalo as a backup plan. Although the Bills centered their 2024 safety setup around Rapp and Damar Hamlin, they added Hyde to their P-squad for the stretch run. Hyde effectively replaced the seldom-used Mike Edwards — released midseason — but did not log any appearances in his 12th season.

This season obviously does not best encapsulate Hyde’s run in Buffalo. The former Packers draftee played a central role in the team’s McDermott-era rise. Signed to midlevel deals in McDermott’s first offseason in charge, weeks before Brandon Beane came aboard as GM, Hyde and Poyer started together for seven seasons (a 2022 Hyde injury did interfere during that stretch).

Each Buffalo safety earned at least one All-Pro honor, giving the Bills reliable back-line deterrence. The Bills made the playoffs six times during the Hyde-Poyer pair’s seasons together. Although the perennial AFC East champions have run into a rough trend of seeing their top cornerbacks unavailable for Chiefs matchups in the playoffs, the team was regularly able to count on its Hyde-Poyer duo for years.

Hyde, who turned 34 in December, made 95 starts with the Bills. Among Buffalo safeties, that ranks behind only Poyer (107), 1990s bastion Henry Jones (129) and all-time leader Steve Freeman (134). The Iowa alum earned two second-team All-Pro nods — in 2017 and 2021. Each season featured five Hyde interceptions. He added another pick in a 2021 wild-card rout of the Patriots.

A fifth-round Packers pick, Hyde yo-yoed as a starter in Green Bay. The Bills gave him a five-year, $30.5MM deal in March 2017 and later extended him in 2021 (two years, $19.25MM). While Hyde never became a top-market safety, he did well for himself as a pro by crossing the $50MM mark in career earnings during the 2023 season. Overall, Hyde has earned more than $53MM as a pro.

Hyde came back from a season-ending neck injury, one that gave Hamlin his first batch of starts before the latter’s terrifying injury in Cincinnati, to start alongside Poyer in the 2023 season. But the Bills drafted Cole Bishop in the 2024 second round; the Utah product became their No. 3 safety this season. Rapp’s new deal locks him down through the 2026 season, while Bishop could be in line to replace Hamlin as a starter — should the free agent-to-be leave Buffalo in March.

Lions Promote Kelvin Sheppard To DC

January 25th, 2025 at 11:07pm CST by Ely Allen

The Lions didn’t waste much time in effecting a succession plan for departed defensive coordinator and new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard has officially been promoted to the role of defensive coordinator.

A 2011 third-round pick out of LSU, Sheppard spent nearly a decade in the NFL. A few years after his retirement, he joined Detroit’s coaching staff as their outside linebackers coach. After a year in that role, Sheppard transitioned to inside linebackers coach, a title he’s held for the past three seasons.

The coach has earned praise for helping revive the careers of veterans (like Alex Anzalone) and helping guide young draft picks (like Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez). Per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Sheppard has a “sterling” reputation not only in Detroit, but around the NFL, so while Sheppard’s familiarity with the team proved an asset in the hiring process, his promotion was not solely a result of his Lions connection. The team hired him before he was even offered an opportunity to interview anywhere else.

The only reported competition for the role was the Buccaneers inside linebackers coach, Larry Foote. The former Steelers linebacker, who spent a year each with the Lions and Cardinals as a player, had reportedly interviewed for the position, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, after it was announced that an interview was expected two days ago. Luckily for Tampa Bay, this means the Bucs may yet hold on to their linebackers coach as he has not interviewed elsewhere.

With Glenn’s replacement officially in place, the Lions can now shift their focus to the offensive coordinator role. Though Ben Johnson was hired as the Bears head coach the day before Glenn, no prospects have yet emerged to replace him as the offensive playcaller in Detroit.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/25/25

January 25th, 2025 at 7:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s standard gameday practice squad elevations in advance of championship Sunday:

Buffalo Bills

Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Jets Hire Darren Mougey As GM

January 25th, 2025 at 3:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

JANUARY 25: ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted out the news that Mougey’s hiring has been made official. Mougey will team up with Glenn, the new head coach, to establish the next era of Jets football.

JANUARY 24: The Jets made their head coaching hire earlier this week, and their general manager vacancy is now set to be filled. After Lance Newmark appeared to be the top target, though, the team has moved in another direction.

Bovada’s Josina Anderson reports Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey will be hired by the Jets. He was among the staffers who lined up a second interview for this week, so it comes as little surprise he is set to get the nod. Still, after Newmark looked to have a deal all but in place on Tuesday, this is a notable pivot on New York’s part.

The Jets were open to bringing in a head coach or a general manager first during the 2025 cycle, and Aaron Glenn wound up being the initial hire in the team’s case. The former Lions defensive coordinator has a history with New York as a player, and Newmark represented a familiar face with Glenn given their time spent together in Detroit. A natural fit was in place, but the Jets opted to conduct follow-up interviews with both Mougey and Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown before making a final decision.

Mougey’s meeting took place yesterday, and Troy Renck of the Denver Post notes he returned to the Broncos’ facility to await word on whether or not he received the Jets’ GM job. No subsequent reports have emerged at this point confirming Mougey has won out, and SNY’s Connor Hughes indicates he has not received finality from his sources indicating Mougey has beaten out Newmark and Brown. But provided the team ultimately announces this news he will be set to undertake his first general manager role. The 39-year-old has been with the Broncos throughout his front office career, so this will double as his first posting with any other organization.

Mougey quickly transitioned from his playing career to the scouting world as an intern with the Broncos in 2012. By 2020, he had reached the level of assistant college scouting director while continuing to rise through the ranks. Mougey took over as director of player personnel for 2021, and the following year he was promoted to assistant GM. After working under both John Elway and George Paton, he will now lead a staff of his own.

New York conducted a wide-ranging search for both the head coach and general manager positions, and in a matter of days both vacancies have now been filled. The quarterback position will remain a talking point until clarity emerges on the Aaron Rodgers front, and a number of other key priories – including potential extensions for cornerback Sauce Gardner and wideout Garrett Wilson – are in place. How Mougey and Glenn address them will be key in shaping the organization’s direction moving forward. Paton and the Broncos, meanwhile, will now have a notable front office vacancy to fill.

Via PFR’s GM search tracker, here is a final look at how the Jets’ process played out:

Texans Part Ways With Team President Greg Grissom

January 25th, 2025 at 2:38pm CST by Ely Allen

This week the Texans parted ways with team president Greg Grissom, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The decision to depart was reportedly an amicable one, as Grissom leaves after 23 years with the franchise.

Grissom has been a part of the Texans’ organization in some capacity since the team’s inaugural season in 2002. He held a number of roles in his time with the franchise, working his way through different positions in business and sponsorship development to senior vice president of corporate development.

In 2021, Grissom took over the team president role, accepting the job in his 20th season with the team. His time as president saw him manage the Texans’ management and business operations. Specifically, he oversaw responsibilities in marketing and communications, digital and social media, community relations, ticket sales and membership services, event management and operations, business analytics, IT, and corporate sponsorships.

Texans owner and chief executive officer Cal McNair said in a statement that, despite only four years in his current role, Grissom had been very productive. He helped “implement numerous initiatives to help (the) organization fearlessly evolve and grow in many ways,” per NFL.com.

In a statement of his own, Grissom cited the chance “to embrace new challenges and opportunities” as the reason for his departure. He expressed his thanks to the McNair family and many other job connections through the team, the corporate and civic leaders, and the community in Houston.

Grissom succeeded longtime president Jamey Rootes in the position in 2021. Rootes retired from the job after 20 years in the position and sadly passed away at the age of 56 the following year. With Grissom now gone, the Texans will be looking for the third team president in their young history.

Cowboys Hire Brian Schottenheimer As HC; Matt Eberflus Being Eyed For DC

January 24th, 2025 at 8:46pm CST by Ely Allen

After a relatively short search, the Cowboys have officially made the decision to promote offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer into the role of head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Schottenheimer, 51, was one of only four candidates who interviewed for the position and will now be working his first-ever head coaching role. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the deal will be for four years. Although this marks the second straight narrow HC search for the Cowboys, Schottenheimer was not a candidate anywhere else — and has not been for several years. He was believed to be vying for the role with OC predecessor Kellen Moore, after the likes of Deion Sanders and Jason Witten surfaced as unorthodox candidates. While Schottenheimer supplies far more experience in coaching, his hire may not be too much less surprising than a Sanders or Witten appointment would have been.

Brian Schottenheimer, the son of former standout HC Marty Schottenheimer, has been with the Cowboys for three years now. His first was simply as a consultant, but he was quickly promoted to offensive coordinator when Moore was dismissed. While he inherited an offense that finished third in scoring and 10th in yardage in 2022, the Cowboys finished as the top scoring offense with the fifth-most yards in Schottenheimer’s first season as the team’s OC.

The 2024 Cowboys offense finished 21st in scoring and 17th in total yards, though it’s important to note that Schottenheimer did not call plays during his tenure in Dallas. Dak Prescott also went down midway through the season, gutting the team’s chances at a rebound. While Prescott still stumped for Mike McCarthy to be retained, an unexpected half-measure of sorts is taking place via the Schottenheimer promotion.

This week’s two Schottenheimer interviews and steady rumors notwithstanding, it marks a stunning rise for the second-generation NFL coach. Schottenheimer has, however, been an NFL assistant dating back to the late 1990s and has enjoyed three OC opportunities in the league. He has served as an NFL OC for 11 combined seasons, doing so with the Jets, Rams and Cowboys.

A former backup quarterback behind Danny Wuerffel at Florida under Steve Spurrier, Schottenheimer got his start in the NFL immediately out of college. He started his well-traveled coaching career as a coaching assistant in St. Louis before taking the same job under his father, in Kansas City. The next two years saw him coach wide receivers at Syracuse and tight ends at USC before returning to the NFL for the Washington gig. He then coached QBs for four years in San Diego before earning his first offensive coordinator opportunity for the Jets.

After six seasons in New York, Schottenheimer received walking papers midway through Rex Ryan‘s tenure. Schottenheimer ended up as Jeff Fisher‘s first OC in St. Louis (in 2012), leaving after the 2014 season to take the same job under Mark Richt at Georgia. Following Richt’s dismissal, Schottenheimer returned to the NFL as the Colts’ quarterbacks coach in 2016, staying for only two years before scoring his next coordinator opportunity with the Seahawks. Despite relative success in Seattle, Schottenheimer was fired due to “philosophical differences.” He rebounded for a year as passing game coordinator in Jacksonville before arriving in Dallas in 2022.

Schottenheimer’s history as a play-caller has been rocky. In stints with the Jets, Rams, Seahawks, and Jaguars where he called plays, Schottenheimer was often criticized for conservative play-calling. The “philosophical differences” in Seattle was externally perceived as a limitation of Russell Wilson‘s athletic and improvisational style with questionable play-calling. That said, Wilson’s Hall of Fame case will certainly hinge on his post-Legion of Boom work in Seattle; Schottenheimer played a big part in that period of the decorated QB’s career. Criticism toward Seattle’s then-OC aside, the Seahawks ranked as a top-10 offense in each season and went 3-for-3 in playoff appearances in that span.

Any method to spin this in a positive direction, however, may be difficult due to another odd HC transition under Jerry Jones taking place. Schottenheimer’s hiring after a quick interview process continues what’s been a questionable string of decisions by the Cowboys’ owner/president/general manager.

While Schottenheimer could certainly work out in the job, Jones’ seemingly lazy handling of the decision not to extend McCarthy’s contract is a continuance of inaction that saw over-inflated extensions for Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb as a result of rising market costs from extensions that got done earlier. Jones’ tendency to wait on important decisions, as he did when waiting to drop Jason Garrett after the 2019 season, continues to limit the team’s options and handicap their leverage in negotiations.

In addition to news about the head coaching hire, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has reported that the team has homed in on former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as their prime candidate to serve as defensive coordinator under Schottenheimer. Some beat reporters for the team mistakenly reported that Eberflus had been hired to the position, but as Ed Werder of WFAA notes, they are required to conduct interviews before making the final decision to hire a candidate. The Cowboys must meet with at least one external minority candidate before an Eberflus hire can take place.

Regardless of the unusual route the Cowboys took to make this happen, Schottenheimer becomes the 10th head coach in the franchise’s storied history. Schottenheimer follows some big names for the position in Dallas, and expectations will be for him to turn around a franchise that has seen continued regular-season success but has not been to an NFC championship game in 30 years — the longest such drought in the conference by a significant margin.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

49ers Hire Robert Saleh As DC

January 24th, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s now official: Robert Saleh is heading back to San Francisco. After reports from Matt Barrows, Michael Silver and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic that Saleh was expected to join the 49ers as their defensive coordinator, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network officially delivered the news tonight that Saleh will call the defense in the Bay Area, once again.

The report came as a result of the Cowboys hiring of their former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as their head coach. Saleh had interviewed for three head coaching positions but had committed to head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch that, should be not get another head coaching job, he would return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. With his last opportunity for a job this cycle gone, his decision was made.

A reunion with Saleh always seemed like the likeliest outcome as the 49ers sought a replacement for Nick Sorensen. While Saleh interviewed for jobs with the Cowboys and Raiders, his main shot at immediately returning to the HC role appeared to be with the Jaguars. However, that situation took a major turn when Liam Coen reentered the sweepstakes and won the job. Saleh was set to meet with the Jaguars for a second interview, but the coach cancelled his flight after learning about the Coen news.

Following the news, the veteran coach was expected to land back in San Francisco, where he first earned a reputation as one of the league’s top defensive minds. Saleh spent four years as the 49ers defensive coordinator, and he quickly elevated his unit to one of the best in the NFL. The coach parlayed that performance into a head coaching job with the Jets, and he admirably lasted three-plus seasons in New York despite never finishing with a winning record. When he was canned midway through the 2024 season, Saleh had put together a 20-36 record as head coach.

Since the 49ers decided to move Sorensen off of his DC post earlier this offseason, Saleh had been a popular name for the vacancy. The 49ers have actually kept their search relatively small, as Saleh was only joined by 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley and Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend on the list of candidates. Still, considering Saleh’s prior relationship and success with the organization, he always seemed like the front runner.

It sounds like Saleh won’t request many sweeping changes to the defensive coaching staff. As The Athletic notes, many of his top lieutenants are still in San Francisco, including defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, linebackers coach Johnny Holland, and defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/24/25

January 24th, 2025 at 8:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s reserve/futures deals:

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Ajou was a strong high school recruit whose collegiate career didn’t amount to much in two years at Clemson, a season at South Florida, and a season at Garden City CC. After going undrafted, he spent 2024 in the Canadian Football League, where he collected 20 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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