Today’s minor moves across the NFL:
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots
New York Giants
As the Colts had entered the 2024 season in better shape up front, they face major questions about the position group early this offseason. Ryan Kelly and Will Fries are free agents, and Braden Smith left uncertainty about his career after leaving the team to deal with an undisclosed personal matter late last season.
The Colts are not ready to separate from this batch of Quenton Nelson sidekicks just yet. Kelly has been expected to hit free agency for the first time, but the Colts are not merely going to let their longtime center test the market without entering discussions as well.
Chris Ballard will speak with Kelly’s camp at the Combine and then meet with the player in Indianapolis next week, per the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson. Huddling back up is a bit interesting, as Kelly sought a Colts extension during the 2024 offseason but did not receive one.
One of two players (along with long snapper Luke Rhodes) on Indianapolis’ roster to arrive before Ballard took over as GM (2017), Kelly played out the extension he signed under the current front office boss. While Kelly’s age (32 in May) will impact his market, the Pro Bowl blocker will garner interest from center-needy teams soon. The Colts have until 11am CT on March 10 to keep Kelly from speaking with other teams, as the franchise tag will not be in play here.
Kelly did miss seven games last season — his most absences since the 2017 slate — to join Fries and Smith among Colts blockers who were regularly unavailable in 2024. The 2016 first-rounder indicating enthusiasm for testing the market points to the Colts being unlikely to re-sign him before that point, but that did not stop them last year. Ballard received criticism for his inward-focused offseason plan, but he was able to re-sign defensive pillars Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart after they had begun the legal tampering period unsigned. A third Kelly contract would still stand to be in play even if he follows suit March 10.
Fries is interested in staying with the Colts, while Smith is under contract at a big number. The veteran right tackle missed Indy’s final five games last season, landing on the reserve/non-football illness list. But Ballard said (via Erickson) the former second-round pick is ready to resume his career. The GM did point to the sides needing to work through some things; that can regularly be interpreted as Combine code for a contract adjustment.
Smith, 29 in March, is tied to a $14.75MM base salary and $19.75MM cap number in the final year of his contract. A release would save the Colts $16.75MM, as they have not touched this contract since authorizing it back in 2021. Of course, Indy would carry a right tackle need in that case as well. Smith has played well when available, but he has been increasingly unavailable.
Third-round Matt Goncalves started eight games (at right and left tackle) as a rookie, and Smith also missed seven games in 2023 due to hip and knee injuries. His missed time over the past two seasons has likely given the Colts pause on moving forward with the contract as is once again.
The Colts are planning to add a quarterback this offseason and hold an “open” competition with Anthony Richardson for the starting quarterback job, according to general manager Chris Ballard.
“It’s got to be the right guy to create real competition,” said Ballard (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder), adding that such competition would be good for Richardson and the team as a whole. The Colts have struggled to develop Richardson since taking him fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, in no small part due to his injuries. The 22-year-old has missed 17 of 34 regular season games since being drafted, which is especially detrimental to a player who was considered a raw prospect coming out of college.
“We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time and we knew there’s going to be some hiccups along the way,” continued Ballard. “I know we all want a finished product right now…But I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
The Colts still believe that Richardson can eventually refine his physical gifts into a more finished product on the field. They hope that the competition will spur faster improvements while giving them an alternate option at quarterback to remain competitive if Richardson struggles.
“We’ve had good conversations,” said Ballard. “Anthony’s accepted all of it. He understands there needs to be some growth and there’s work.”
Both Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen mentioned consistency as a key area of improvement for Richardson. He completed a league-low 47.7% of his passing attempts in 2024 with a league-high 4.5% interception rate.
As for the new quarterback, Ballard said that the Colts will be looking to free agency, the draft, and even the trade market. Their investment will reflect their faith in Richardson to develop into a franchise quarterback. Spending a first-round pick or pursuing a premium veteran like Sam Darnold would signal a willingness to move on from Richardson just two years after drafting him. A later draft pick or lesser free agent like Mac Jones would indicate more belief in Richardson’s ability to overcome a slow start to his career. Justin Fields may be an ideal blend of investment and starting potential, especially since his mobility would fit well in Indianapolis’s offense.
The Colts have announced their finalized coaching staff for the 2025 NFL season, per Mike Chappell of FOX59. No changes were necessary on the offensive or special teams sides of Shane Steichen‘s coaching staff, but with the arrival of new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo from Cincinnati, there were a couple changes to the defensive staff. 
To preface, Anarumo didn’t actually make very many updates to the defensive staff that had coached under former coordinator Gus Bradley in 2024. The newcomer made the decisions to retain defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, senior assistant/defensive line coach Matt Raich, assistant linebackers coach Cato June, defensive quality control coach Brent Jackson, defensive assistant Brent Stockstill, and both Tony Dungy Diversity Coaching Fellows Diego Ortiz and Kalon Humphries.
The changes that were made to the staff were already reported or mentioned, as well. We noted already that James Bettcher landed as linebackers coach after defensive coordinator gigs in Arizona and New York, and we also reported that Chris Hewitt departed Baltimore to accept a role as pass game coordinator/secondary coach under Anarumo.
The other new hire was someone we had noted that Indianapolis had interest in. About a week ago, we relayed that the Colts were targeting veteran defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for a role on their staff, noting that with Hewitt as secondary coach, Henderson’s role may be unclear. Regardless of Hewitt’s title, Henderson was brought on to serve as defensive backs coach, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Henderson has served as defensive backs coach for the Jets (2008), Browns (2009-11), Cowboys (2012-15), and Giants (2020-24) with additional years as a defensive passing game coordinator for the Falcons (2016-19) and the Giants last year.
The Colts picked up Kwity Paye‘s fifth-year option last May and then made Laiatu Latu the first defensive player chosen in the 2024 draft. With Samson Ebukam also under contract for 2025, Dayo Odeyingbo may need to find his second contract elsewhere.
The increasingly productive D-lineman is nearly three weeks from free agency, and although the Colts have been a retention-heavy organization (as 2024 especially showed) under Chris Ballard, the veteran GM said last month a philosophical shift would be in play. As of now, Odeyingbo is heading into free agency likely to test the market.
[RELATED: G Will Fries Wants To Re-Sign With Colts]
“I love being here, but it’s also a business and things change,” Odeyingbo said, via the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins. “There’s anxiousness about the unknown. There’s excitement, obviously, looking at a new contract and being able to continue to play in the league. It’s just a blessing to be able to even talk about free agency, to have the opportunity to either leave or come back.”
As Gus Bradley‘s defense struggled once again, Ballard had acknowledged he had put too many resources into his D-line — at the expense of his second and third levels on defense. The Colts have struggled to identify corners beyond Kenny Moore for a bit, and their Shaquille Leonard extension did not pan out. The team started the 2021 draft with two D-linemen, despite having traded a first-rounder for DeForest Buckner in 2020, and have seen both blossom into regulars.
Playing both defensive end and D-tackle during his rookie contract, Odeyingbo impressed as it progressed. The former second-rounder tallied eight sacks in 2023, helping the Colts to 51 as a team, and notched 17 QB hits in each of the past two years. Playing more at D-end last season (one Ebukam missed with an Achilles tear), Odeyingbo only added three sacks. Still, he should generate a fairly competitive market. It will be interesting to see if a Colts team that has Buckner and Grover Stewart signed for two more seasons apiece and Latu inked for at least three more years pays up to keep another D-line regular — after the spree of re-signings and extensions last year.
With Ballard potentially set to deviate from his long-held build-from-within plan, the team may make some cuts to clear cap space. Former third-round pick Jelani Woods would not bring too much in the way of savings, but Fox59’s Mike Chappell notes the injury-prone pass catcher is likely on the way out after missing the past two seasons. Tyquan Lewis, who has signed four Colts contracts, is also a candidate to receive his walking papers, Chappell adds. Cutting Lewis would save Indianapolis $4.55MM, while waiving Woods would add $1.44MM.
Right tackle cornerstone Braden Smith also missed the final five games of last season, dealing with an unspecified personal issue. The Colts could save $16.75MM by cutting their longtime RT, though the team also has starting center Ryan Kelly and RG Will Fries headed to the market. Overall, Indy is projected to carry just more than $35MM in cap space. Then again, the team has not been big free agency spenders under Ballard.
Following a breakout 2023 campaign, Will Fries was looking to build on his momentum ahead of his impending free agency. Naturally, things didn’t go as planned, as the Colts offensive lineman suffered a fractured right tibia in Week 5 that ended his 2024 season prematurely.
The 26-year-old doesn’t only have the uphill battle of returning from his injury in 2025…Fries will also be tasked with landing his next contract. If the free agent lineman has his way, he’ll return to the only NFL team he’s ever played for.
“This place is special,” Fries said of the Colts (via Nate Atkins of the Indy Star). “… From coming in here as a rookie with guys having my back when I didn’t play much and then getting an opportunity to start and then being able to start the year after that. There’s so many good people here.
“All I want to do is repay them with how hard I can work, playing the best I possibly can for those who believe in me and for my family and for myself. That’s what it’s meant to me to be here.”
The former seventh-round pick made only three appearances as a rookie and nine starts as an emergency fill-in in 2022. He was positioned atop the depth chart in 2023 and made the most of it, starting all 17 games while finishing as Pro Football Focus’ 32nd-best offensive guard. He seemed to take an even larger step forward in 2024, as PFF listed him second at his position before he suffered the season-ending injury.
While Fries has shown that he belongs in a starting lineup, his injury undoubtedly clouds his upcoming free agency. As Atkins notes, the lineman could end up settling for a one-year deal as he looks to build his value back up ahead of next year’s free agency. On the flip side, Fries could make a strong argument for being the second-best guard in this year’s free agency class (behind Kansas City’s Trey Smith), and there could still be a number of teams willing to bank on his upside (and expected recovery).
That could very well be the Colts, who would happily slide Fries back atop their depth chart. As Atkins notes, the team once drafted Tanor Bortolini in the fourth round with the expectation that he’d eventually be a starter, but it’s been assumed that he’ll take over for center Ryan Kelly. The team’s other backup guard options, including Mark Glowinski and Danny Pinter, are also set to hit free agency, so Fries would help the Colts retain some continuity opposite Quenton Nelson.
As the Jaguars continue to search for a new general manager to pair with first-year head coach Liam Coen, Coen continues to build his first coaching staff around himself in Jacksonville. Most recently, two offensive names have been brought up for minor roles on the offensive staff. While Coen, in his extensive experience coaching quarterbacks, will likely take on a lot of responsibility with molding Trevor Lawrence, as head coach, Coen has other responsibilities, as well, so, he’ll need assistance.
Firstly, the team is hiring Fred Walker as an offensive assistant, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Walker spent the last three years on staff in Las Vegas — two of those years as an offensive assistant before working 2024 as assistant quarterbacks coach. That may not inspire much confidence, considering the state of the position for the Raiders last year, but he did work with Derek Carr in the passer’s last Pro Bowl season in 2022.
Another name the team is looking at to work with Lawrence is James Madison offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dean Kennedy. Kennedy is a young, fast-rising name in the coaching world. He has experience as a graduate assistant with two SEC schools (Mississippi State and Florida) as well as two years as the Gators assistant quarterbacks coach back in 2020-21, when Kyle Trask and Anthony Richardson were in the room.
Following that, Kennedy accepted a role as quarterbacks coach at Holy Cross that turned into his first offensive coordinator role a year later. Last season was his only year with the Dukes, but he led an offense that was 26th in the nation in scoring and beat the North Carolina Tar Heels, 70-50. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Jaguars are interviewing him for an as of yet unreported role.
Here are a couple other coaching updates coming out of the AFC South:
Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.
Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):
These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into 
account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.
With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.
Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.
The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.
Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.
With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.
All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.
A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is a final look at the first-round order:
Along with the hiring of new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel came the addition of two new coordinators, as well, in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. Each coordinator went about building their new staffs, with lots of new names arriving in New England over the past few weeks. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the final lineup today. 
On offense, we had already heard about the hirings of quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, wide receivers coach Todd Downing, and offensive assistant Riley Larkin. We had also been informed that Thomas Brown, Doug Marrone, and Jason Houghtaling had been hired, but we weren’t yet made aware of their positions. Reiss’ report tells us that Brown will serve as tight ends coach and passing game coordinator, Marrone will be offensive line coach, and Houghtaling will be assistant offensive line coach under Marrone.
New information tells us that, joining Houghtaling as an assistant offensive line coach under Marrone, Robert Kugler has been retained from last year’s staff. Kugler held the same position with the Texans and Panthers before joining the Patriots as an assistant offensive line coach last year. We also learned that Tony Dews has been hired as running backs coach. Dews served the same position under Vrabel during his tenure in Tennessee (including one year as tight ends coach) before spending last year as running backs coach for the Jets. Lastly on offense, Chuckie Keeton‘s coaching journey continues in New England after he debuted for the Seahawks as an offensive assistant last year.
On defense, we had already heard of the hirings of Zak Kuhr, Scott Booker, and Clint McMillan, as well as the retention of Ben McAdoo, but thanks to Reiss, we now know that Kuhr will serve as inside linebackers coach, Booker as safeties coach, and McMillan as defensive line coach. McAdoo served last year as a senior offensive assistant for the team, and in 2025, he will switch sides of the ball as a senior defensive assistant. Reiss also informed us that defensive assistant Vinny DePalma was retained in the same role. Last year was his first year in the NFL — or coaching period — after finishing his collegiate playing career as a linebacker at Boston College.
Reiss also reported four defensive hirings. We had heard that the Patriots were targeting Colts assistant defensive backs coach Justin Hamilton, and Reiss has him listed as the team’s new safeties coach. Hamilton held a defensive quality control coaching role on the Titans during Vrabel’s last year in Tennessee before landing his role in Indianapolis last year. The Patriots have also hired Mike Smith as outside linebackers coach. Smith has held the same role previously with the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings but spent last year away from coaching. Lastly, the Patriots announced the hirings of Milton Patterson and Kevin Richardson as defensive assistants. Patterson makes his NFL coaching debut after five seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Florida A&M. Richardson is likewise debuting as a coach in the NFL following two seasons as assistant defensive backs coach at Illinois.
Finally, on special teams, we learned that Tom Quinn has been retained as assistant special teams coach. We knew that special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer had been retained, and while we don’t know his exact fate, Coby Tippett, a special teams assistant coach last year, was not included in today’s staff announcements. We also learned that Deron Mayo was retained as strength and conditioning coach despite his brother’s dismissal as head coach.
There you have it: the Patriots 2025 coaching staff. There are lots of areas that need improvement in order for the Patriots to see success next season, but it all starts with the coaching staff. Vrabel returns with head coaching experience under his belt, and he will try to bring some of the success he had as head coach at Tennessee with him to New England.