The Buffalo Bills will be without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier in 2023 as he plans to take a year out of coaching before returning in 2024.

Frazier has been the Bills' DC since 2017, in which time he has overseen one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Indeed, across six seasons, Buffalo have given up only 314.9 total yards per game to lead the league over that period.

A statement on Tuesday revealed Frazier was stepping away for a year, however, dealing the Bills a big blow.

Frazier would then return to coaching in 2024, although the statement did not clarify whether that would be with the Bills, who will now have to recruit a replacement for the 2023 season.

Dak Prescott’s seventh season with the Dallas Cowboys was an up-and-down affair.

Prescott helped lead Dallas to a 12-5 regular-season record and a Wild Card Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - just the Cowboys’ fifth playoff victory since 1996.

But Prescott also threw 15 interceptions last season - tied for the most in the NFL - in just 12 games, and backup Cooper Rush was 4-1 while Prescott was out with a broken thumb.

Despite Prescott’s inconsistent year, executive vice president Stephen Jones believes the Cowboys have the right quarterback to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the 1995 season.

“I've got all the faith in the world we can win this thing with Dak,” Jones told reporters Monday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

"Because we know him. We know what he's about. His leadership skills are undeniable. Impeccable work ethic. Other than he hadn't won some key playoff games, he's everything you want in a quarterback.

"From the day he walked in the door, he's won a lot of games. We just got to get over the hump."

Prescott is signed through 2024, and his contract carries a cap hit of over $49 million in the 2023 season.

Assuming Dallas is as confident in him as Jones’ comments indicate, the Cowboys could sign Prescott to a contract extension to create extra salary cap space over the next few seasons.

“We've got to have a plan to ultimately extend Dak,” Jones said.

The Cowboys’ offense is poised to undergo a transformation after the departure of Kellen Moore, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022.

Brian Schottenheimer takes over as OC in 2023, but veteran head coach Mike McCarthy will assume offensive play-calling duties.

“Obviously he's the head coach of this football team, and he made a compelling argument that making him the playcaller was going to help us,” Jones said. “I mean that's part of the coaching, be one click better. He feels good about it. He's had a lot of success as a playcaller.

“And he's observed for three years. I think he's been a super leader in that aspect in terms of having the respect for Kellen and the offensive group working with Dak, that that was the better way of doing it.”

Despite the continuity of McCarthy and Prescott remaining in place, Jones thinks that the Cowboys’ offense could evolve in 2023.

“I think [McCarthy] believes now, although they believe in a lot of things the same, there's that 15-20% that they don't. And I think that Mike just thinks that they'll do more with the way he wants to do it [and] that we'll be a better offensive football team.

“I just think it's some of it's the fundamentals, how you block it, how you coordinate and marry the run game to the pass game, what your pass game is philosophically, what your run game is philosophically.”

Carson Wentz has been released by the Washington Commanders a year after the team traded for the quarterback.

The Commanders moved for Wentz ahead of the 2022 season, sending two third-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts and swapping their second-round pick last year.

But it was another injury-wrecked year for Wentz, whose departure from the team was confirmed in a statement on Monday.

The statement read: "The Commanders believed that Wentz could use his veteran experience to push Washington to the playoffs, but after missing over half the season with his injury, those hopes ultimately did not pan out."

Wentz has never rediscovered the form that earned him an All-Pro selection in the 2017 season before he missed the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win through injury.

There were promising signs at the start of his year in Washington as he threw for 650 yards and seven touchdowns across the first two games.

But Wentz's performances had fallen away even before he broke his right ring finger in Week 6, ruling him out until the fourth quarter of the Week 16 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Wentz becomes a free agent ahead of the 2023 campaign, with his release saving the Commanders around $26million in salary cap space.

The Chicago Bears are seriously considering trading their number one pick ahead of this year's NFL draft.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears are "leaning towards" accepting a trade from one of the many teams looking to bring in a top quarterback prospect, believing their priorities to lie elsewhere.

The Bears have the top pick heading into the draft after a disappointing 3-14 season in 2022.

General manager Ryan Poles has already given his support to Justin Fields as Chicago's starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season, recently saying that a QB prospect would have to amaze him for the Bears to draft one with their top pick.

"We're going to do the same as we've always done," Poles said last month. "We're going to evaluate the draft class, and I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision."

Fields was one of the few positives in a Bears campaign that concluded with a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak.

The number 11 pick in the 2021 draft claimed 1,143 rushing yards overall, averaging a league-leading 7.14 yards per rush and had an NFL-best four rushing touchdowns of 50-plus yards.

In terms of his throwing, though, among the 32 quarterbacks with a minimum of 250 pass attempts, Fields ranked 25th in passer rating (85.2), 31st in completion percentage (60.4) and 32nd in yards per game (149.5).

Of teams in the top 10 picks of the draft, at least five could be looking to select a quarterback first, including the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are three quarterbacks all projected to be drafted in the top 10 in late April.

The Kansas City Chiefs have promoted Matt Nagy to offensive coordinator for the 2023 season, the team announced on Friday, filling the void created by Eric Bieniemy's departure.

Nagy is a longtime mentee of head coach Andy Reid and previously served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator from 2016-17.

Nagy was head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018-21, compiling a 34-31 record and collecting honours as the AP's Coach of the Year in 2018.

After he and the Bears parted ways, Nagy returned to Kansas City last February as a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach, helping the Chiefs win their third Super Bowl in franchise history.

Bieniemy had served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator for the last five seasons before leaving this offseason for Washington, who named him their assistant head coach and OC.

Nagy has been professionally connected to Reid since 2008, when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles' staff as a coaching intern.

After playing quarterback for the University of Delaware, Nagy was not selected in the 2001 NFL Draft and ended up in the Arena Football League, where he threw over 300 touchdown passes from 2002-08.

Eric Bieniemy is content with his new role as offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders and insists he is not already looking for a head coaching opportunity.

Bieniemy has joined the Commanders after his second Super Bowl win in five years as the Kansas City Chiefs' OC.

Despite his success in that job, the 53-year-old repeatedly failed to land a position as an NFL head coach following a number of interviews.

It is something that will appeal to Bieniemy again in the future, he suggested, but his sole focus for 2023 is on the Commanders.

"Being a head coach right now is not in my thought process," Bieniemy said. "What I'm focused on is being the best coach today; everything else will take care of itself.

"I live in the moment. Right now, my feet are planted here.

"[Getting a head coaching job] hasn't happened. It's not anything that's going to impact me moving forward.

"All that stuff about being the head coach, we can talk about that next year sometime. I'm focused on the job at hand."

Bieniemy's Chiefs offense led the league with 413.6 total net yards per game in 2022 as the Commanders ranked 20th (330.3 yards per game).

That was merely the Chiefs' third-best season under Bieniemy in that regard, while their worst performance saw 379.2 yards per game in 2019 – a mark Washington have topped only four times in their history.

Bobby Wagner has agreed an imminent departure from the Los Angeles Rams after only a single season on the team.

Reports revealed Wagner had come to an agreement with the Rams on Thursday, meaning he will return to free agency ahead of the 2023 season.

The linebacker spent the first 10 years of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, winning Super Bowl XLVIII and earning six First-team All-Pro selections.

Wagner then entered free agency for the first time last year and joined the Rams, then the defending Super Bowl champions.

A dismal season saw the Rams finish with a 5-12 record and miss the playoffs, although Wagner – having signed a five-year, $50million deal with $20m in guarantees – was a Second-team All-Pro for the third time.

With the Rams $13.7m above the salary cap approaching the new league year, they have saved $5m in space by releasing Wagner.

He will be free to join a new team as soon as the agreement is made official.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will have to wait for elbow surgery after reportedly being advised that the inflammation is still lingering.

Purdy was the most impressive rookie quarterback in the league this past season after injuries to Week 1 starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garoppolo pushed him to the top of the depth chart.

The very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft went on to win his first eight starts for the 49ers, guiding them through to the NFC Championship Game, where he would suffer a serious elbow injury.

It occurred when he was hit on his throwing arm, overextending his elbow and ultimately producing an injury – a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) – usually seen in baseball pitchers.

The timeline for a typical UCL repair is six months, so it was scheduled for February 22 to give him a chance to recover in time for preseason camp in early August.

But Purdy was given bad news on the eve of that date, with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reporting that the doctor recommended postponing the surgery because of persistent inflammation in the elbow.

The report states the parties will reconvene in March to re-assess the situation, and while he is still expected to make a full recovery in time for Week 1, any further delays would begin to eat into his preseason.

New Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken says he is not worried if quarterback Lamar Jackson skips offseason workouts if he receives their franchise tag.

Jackson's contractual situation with the Ravens remains unresolved, after Baltimore opted against handing the 2019 MVP a new five-year contract in 2022, with the QB playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2022.

The Ravens were previously public in their confidence that they would secure Jackson to a new long-term deal, but nothing has been forthcoming, with no talks taking place since last offseason.

Jackson is understood to want a fully guaranteed five-year contract – similar to the outlier deal handed to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson – which the Ravens are not willing to meet, meaning one of the parties will need to budge to agree to a new deal.

The NFL's franchise tag window opened on Tuesday running until March 7, with the Ravens expected to place the tag on their QB to prevent Jackson from becoming an unrestricted free agent should they be unable to agree to a new deal in the next fortnight.

That scenario may lead to Jackson, who represents himself in negotiations without an agent, opting to skip Ravens' offseason workouts and training camp and only report to practice in the week prior to the regular season.

"Sure, he'll be behind, but it's still just football," Monken told reporters. "Sometimes we make this out to be way too much. We'll cater to what he knows and play."

Monken was speaking at his introductory press conference, having only been appointed to the role last week replacing Greg Roman.

The new offensive coordinator would naturally need time to build rapport with Jackson, which that hypothetical scenario would not afford him.

"I mean it's like any player, the more time you spend with them, the more comfortable they get with any system," Monken said. "That's more relationship, and that's part of it.

"There's a big part of that relationship from a quarterback, coordinator, playcaller, position coach where they're comfortable and there's a trust. And that's built over time."

Jackson's past two seasons have ended prematurely due to injuries, with the Ravens missing the playoffs in 2021 following a late slump, while they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round in 2022.

The Ravens QB threw a career-best 36 touchdowns with a 66.1 per cent completion rate in his MVP-winning 2019 season from 15 starts, but only managed 16 and 17 TDs from 12 and 12 starts in his past two seasons respectively.

"He's got an elite skill set," Monken said. "I think he's underrated as a passer in terms of his ability to make plays and throw it down the field."

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown says the franchise can trade him if they do not re-sign quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Brown and Hurts struck up an outstanding combination during the 2022 season as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl. The pair linked up for 10 passing touchdowns, almost half of Hurts' 22 for the regular season.

Hurts is eligible for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, having had a career-high 66.3 QBR in 2022.

Earlier this week, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Hurts' prospective contract extension a "priority" and Brown called on him to "get it done".

"They have to give Jalen a house, the building, the State," Brown said jokingly on the Raw Room podcast. "They gotta pay him.

"Listen, I love Philly. And what I'm about to say, you do not pay this man, just ship me off wherever he's [about to] go. Listen, so you're talking about pressure? Howie, get it done."

Hurts, 24, enjoyed a career-best year in his third NFL campaign, rushing in 13 touchdowns along with his 22 passing TDs in the regular season while registering 11 combined interceptions and fumbles.

His 165 carries were the second-most by a QB in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson's 176 during his 2019 MVP season, and only Cam Newton's 2011 season saw a quarterback rush for more touchdowns (14).

It was also the first time in Eagles history that the franchise won 14 games in a regular season, although they had two 13-3 seasons before the league added a 17th game in 2021.

"I'm definitely going to do everything in my power to play as long with Jalen as I can, him and DeVonta [Smith]," Brown said.

"Me and DeVonta, man, we're a great tandem. I'm definitely going to try to keep that going as long as I can. [Smith is] up and rising on another level. shoot, at some point he's gonna be up [for his own contract], so definitely you wanna try to keep the team together."

The New York Jets are an option for Derek Carr, who enjoyed a "great trip" to meet the team and head coach Robert Saleh.

Quarterback Carr is a free agent after leaving the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month following his decision to decline waiving a no-trade clause in his contract.

The Raiders wanted to send Carr to the New Orleans Saints, but he now has the chance to decide on his own future after reportedly rejecting a pay cut to facilitate a trade.

According to Carr's older brother David, a former first-round draft pick who won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants during an 11-year NFL career, the 31-year-old "hit it off" with Jets coach Saleh.

"It was a good trip," David Carr said on the NFL Network.

"It's not just going to be a situation where he gets on a plane to go have fun in New York. Derek had a great trip.

"He went there to get a feel how they work, from the top down, and everyone he met, we knew he would love Robert Saleh – he's fantastic – and they hit it off and they would love to work together."

However, Carr is still weighing up his options.

"But there's a lot of questions that have to be answered," David added.

"He has to find out how the front office works but also, the most important thing for him as a veteran quarterback, what is it going to be like as a play-caller. Todd Downing is there (as passing-game coordinator), he has a relationship with Todd. Nathaniel Hackett (offensive coordinator) is also there.

"They had a good chat, they talked about a lot of different things. Obviously, the team needs a quarterback, some stability there. They have a lot of good components, there are a lot of things that are very positive about the Jets.

"He had a great trip. It's going to be a long process, though. He really only has the Saints, the Raiders and the Jets and to compare those three places, so he wants to do his due diligence to see as many places as he can, to see what the best place will be."

Carr was drafted by the Raiders in 2014 and holds franchise records for his 35,222 passing yards and 217 touchdowns.

Renaldo Hill is leaving the Los Angeles Chargers to join the Miami Dolphins, reuniting him with new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Fangio confirmed the move on Monday at his introductory press conference.

Hill served as defensive coordinator for the Chargers the past two seasons and will now coach the Dolphins’ secondary and be their defensive pass-game coordinator.

In terms of job title, the move to Miami would be deemed a step down on the coaching hierarchy, but Hill gets to once again work with Fangio, who is widely considered one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL.

Hill worked as a defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos in 2019 and '20 when Fangio was their head coach.

Fangio was hired as the Dolphins defensive coordinator last week.

The 44-year-old Hill was a defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons – including three for the Dolphins from 2006-08. He also spent one season on the Miami coaching staff, serving as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.

The Chargers made slight improvements under Hill during his two years running the defense, moving from 23rd in total defense in 2021 (360.1 total yards per game) to 20th in total defense last season (346.1 total yards per game).

With Hill moving to Miami, the Chargers are promoting defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator.

The 41-year-old Ansley had been the Chargers defensive backs coach the past two seasons after serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at the collegiate level the previous two years.

The Arizona Cardinals have made Nick Rallis the youngest coordinator in the NFL, hiring him to run their defense at the age of 29.

NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reported the Cardinals have appointed Rallis as their defensive coordinator in a move that sees him follow Jonathan Gannon to Arizona.

Gannon, the former Eagles defensive coordinator, was hired as head coach of the Cardinals days after Philadelphia lost Super Bowl LVII 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona's State Farm Stadium.

It continues a rapid ascent for Rallis, who became the youngest position coach in the NFL when he was hired to coach the Eagles' linebackers in 2021.

Prior to that, he served as a defensive quality control and assistant linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Rallis went into coaching following a playing career at the University of Minnesota, getting his start as a quality control coach at Wake Forest.

He will be tasked with improving a Cardinals defense that was 22nd in the NFL by yards per play allowed in 2022 as Arizona slumped to a 4-13 record.

Arizona tight end Maxx Williams was college team-mates with Rallis. He wrote on Twitter: "So pumped to see this!!!"

 

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf stole the show during Friday's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, dunking and blocking his way to MVP honours.

Metcalf – standing at six-foot-four with explosive athleticism – made sure to show off what he could do on a basketball court at every opportunity, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in a 81-78 win for Team Dwyane Wade.

Team Wade was coached by Giannis Antetokounmpo and his two brothers, Thanasis and Alex, while Team Ryan Smith – named after the Utah Jazz governor, since they are the hosting city – was coached by WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, rapper Fat Joe and Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman.

Metcalf was not the only athlete suiting up, with 37-year-old Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson also taking part, as did tennis star Frances Tiafoe and MLB legend Albert Pujols.

Jalen Hurts' breakout season as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles is set to be rewarded by the franchise after general manager Howie Roseman called his prospective contract extension "a priority".

Hurts, 24, enjoyed a career-best year in his third NFL campaign, throwing for 22 touchdowns and rushing for 13 more in the regular season while registering 11 combined interceptions and fumbles.

His 165 carries were the second-most by a quarterback in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson's 176 during his 2019 MVP season, and only Cam Newton's 2011 season saw a quarterback rush for more touchdowns (14).

It was also the first time in Eagles history that the franchise won 14 games in a regular season, although they had two 13-3 seasons before the league added a 17th game in 2021.

Speaking to the media about Hurts' long-term future in Philadelphia, Roseman emphasised that the organisation views him as their franchise quarterback.

"Obviously we want to keep our best players here for the long term, and [Hurts] is certainly one of our best players," he said. "We'll keep all contract talks internal but we'd definitely like to keep Jalen Hurts here long term."

The last big quarterback extension the Eagles handed out – to Carson Wentz – did not pan out, but Roseman said he is not letting that outcome influence his decision-making.

"You’ve got to look at the individual player, and that’s not to be critical to anyone we’ve given a contract to that hasn’t worked out," he said. 

"But I think when we talk about Jalen, we’re talking about a guy we have tremendous confidence in, a guy that we want to be here for a long time. And so, it will be something that will be a priority for us."

The Eagles' list of free agents is long, including All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry, defensive centrepiece Fletcher Cox, and veteran edge rusher Brandon Graham – coming off a career-high 11 sacks – and Roseman is resigned to the fact that they will not be able to retain everyone.

"I think we have obviously a large number of free agents that we knew going in," he said. "I think when we looked at this team – and we always look at this team over not just this year but over a period of time – we knew we needed to get additional picks. 

"Even though maybe we don't have the amount of picks this year, we have a bunch of high picks. And then next year, we're going to have a tremendous amount of picks. We already have two additional picks from two trades that we made.

"Just by the sheer number of the free agents, we're going to have comp picks next year. Even if we signed a bunch of guys, we are going to have comp picks next year. 

"So I think we go into it with that understanding that it's going to be impossible to keep every single person on this team, but we're here to compete.”

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