The Houston Texans have struggled to find an identity since the departure of Deshaun Watson. On Thursday, the franchise's rebuilding effort got a new face on each side of the ball.

With the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Texans selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

In a stunning move, the Texans then acquired the third overall selection from the Arizona Cardinals to draft pass-rushing linebacker Will Anderson Jr. out of Alabama.

In return, the Cardinals received the 12th overall pick, as well as the number 33 pick in the second round, and a first- and third-round pick in 2024.

Houston is the first team with two of the top three picks in a single draft since Washington back in 2000.

The Texans' picks came after the Panthers drafted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the top overall pick, acquired from the Chicago Bears.

Stroud was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes, tallying 85 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions. He was a 2022 Heisman Trophy finalist and cemented himself as a top-tier pro prospect by throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a College Football Playoff loss against Georgia – the eventual national champions.

At six-foot-three and 214 pounds, he projects as a traditional pocket-based quarterback who has been hesitant to create opportunities with his legs.

Anderson led the Alabama defense for three seasons, making 34.5 sacks in 41 career games. After landing on the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2020, Anderson followed with 17.5 sacks in a decorated sophomore season.

Anderson lacks the elite size and athleticism of the very best pass-rushers, but he was consistently disruptive over an impressive career at Alabama.

Veteran wide receiver Robbie Anderson has agreed a contract with the Miami Dolphins.

The 29-year-old, who was released by the Arizona Cardinals last month following a mid-season trade arrival, is heading to Florida for the 2023 campaign.

Anderson – who recently changed his legal name to Chosen Robbie Anderson – posted a video to his Instagram story on Saturday to confirm his new team.

In the clip, he is seen holding up the jersey of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who he will link up with as part of a wide receiver pool topped by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Originally undrafted out of Temple in 2016, Anderson signed with the New York Jets and enjoyed a four-year spell with the franchise as a near ever-present.

He moved to the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and posted a career-best season with 95 caught passes for 1,096 yards and three touchdowns.

A mid-season trade to the Cardinals last term failed to pan out however, with Anderson taking just seven passes for 76 yards during his brief stay.

The Dolphins posted a 9-8 regular season record in 2022 before a 34-31 loss in the AFC Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills ended their campaign.

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker has reportedly requested a trade, as an offseason of turmoil continues for the franchise.

The five-time Pro Bowl safety, a team captain, has spent all six of his seasons in the NFL with the Cardinals but is now seeking an exit.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Baker informed the team in February that he wanted to be traded or receive a new deal to make him the highest-paid safety in the league.

A two-time first-team All Pro, Baker led the team with 111 tackles last season but finished the campaign on injured reserve having fractured his shoulder in a Week 16 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Baker's trade request means that the Cardinals could enter the 2023 season without two of their star names, with it widely reported that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been granted ability to seek a trade due to his whopping $30.75 million cap hit.

The team have already lost J.J. Watt to retirement and franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is recovering from a serious knee injury after a dreadful 4-13 season in 2022 that led to the departure of head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

The Cardinals have also denied allegations of gross misconduct, including cheating, discrimination and harassment in an arbitration claim filed by former team executive Terry McDonough.

Additionally, Arizona received the second-lowest marks in the NFLPA player survey, receiving F grades for treatment of families, nutrition, the weight room, the training room and the locker room.

The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly being bombarded with trade interest in their third overall pick for this month's NFL Draft.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, at least six teams have contacted the Cardinals to gauge their asking price.

Arizona are believed to be open to trading the pick due to the fact that they content with Kyler Murray as their franchise quarterback going forward, and with the top two picks almost assuredly going to be used on quarterback prospects, pick three is viewed as the only chance to trade up and get one of the class' best arms.

The Carolina Panthers recently traded up from pick nine to the Chicago Bears' top overall selection with the clear goal to select their quarterback of the future, and in addition to pick nine they sent away pick 61, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder, and their top wide receiver D.J. Moore.

It has the potential to be a franchise-altering haul for the Bears, and while the package for what is essentially the third-best quarterback prospect in the class will be significantly less than the price to have your pick of the bunch, a bidding war could be just what the Cardinals need.

If they were to stay put at three and make a selection, the Cardinals would likely take the best non-quarterback on the board, and the consensus there is Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson.

Anderson would immediately become one of the Cardinals' most valuable players, but a roster with so many holes needs more than one defensive player to get things back on track.

Arizona also hold three more top-100 picks – at 34, 66 and 96 – and four more in the later rounds, so a strong return for their top selection could set the franchise up for a quick turnaround.

The Denver Broncos continued their splurge on the opening day of free agency by signing versatile defensive lineman Zach Allen to a three-year, $45.75million deal on Monday.

Allen, 25, was a third-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, and after barely playing as a rookie the former Boston College student racked up 11.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss over the past three seasons.

He spent all four of his seasons in Arizona playing for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was hired this offseason to take over in charge of the Broncos' defense.

Joseph clearly liked the development he saw from the shifty six-foot-four bruiser, having deployed him in multiple different roles across the Cardinals' defensive line.

He is coming off a season where he set career-highs in sacks (5.5), tackles for loss (10), pass deflections (eight) and quarterback hits (20), despite playing in fewer games (13) than his previous record-setting season (15 games in 2021).

Allen is the latest in a string of aggressive moves from the Broncos to open free agency, having also signed offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey (five years, $87.5m) and Ben Powers (four years, $52m), as well as linebacker Alex Singleton (three years, $18m) and backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham (two years, $10m).

Robbie Anderson’s time with the Arizona Cardinals turned out to be very unproductive and extremely short.

The Cardinals released the wide receiver on Wednesday after he appeared in just 10 games following his acquisition from the Carolina Panthers in October.

By cutting the seven-year pro, Arizona will save $12 million in salary cap space for 2023. Anderson was due $8.8 million in salary, $200,000 in workout bonuses and a roster bonus of $3 million.

The Cardinals traded a 2024 sixth-round draft pick and a 2025 seventh-round pick to Carolina in exchange for Anderson, who had been sent to the locker room mid-game by Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks in his final game with the team.

In need of a healthy receiver after an injury to Marquise Brown, the Cardinals took a chance on Anderson, but he was slow to pick up the offense and finished with just seven catches for 76 yards in 10 games.

Anderson, who recently changed his legal name to Chosen Robbie Anderson, spent his first four seasons with the New York Jets. He set career highs with 95 receptions for 1,096 yards in 2020 in his first season with the Panthers but dropped to 53 catches and 519 yards the following season.

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!!!"

The Arizona Cardinals have hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to be their head coach.

Gannon makes the move to Arizona two days after the Eagles lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Cardinals.

The deal, which was announced on Tuesday, is for five years. Forty-year-old Gannon becomes Arizona’s fourth coach in seven years and replaces Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired after the team ended the 2022 season on a seven-game losing streak to finish 4-13.

"I am super excited about the opportunity," Gannon said in a statement. "I look forward to getting my hands on the players and putting a winning product on the field."

Serving as the Eagles' defensive coordinator in the past two seasons, Gannon helped Philadelphia to an NFC title behind a relentless defence.

This past season, the Eagles ranked second in total defence (301.5 yards per game) and led the NFL with 70 sacks – 15 more than the next-closest team.

The defense registered eight more sacks while yielding just 14 total points in their first two playoff wins before struggling to stop the high-powered Chiefs in the Super Bowl, surrendering 24 second-half points in blowing a 10-point halftime lead while failing to sack Patrick Mahomes.

Gannon now takes over a Cardinals team in transition with approximately 30 unrestricted free agents.

With his hiring, Gannon became the second Philadelphia coordinator to be named a head coach within hours after offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was hired by the Indianapolis Colts earlier on Tuesday.

Wide receiver A.J. Green has decided to step away from the NFL after 12 years.

The 34-year-old took to social media to announce the decision to retire on Monday.

"Thank you to all who have supported, encouraged and inspired me throughout my career," he wrote on Twitter. "Special thank you to the University of Georgia, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals for the opportunity to pursue my dreams.

"I've stayed true to the game and it owes me nothing. Be blessed.. Love y'all! The next chapter begins."

Green was drafted fourth overall in 2011 by the Bengals and earned his first of seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections that season after leading the team with 65 receptions, 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns.

His best season came in 2013, when he had career highs of 98 receptions for 1,426 yards and 11 TDs.

After 10 seasons with the Bengals, Green signed as a free agent with Arizona, where he spent the final two seasons.

He ranks second all-time in Cincinnati franchise history in career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and ends his career with 727 receptions for 10,514 yards and 70 touchdowns in 158 games.

Monti Ossenfort was introduced as the Arizona Cardinals' new general manager on Tuesday as the team prepare to hire a new head coach.

Ossenfort, previously the Tennessee Titans' director of player personnel and before that a New England Patriots employee in various roles, was appointed on Monday.

Predecessor Steve Keim had stepped away from the position last week after initially taking an indefinite, health-related leave of absence in December.

The Cardinals still need a coach, however, as the announcement of Keim's departure was twinned with the firing of Kliff Kingsbury.

That topic was unsurprisingly prominent as Ossenfort met the media alongside Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill.

Bidwill confirmed the team had interviewed seven GM candidates before settling on Ossenfort as the man to take them forward as they turn their focus to the coaching vacancy.

"It became clear Monti was going to be the best fit for us, with his well-defined vision of turning this organisation around on the field and assisting us in identifying our new head coach, which we will embark on in a matter of days," Bidwill said.

The Cardinals were a miserable 4-13 this year, with Kingsbury unable to even oversee the sort of strong starts that had raised hopes in previous ultimately underwhelming seasons.

Another key issue centred around quarterback Kyler Murray, whose relationship with Kingsbury reportedly deteriorated in 2022.

Ossenfort's message on the sorts of players he wants to see in Arizona colours was clear.

He promised a "unified message across the general manager, the head coach and ownership" and identified the profiles of the playing personnel as key.

"We are going to look for the right type of players," Ossenfort said. "Ego will not be tolerated in this organisation.

"We are going to look for focused, driven people who are willing to put the team first at every step of the way."

Kliff Kingsbury has paid the price for a dismal 2022 Arizona Cardinals season.

Kingsbury was fired on Monday after the Cardinals ended the campaign with a 38-13 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers that consigned them to a 4-13 record.

The head coach had entered 2022 with his future seemingly secure, agreeing a contract extension that would keep him in Arizona through the 2027 season.

That deal came on the back of an 11-6 campaign in 2021 as the Cardinals made the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

But even in that promising season, the Cards faded after a 7-0 start, losing in the Wild Card round to NFC West rivals and eventual Super Bowl champions the Los Angeles Rams.

Late-season struggles were a consistent theme throughout Kingsbury's four-year tenure, which coincided with first overall pick Kyler Murray's arrival in Arizona.

Kingsbury had to deal with a series of injuries in 2022, including to quarterback Murray, but the team were never in playoff contention and lost their final seven games.

The franchise will now be looking for a new coach and also a general manager.

Steve Keim, whose contract matched Kingsbury's in length, had been in the position since 2013 but took an indefinite, health-related leave of absence last month.

He will not be returning, as the Cardinals confirmed his departure alongside Kingsbury's.

"We have announced that head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been relieved of his duties," a statement from the franchise read. "In addition, general manager Steve Keim has decided to step away from his position in order to focus on his health.

"The team wishes them well and thanks both of them for their contributions."

J.J. Watt feels he could not have had a better farewell from the NFL after his final game for the Arizona Cardinals.

The defensive end registered two sacks in his final career appearance, a 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, receiving a standing ovation when he was removed from the action in the final two minutes of the game.

An official stood between the 49ers center and quarterback Josh Johnson, holding off play to allow Watt to have his moment, which continued the tributes for the 33-year-old.

In a team meeting on Saturday, Arizona defensive line coach Matt Burke played a six-minute video tribute to the three-time Defensive Player of the Year – which included messages from his family, alongside the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

J.J's youngest brother, T.J., was the first to appear in the video and sparked tears, before both he and Derek Watt made significant contributions in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season-ending win over the Cleveland Browns.

"I absolutely lost it. I was bawling like a baby, and I didn't stop until long into the night," he told reporters.

"I mean, the highlight videos are great, all the plays are cool, but when you hear from the people in your life that are important, from my family, from my friends, and then you hear from people you have the utmost respect for, team-mates, coaches, opponents, it hit me in a different way that I never expected.

"There's no way to explain what it feels like to anybody because the love that I have for them, the pride that I have for them.

"How much fun I have watching them, and then they walk in wearing my jerseys and T.J. gets whatever he had [a half-sack], Derek scores a touchdown.

"I mean, I wanted to win today, but for our family, I couldn't ask for a better send-off.

"I want to thank the 49ers, that was very classy, and their fans, they didn't have to do that. I appreciate them doing that, that was better than I could have expected certainly from that standpoint.

"[I] had my wife and son here and my parents here, I'm thankful and grateful, and I'll always remember it that's for sure."

The NFL has been in shock this week, following the terrible scenes in Monday's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills.

Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest on the field has sent shockwaves through the sport, though it appears the 24-year-old is making progress in his recovery.

While Hamlin's health remains the league's priority over the rescheduling of that game from Week 17, there is also focus on the final round of fixtures.

There's plenty still be decided in Week 18, and Stats Perform has used Opta data to preview some of the key matchups.

SATURDAY (all times EST)

Chiefs (13-3) at Raiders (6-10) - 4:30pm

With the Bills and the Bengals having yet to finish the game that was rightly suspended on Monday, the AFC picture is not entirely clear. As things stand, a Kansas City Chiefs win in Las Vegas would mean they remain in with a chance of claiming the top seed, pending a decision on the Bengals-Bills game and the outcome of Buffalo's Week 18 clash against the New England Patriots.

The Chiefs have scored 28 or more points in nine consecutive games against the Raiders. The only longer streak of such games against a single opponent in NFL history is 10 by the Los Angeles Rams against the Green Bay Packers, and that came way back in 1949 to 1953. 

Jerick McKinnon caught two touchdowns in Kansas City's 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos and has seven touchdown catches in the Chiefs' last five games. That is the most receiving touchdowns by a running back over a span of five team games in the Super Bowl era. 

The Chiefs have scored 264 points on the road this season, averaging 33.0 points per game. If they hit their average on Saturday, they will finish with the third-most road points in a single season in NFL history, behind only the 2007 New England Patriots (314) and their own effort in 2018 (306).

Patrick Mahomes has 5,000 passing yards (5,048) and 250 rushing yards (329) in a single season for the second time in his career, also doing so in 2018.

Titans (7-9) at Jaguars (8-8) - 8:15pm

It will be winner-take-all in the AFC South when the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans face off. The victor will clinch the division and become the fourth seed in the playoffs. While Jacksonville would still be able to make the postseason via a wild card should they lose, Tennessee must win if they are to avoid elimination.

The Jaguars are looking to sweep the season series with the Titans for the first time since 2005. The only other NFL teams that have gone that long since they last swept a current divisional opponent are the Cleveland Browns, who last swept the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1988, and New York Jets, who last swept the Patriots in 2000 (the Browns also have a chance to end their drought this week).

Jacksonville could become the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs immediately following back-to-back 14-loss seasons.

Meanwhile, the Titans are looking to avoid joining the 1994 Eagles as the only teams in league history to have at least seven wins before ending the season on a seven-game game losing streak.

SUNDAY

Giants (9-6-1) at Eagles (13-3) - 4:25pm

The Philadelphia Eagles have been the team to beat in the NFC all season, yet after successive defeats in the absence of Jalen Hurts, they now need a win to clinch the top seed.

Should they lose to the New York Giants, both the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers will have to suffer defeats in order for the Eagles to be guaranteed home advantage in the playoffs.

The omens are good for the Eagles, who have won eight straight home games against the Giants, tied for the second-longest home win streak against a single opponent in team history. It trails only their active 10-game home win streak against the Steelers that started in 1966. 

A win against the Eagles would give the Giants 10 wins after having just four last season. It would be the first time New York earned double-digit wins in a season after having four or fewer wins since doing so in 1933 (11 wins after a 4-6 record in 1932).

Lions (8-8) @ Packers (8-8) - 8.20pm

Given the NFC East will get two of the conference's three wild cards, matters are relatively simple for the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. A Packers victory sends them through to the playoffs, while Detroit need to win and hope the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers are coming off a 41-17 win over the Vikings in which they had four takeaways and no giveaways. Green Bay are now 50-0-1 in the Super Bowl era (including playoffs) with a turnover margin of +4 or better in a game.

Green Bay's record at home against the Lions is 61-27-4, the most home wins by any team against a single opponent.

With another win, Aaron Rodgers would be the first QB in NFL history to have two seasons where his team was multiple games under .500 immediately before going on a five-or-greater game winning streak to end the regular season. 

But the Lions have scored at least 20 points while throwing no interceptions in eight straight games, tied for the longest streak in NFL history (regular season) with the 2005 Broncos, 2010 Patriots and 2018-19 Ravens.

Elsewhere...

New England will clinch a playoff spot should they defeat the Bills, who are of course recovering from that incident involving Hamlin. The Bills have won their last two games against the Patriots and are looking for three straight wins in the series for the first time since 1999-2000.

The Miami Dolphins have lost five in a row but can make the playoffs should they beat the Jets. The matchup is perfectly balanced all-time at 56 wins apiece with one tie entering this game. 

A run of five wins from six games has put the Steelers in playoff contention. They will have to beat the Browns and need results elsewhere go their way. Cleveland won against the Steelers in Week 3 this season. The Browns have not won multiple games against Pittsburgh in a season since the 1988 season.

The 49ers can still claim the top seed in the NFC by beating the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco beat Las Vegas in Week 17, 37-34, despite trailing by 10 points in the third quarter. It was the Niners' second-largest comeback victory in the second half under Kyle Shanahan.

It has been a terrible season for the Rams (5-11), but they are 7-3 in their last 10 games against Seattle. The Seahawks got a 27-23 win in Inglewood in Week 13, the closest game between these teams since a 30-29 Seahawks win in Week 5, 2019. 

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has undergone surgery to repair the torn ACL in his right knee, a procedure that both he and head coach Kliff Kingsbury said went smoothly.

Murray made the announcement on Wednesday via social media while posting a picture of himself smiling in a hospital bed.

"ACL surgery was successful, thank you for all the love and prayers," Murray wrote. "I appreciate the support and positivity more than I can express. I'll be back."

Murray will now begin the process of rehabbing his knee in the hope of being ready for the start of the 2023 season, which is not a certainty considering the timing of the surgery. The two-time Pro Bowler was injured in Arizona's Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots on December 12. 

Kingsbury told reporters on Wednesday the Cardinals are planning as if Murray will not be cleared in time for the 2023 opener, which he said went into the decision to hold out back-up quarterback Colt McCoy for Sunday's finale against NFC West champions the San Francisco 49ers.

McCoy had missed Arizona's previous two games with a concussion he sustained at the Denver Broncos on December 18.

Kingsbury said David Blough will make a second straight start at quarterback for Sunday's contest.

"It was tough," Kingsbury said about the decision to shut McCoy down. "He wanted to play, and it's just in our situation with probably not having Kyler start the year, it's the right thing to do."

Blough, signed off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad following Murray's injury, completed 24 of 40 passes for 222 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions at Atlanta last week, a 20-19 Cardinals defeat that extended their losing streak to six games. 

Arizona enter Sunday's finale with a 4-12 record one year after making the playoffs with an 11-6 mark. Murray himself had a down year, as the former Heisman Trophy winner's passer rating fell from 100.6 in 2021 to 87.2 this season, and his 6.1 yards per pass attempt is the lowest of 33 qualifying quarterbacks.

"I think it can be kind of a reset for him," Kingsbury said of Murray’s offseason rehab. "We know we had our struggles this year offensively and we feel like we can play at a much higher level, and I think he understands that he can build himself back better and attack this thing. And I think that's how he's viewing it.

"It's kind of a reset and where he takes it now, it's kind of how what’s going to define his career."

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the New Year's Day trip to face the Atlanta Falcons due to a knee injury.

Hopkins had been listed as questionable for the Week 17 encounter on Sunday and he was ruled out on New Year's Eve after his injury flared up this week.

He will sit out a seventh game of the season for a Cardinals side that are out of playoff contention.

Hopkins missed the opening six games of the year due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Andre Baccellia has been promoted from Arizona's practice squad in the absence of Hopkins.

The Cardinals confirmed on Friday that David Blough will be the starting quarterback against the Falcons.