NFL Rumors and News Roundup: Mike McDaniel's Impact On The Chargers Offense
John Laghezza breaks down the latest news and notes around the NFL heading into the Conference Championship round of the playoffs.
The NFL playoffs continue with four teams remaining, and the NFL rumors and news cycle is intensifying as we progress towards the offseason.
Let's break down some of the latest updates around the coaching world and hit on some impending free agency notes ...
Mike McDaniel To The Chargers As New OC
Adam Schefter got the Mike McDaniel rumor mill churning with this banger on Tuesday night. Notice, however, Schefty made sure to include that the move could hinge on a “change of heart”—only to turn around less than 30 minutes later to more solidly confirm it here. Oh, those wacky insiders.
Assuming the deal goes forward (which increasingly appears it will), it’s incredibly bullish for a Chargers team with a star quarterback in place—a critical piece arguably missing from McDaniel's arsenal since his tenure began. Regardless of your personal opinion of Tua Tagovailoa, McDaniel's impact is impossible to ignore. I had to double-check this next one myself …
Despite all the speedbumps and consternation, Miami was top-5 in yards per play under McDaniel (2022-2025), with Tua ranking as the overall QB4 in terms of EPA/attempt (65 QBs +250 attempts since 2022). Draft all the Chargers.
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Robert Saleh To Titans, Interview Daboll For OC
Styles make fights. If the Titans brass are serious about taking a forward leap, Robert Salah’s a jab, and bringing in Brian Daboll’s the big left hook. Saleh’s no-nonsense persona fits perfectly into a young locker room in desperate need of focused leadership. With that, Jets fans can attest to the potential offensive limitations.
Daboll’s probably a better coordinator than coach at this point anyway, and the addition of some ruthless aggression could mean a match made in heaven. As far as fantasy goes, if the Titans seal the deal and you’re buying the disciplinary narrative—get bullish on Tennessee skill players as your late draft/dynasty buy-low directive.
Update: But Wait … There’s More
Schefter’s up to his old tricks, tweeting mere minutes ago that Buffalo’s throwing their hat in the ring on Brian Daboll as well. With zero insider information on the topic, it’s hard to see him committing to a lesser position on a bottom-feeding Titan squad (if the Bills want him, of course). Reunited, and it feels good.
Sorry, Tennessee, maybe you’ll come up big somewhere else. Until then, forget all fantasy relevance in Music City, while monitoring the dealings in Northern New York.
Free Agent Carousel
Breece Hall: Some players deserve better. Luckily for Breece Hall, it’s all but a lock coming from the Jets. Great player and great guy, the former second-round Cyclone ranks as fantasy’s overall RB7 since the start of 2023, despite playing for a bottom-5 scoring offense in that same timeframe. He’s so good at football.
What's the all-but-too-obvious landing spot for Hall? Gotta be a mile high in the air with Sean Payton and the Broncos. No matter how this current Denver playoff run shakes out, J.K. Dobbins is an unrestricted free agent, and a versatile RB could, would and should put this offense over the top for another deep run in 2026.
Kenneth Walker: Anyone who watched Walker go ballistic for (19-116-3; 3-29-0) against San Francisco in the NFC Divisional Round needs no reminder of the 25-year-old’s upside case. The instant dream scenario is obviously Dallas, in need of a solid RB1 replacement with Javonte Williams hitting free agency. Not sure it’s feasible given the Cowboys' cap situation (-$32M), but you never know.
After Tony Pollard signed with Tennessee, there’s no guarantee Walker signs with a competitor—it’s money over everything. Shocker. To that point, Houston’s got a little bit of space, and finagling Walker into that backfield would solidify a true vulnerability of that offense.
George Pickens: As someone who’s never rooted for Dallas, I wouldn’t mind if Pickens stayed with the Cowboys after that (93-1,429-9) breakout and WR6 finish—what a joy to watch. As a non-capologist, DAL’s financial situation will likely serve as a disqualifier for a marquee free agent—though some of the more creative GMs’ imaginations might disagree.
My two best guesses both possess more than $50M in cap space, and are devoid of a true alpha wideout. Pickens could be brought in to support a rebuilding Raiders’ offense, and likely 1.01 Fernando Mendoza. Eyerolls aside, that’d be a boatload of talent on one offense.
Maybe more realistically would be a move to the Nation’s Capital. Jayden Daniels should be 100%, and Washington could decide to move on from Deebo Samuel, who’s an unrestricted free agent. Regardless of landing spot, Pickens won’t come cheap. Point being, if we knew the answer was WAS, SF or BAL and not TEN, LV or NYJ, it would make sense to acquire more Pickens shares now—before he’s the NFL’s hottest commodity as the Ravens’ WR1.
Tyler Allgeier: Arguably the best backup in the NFL for a couple of seasons running, Allgeier’s likely going to start at RB somewhere—and immediately become an industry darling. If unfamiliar with his body of work, just consider the fact all-world tailback Bijan Robinson couldn’t ice Allgeier out of playing time over multiple seasons. That frustration was real.
Part of me thinks the Jets could view Tyler Allgeier as a cheaper replacement for Breece Hall, who’s going to command big money in the open market. They’re rebuilding from scratch and severely need some experience on the offensive side of the ball. However, it makes sense, so don’t expect it to happen from Gang Green.
Suddenly, the thought of reaching for Allgeier in early drafts feels misplaced, barring more information. For what it’s worth, the same argument stands with a similar fantasy fate attached if he winds up in Arizona as well. Unlike Hall (and to a lesser extent Kenneth Walker), Allgeier feels less insulated from environmental context.
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