The Chicago Bears have been putting together a star-studded coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson mixing together a nice blend of experience and youth.
Johnson has already hired a former head coach and defensive-mastermind in Dennis Allen to run his defense, a young and rising offensive-mind in Declan Doyle, retained special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, and added three former NFL players as positional assistants.
The biggest and most anticipated hire still to come on Johnson's staff will be who he chooses to be the team's next offensive line coach.
During his introductory press conference, Johnson emphasized the importance of strengthening the position group this offseason. That includes both overhauling the talent in the room and finding the right man to lead the position.
"I think the offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward," Johnson said. “We will develop a plan of attack for how to get that done, but I'm looking forward to getting an excellent offensive line coach into the building to help develop the young talent that we already have on the roster. We will certainly talk about acquiring talent to bolster that unit as well. I was certainly blessed the last few years with the men that I worked with, and that was something I would love to replicate here as well."
As for the candidates the Bears have been linked to already for the vacant role, it seems Johnson is targeting the best possible options.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune said to keep an eye on former New Orleans Saints position coach, Dan Roushar, and Nate Trice of The Athletic said on the Football 301 podcast that there is interest in Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph as well.
More names will likely be connected to the job in the coming days until a decision is made, but there's a lot to like with these two candidates.
Roushar made the jump from the college ranks to the NFL in 2013 as the Saints' running backs coach under Sean Payton, a tree Johnson has already been plucking the majority of his staff from. In 2015, he switched his focus to the tight ends before leading the team's offensive line from 2016-2020. During his final two years in New Orleans, Roushar added the role of run game coordinator, a role he could also have with Johnson's offense in Chicago.
While working with the Saints' unit, Ryan Ramczyk was named to one First-Team All-Pro list and Terron Armstead was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls. In that span, Larry Warford, Andrus Peat, and Max Unger all received various Pro Bowl nods as well.
Roushar is currently the offensive line coach at Tulane University.
Unlike Roushar, Rudolph has not had any NFL coaching experience but has become a highly successful assistant at the college level working with the offensive line. Rudolph was the former offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh from 2012-2014 before joining Wisconsin as an offensive coordinator, run game coordinator, and offensive line coach from 2015-2021.
In 2022, Rudolph spent one season at Virginia Tech as the program's run game coordinator and offensive line coach before jumping to Notre Dame in 2023.
In terms of his notable former players, Rudolph coached 2024 first-round pick Joe Alt, 2022 third-round pick Logan Bruss, 2020 fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz, 2018 second-round pick Brian O'Neill, and also coached Ramczyk as well, along with other notable names that went on to play in the NFL.
Clearly, there's a lot to like about each candidate in terms of what they could bring to the position. And based on these two names alone, Johnson is serious about getting this unit turned around as soon as possible.
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Second-year Green Bay Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd can’t seem to catch a break. Chosen by the Packers with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Lloyd dealt with hamstring injuries throughout training camp last summer before suffering a season-ending ankle injury just one week into his rookie season. Marshawn Lloyd Knocked from Packers Practice As the intensity ratchets up at Packers training camp, Lloyd’s second season may have already gotten off on the wrong foot, during Green Bay’s first practice in full pads this summer. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Lloyd stayed out on the field but didn’t continue to practice, instead watching from behind the huddle without a helmet. Demovsky points out that Lloyd was slow to get up but then did not return to practice the rest of the day. The Packers are likely hoping for big things from Lloyd, who is likely to compete with Emmanuel Wilson for the lion’s share of carries behind Wilson. It remains to be seen how serious Lloyd’s injury is, but if the 24-year-old is forced to miss any significant time, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers may be wise to go shopping for some quality running back help in the days and weeks ahead.
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
Throughout the season, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred visits all 30 team clubhouses in an attempt to strengthen his relationship with the players. But when Manfred visited the Philadelphia Phillies last week, he did anything but strengthen his relations, at least not with Phillies star Bryce Harper. As reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, Harper wasn't a fan of a conversation that seemed to be heading toward the possibility of implementing a salary cap in the game. Harper stood nose to nose with Manfred, telling him, "If you want to speak about that, you can get the [expletive] out of our clubhouse." Passan's report says that Manfred reportedly responded that he was "not going to get the [expletive] out of here." Manfred's main source of argument comes from his view that it's an important issue to discuss and has a direct impact on the game of baseball. Nick Castellanos, who's been known to have a fiery side of personality himself, helped to mediate the situation by saying, "I have more questions" to Manfred. Because the meeting continued, things settled down, and eventually, Manfred and Harper shook hands. Though Harper did not answer phone calls from Manfred the next day. "It was pretty intense, definitely passionate. Both of 'em. The commissioner giving it back to Bryce and Bryce giving it back to the commissioner. That's Harp. He's been doing this since he was 15-years-old," Castellanos told ESPN. Both Harper and Manfred declined to comment to ESPN on the matter. Manfred is certainly in a difficult spot with players themselves against a salary cap, as well as the MLB Players Association, which is adamantly against it. But some team owners are for it, most notably Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein, who purchased the club in August 2024. It's certainly worth noting that the 1994 players' strike was a result of the league's effort to move to a salary-cap system. That is the worst-case scenario for MLB. And it seems to stress out Manfred. "Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap," Castellanos added in his comments to ESPN, "because he's floating the word lockout two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiration]. That's nothing to throw around. That's the same thing as me in a marriage saying, 'I think divorce is a possibility. It's probably going to happen.' You don't just say those things." It's also important to note that Harper is a client of baseball super agent Scott Boras, and Castellanos is a former Boras client who now represents himself. Boras is known for bargaining for a ton of money for his clients, so that may provide one explanation of many for why Harper would be so against the discussion. It seems the only thing all parties can agree on is that no one wants a work stoppage in Major League Baseball. But that might just be where the agreements end.
Shedeur Sanders has been working with the Cleveland Browns' equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback this summer. He'll have a new opportunity following the troubling injury news for Kenny Pickett. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's practice and will not receive reps until his issue is re-evaluated. "Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources," Schefter posted on X. "Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps for Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett's injury will shake up the quarterback race in Cleveland. Through OTAs and early in training camp, Sanders has been the odd man out as the only signal caller on the roster not to receive reps with the first-team offense. It's unclear if the Browns coaching staff intends to give Sanders reps with the first-team offense now that Pickett is sidelined, but the fifth-round pick will have more chances this week to prove that he deserves an opportunity to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are in a unique situation with their rookie quarterbacks. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was selected before Sanders, but the son of Deion Sanders fell to Day 3 of the draft for reasons other than talent. The majority of draft analysts had Sanders as a better-graded quarterback than Gabriel, and many thought the Colorado product would be taken in the first round. The Browns can use the injury as an excuse to give Sanders reps with the first team, and it's a task they need to take advantage of before the team names a starter. Sanders has the potential to be a starter in the league, and this week is pivotal for his rookie season in Cleveland.