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After a decade away, Doug Marrone is back in the AFC East.
The New England Patriots have added a former rival in Marrone, who will take over as their offensive line coach. After a year out of NFL coaching circles, Marrone is back in the trenches after most-recently serving as the New Orleans Saints' offensive line coach in 2022 and 2023.
Marrone's first stint in the AFC East was as the o-line coach for the Jets from 2002 to 2005, but he's best known for his time in the division when he led the Bills as their head coach from 2013 to 2014.
The arrival of Marrone, who reportedly referred to himself as "Saint Doug," was met with regional excitement following his success as the head coach at Syracuse. Despite Marrone's 15-17 overall record, his time in Buffalo concluded with a 9-7 record in 2014, which was the team's first winning season since 2004.
Following the Bills' ownership change in 2014, Marrone opted out of his Bills contract early and unsuccessfully politicked for the Jets' head coaching job. He landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015, eventually working his way up to the head coach's spot in 2017.
That 2017 season was a highwater mark in Jacksonville, as he led the Jags to a 10-6 record, knocking off Buffalo in its first playoff appearance in 17 years, and eventually earning a berth in the AFC championship. He stayed in Jacksonville until 2020 before helping Alabama win an SEC championship in 2021.
New England is looking to improve its offensive line play after tying for the sixth-most sacks allowed in 2024 (52) and ranking No. 31 overall in total offense.
But for the Bills sake, they'd probably like to see the Pats' offensive turmoil continuing now that Marrone is in the fold.
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Justin Fields Called 'Biggest Loser' In Jets Training Camp
The New York Jets opted to cut Aaron Rodgers and sign Justin Fields to replace him during the offseason. This kind of commitment to Fields should bolster his confidence, but it could also place a lot of pressure on his shoulders. To this point, Fields has looked solid in training camp, aside from a scary toe injury that was quickly resolved in July. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently reported that Fields' training camp may have reached a new low over the weekend as the young signal caller struggled. "Justin Fields put together his best practice of the summer to this point on Friday, completing his first 12 passes en route to an excellent all-around performance. The same can't be said about his showing on Saturday, however," Fried wrote. "Fields finished the day an abysmal 2-of-10 in the air, including a drop from rookie tight end Mason Taylor. "Some of his incompletions were catchable balls, but the Jets' passing game struggles on Saturday can largely be blamed on No. 7. Fields did flash his running ability with a 25-yard rushing score on the first play of red-zone drills, but the Jets would like to see more consistency in the air from the starting quarterback. Saturday's scrimmage was far from his best showing of the summer." Fields is a runner first at the NFL level, but his arm is nothing to scoff at. For most of training camp, his arm talent has been better than advertised, but during Saturday's scrimmage, it just wasn't there. A 2 for 10 performance is unacceptable for a $40 million quarterback who was signed to take over the team. The running game should open up the passing game for the Jets, which is going to need to be the case if Fields is going to struggle like this. However, it's just one day of camp. It's nothing to be too concerned about. Just because Fields lost this specific practice doesn't mean he's heading in the wrong direction as a whole.
Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury excited for forgotten WR, whose progress is ‘night and day’
The Washington Commanders have Super Bowl intentions for the 2025 NFL season, and OC Kliff Kingsbury believes fans will see even more from certain players in the year ahead. Kliff Kingsbury, who has head coaching experience in the NFL, returned as an offensive coordinator in 2024. He was hired as the offensive coordinator entrusted with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the results were sensational. With Daniels’ help, Kingsbury built one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and the Commanders may have even more depth than many are anticipating. Kingsbury praises Luke McCaffrey for development ahead of 2025 season The Washington Commanders were electric in 2024. Jayden Daniels threw for 3,568 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, while rushing for another 891 yards and six TDs on the ground. Terry McLaurin led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, totaling 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 scores. Beyond that, the team had a lot of contributing pass catchers, including veteran tight end Zach Ertz, and receivers Olamide Zaccheus, Noah Brown, and Dyami Brown. Zaccheus and Dyami Brown both took deals to play elsewhere in free agency, so the Commanders replenished the room with the trade for Deebo Samuel, and the additions of both veteran Michael Gallup and fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane. However, one name that has flown under the radar as he enters his second season in the league is 2024 third-round pick Luke McCaffrey. McCaffrey, who is the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers running back and NFL star Christian McCaffrey, is hoping to make a bigger impression in 2025. Kliff Kingsbury talked about his development this week, saying: “Luke’s come a long way from last year this time to now. Just the confidence, we’re playing him outside a lot for necessity … he’s definitely night and day difference from what he was last year this time.” Kingsbury also talked about the ‘worst case scenario’ with Terry McLaurin, if he did get hurt or wasn’t with the team for any reason in 2025. He said they were navigating who would play on the outside, and that’s one of the reasons they’ve been getting McCaffrey reps out there during training camp. Terry McLaurin’s trade request is allowing younger receivers reps with starting offense Terry McLaurin is a true professional, and when his contract situation finally gets resolved there is very little doubt that he’ll return to form immediately. That said, in his absence there are players like Luke McCaffrey who are seeing a lot more reps. Kingsbury talked through the potential personnel groups without McLaurin on the field, and it sounds like McCaffrey is proving he can be trusted as an X receiver, as well as playing out of the slot. In 2024, the third-round pick ran 76% of his reps out of the slot, but if the team knows they can also count on him at the X, he may see more playing time in 2025. McCaffrey finished his rookie season with 18 catches for 168 yards and will now be competing for reps this season with rookie Jaylin Lane and other depth pieces within the Commanders’ offense.
Matt LaFleur sheds light on concerning Tucker Kraft situation
The Green Bay Packers continued work on the field on Saturday, with tens of thousands of fans in attendance watching amid the annual Family Night. However, one notable player who was not able to make it to the field and practice was tight end Tucker Kraft. The former South Dakota State Jackrabbits star is nursing a lower-body injury, forcing the Packers to take it easy on the tight end and keep him on the shelf rather than risk aggravation of the issue. Speaking to the media, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opened up about Kraft’s status, via Green Bay reporter Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “MLF said Tucker Kraft has been dealing with a groin injury and powering through it for the last two days but they decided to give him a couple days off.” Kraft is expected to be among the major targets in the Packers’ passing attack in his third year in the pros. Selected in the third round (78th overall) by the Packers in the 2023 NFL draft, the 24-year-old Kraft is looking to surpass his production in 2024, when he posted 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 50 receptions.
Milwaukee Brewers: Nestor Cortes Gone, Standout Rookie 3B Has Emerged as Gem from Would-Be Lose-Lose Trade
Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes was the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ return haul from trading co-closer Devin Williams to the Yankees last December. Eight months later, Cortes is a member of the Padres, logging all of two starts in Milwaukee before injuries sapped his season. Over in New York, Williams lost his closer’s job, got it back, and has had one good month en route to a 5.04 ERA. Without the other part of Milwaukee’s incoming package, then minor-league third baseman Caleb Durbin, the trade would look at this juncture like a lose-lose scenario. Thanks to Durbin, it’s been anything but for the Brewers. Caleb Durbin is Milwaukee Brewers’ diamond in the rough Durbin didn’t make the spring training cut. Instead, the Brewers went with fellow rookie Oliver Dunn as the team’s starting third baseman. Durbin went down to Triple-A Nashville. Dunn didn’t last. After he struggled through the first three weeks of the season, he and Durbin switched places and the latter hasn’t squandered his shot. Following a slow start, he’s turned up the heat at the dish while playing outstanding defense. He’s had an OPS around .800 for over two months now and has his season slashline up to .263/.344/.372. His 2.2 WAR in 86 games played is tied for 10th among all third basemen, making him one of the position’s more valuable players. The Brewers saw plenty of promise in Durbin when they traded for him, coming off a strong season with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. Even though he didn’t, he was a decent candidate to make the team out of spring. The team likely didn’t see a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, which he is. By WAR, he and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin have contributed the same value to their teams, more than any other NL rookies. Cortes, on the other hand, was supposed to be a consistent cog in the rotation. Last year for the Yankees, he made 30 starts and recorded a 3.77 ERA. Instead, he’s still making his way back from injury ahead of start number three this season. In San Diego. Of course, Milwaukee did turn him into outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who will provide depth while Jackson Chourio is hurt. To dump Cortes’ salary, however, they had to attach a prospect, infielder Jorge Quintana. Neither Cortes nor Williams has been what the receiving team hoped. Both will be free agents this offseason. Only the Yankees, however, are at risk of walking away empty-handed. With years of team control remaining, the Brewers have in Durbin what looks to be their third baseman of both the present and future. The trade didn’t deliver according to expectations, but it’s hard to be too upset with the results.
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