NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Arian Foster, Josh McDaniels and Steve Spagnuolo

Personnel shuffles continue to take place across the NFL landscape among the 24 teams no longer alive in the playoffs, and front offices are starting to fill out.

As of Friday, only one of the seven head coaching vacancies remain, but that should change soon now that the Tennessee Titans have hired Jon Robinson as general manager. 

Robinson left his post as director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after three seasons, but before that, he was among the many branches on the New England Patriots’ tree of success. 

While Titans interim head coach Mike Mularkey was considered a presumptive favorite to be promoted to head coach, Robinson is still conducting interviews and could dip back into the New England pool to find his candidate. 

Also within the AFC South, the Houston Texans are in a state of offensive uncertainty following their embarrassing 30-0 loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round. 

Aside from their massive question mark at quarterback—Brian Hoyer was one of four under center in Houston this year—the Texans must also address beleaguered All-Pro running back Arian Foster as he continues to recover from a season-ending Achilles injury.

Here is the latest buzz on personnel and coaching rumors across the league. 

Texans Expected to Release Arian Foster

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Foster is entering the final season of a five-year, $43.5 million contract and is scheduled to be an $8.925 million hit against the 2016 cap, third-highest among running backs, per Spotrac. 

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, citing sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, the Texans are expected to release Foster. 

If so, the Texans would have to eat $2.3 million against the cap, per Spotrac, if they release Foster before the new league year on March 9. But they may justify the action given the severity of Foster’s injury-plagued career and the risk he brings of continued attrition at a position that takes a constant beating. 

Through the life of his current contract, Foster has only once played a full season, and that was in its first year of 2012. And he’s coming off a 2015 campaign in which he underwent preseason surgery for a groin injury then suffered the Achilles tear two months later that ended his season after a career-low four games in which he ran for just 163 yards and a touchdown. 

Adding to the speculation, Texans owner Bob McNair was noncommittal when asked about Foster’s future. 

“Well, we’ll have to see how healthy he is,” McNair said, per Wilson. “But until we know that, there’s really not much you can think about.”

But his Achilles recovery is expected take six to nine months to be cleared to play, and it could take even longer to return to full strength. 

Topping that, Foster is entering his age-30 season, the general mark where most running backs decline, and all signs indicate his days in Houston are numbered. 

Wilson notes the Texans could attempt to restructure Foster’s deal but that the more likely resolution will be to move on from the former rushing champion. 

When healthy, Foster is a dual-threat game-changer who has agility and explosiveness to carry the load as an every-down back, but his history with soft-tissue injuries remains a warranted concern as his age elevates. 

Regardless of how his future plays out in Houston, he’s likely have to take a pay cut next season, and depending on how hefty a portion he’s willing to downsize, he may have more options on his next destination—perhaps with a team that can truly contend.

Josh McDaniels A Target For Titans HC Vacancy

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The Tennessee Titans are wisely taking their time as they prepare to hire their next head coach. 

Interim Mike Mularkey had been given “strong indications” the job is his, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, but now that new GM Jon Robinson is settling in, the job no longer seems to be Mularkey’s for the taking. 

Robinson will reportedly take a hard look at former colleague and current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo Sports:

McDaniels has previous head coaching experience with the Denver Broncos from 2009 to 2010, but he was fired before the end of his second season with an 11-17 record. 

He had a heavy hand in drafting Tim Tebow in the first round, a decision that played into his eventual demise, along with failing to make the playoffs after a 6-0 start in his first season. 

McDaniels admitted to his mistakes during his Denver stint and has resurrected his career once again as Patriots OC, a position he held from 2006 to 2008 and regained in 2012. 

New England remains alive in the playoffs, meaning the Titans will have to wait to interview McDaniels, but given that all other head coaching vacancies are filled, there isn’t necessarily a rush to hire Mularkey, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com noted:

"

The Titans have waited this long.

If they hire Mularkey after just three coach interviews—Doug Marrone and Teryl Austin were the others—then this "search” has been a charade.

They’d be insulting their fans and under-utilizing the connections and insight of the general manager they just hired.

"

McDaniels may find a haven in Nashville with a young talent in Marcus Mariota and the top pick in this year’s draft to build around the franchise quarterback. 

The Titans have played it smart so far. They’d be wise to continue this path and interview any and all they’re interested in—at the very least, to ensure they get the right guy.

Steve Spagnuolo Will Return as Giants DC

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For a team that just fired two-time Super Bowl winning head coach Tom Coughlin in what appeared to be a move to restructure identity, the New York Giants are keeping an awful lot of familiar faces around. 

Ben McAdoo was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach, Fox Sports columnist Mike Garafolo says Mike Sullivan is believed to be promoted from quarterbacks coach to OC, and Steve Spagnuolo is believed to retain his job as defensive coordinator, according to Alex Marvel of Fox Sports:

Spagnuolo's unit ranked dead last in total defense (420.3 yards per game) and third-down conversions (47 percent), second-worst in yards per play (6.1) third-worst in scoring (27.6 points) and sixth-worst in penalties (120 for 1,077 yards). 

While nothing is yet confirmed, when asked earlier this week how the Giants would fix its porous defense, McAdoo responded by saying, “… being the second year in the system is going to help some guys,” per James Kratch of NJ.com.

Of course, McAdoo was alluding Spagnuolo would be entering his second season on the job. 

He rejoined the Giants in 2015 seven years after leaving his post as defensive coordinator to take the head coaching job with the St. Louis Rams, where he went 10-38 in three seasons and his defense ranked 29th, 19th and 22nd overall. 

That the Giants have retained many under Coughlin’s staff is alarming—particularly given a fresh start was in order, as they haven’t reached the playoffs since their last Super Bowl win in 2011. 

It’s not to say the Giants should’ve cleaned house, but keeping many familiar, and underachieving, faces around doesn’t necessarily indicate an upward trend.