NFL Notes: Hot Seat, Cowboys & Vikings

Hot Seat

Adam Caplan of ESPN (Insider) takes a look at the NFL head coaches who are on the hot seat right now in his latest column.

• A team source tells Caplan that the Jaguars plan to review HC Gus Bradley once the season is over. However, Caplan has spoken to a number of people from around the league who believe the Jaguars’ roster is talented enough to win games.
• Caplan has Bengals HC Marvin Lewis on the hot seat but admits that the team’s roster could really use a talent infusion. The fact that Lewis isn’t the one responsible for picking players could help his chances returning in 2017.
• A personnel source tells Caplan of Packers HC Mike McCarthy possibly being on the hot seat: “I think what you’re hearing is more media-driven than anything else. The team has fallen off this season, so it’s open season on the coach. The reality is that other than [Patriots coach Bill] Belichick, show me another guy who hasn’t had a down season.”
• Caplan doesn’t expect the Bills to part ways with HC Rex Ryan, as owner Terry Pegula has reportedly preached continuity privately.
• According to Caplan, Jets HC Todd Bowles is likely safe, despite a disappointing 2016 season. Caplan mentions that the Jets’ issues are due to having an incomplete roster, which shouldn’t fall on Bowles.

Cowboys

A team source tells Charles Robinson that the Cowboys had four quarterbacks – Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch and Connor Cook – higher on their draft board than Dak Prescott. A separate source said that Dallas really had six quarterbacks above Prescott with Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel being the other two.

A Cowboys source explained that the decision to draft Prescott was really a “coaching staff pick” in the end. While Dallas may have had Driskel rated higher on their board, a source tells Robinson that the Cowboys went with Prescott because it came down to what player the coaching staff wanted as a quarterback project.

“It was a coaching staff pick,” one Cowboys source told Robinson. “[The personnel staff] can be honest about that. If anyone is most responsible for him being taken, the coaches liked him maybe a little more than the scouts did. [The scouts] thought they already had a Dak on the roster in Jameill Showers.”

Had the Cowboys not drafted Prescott in the fourth round, Robinson says that many believe the Broncos would have taken him had they not traded up for Paxton Lynch in round one.

Vikings

• Vikings HC Mike Zimmer told reporters on Tuesday that RB Adrian Peterson (knee) is “ahead of schedule.” (Chris Tomasson)