The Las Vegas Raiders have requested interviews with Detroit Lions coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their vacant head coaching position.

The requests come a day after Antonio Pierce was fired following just one full-time season in which he went 4-13. Pierce was 5-4 as the interim coach in 2023.

Glenn is the Lions’ defensive coordinator and Johnson holds the same position on the offensive side. Both are among the most in-demand coaches this hiring cycle because Detroit is the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Lions were seventh in scoring defense, allowing 20.1 points per game despite a slew of injuries on that side of the ball. They led the NFL in scoring with a 33.2-point average.

Spagnuolo has been the defensive coordinator for the two-time defending champion Chiefs, the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, for the past six seasons. He was the St. Louis Rams’ head coach from 2009-11, going 10-38.

The Chiefs have been one of the league’s top defenses under his watch. They were fourth in scoring (19.2-point average) and ninth in total defense (320.6-yard average).

Panthers fire 3 defensive coaches >> The Carolina Panthers have begun to make changes to their defensive staff after giving up the most points in NFL history this season.

The team has fired secondary coach Bert Watts, outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu and quality control coach Bobby Maffei, according to a person familiar with the situation. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Monday that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will be back next season, saying that he likes his defensive schemes. However, Canales wouldn’t say at the time if he would consider other staff changes on defense.

Titans interviewing Browns’ Hickman for GM position >> The Tennessee Titans have been granted permission to interview Catherine Hickman by the Cleveland Browns as the team looks for a new general manager.

Hickman has been assistant general manager and vice president of football operations with the Browns since 2022 after being hired in 2019 as the football operations coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. She currently is the NFL’s highest-ranking executive with a team. Meeting with Hickman will help Tennessee meet the Rooney Rule that requires a team to interview at least two outside candidates who are either a person of color or female for the Titans’ general manager opening.

Eagles QB Hurts returns to practice >> Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a limited participant in practice for the first time since he suffered a concussion in Week 16, clearing the way for him to start this weekend in an NFC wild-card playoff game.

Barring any setbacks, Hurts is expected to return for Sunday’s home game against the Green Bay Packers.

The Eagles (14-3) had said nothing until Wednesday about Hurts’ health since he suffered a concussion and left a Dec. 22 game early against Washington. He missed the final two games — where backups Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee led the Eagles to victories — and coach Nick Sirianni had said only that Hurts remained in the NFL concussion protocol.