The Dolphins have promoted John Benton to offensive line coach and named Jack Bicknell Jr. the team’s assistant offensive line coach, the team announced today.
Benton was originally hired by the Dolphins on January 29. He replaces Jim Turner, who was fired earlier this month for his involvement in the Richie Incognito–Jonathan Martin bullying scandal.
Bicknell spent the 2013 season as the Steelers‘ offensive line coach. Before that, he had NFL stops with the Chiefs and Giants, and 24 seasons coaching at the collegiate level.
Here are some more bits and pieces from a relatively slow Saturday night…
- Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report reported earlier today that the Patriots have “floated” receiver Danny Amendola in trade talks. However, Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com said he “would not bet on Amendola being dealt this offseason.”
- Regardless of what happens in free agency, Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News says Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans would be the Lions’ best choice “in terms of both talent and need.”
- Denard Robinson played just 52 out of 1,056 snaps last year due to inconsistent play, but the Jaguars hope he has an impact in the running back rotation in 2014, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union.
- As Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer points out, the Eagles handed out $133MM in contracts in the span of three days last week to four offensive players acquired by current Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
- A mix-up on draft day last year led to miscommunication between the Cowboys‘ coaching and scouting departments, but Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News said the team has since streamlined its operations and eliminated any possibility of disconnect.
- Answering questions from fans in a Twitter mailbag, ESPN Raiders reporter Paul Gutierrez said it makes “all the sense in the world” for the team to sign free agent defensive end Jared Allen.
- In a similar format, ESPN Browns reporter Pat McManamon said safety Jairus Byrd would be a nice addition to Cleveland’s defensive backfield, but there’s still the possibility he gets re-signed or franchised (again) by the Bills. Byrd and Browns coach Mike Pettine spent a year together in 2013 when Pettine was the Bills‘ defensive coordinator.