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Month: December 2024

Latest On Teams Still Seeking OCs

January 23rd, 2015 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

There’s been plenty of turnover among the offensive coordinator ranks around the NFL already this offseason, with about a third of the league’s franchies hiring new OCs so far — 10 teams have hired replacements for their old coordinators, while the Cowboys are technically the 11th to install a new OC, having given Scott Linehan the official title that Bill Callahan previously held.

As our coordinator search tracker shows, even after those 11 teams have made changes, there are still three clubs with vacancies at the position, though it’s possible only two of those clubs will actually make a hire. Here’s the latest on the three teams still without an offensive coordinator:

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners have already added one notable name to their offensive staff, hiring ex-Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano as their tight ends coach, but are still in need of a coordinator to oversee the offense. The club pursued former Broncos OC Adam Gase before he landed with the Bears, which leaves three candidates who have been linked to the club since the hiring of head coach Jim Tomsula: Mike Shanahan, Lane Kiffin, and Rob Chudzinski.

Shanahan’s name came up about a week ago, but he hasn’t received much buzz since then, and it looks to me as if Kiffin and Chudzinski are the favorites for the position. In fact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that Kiffin appeared to be the frontrunner. Since then, the Colts have rebuffed San Francisco’s attempt to speak to Chudzinski, which would seem to further solidify Kiffin as a top option, but we shouldn’t rule out the Colts assistant quite yet. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that Chudzinski’s contract with Indianapolis expires on Monday, at which point he’s expected to interview with the 49ers and Rams.

St. Louis Rams

As noted above, the Rams are expected to interview Colts assistant Rob Chudzinski when his contract with Indianapolis expires on Monday, and the fact that both San Francisco and St. Louis are willing to wait on Chudzinski suggests he’s a viable candidate for both clubs. Like the 49ers, the Rams had interest in Adam Gase and have been declined permission to speak to Chudzinski until now — St. Louis was also turned away when the team attempted to speak to Packers assistant Alex Van Pelt, and has seen a number of potential targets, including Greg Roman and Kyle Shanahan, land jobs with other clubs.

Still, the Rams did interview a candidate this week, in former Bills OC Nathaniel Hackett. Perhaps at this point Hackett is a top target by default, but a Thursday report indicated that the team may be comfortable promoting an in-house coach into the OC role. Tight ends coach Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti are viewed as strong candidates who are already on the staff, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who adds that Boras would probably get the nod over Cignetti if the Rams stay in house.

Houston Texans

The Texans didn’t have an offensive coordinator on staff in 2014, with head coach Bill O’Brien serving as the de facto OC. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier in the week that Houston could add an OC to the staff for 2015, but there has been no news on that front since La Canfora addressed the topic. The CBSSports.com scribe noted that Doug Marrone would be a strong candidate for such a position, so the fact that Marrone ultimately accepted a non-OC job in Jacksonville suggests the Texans may not be hiring an OC after all. Nonetheless, it’s a situation worth monitoring.

Extra Points: Broncos, Titans, 49ers, Bears

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans have released defensive line coach Bill Kollar from his contract in order for him to join ex-Houston coach Gary Kubiak and the Broncos, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Kollar had been the Texans’ DL coach since 2009. He has family in the Denver area, and he credited Bill O’Brien for being gracious enough to let him leave. Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Kollar is “considered an elite coach by his peers.” Here’s more from around the league…

  • Linebacker Derrick Morgan told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Titans want to re-sign him, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The impending free agent has never lived up to his first-round billing, having posted just 23.5 sacks in five seasons as a pro.
  • The Eagles let executive Tom Gamble go earlier this year as part of a reported power struggle, but it appears that he’ll land on his feet. Per John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link), Gamble has discussed taking a role with the 49ers, and is expected to accept it. Gamble previously worked in San Francisco’s front office from 2005-13.
  • The Bears have found a new tight ends coach, hiring former Saints offensive assistant Frank Smith, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Former Saints executive Ryan Pace, now the general manager in Chicago, may have had some familiarity with Smith.
  • New Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has hired a new front office member, bringing in Rams scout Brian Heimerdinger to serve in a front office role, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Heimerdinger could be installed as the new college scouting director or be given a new title, but he won’t be replacing anyone already on staff, per Cimini.
  • The hiring of Adam Gase as offensive coordinator could be good news for Jay Cutler‘s future with the Bears, according to Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report (Twitter links). Per Pompei, Gase’s system has similarities to that of Chargers head coach Mike McCoy, who is known to get the most out of his quarterbacks.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Ingram, Falcons

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints’ ownership situation has officially turned ugly — after learning last night that owner Tom Benson had transferred ownership of the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) after he dies to his wife, Gayle, his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, has filed a lawsuit, claiming Benson is mentally incompetent and is being manipulated by his wife, according to the Times-Picayune, who provide a copy of the suit in PDF form. Benson himself has responded to the suit, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com: “The false accusations in this suit further support the actions I have taken in changing the succession and transfer of ownership.” It’s a sad situation, but one that has on-the-field implications, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (Twitter links) that GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton’s jobs would have been in jeopardy had LeBlanc taken over; the duo reportedly has much better relationship with the new designee, Gayle. Here’s more from the NFC South…

  • Along with DeMarco Murray, Saints running Mark Ingram will be at the top of the free agent running back class, but his preference is to remain in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune. “I want to be a Saint. I was drafted there. I’m always appreciative and grateful for that,” said Ingram. “…Of course there’s always that ‘what if you go somewhere and you could be the main guy and do everything’, but I love the Saints and want to be a Saint.” Ingram indicated that he hadn’t spoken with team representatives since his end-of-season meeting, but said club officials told him at that time they’d like to retain him.
  • CFL free agent Delvin Breaux will audition for the Saints on Friday, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. Breaux, a New Orleans native, isn’t eligible to sign with an NFL team until February 10, like all CFL players.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the Saints’ 2015 cap situation — he projects them to be roughly $25MM in the red heading into the offseason, and suggest they could release veterans Jahri Evans and Curtis Lofton to save cap space.
  • The Falcons are right to wait on Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, opines Field Yates of ESPN (Insider subscription required). Quinn will make good use of the Atlanta’s talented young corners, writes Yates, but the club will need to find a impact pass-rusher and depth along the defensive line.

Release Candidate: Tamba Hali

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After winning just 29 games in the six seasons prior to head coach Andy Reid’s arrival, the Chiefs have won 20 games in the past two seasons alone, earning a postseason berth in 2013. Reid’s first season in Kansas City was a massive success, as the club went from owning the No. 1 overall draft pick after posting a 2-14 record to finishing 11-5. Many correctly predicted 2014 would be a year of regression for the Chiefs, but the team didn’t fall off a cliff — it still managed to win nine games, and nearly made the playoffs for the second year in a row."<strongTamba Hali” width=”232″ height=”300″ />

Reid and general manager John Dorsey surely believe their club is a year-in, year-out contender, and with quarterback Alex Smith now signed through the 2018 season, the Chiefs have their most important piece locked up. Continuity is an important factor in building a championship-caliber team, something Dorsey acknowledges. “We’re not in the game to blow things up,” Dorsey told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star earlier this month. “I don’t think you can do that, but these guys understand that, in order to achieve a high level of success, you’re going to be in this thing together.”

Still, fiscal decisions will have to be made in the coming months — assuming a $140MM cap for 2014, Over the Cap’s data shows the Chiefs to be more than $2MM in the red. Small restructures can be finagled to move money around, ensuring that the team can sign its draft class and make modest free agent additions. But unless Kansas City does something drastic, it won’t be able to do much to upgrade this offseason. That’s why the notion of cutting longtime pass-rusher Tamba Hali isn’t so crazy.

The Chiefs selected Hali, now 31, in the first round of the 2006 draft. The Penn State alum entered the league as a 4-3 defensive end in former Kansas City coach Herm Edwards’ scheme and struggled to find success, accruing -11.5 and +0.1 grades in ’06 and ’07, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Todd Haley took over as KC’s head coach in 2008, and the team installed a 3-4 look, the scheme they’ve employed ever since. After moving to outside linebacker, Hali has excelled, registering a positive PFF grade every season (including 2010, when he was ranked as the league’s top 3-4 OLB); since the position switch in ’08, he ranks eighth in the league with 64 sacks.

Hali’s play has declined with age, to be sure — he posted just six sacks last season, and while his +11.2 PFF grade still ranked him among the top-15 3-4 OLBs, his production clearly isn’t where it was a few years ago. Even more pressing is Hali’s salary as he enters the final year of his contact. He’s set to earn a base salary of $6.75MM, and is due a $2MM roster bonus and a $250K workout bonus — combined with his signing bonus proration, Hali will count roughly $11.965MM against the cap in 2015, the third-highest figure at his position in the league. That roster bonus is due on March 19, so the Chiefs have just under two months to make a decision on Hali.

As I noted, Kansas City is projected to be roughly $2MM over the cap in 2015 — however, that number doesn’t account for pass-rusher Justin Houston, a free-agent-to-be who seems destined for the franchise tag (at a value of around $13MM). Additionally, the club is not without needs, as upgrades could be used at positions like receiver, offensive line, and the secondary. By releasing Hali, the Chiefs would save $9MM in cap space (they’d only be on the hook for his a portion of his signing bonus, roughly $2.965MM), enabling them to pursue improvements in other areas.

Of course, Hali isn’t the only Chief who could be cut in order to save the club money. Receiver Dwayne Bowe was ineffective in 2013, is set to have the second-highest cap number on the team next year; Kansas City would save $5MM by releasing him. Fellow WR Donnie Avery will be almost certainly be cut, a move that would save KC more than $3.5MM. Releasing Mike DeVito ($4MM), Joe Mays ($3MM), and A.J. Jenkins (~$1.34MM) could also clear out cap space for the Chiefs, so there are definitely other options to create financial breathing room. But if Kansas City is aiming to either franchise tag or re-sign Houston and make additions in other areas, it might not make sense to allow an aging (albeit still effective) pass-rusher like Hali to take up more than eight percent of its cap.

For his part, Hali seems amenable to taking a pay cut, or at least he’s paying lip service to that effect (via Paylor):

“At this stage of my career, it isn’t about money. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken care of me, financially. I have some good people in my corner that have positioned me to be able to live a lifestyle a lot of people won’t be able to live. So I’m not one of those guys who gets all bent out of shape over money. I love playing the game, I want to win a championship in Kansas City. If money is going to be a hindrance in doing that, we’ll find a way … we’ve got to get Justin (Houston) paid and get our guys, Dee Ford, ready to be playing at a higher level … but we’ve got to get Houston paid, I’m optimistic about that … that’s something we’ve got to get done.”

If Hali is released (if pressed, I’d say he’s about 75% likely to be cut, though a pay reduction scenario would render that estimation moot), he’d likely find a strong market for his services. Pass-rushers are always rewarded in free agency, and luckily for Hali, there are a number of teams who run a 3-4 front who will have ample cap space to use in the coming months. The Colts present the most intriguing scenario in my mind — the team will be three seasons into playing a 3-4 look, are open to spending in free agency, need pass-rush help, and will have more than $37MM of cap space to use. The Titans, with more than $40MM in space, and the Raiders (if they continue to mix in 3-4 looks) could also be interested in signing Hali, as could the Falcons (again, pending scheme changes) and the Eagles in the NFC.

At 31, Hali probably wouldn’t garner a deal in excess of four years or so, but as cap expert Joel Corry notes in the Paylor article linked above, he’d probably come out ahead by entering the market. He wouldn’t face much in the way of positional competition — with Houston likely to be franchised, the other top 3-4 OLBs include Jason Worilds, Brandon Graham, and Brian Orakpo. Hali would probably be looking at a deal in the neighborhood of DeMarcus Ware (three years, $10MM AAV, $16.5MM guaranteed) or Julius Peppers (three years, $8.67MM AAV, $7.5MM guaranteed). He’s younger than both of those comparables, so it’s conceivable he could get a four-year contract, but his AAV would probably sit in that $8.5MM range, with perhaps 40% of his total guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Draft Notes: QBs, Colts, Browns, Chiefs

January 22nd, 2015 at 7:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Every NFL team hopes to find its franchise quarterback in the draft, but there’s also a risk that comes with selecting a high-profile signal-caller, as Connor Orr of NFL.com explains. “Everyone is fearful,” one NFC coach said of picking a QB high. “When they draft one, what if they make a mistake? It’s not going to work out too well. The GM, the coach and the quarterback are tied together.” Orr points to Geno Smith, whose failure, along with other mistakes, lead to ex-Jets general manager John Idzik’s firing. But regardless of the risk, the draft offers more promise than does the free agent QB market, where the top options are Mark Sanchez and Brian Hoyer, so clubs will presumably keep trying to hit on college quarterbacks. Here’s more news from the draft arena…

  •  The Colts spent a lot of time with Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony at the Senior Bowl, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. CBSSports.com ranks Anthony as the eighth-best inside linebacker available.
  • The Browns seem to be set on improving their blocking up front, according to Pauline, who reports that Cleveland met with both Hobart offensive lineman Ali Marpet (link) and Delaware tight end Nick Boyle (link) at the Senior Bowl.
  • Miami receiver Phillip Dorsett interviewed with the Chiefs, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). As Paylor adds, Dorsett excels at separating from defensive backs, a skill Kansas City could surely utilize.
  • New Washington general manager Scot McCloughan says he’s interviewed “a ton” of NCAA prospects this week, and though he wouldn’t give an exact number, he did say that the staff spoke to prospects projected to go in the sixth round or higher, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (on Twitter).

Coach Updates: Eagles, Raiders, Bucs, Fewell

January 22nd, 2015 at 6:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve already seen one club make a defensive coordinator hire today, as the 49ers promoted Eric Mangini from tight ends coach to DC. Let’s take a look at some position coach hires and news from around the league…

  • The Eagles are expected to add Boston College offensive coordinator Ryan Day as their quarterbacks coach, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Day, who’s been at BC for nine years, will replace Bill Musgrave, who left to take the Raiders’ OC position. Day has a history with Eagles HC Chip Kelly, as Day played under and coached with Kelly at New Hampshire.
  • The Raiders have also found a new QB coach, as they are set to hire Bills quarterbacks coach Todd Downing, per Caplan (on Twitter). Downing also interviewed for roles with the Browns and Buccaneers, according to Caplan.
  • Not to be outdone, the Buccaneers have become the third team to hire a new QBs coach, as they’ve brought in Mike Bajakian to fill their vacancy, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune (Twitter link). Bajakian, previously the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee, worked under Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith with the Bears. The Bucs have also added ex-Falcons assistant Andrew Weidinger as an offensive quality control coach, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • Ex-Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has an interview lined up with the 49ers, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter). San Francisco just hired Mangini, so Fewell is presumably a candidate for the Niners’ DB coach job, as Cam Inman of the Mercury News tweets.
  • Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com expects (Twitter link) that Falcons assistant offensive line coach Wade Harman will remain on staff as the tight ends coach; as McClure notes, Harman held that same role in Baltimore from 1998-2013.
  • Former 49ers secondary coach Ed Donatell has accepted the same position with the Bears, but as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes, Donatell might have missed out on other opportunities in the past. In each of the last two offseasons, San Francisco blocked Donatell from accepting interview requests from the Buccaneers and the Saints, per Maiocco.

Broncos, Raiders Still Searching For DCs

January 22nd, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Pending the resolution of Dan Quinn’s tenure with the Seahawks, four teams are currently conducting a search for a defensive coordinator, as our 2015 OC/DC tracker shows. Two of those clubs reside in the AFC West, as the Broncos and Raiders are attempting to replace Jack Del Rio and Jason Tarver, respectively, and today we’ve learned a bit more about the DC hunts being undertaken in Denver and Oakland.

The Broncos initially targeted Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph as the top candidate to fill their defensive coordinator vacancy, but Cincinnati refused to release Joseph from his contract. Reports indicated that Denver would subsequently move on to interviewing other options, but we hadn’t heard any more news on the search until today, as Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports that the club has contacted longtime NFL coach Wade Phillips to gauge his interest in the position. Phillips, 67, worked with new Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak in Houston from 2011-13, and many around the league expect a deal to be struck for Phillps to head to Denver, per Legwold.

Phillips, who started coaching in the NFL in 1976 as the Houston Oilers defensive line coach, has decades of NFL experience — he’s served as the head coach of the Broncos, Bills, and Cowboys, and acted as DC for a multitude of other clubs. He’s generally run a 3-4 front, which would require some personnel changes by Denver, who has run a 4-3 look in recent years under Del Rio. The club would have something of a head start on the schematic shift, as Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware are perfect fits as 3-4 OLBs, while free agent defensive lineman has the size to handle nose tackle.

The Raiders, meanwhile, have interviewed Mel Tucker and Eric Mangini (who has since accepted the 49ers’ DC gig) for their coordinator opening, while ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith has been viewed as the favorite to land the job. However, Oakland might be unhappy with the results of its search, as Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 tweets that the club is now looking to the college ranks to fills its DC void. There’s no word on any specific NCAA candidates, but Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes (Twitter link) the report means two things — that the Raiders have been turned down quite a bit, and that Del Rio intends to call defensive plays, meaning that the new coordinator would have less latitude.

49ers To Hire Mangini, Sparano

January 22nd, 2015 at 5:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

5:04pm: Mangini’s deal will be for three years, tweets Schefter.

4:22pm: New 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula has begun to fill out his staff, as he’s added both a defensive coordinator and a tight ends coach today. Eric Mangini, who acted as San Francisco’s tight ends coach in 2014, will take over DC duties, while Tony Sparano, who served as the Raiders’ interim head coach for the latter portion of last season, will replace Mangini as TE coach (Twitter links via Adam Schefter of ESPN).

Both of the 49ers’ hires have previous head coaching experience, which will no doubt be valuable to Tomsula as he embarks upon his first HC opportunity. Despite the fact that he’s been an NFL coach since 1996, Mangini is still just 44 years old. After rising through the defensive ranks in New England, Mangini was hired as the Jets head coach in 2006, and accrued a 23-25 in three seasons at the helm. He moved on to Cleveland, where his run was less successful, as he finished with a 10-22 mark before being fired after the 2010 season. Mangini, who’s been with the Niners since 2013, also was considered for the vacant defensive coordinator positions in Oakland and Washington.

Despite being nearly ten years older than Mangini, Sparano has actually spent less time coaching in the NFL, as he broke in as a quality control coach with the Browns in 1999. He most notable time came as head coach of the Dolphins from 2008-11, when he posted a record of 29-32, but only made the playoffs once (during his first season). Sparano spent the ’12 season as the Jets’ offensive coordinator before taking over as assistant head coach/OL of the Raiders in ’13. Following Dennis Allen’s firing in September of last year, Sparano was promoted to interim head coach, and guided Oakland to a 3-9 finish.

Mangini will replace Vic Fangio, who left to take the Bears’ DC job. Mangini always employed a 3-4 front during his tenure as a head coach, so the club shouldn’t be looking at any dramatic changes in terms of scheme. Meanwhile, San Francisco is still in need of an offensive coordinator, and Alabama play-caller Lane Kiffin is considered the favorite for the job. A Kiffin hire, of course, would have Tomsula employing three former NFL head coaches on his staff.

AFC East Notes: Brady, Marrone, Polian, Jets

January 22nd, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady adamantly denied that he had any involvement in the deflating of footballs during New England’s victory over the Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. “I didn’t alter the ball in any way,” said Brady. “…I was surprised as anyone on Monday morning when I heard what was happening…I have no knowledge of anything…I’m very comfortable saying that” (Twitter links via Albert Breer of NFL.com). Furthermore, Brady stated that NFL has not yet contacted him as part of their investigation, but allowed that they might do so, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) — per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Brady would be the last person the NFL speaks to, based on Rapoport’s knowledge of the how the league conducts its probes. Here’s more from the AFC East, including a little more on DeflateGate:

  • Patriots head coach Bill Belichick also spoke to reporters earlier today, and one league source found it “shocking” that Belichick shifted the focus of the scandal to Brady, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Of course, Belichick didn’t accuse Brady of anything improper, but he did say that “quarterbacks…know a lot more than I do,” which struck many as odd.
  • Some league insiders believe that ex-Bills coach (and current Jaguars OL coach) Doug Marrone and Jacksonville executive Chris Polian could be a head coach/general manager pairing in 2016, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link via Mike Rodak).
  • Packers assistant offensive line coach Steve Marshall is expected to join the Jets, presumably continuing to work with the offensive line, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett interviewed with the Dolphins on Wednesday, and the former Wildcat says the meeting went well, per James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Thursday

January 22nd, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Ravens announced they have signed receiver Aldrick Robinson to a reserve/futures deal, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Robinson, 26, was a sixth-round pick by Washington in 2011. After being waived by Washington on December 6, Robinson joined Baltimore’s practice squad three days later.
  • The Broncos signed quarterback Zac Dysert to a reserve/futures deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Dysert was one of a handful of practice squad players earning more than the minimum salary in 2014. Dysert made $10K per week on Denver’s taxi squad versus the league minimum of $6,300 per week. Dysert, 24, was taken in the seventh round of the 2013 draft by Denver.
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