2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons To Retain GM Thomas Dimitroff

January 8th, 2016 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Despite some December speculation that his grip on the Falcons’ general manager job was growing somewhat tenuous, Thomas Dimitroff will remain in his current role going forward, owner Arthur Blank announced today. Blank issued a statement expressing confidence in Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn going forward.

“Over the last week, we have conducted an exhaustive review of every area of our team,” Blank said. “Through this process it has become very clear to me that Coach Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff have built a productive working relationship over the last 11 months. There is very good alignment between Dan and Thomas on the direction we need to go to improve our team and I believe maintaining the continuity of that relationship, with Scott Pioli continuing to assist Thomas, is the right way forward.”

While Dimitroff and Pioli appear poised to remain in their current positions, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some changes made within the front office. In his statement, the Falcons owner went on to say that the team will likely make some moves in the next few weeks that will affect football operations.

“We are going to make a number of changes to our pro personnel and college scouting departments and that process began this week,” Blank said. “It will take some time, but we will be adding talent on the pro personnel side and re-organizing both of these groups to best align with the shared vision of Coach Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff. I expect these changes will produce positive results for our team.”

After making the playoffs in four of Dimitroff’s first five seasons as GM, the Falcons have struggled in recent years, going a combined 18-30 over the last three seasons, with no postseason berths. The team has had some trouble during that stretch adding offensive playmakers to complement Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, though Devonta Freeman‘s breakout season in 2015 was a positive sign. There has also been a lack of difference-making talent on defense in Atlanta lately, but the hiring of Quinn and this year’s selection of Vic Beasley represented steps in the right direction on that side of the ball.

NFC Notes: Gruden, Thurmond, Bears, Hardy

January 8th, 2016 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

When Paul Domowitch of Philly.com wrote on Thursday that Jon Gruden had expressed interest in the Eagles‘ head coaching job, it seemed like the sort of report that would get denied almost immediately. Domowitch himself said Gruden’s interest was conveyed “through an intermediary,” which would give the former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach plausible deniability. So it’s no surprise that Howard Eskin of FOX 29 tweets that he received a text from Gruden saying he’s “not interested” in the Philadelphia job.

So what to make of the various reports on Gruden? It wouldn’t surprise me if, as Domowitch reported, the Monday Night Football analyst did reach out to the Eagles through back channels. Does that mean he wants the job, or that he’s actively pursuing it? Maybe not — if he did reach out, Gruden could have been simply kicking the tires on the opening, getting a sense of what sort of candidate owner Jeffrey Lurie is seeking. If Lurie wants a less-established coach, one who won’t make a play for Howie Roseman‘s power like Chip Kelly did, then perhaps Gruden isn’t a fit in Philadelphia.

It’s possible that at some point Gruden will head back down to the field from the broadcasters’ booth and return to coaching, and the Eagles’ job may be one that interests him. But over the years, we’ve seen him leverage the possibility of returning to head coaching into what is reportedly the highest-paid contract for an ESPN broadcaster, and he seems satisfied with his MNF gig. So I’d be surprised if there’s enough mutual interest between Gruden and the Eagles to make this the head coaching position he finally takes.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

Considering they still need to hire a head coach and make a decision on Sam Bradford‘s future, the Eagles have more pressing issues to address than Walter Thurmond‘s situation. Still, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer outlines, the club will have an interesting call to make on Thurmond, who is eligible for free agency after playing surprisingly well as a safety in 2015.
Don’t expect the Bears to make one giant splash in free agency this offseason, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. As general manager Ryan Pace explains, the club prefers to spread out its resources on several different players in free agency. “You kind of limit your risk a little bit when you do that,” Pace said. “I think last year there might’ve been a little more one-year deals than we would typically do just because I think part of that is, hey, we’re just getting here, we want to evaluate our team, these one-year deals give us a little bit of flexibility. But I don’t like to put all our eggs in one basket in free agency.”
After staunchly defending Greg Hardy and insisting the team wanted to extend the defensive end earlier in the 2015 season, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones sounds far less committed to Hardy these days, as Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk details. Jones’ comments on Hardy come via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

49ers Meet With Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn

January 7th, 2016 at 10:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers’ head coaching search is underway, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has interviewed Bills assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn about the position. Maiocco adds (via Twitter) that the Niners have also met with former Eagles coach Chip Kelly to discuss the job.

Based on Maiocco’s wording, it’s not clear if San Francisco conducted a formal interview with Kelly for the team’s head coaching vacancy. But either way, it appears there’s some mutual interest between the two sides. Kelly reportedly reached out to the Niners earlier this week to express interest in the job, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that the club begin considering Kelly before officially parting ways with Jim Tomsula.

There has been some speculation that Kelly would be a good fit in San Francisco to help Colin Kaepernick bounce back, based on his past success with mobile quarterbacks. Of course, if the Niners were to seriously pursue the ex-Eagles head coach, the club would have to confident he could comfortably co-exist with general manager Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York. Kelly’s departure from Philadelphia stemmed in part from him wearing out his welcome within the organization, having been at odds with former Eagles GM Howie Roseman.

As for Lynn, the Niners’ job is one of two head coaching positions he has interviewed for this week. The Buffalo assistant also spoke to the Dolphins about their head coaching job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Gruden, Browns, Titans

January 7th, 2016 at 9:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As the Dolphins search for their next head coach, the areas they’re prioritizing when talking to candidates are quarterback and defense, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Dolphins brass wants to hear from prospective head coaches how they plan to help the two improve after an up-and-down fourth season from Ryan Tannehill and a year in which the defense finished 25th overall.

Further, per Salguero, interim head coach Dan Campbell‘s only chance to get a promotion to the full-time role is if he presents Miami’s hierarchy with two proven coordinators willing to join his staff. Whether it’s Campbell or someone else, the Dolphins want a coach who has real solutions to repair their problems on both sides of the ball.

Latest On Eagles’ Coaching Search

January 7th, 2016 at 8:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo interviewed for the Eagles’ head coaching job Thursday, the team announced (link to press release). McAdoo, who talked to the Giants about their head coaching vacancy earlier this week, is the fourth different candidate to interview with the Eagles, joining two in-house names – interim head coach Pat Shurmur and running backs coach Duce Staley – and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

One obvious similarity McAdoo, Shurmur, Staley and Gase share is that they’re all offensive-minded coaches. The same holds true for longtime head coach Jon Gruden, who has expressed interest in the Eagles’ job to owner Jeffrey Lurie through an intermediary, Paul Domowitch of Philly.com reports. Gruden has a fan in Lurie, according to Domowitch, but Lurie is unsure if Gruden and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman would be able to work well together. Gruden has told people he and Roseman would be able to get along, per Domowitch, who notes that ex-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said the same thing before taking over in 2013. That didn’t turn out well, of course, as Kelly and Roseman were at loggerheads during Kelly’s short run in Philadelphia. Regardless, Domowitch writes that Lurie’s focus right now is on the assistants the Eagles have interviewed and the ones they’ve yet to interview.

While Gruden could be a Plan B option if Lurie doesn’t end up smitten with any of the other candidates, the owner is currently bullish on Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson – who is scheduled to interview Sunday – and Gase. However, contrary to a previous report, the Eagles won’t conduct a second interview with Gase this weekend, according to Les Bowen of Philly.com.

Gruden hasn’t coached since 2008, having served as an analyst instead, but he had a successful tenure from 1998 until then atop the Raiders and Buccaneers, respectively. The 52-year-old compiled a 95-81 regular-season record, five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title with Tampa to cap off the 2002-03 season. He also won eight-plus games in eight of his 11 seasons at the helm in Oakland and Tampa. Immediately prior to his time as a head coach, Gruden worked in Philly as its offensive coordinator from 1995-97.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Name Rob Chudzinski O-Coordinator

January 7th, 2016 at 7:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Hours after announcing former Ravens assistant Ted Monachino as their new defensive coordinator, the Colts have made another significant move with respect to their coaching staff. This time, though, the Colts are staying in house, promoting interim offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski to the full-time job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Chudzinski, 47, has extensive experience as an O-coordinator, having held that post in Cleveland (2007-08) and Carolina (2011-12) before joining Indy’s staff as an assistant in 2014. Chudzinski took over as the Colts’ coordinator in November after the firing of Pep Hamilton.

With the promotion of Chudzinski and, more importantly, the return of star quarterback Andrew Luck from injury next season, the Colts will hope to revive an offense that finished the 2015-16 campaign 28th in yardage and 24th in points. In Luck’s only game with Chudzinski calling plays this season, Nov. 8 against Denver, he completed 21 of 36 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers in a 27-24 upset win, also adding 34 yards on six rushes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/7/16

January 7th, 2016 at 6:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters in March:

Arizona Cardinals

T Edawn Coughman (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)

Cleveland Browns

OL Conor Boffeli (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal)

New Orleans Saints

WR Shane Wynn (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)

New York Jets

DB Kendall James (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post)
G Craig Watts (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)

San Francisco 49ers

WR DiAndre Campbell (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)
T Colin Kelly (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com)
DT Kaleb Ramsey (via Branch)
DT Garrison Smith (via Branch)

Coach Rumors: Browns, Marrone, Giants, Bucs

January 7th, 2016 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization that works with the NFL to ensure that minority candidates are considered – and hired – for coaching and front office jobs, has put out its list of recommendations for this offseason, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

As Tomasson outlines, the group’s top six picks for head coaching candidates this winter are Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, Bills running backs coach and assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, and Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson.

Jackson and Austin are viewed as particularly strong candidates, with both men having scheduled multiple interviews with teams seeking new head coaches. Lynn and Henderson have also lined up HC interviews, so we’ll see if Edwards and Goodwin can follow suit.

Here are more of today’s coaching notes and rumors:

Reports indicated that Doug Marrone and Sean McDermott were both on the Browns‘ interview schedule for today, but only the Jaguars assistant head coach actually met with the team. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Panthers defensive coordinator will now interview on Sunday, which is shaping up to be a busy day for Cleveland — the Browns are also scheduled to meet with Bengals assistants Paul Guenther and Hue Jackson on Sunday.
Within that same piece, Kabot cites sources who say there’s some concern among Browns players about the possibility of Marrone landing the job, since he’s not considered a players’ coach. Joe Thomas has indicated he may ask for a trade if he’s not happy with Cleveland’s new head coach, and fellow offensive linemen Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz could both depart in free agency, so the Browns may want to proceed with some caution.
The Giants have officially confirmed that they interviewed Teryl Austin for their head coaching job today, bringing their total number of interviewees so far up to three, as our tracker shows. Adam Gase and Marrone also have meetings lined up this week with Big Blue, with Jackson and McDermott potentially in the mix for interviews as well.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was upset by the sudden firing of Lovie Smith, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. Koetter also may have more interest in a head coaching job in the Pacific Northwest, where he grew up, but he “relishes” coaching Jameis Winston, so if he gets the opportunity to land the Bucs’ HC job, he could be a good fit. Mortensen adds that, while the Bucs tried to hire Chip Kelly back in 2012, the former Eagles head coach probably won’t be a candidate this time around.

Extra Points: M. Lewis, Flacco, Smallwood, L.A.

January 7th, 2016 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Marcedes Lewis is eligible for free agency this winter, but the Jaguars tight end is hopeful he won’t reach the open market, preferring to work out a new deal that keeps him in Jacksonville, as Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com details.

“You rarely see players play 10 years for one team, let alone finish their career [with the same team], so it’s something that I want to be able to do,” Lewis said. “Hopefully we can get it done before all the other stuff even starts, if it’s possible. … I know where I want to be.”

As Lewis notes, he has spent the last decade with the Jaguars, catching 331 balls for the club during that stretch. Still, it’s not yet clear how serious the team will be about keeping him around going forward, now that Julius Thomas is in the mix. The 31-year-old hasn’t caught more than 25 passes since the 2012 season, and his 16 receptions in 2015 represented his lowest total since his rookie year, way back in 2006.

Here are more Thursday odds and ends from around the NFL:

Speaking this morning to Glenn Clark of PressBox (link via Justin Silberman of PressBoxOnline.com), Joe Linta – the agent for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco – was cagey about his client’s contract situation. Flacco is projected to have one of the league’s highest cap numbers, at $28.55MM, but Linta said there are no negotiations ongoing with the Ravens at this point, adding that the veteran QB isn’t in any rush to rework his deal. “I mean, that’s the price of these types of quarterbacks,” Linta said. “Every deal that’s going to be done is going to be in that realm.” Earlier today, GM Ozzie Newsome acknowledged that the Ravens would like to reduce Flacco’s 2016 cap hit, but said the team has a plan to work around it if it remains at $28MM+.
Big 12 rushing leader Wendell Smallwood changed his mind about staying at West Virginia, and has now decided to enter the 2016 NFL draft, as Allan Taylor of the West Virginia MetroNews writes. Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk notes that Smallwood will join teammate Daryl Worley in heading to the NFL, despite the fact that the cornerback doesn’t project as a top pick.
During Wednesday’s team owner meetings in New York, Panthers owner – and Carson supporter – Jerry Richardson was “silent all meeting,” according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who wonders if Richardson may be backing down from the joint Raiders–Chargers plan.
Cornerback Josh Norman is one of the most noteworthy players eligible for free agency this winter – he ranked third in PFR’s most recent free agent power rankings – but he says he won’t think about a new deal until the Panthers are eliminated from the playoffs or win the Super Bowl (link via ESPN’s David Newton). Meanwhile, GM Dave Gettleman admits it’s a “headache” trying to figure out how to keep Norman and all the other potential free agents the Panthers don’t want to lose, but he’s optimistic that the club will figure it out (link via Newton).

Colts Hire Ted Monachino As DC

January 7th, 2016 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

4:37pm: The Colts have officially confirmed their hiring of Monachino as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

1:24pm: Ravens head coach John Harbaugh scooped reporters and the Colts on some coaching news out of Indianapolis today, telling the media that Baltimore linebackers coach Ted Monachino is joining the Colts as the team’s defensive coordinator, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).

The Colts’ search for a new defensive coordinator didn’t take long — less than 48 hours have passed since word broke that the team had decided to part ways with Greg Manusky. Manusky had joined the Colts’ staff in 2012, around the same time Chuck Pagano was hired. However, unlike Pagano, Indianapolis’ former defensive coordinator didn’t receive a new contract this week.

Monachino will be tasked with turning around a Colts defense that finished 27th in the NFL in total yards per game (379.1) and 25th in points per game allowed (25.5) in 2015. Indianapolis’ notable free agent signings a year ago included front-seven players Trent Cole and Kendall Langford, but they didn’t contribute much to improving the defense’s performance – despite a career-high seven sacks from Langford – so we’ll see what direction Ryan Grigson goes this time around. The Colts will have a top-20 draft pick this year — perhaps that first-rounder will be used on a defensive playmaker.

Alex Marvez of FOX Sports first reported that Monachino, who has some history with Pagano in Baltimore, would be a strong candidate for the Colts’ DC job. Before joining the Ravens as their linebackers coach in 2010, Monachino served as the defensive line coach in Jacksonville for several years.