HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Ex-USC Coach Steve Sarkisian Seeking NFL Job

January 5th, 2016 at 6:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian is putting out feelers to NFL teams and expressing interest in a coaching job, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Sarkisian is interested in becoming a quarterbacks coach or an offensive coordinator at the pro level. Steve Sarkisian (vertical)

Sarkisian lost his job at USC in October amidst allegations that he had a problem with alcohol. Sarkisian’s assistants reportedly believed he was drunk during a contest against Arizona State and, after he was placed on a leave of absence, he reportedly tried to show up to a pre-practice meeting while intoxicated. Sarkisian has since filed a $30MM wrongful termination lawsuit against the school.

Sarkisian, 42 in March, played quarterback at BYU and later had a short career as a QB for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. After that, he returned to his first school, El Camino Community College, and served as their quarterbacks coach. Eventually, Sarkisian found himself in the same role at USC and later spent a year on the Raiders’ coaching staff. Sarkisian became the head coach at Washington in 2009 and, in 2014, he came back to USC to man the sidelines. Unfortunately, that homecoming was short lived.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Washington Activates C Kory Lichtensteiger

January 5th, 2016 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Washington’s decision to use the designation to return when it placed center Kory Lichtensteiger on injured reserve earlier this year has paid off. The team announced today that it has activated Lichtensteiger from IR-DTR, waiving center Brian De La Puente in a corresponding move.Kory Lichtensteiger

Nearly two months ago, Washington placed Lichtensteiger, Washington’s regular starting center since 2014, on IR with the designation to return due to a neck injury. The move meant that he wouldn’t be eligible to return until after Week 17, and at that point in the season, Jay Gruden‘s club trailed the Giants by a game and a half in the NFC East, so it seemed like a long shot that Lichtensteiger would get the opportunity to play in the postseason.

Assuming he returns to the starting lineup for Washington’s Wild Card game, Lichtensteiger will reclaim the starting center job from Josh LeRibeus, who has played there for the team’s last 11 games. If the club prefers not to change what has worked in the second half, Lichtensteiger would step into De La Puente’s old role, providing veteran depth on the interior offensive line.

To make room for cornerback Cary Williams, whose deal was previously reported, the club also placed defensive back Kyshoen Jarrett on IR.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Request To Interview Browns OC John DeFilippo

January 5th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have put in a request to interview Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). His work with a variety of quarterbacks was noticed by St. Louis, even though he hasn’t had the easiest hand dealt to him in Cleveland in that regard. John DeFilippo (vertical)

[RELATED: 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

DeFilippo guided the Browns offense this season and had mixed results with an unusual cast of players. Of course, much of the attention on the Browns was centered on quarterback Johnny Manziel, who has had a number of run-ins with alcohol after spending last offseason in rehab. Even after Johnny Football was benched mid-season, DeFilippo expressed confidence that the Texas A&M product could turn things around.

“I like what I’ve seen,” said DeFilippo. “I really do. Even the jump he made from the Cincinnati game to the Pittsburgh game was a huge jump. I think we’d all agree on that. I think Johnny has played enough football where we know what we have in him.”

Now, DeFilippo will get a crack at the Rams’ OC job, if Cleveland allows him to interview. Rams interim OC Rob Boras will reportedly also get a chance to take the permanent job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/5/16

January 5th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’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.

Arizona Cardinals

  • Taylor Boggs, C (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
  • Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C
  • Mike Reilly, OLB
  • Tyrequek Zimmerman, S

Baltimore Ravens

  • Jerod Johnson, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Burton Pierce, OT
  • Ben Heenan, G
  • Edwin Jackson, LB
  • Kitt O’Brien, G
  • Dezmen Southward, DB
  • Joshua Stangby. WR

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

  • Garrett Gilbert, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
  • Giorgio Tavecchio, K

San Diego Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

  • Corey Acosta, K (link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)

St. Louis Rams

Colts Fire DC Greg Manusky

January 5th, 2016 at 4:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have fired defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

[RELATED: Colts Sign Coach Chuck Pagano, GM Ryan Grigson To Extensions]Greg Manusky (featured)

Manusky, at one time, was considered to be a potential head coaching candidate if the team ever fired head coach Chuck Pagano. As it turns out, the Colts’ defense struggled in 2015 and owner Jim Irsay actually decided to give Pagano a four-year extension on Monday night. Manusky will now be seeking a new job for 2016, but it’s not immediately clear if he’ll be able to land another DC gig.

Manusky, Rapoport tweets, was running Pagano’s scheme without many playmakers to work with. Now, it will be interesting to see what kind of hire Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson will make. Manusky joined the staff in 2012, around the same time of Pagano’s hiring. He previously spent time as defensive coordinator with the Chargers and 49ers. The Colts finished 27th in total yards per game (379.1) and 25th in points per game allowed (25.5) in 2015.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Johnny Manziel, RGIII Both Want To Play For Cowboys

January 5th, 2016 at 4:06pm CST by Zachary Links

A pair of big name quarterbacks are both eager to come home and play for the Cowboys. Both Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III are hoping to wind up in Dallas and both are hoping that owner Jerry Jones will make that happen, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports writes. Johnny Manziel

Both players are expected to become available this offseason – Manziel via trade or release by a new Browns regime and RG3 via a salary dump. Sources close to each player tell Robinson that, since spring 2015, there was a belief that Jones would be interested in both signal callers if either was to hit the open market. Now, it sounds like both players are hoping that could come to fruition in 2016. For what it’s worth Jones said in a radio interview that he’s willing to take “some risk” at quarterback (Twitter link via Mac Engel of The Fan).

Meanwhile, in a radio interview, Jones said that he would indeed be comfortable with drafting a quarterback with the fourth pick if he was best player available, as Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes. The Cowboys also need help at running back, cornerback, and receiver, so it’s not a given that they will take a QB with their top pick.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers To Interview Mike Shanahan, Anthony Lynn

January 5th, 2016 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

3:59pm: The scheduled meeting between Shanahan and the Niners is “on hold for now,” tweets Russini, who adds that talks between the two will continue over the phone.

3:35pm: As they search for a replacement for former head coach Jim Tomsula, the 49ers will meet again with a candidate they considered last year before hiring Tomsula. According to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link),Mike Shanahan Mike Shanahan is sitting down with the Niners on Wednesday to discuss the team’s coaching vacancy.

Shanahan, the former head coach in Washington and Denver, was one of several candidates who reportedly reached out to the Niners to convey interest in the job once Tomsula was dismissed. As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets, it was less than a year ago that San Francisco met with Shanahan for six hours to discuss its head coaching job, so no introductions should be required this time around.

In addition to interviewing Shanahan, the 49ers will also speak to Bills assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn this week about their head coaching position, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. The Niners are the second team with reported interest in Lynn — the Buffalo assistant has also lined up an interview with the Dolphins for their head coaching job.

Shanahan and Lynn join Hue Jackson and Sean Payton as likely candidates for the San Francisco job, with Chip Kelly and Mike Holmgren believed to have expressed interest as well. You can follow the latest developments with our head coaching search tracker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Jaguars, Babineaux, Colts

January 5th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars became the first NFL team of the offseason to officially part ways with its defensive coordinator today, announcing that Bob Babich won’t return in 2016. With Babich no longer in the picture, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has seven suggestions for potential replacements, including former head coaches Jim Schwartz and Mike Smith.

As we wait to see which direction Jacksonville goes for its DC opening, let’s check in on a few more items out of the NFL’s South divisions….

  • An elite free safety would be a welcome addition to the Jaguars‘ defense, but GM David Caldwell suggested today that finding one could be even harder than finding a franchise quarterback, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.
  • Falcons veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who just completed his eleventh season, says that he still has more football left in him, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. “Maybe one to two [years left]. My goal always was to get to 12 and decide if I wanted to continue or retire then. I know I have a few more years left in me,” he said. Babineaux is signed through next season.
  • The Colts have late-season additions Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley signed through the 2016 season, so they plan on bringing back both quarterbacks in the offseason and evaluating them, tweets Mike Chappell of CBS4.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jaguars Part Ways With DC Bob Babich

January 5th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Just hours after general manager David Caldwell suggested there would likely be changes coming to the defensive staff, the Jaguars have parted ways with defensive coordinator Bob Babich, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Babich, like head coach Gus Bradley, was hired by Jacksonville in January 2013. Unlike Bradley, he won’t get return to the team in 2016.Bob Babich

While Bradley’s work as the defensive coordinator in Seattle from 2009 to 2012 contributed significantly to earning him the Jaguars’ head coaching job, he and Babich could never get Jacksonville’s defense firing on all cylinders. In each of the past three seasons, the team has ranked in the bottom 10 in the NFL in terms of points allowed and yardage allowed.

The Jaguars had the opportunity to add a standout player to their defense this past year, using their third overall pick to draft Florida pass rusher Dante Fowler. However, the first-round rookie tore his ACL on the first day of mini-camp last summer and missed the entire 2015 season.

Jacksonville’s next defensive coordinator will benefit from Fowler’s return, and it’s possible the Jags will use this year’s fifth overall pick on a defender as well. After seeing players like Blake Bortles and Allen Robinson enjoy breakout seasons in 2015, the team figures to focus more heavily on defensive reinforcements in the offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

North Notes: Tucker, Tobin, Steelers, Bears

January 5th, 2016 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran kicker Justin Tucker is eligible for free agency this offseason, but it sounds like the Ravens plan to keep him in the fold. Tucker confirmed on Monday that negotiations between the team and his agent have been ongoing for quite some time, according to Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun.

“My agent [Robert Roche] and these guys have been talking, on and off, for a better part of a year, year and a half,” Tucker said. “At this juncture, I’m kind of letting it all just unfold how it’s going to unfold.

“I’m optimistic that something will get done, but at the same time, like I said, the only thing that I can really concern myself with as a player is just improving and making sure that wherever I end up, I know I’m going to end up where, God willing, I’m supposed to end up, but the only thing that I can take care of is my own personal business, and that’s making myself the best kicker possible.”

Tucker, 26, has been a little shakier during the last two seasons than he was in his first two years, missing five field goal attempts in 2014 and seven in 2015. However, all but one of those misses came from 50+ yards, and he converted all 29 of his extra-point tries in 2015, so he’ll be in line for a nice raise from Baltimore.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s North divisions:

  • Bengals personnel chief Duke Tobin received requests for general manager interviews from both the Lions and Titans, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Schefter though, Tobin intends to remain in Cincinnati long-term.
  • DeAngelo Williams may not be able to play against the Bengals this weekend, but the Steelers don’t intend to bring in a veteran running back for the game, head coach Mike Tomlin said today. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link), the Steelers would roll primarily with Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman if Williams can’t go.
  • Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who is entering his second year as Chicago’s GM, says that he may have to rely on free agency more in the program’s early stages because of the team’s needs, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. Hopefully, the GM added, that reliance on free agency will diminish over time.
  • Pace made some other interesting comments during his conversation this week with the media, giving quarterback Jay Cutler a vote of confidence and insisting there’s no rift between the team and tight end Martellus Bennett. Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the story on the Bears‘ plans to build around Cutler, while Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com passes along the GM’s comments on Bennett.
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