2017 January - Pro Football Rumors

Broncos To Promote Joe Woods To DC

January 15th, 2017 at 1:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos will promote defensive backs coach Joe Woods to defensive coordinator, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Woods will replace former DC Wade Phillips, who joined the Rams in the same capacity after his contract with the Broncos expired.

New Denver head coach Vance Joseph has now locked up his playcallers on both sides of the ball, as Woods will join former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy as a Broncos coordinator. Woods had been viewed as the likely choice at DC since the moment Joseph was hired, and was one of only two known candidates for the position. Reggie Herring, Denver’s linebackers coach, was also set to interview for the job, but it’s unclear if he ever actually met with Joseph.

Had Woods not been the presumptive choice for DC, the Broncos and Joseph likely would have attempted to retain Phillips and sign him to a contract extension, per Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter links). However, an NFC club requested permission to interview Woods for its DC position, and Denver wasn’t inclined to risk losing him, per Renck.

Woods, 46, has 25 years of coaching experience under his belt, and has been coaching in the NFL ranks since 2004. Since joining the Broncos in 2015, Woods has led Denver to the No. 1 DVOA ranking against the pass in two consecutive seasons, while many of his pupils — including Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Bradley Roby, and T.J. Ward — have flourished.

Broncos Are Tony Romo’s Ideal Landing Spot

January 15th, 2017 at 1:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Veteran quarterback Tony Romo would like to play for the Broncos next season, but Denver is not expected to pursue a trade for the Cowboys signal-caller, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Rival executives believe that a Romo trade may be hard to execute, and Dallas could hang on to Romo until a quarterback injury elsewhere in the league forces another club to call.

Romo, of course, has not played this season (save for a few reps in a meaningless Week 17 game) after suffering an injury during the preseason, allowing rookie Dak Prescott to run with the Cowboys starting job. Team owner Jerry Jones said in November that he would not deal Romo after the season, but most opposing general managers believe that sentiment was merely posturing. Romo’s value on the trade market is an open question, however, as some executives believe Dallas could garner as much as a second-round pick for its veteran QB, while others see a conditional late-round choice as more plausible.

The Broncos have several options at quarterback as they head into the 2017 offseason, including incumbent starter Trevor Siemian and 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch. Reports have indicated that Siemian could remain under center next season, allowing Lynch another year to develop. However, Denver has since overhauled its offensive coaching staff, so any plans for the 2017 campaign may now be up in the air.

Instead of waiting to be traded, Romo could theoretically ask for his release in order to scour the free agent market for the right fit, a request that Jones could be inclined to honor given Romo’s decorated tenure with the Cowboys. Such a move would present financial gains for Dallas, but would obviously preclude the club from reaping any sort of draft compensation.

Malcolm Mitchell Could Play Next Week

January 15th, 2017 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots were able to survive last night’s playoff matchup with the underdog Texans, but New England’s offense was uncharacteristically sluggish and the 34-16 final score did not tell the full story. Luckily for the Pats, however, rookie wideout Malcolm Mitchell could be returning for the AFC Championship Game next week. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), there is “strong optimism” that Mitchell could be back for the game that could catapult New England to yet another Super Bowl appearance.

Mitchell, who was selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft, put together a nice rookie season, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He demonstrated an early aptitude in grasping New England’s unique offensive scheme, and he was able to carry that success into the regular season.

However, Mitchell suffered a knee injury in the team’s Week 16 contest against the Jets and was inactive for the Week 17 tilt against the Dolphins. After being limited in practice in the week leading up to last night’s divisional round playoff game, Mitchell was officially deactivated prior to kickoff. Newly-acquired Michael Floyd saw a pass bounce off his hands for an interception last night–although the throw was not an especially good one–so Mitchell, who has established a strong rapport with Tom Brady, could take back some of the slot receiver snaps that Floyd has enjoyed in Mitchell’s absence.

Panthers Sign Dezmen Southward To Futures Deal

January 15th, 2017 at 11:58am CST by Rory Parks

The Panthers have signed safety Dezmen Southward to a futures deal, according to Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com. Southward becomes the tenth and final player who was on Carolina’s taxi squad at the end of the season to sign a futures contract. The club has signed a total of 15 players to futures deals.

When a player is signed to such a contract, it means that he is being signed for the upcoming season. Only players who are not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign futures contracts, and it allows a club to claim rights to a player before the new league year begins. Typically, players signed to futures contracts–which are generally one- or two-year deals that pay the league minimum–will be cut at some point prior to the regular season, although plenty of notable players have found success after going that route (New England’s latest playoff hero, Dion Lewis, is but one example).

Southward was selected by the Falcons in the third round of the 2014 draft, and he played in all 16 games for the club in his rookie season, notching one interception and one sack in the process. The Wisconsin product was waived midway through the 2015 season, and he spent time on the Colts’ practice squad before being waived by Indianapolis before the 2016 season opener.

Mike Zimmer Does Not Know When Bridgewater Will Return

January 15th, 2017 at 11:30am CST by Rory Parks

We already knew that the Vikings will open up the 2017 season with Sam Bradford under center, but given the success that he has experienced in his young career, there is no reason to believe that Teddy Bridgewater would not get the opportunity to win his job back when he returns from his ACL injury.

The problem is, no one knows when that will be. Head coach Mike Zimmer, who made a guest appearance on ESPN this morning, said during his interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm, “We don’t know when Teddy will be back” (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

Bridgewater’s injury, of course, was especially gruesome, leading some to question whether he would ever be able to return to the field. Back in October, one doctor who has worked with NFL teams said, “This is a bad injury, about the worst knee injury a player can have.”

Both Bradford and Bridgewater are under contract through 2017, and although Bradford will account for a sizable $17MM against the salary cap next year, Bridgewater is still on his rookie deal and will count just $2.18MM against the cap. Bradford played reasonably well this year, his first in Minnesota, and it is possible that, if the Vikings shore up their running game and offensive line, they could return to the playoffs with Bradford at the helm.

But Bridgewater, despite his struggles in the deep passing game, has demonstrated that he could be the team’s long-term solution under center if he can get healthy. Zimmer’s somewhat ominous statement, though, has cast some doubt on that proposition.

Jaguars Interviewed Chip Kelly For HC Position

January 15th, 2017 at 10:56am CST by Rory Parks

Despite reports that the Jaguars would not interview Chip Kelly for their vacant head coaching position, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Jacksonville did indeed interview Kelly before ultimately hiring Doug Marrone last week.

Kelly’s NFL coaching career had a promising start in Philadelphia before he took more control of personnel decisions, a move that ultimately proved to be his undoing. He was subsequently hired to be the 49ers’ head coach last year, but his lone season in the Bay Area was a catastrophe, as the 49ers stumbled to a 2-14 record. Kelly and GM Trent Baalke both received their walking papers on January 1.

Given the disappointing ends to his stints in Philadelphia and San Francisco, it is possible that the 53-year-old Kelly’s days as an NFL coach are over. Kelly parlayed a 46-7 stretch at Oregon from 2009-12 into the Eagles’ head coaching job, and he would surely be welcomed with open arms back into the college ranks. However, he denied interest in a potential return to the collegiate game in October, and he recently expressed his desire to become an offensive coordinator (presumably in the NFL).

It is difficult to see that happening, though, as Kelly’s fast-paced offense was a major part of the problem in San Francisco, and despite his initial success, it does not appear as if his style is well-suited to the pros. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that at least one professional team considered giving him yet another shot at running the show.

Texans Notes: O’Brien, Hopkins, Bouye

January 15th, 2017 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

The Texans will now look ahead to the 2017 campaign after last night’s season-ending loss to the Patriots, so let’s take a look at a few Houston-related notes as the club starts gearing up for another playoff run:

Head coach Bill O’Brien said prior to last night’s game that he would return as the team’s head coach in 2017, and he adamantly reaffirmed that statement after the game was over. O’Brien said, “I’m tired of answering it. I can’t even have a sense of humor about it. I’ll be the Texans’ coach” (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
Star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is preparing to enter his fifth-year option year at a cost of just under $8MM, but Wilson writes that, if history is any indication, the Texans will sign Hopkins to a long-term deal this offseason. Houston has a tradition of hammering out contract extensions for their best players, and despite a statistical regression from his sensational 2015 campaign, Hopkins is clearly in line for a deal that will make him one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league.
Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com names the offensive line as the Texans’ biggest area of need, and she writes that the team will likely draft a quarterback in April and have a competition during training camp to determine the starter. The Texans have just shy of $25MM in cap space, but they do have to address the contract situations of a number of players, including Hopkins and Duane Brown, so unless they can restructure a few deals and somehow shed some of Brock Osweiler‘s salary, they will be unable to make a big splash at the quarterback position.
Cornerback A.J. Bouye came out of virtual anonymity to become perhaps the best cornerback in the league this season, and he did so just as he is about to hit unrestricted free agency. As Wilson writes, a new contract for Bouye will be a top offseason priority for the Texans, and Bouye did say after last night’s game that he would like to be back in Houston. But the franchise tag, which is projected to be over $14MM for cornerbacks this year, will likely be unpalatable for the Texans, and Bouye’s financial opportunities elsewhere may preclude him from giving the Houston a hometown discount. PFR recently named Bouye as the eighth-best free agent in the first version of our 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings.
Despite dealing with some painful injuries this season, one of Bouye’s colleagues in the defensive backfield, Johnathan Joseph, missed just three games in 2016, and per Wilson, the 32-year-old plans to return for his 12th NFL season. Joseph is under contract through 2017, but considering the Texans could save $7MM by cutting him, he may be a release/restructure candidate.
We learned earlier today that Texans DT Vince Wilfork plans to call it a career.

Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Investigation

January 15th, 2017 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

As the Cowboys get set to take on the Packers in today’s much-anticipated playoff matchup, more details have emerged on the league’s investigation into the assault allegations levied against Cowboys’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott by his ex-girlfriend. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL submitted follow-up questions to Elliott within the past month, and Elliott is still in the process of responding to those questions.

As Schefter writes, no resolution to this matter is expected before the end of the season. Any discipline that the league hands down would therefore impact Elliott’s 2017 campaign.

By now, of course, the story is a familiar one. Elliott’s ex-girlfriend, who has also been cooperating with the league’s investigation, has claimed that she was abused by Elliott on five separate occasions. Elliott was not arrested and did not face charges related to the alleged incidents, but that does not mean that he is exempt from league-imposed punishment.

We heard in November that the league viewed Elliott as “Public Enemy No. 1,” that it is attempting to be as thorough as possible as it looks into Elliott, and that it is determined to avoid the same type of mistakes it has made in past domestic violence incidents. In December, Tim Rohan of TheMMQB set forth the league’s new, time-consuming protocol for investigating these matters.

On the field, Elliott has been everything the Cowboys hoped he would be when they selected him with the fourth overall pick of this year’s draft. The former Buckeye had 322 carries for a whopping 1,631 yards (both league bests), and he added 32 catches for another 363 yards. He scored 15 touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. He and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott helped lift the Cowboys to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they have Dallas fans dreaming of a Troy Aikman–Emmitt Smith type of partnership.

Brad Childress, Greg Olson Are Bills’ Top OC Candidates

January 15th, 2017 at 9:21am CST by Rory Parks

As new Bills head coach Sean McDermott continues to flesh out his staff, several names have emerged as top candidates for Buffalo’s offensive coordinator position. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Chiefs co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress is on McDermott’s short list, as is former Jaguars offensive coordinator Greg Olson.

Childress, who began his coaching career back in 1978 at the University of Illinois, served as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator from 2003 to 2005 before becoming head coach of the Vikings. He returned to an offensive coordinator role for the Browns in 2012, and he has been a part of Kansas City’s staff since 2013. He was promoted to the co-offensive coordinator position earlier this year, along with Matt Nagy, although he was apparently prepared to retire prior to the promotion (he was also a candidate to reprise his role as Philadelphia’s OC after Doug Pederson was named the Eagles’ new head coach last year).

If Childress does depart, Rapoport tweets that Nagy would become the Chiefs’ full-time OC.

Olson served as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator from 2015 through the first part of 2016 before he was fired in late October. At the time of Olson’s dismissal, Jacksonville’s passing game ranked 28th in DVOA and third-year quarterback Blake Bortles was showing signs of regression. Olson, though, has acted as play-caller for a number of NFL teams, including the Lions, Rams, Buccaneers, and Raiders.

We had previously heard that McDermott was targeting Mike McCoy or Norv Turner as the Bills’ next OC, but McCoy was just hired by the Broncos. It appears the young, first-time head coach is determined to surround himself with assistants that have considerable coaching experience, as evidenced by his offensive coordinator candidates and by the fact that he has already hired Leslie Frazier as his defensive coordinator.

Devin Hester Planning To Retire

January 15th, 2017 at 8:44am CST by Rory Parks

The most prolific return specialist in league history plans to call it a career. As Dave Boling of the News Tribune writes, Seahawks return man Devin Hester told reporters after yesterday’s loss to the Falcons that he is going to retire. As Hester said, “I told my wife it’s pretty much my last year. I was hoping for a run to the Super Bowl. The only thing that I left out of this game is walking away without getting a ring. It’s tough.”

If Hester does retire, he left fans with one last taste of his breathtaking ability. In the loss to Atlanta, Hester returned five kickoffs for 194 yards with a long of 78 yards. He also looked to have made a crucial punt return in the second quarter, returning it from the Seattle 13 to the Atlanta 7. The Seahawks were leading 10-7 at that point, and had the return stood, they would have had the chance to seize early control of the game. But the return was negated by a holding penalty that took place at the line of scrimmage, which pushed the Seahawks back to their own 6-yard line and led to a safety when quarterback Russell Wilson was stepped on by his own lineman and stumbled into the endzone.

But the disappointing end to Hester’s career does not alter his legacy. He is widely expected to become the first player enshrined in the Hall of Fame solely as a return man, and for good reason. His 20 combined kick return touchdowns are an NFL record, as are his 14 punt return touchdowns. He also holds the single-season record for most return touchdowns (six).

Hester was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft, and the Miami product quickly made his mark on the league, returning three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns in his rookie campaign. He also returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI 92 yards for a score, a game that the Bears would go on to lose.

Hester’s return touchdown record is not likely to be broken anytime soon, particularly with the recent changes to kickoff rules. After his eight-year run in Chicago, Hester spent two seasons with the Falcons, enjoying a strong 2014 campaign before an injury-shortened 2015 led to questions about his future in the league. Hester then signed on with the Ravens prior to the 2016 season, but his time in Baltimore was a disaster, as he appeared timid and was generally ineffective. Baltimore released him in December and he auditioned for the Patriots before ultimately signing on with the Seahawks on January 3, just before Seattle’s first playoff game (Seattle had lost returner Tyler Lockett to a broken leg).

Hester’s last ride did not end in a Super Bowl victory as he had hoped, but it will likely end in a trip to Canton.