2017 January - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Notes: QBs, Browns, Alabama

January 13th, 2017 at 6:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thanks in part to his heroics this past Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, outgoing Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s draft stock is soaring, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. After Watson completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards and four touchdowns (one rushing) in Clemson’s 35-31 win over Alabama, two NFL personnel directors and one general manager informed Schefter that the 21-year-old will go in the top half of the first round this spring. All regard Watson as a soon-to-be top 10 pick, and it’s possible he’ll go to the Browns at No. 1 overall.

“He struggled some in midseason, so everyone got off him,” said a personnel director. “But these last couple of weeks, he’s skyrocketing up to the top 10 picks, with the two playoff game wins. Now people are going to say, ‘Wait a minutes, he’s played Alabama the past couple of years really well, he won a national championship, he can be a Mariota, he can be a [Dak] Prescott, great character, great kid.’ People will not want to miss him. I think he’s definitely going in the top 10.”

A bit more on Cleveland and the draft:

While the Browns also own the 12th pick in the draft, odds are they’ll have to take a quarterback at No. 1 – be it Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky or Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer – if they like him enough, several draft experts and talent evaluators told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “A lot of teams need quarterbacks and they will overvalue them and reach,” an NFL personnel executive said. In assessing the three signal-callers, a talent evaluator opined, “[Watson] was very impressive in that game and has a special skill set. Accuracy is always a concern. His body of work makes him safer than Trubisky, but Trubisky has a big upside. Kizer is solid, but I don’t think he’s ready to play right away. Watson appears to be the only one who could hold his own right now.” The Browns reportedly “love” Trubisky, but taking him, Watson or Kizer would mean passing on Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett – with whom they’re also smitten.
Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson, wide receiver ArDarius Stewart and cornerback Marlon Humphrey each declared for the draft Friday. CBS Sports ranks Robinson as the 12th-best player in this year’s class and the top tackle in a weak crop. Humphrey isn’t far behind (No. 15), while the outlet projects Stewart to go in the second round.
Another Alabama product, edge rusher Tim Williams, is likely to slip out of the first round because of Randy Gregory-esque issues with substances (marijuana, to be exact), according to Charlie Champbell of WalterFootball.com. Like Gregory, whom the NFL handed a one-year suspension earlier this month (already the third ban of his two-year career), Williams has several failed drug tests to his name. Williams picked up 18.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss during his final two years at Alabama, but similarly excellent college production wasn’t enough for Gregory (16.5 sacks, 26.5 TFL) to go in Round 1 in 2015. It seems Williams’ case will be a repeat this year.

Staff Notes: Tomsula, Callahan, Bills, Broncos

January 13th, 2017 at 5:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jim Tomsula was out of football this season after a 5-11 campaign as San Francisco’s head coach in 2015, but it appears he’s about to resurface. The Redskins are targeting Tomsula, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, though he doesn’t specify which position the 48-year-old would take in Washington. It seems likely Tomsula would coach the Redskins’ D-line, though, considering he held that role with the Niners from 2007-14. The Redskins have an opening there thanks to the firing of Robb Akey earlier this month.

Giants Sign Rahim Moore, Three Others

January 13th, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants have signed four players to reserve/futures contracts, including safety Rahim Moore, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. The organization also added linebacker Curtis Grant, running back Daryl Virgies and guard Martin Wallace.

The Giants have looked at Moore several times over the past year. The team discussed signing the former second-rounder last offseason, but the defensive back ultimately joined the Browns on a one-year, $1.85MM deal. Moore was cut in early September and earned a tryout from the Giants in October, but he ended up sitting out the entire season.

The 26-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career in Denver, where he started 48 games for the Broncos. Moore signed a three-year, $12MM deal with the Texans once he reached free agency, but he ended up compiling career-lows in games played (seven), tackles (16), and interceptions (one) during the 2015 season.

The Giants will presumably head into the 2017 season with Landon Collins and Darian Thompson as their starting safeties. The team also has undrafted free agent Andrew Adams, who started 13 games last season.

Virgies comes out of Division III Virginia University. Vacchiano notes that the running back’s career was derailed following a gunshot wound in late 2015. Wallace has one career game under his belt, and he’s spent time with the Browns, Panthers, Buccaneers, Bears, Cardinals, and Jets. Grant, an Ohio State product, spent last season in the 49ers organization.

The Giants worked out a number of additional players, according to Howard Balzer (on Twitter). The group included running back Marshaun Coprich, quarterback Austin Davis, tight end Cedrick Lang, and wideout Durron Neal.

Free Agency Notes: Jets, Giants, Lions

January 13th, 2017 at 2:11pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy couple of days for coaching moves. Our head coaching tracker shows that five of the six vacancies have been filled, with the 49ers remaining as the only team with a head coach opening.

Of course, we wouldn’t blame you if you’ve been itching for some tidbits concerning actual players. So let’s take a look at some notes pertaining to free agency…

With the Jets‘ offseason looming, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY takes a look at which of the team’s impending free agents should be re-signed. The writer lists offensive guard Brian Winters as a priority, and he notes that he’d re-sign quarterback Geno Smith, offensive tackle Ben Ijalana, and long snapper Tanner Purdum if the price was right. Meanwhile, Vacchiano lists quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick as “likely gone.”
After some “maneuvering,” ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets that the Giants could have nearly $40MM in cap room this offseason. The Giants have a number of key players reaching free agency this summer, including defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, and cornerback Coty Sensabaugh.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions need to add “playmakers” this offseason. However, coach Jim Caldwell said those flashy additions are not necessary. “I don’t think (we need one) because I just think that you find a lot of teams that have an abundance of what you call quote-unquote superstars and they function dysfunctionally as a team,” Caldwell said. “I think that we’re more interested in what kind of team that we build. That’s the thing that’s most important to me. It’s how we function as a team.”
While the Raiders would presumably like to be players in free agency, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes that several contract extensions are “looming” over the organization. Both quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack are eligible for new deals, and the organization will surely have to pay to retain the star duo.

NFC Coaching Notes: Panthers, Rams, Redskins, Lions

January 13th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have officially named Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator. Following the loss of former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott earlier this week, it was reported that the team was planning on promoting their assistant head coach/secondary coach to the open position. Wilks joined the Panthers organization in 2012.

The new defensive coordinator held a press conference earlier today, where he revealed that he’d be retaining his entire defensive coaching staff (via Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer on Twitter). The team still needs to hire a secondary coach following the promotion of Wilks.

Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from the NFC…

The Rams are expected to keep special teams coach John Fassel, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Twitter). Fassel has been with the organization since 2012, and he served as the Rams’ interim head coach following the firing of Jeff Fisher.
The Redskins may have lost offensive coordinator Sean McVay, but they’re not planning on losing anyone else on their offensive staff. The Redskins are expected to retain all of their offensive assistant coaches, reports ESPN.com’s John Keim. Following the Rams‘ hiring of Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator, there were rumors that tight ends coach Wes Phillips may leave to join McVay and his dad in Los Angeles. However, Keim notes that the Rams would have to request an interview with anyone on the Redskins coaching staff.
The decision to retain head coach Jim Caldwell was made before the Lions clinched a playoff berth, general manager Bob Quinn told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I really believe in his approach to managing the team, how he practices the team, how he maintains the health of the team,” Quinn said. “So, listen, winning nine games is good. It’s not good enough. But I felt really comfortable with the way things went this year. I’m looking forward to 2017 with Jim.”
The Eagles are interested in interviewing Rams passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Groh for their wide receivers coach vacancy, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The former quarterback coached the Bears wideouts for three seasons before joining the Rams last year.

AFC Coaching Notes: Jaguars, Broncos, Jets, Raiders

January 13th, 2017 at 11:32am CST by Ben Levine

It hasn’t been the best two-to-three weeks for the Bills organization. The team fired Rex Ryan in late December, and general manager Doug Whaley held a subsequent news conference that left some questioning his competence. Then there’s the whole Tyrod Taylor fiasco, as the organization could potentially be stuck with the quarterback’s $27.5MM salary.

Following the hiring of Sean McDermott as their new head coach, Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula made it clear that their organization is not dysfunctional.

“I know how I run my life, run our business,” Terry Pegula told Tim Graham of The Buffalo News. “I know how we treat people, and I know the people we have in our organization. You can’t pin 17 years [out of the playoffs] on the Pegulas. We’ve been around for X-number of years.

“There’s no foundation, no truth to this dysfunctional talk. I consider it an insult to our organization and the Bills and the good people with the Sabres. They can’t be real happy to hear that.”

Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes coming out of the AFC…

The Jaguars have hired Joe DeCamillis as their new special teams coordinator, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). DeCamillis, 51, spent the past two seasons serving in the same role with the Broncos, and he previously served as coordinator for the Bears and Cowboys. This will be a reunion of sorts for DeCamillis, who served as a special teams coach with the Jaguars from 2007 through 2008.
With all of the changes to the Broncos coaching staff, there will be at least one member sticking around. Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post reports (via Twitter) that Tyke Tolbert will continue on as the team’s wide receivers coach. Tolbert reportedly turned down an offer from the Titans for the same role.
Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville has already interviewed for the Jets offensive coordinator vacancy, reports ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (via Twitter). The writer notes that the organization has “strong interest” in the long-time coach.
League sources tell Brian Costello of the New York Post that the Jets will have a tough time convincing “any candidate with options” to take their offensive coordinator gig. The writer notes that Todd Bowles‘ lack of job security and the Jets’ questionable quarterback depth may scare some potential candidates away.
The Raiders are making some coaching changes under new offensive coordinator Todd Downing. Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports (via Twitter) that the team will be promoting senior offensive assistant Jake Peetz to quarterbacks coach. Peetz has spent seven years coaching in the NFL.

Dolphins Won’t Let Rams Interview Chris Foerster For OC Gig

January 13th, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Ben Levine

The Dolphins denied the Rams permission to interview offensive line coach Chris Foerster for their offensive coordinator vacancy, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter). As our own Zach Links previously pointed out, teams are not required to allow position coaches to interview for coordinator gigs. Therefore, even though Foerster would be eyeing a clear promotion, the Dolphins still exercised their right.

The long-time coach spent the 2016 season serving as Miami’s offensive line coach. The unit actually showed plenty of improvement under Foerster. The Dolphins offensive line allowed 45 sacks (the eighth-highest total in the league) during the 2015 campaign, but that improved to only 30 sacks (10th-lowest total in the league) this past season. Furthermore, Miami’s running game also had a bounce-back season. After having compiled 1,496 rushing yards in 2015, the Dolphins rushed for 1,824 yards in 2016.

Prior to his tenure in Miami, Foerster served as the offensive line coach for the 49ers, Redskins, Ravens, and Buccaneers. Foerster actually worked alongside Sean McVay when the duo was in Washington, as the Rams new head coach served as the Redskins’ tight ends coach and offensive coordinator during Foerster’s tenure with the organization.

Foerster also has experience as an offensive coordinator, serving in that role with the Dolphins back in 2004. Miami finished 4-12 that season and only managed 275 points on offense.

Latest On Broncos Coaching Staff

January 13th, 2017 at 9:32am CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos coaching staff looks a whole lot different than it did 48 hours ago. On Wednesday, the organization announced that they had hired former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as their new head coach. Last night saw two more changes. Former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips joined the Rams while the Broncos were finalizing a deal with new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

Defensive backs coach Joe Woods is considered the favorite to be promoted to the defensive coordinator position, although he still has some competition for the gig. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos will also be interviewing Reggie Herring for the opening. Herring spent the past two seasons as the team’s linebackers coach, and he handled some defensive play-calling duties earlier this season. Herring has also served as the linebackers coach for the Texans, Cowboys, and Bears.

As we wrap our head around all of these coaching moves, let’s take a look at some additional changes in Denver…

While McCoy seems to be in the driver’s seat for the offensive coordinator gig, Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post notes (via Twitter) that the organization still plans on interviewing Bill Musgrave today. The long-time coach spent the past two seasons as the Raiders offensive coordinator.
The Broncos have parted ways with tight ends coach Brian Pariani, according to Troy Renck of ABC Denver7 (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports that offensive line coach Clancy Barone also won’t be back. Finally, Klis reports (via Twitter) that Joseph notified special teams assistant Tony Coaxum and offensive line assistant Jim Cregg that they also wouldn’t be retained for next season.
Joseph acknowledged that Phillips is “one of [his] football dads,” but he also admitted that Woods was “ready to be a coordinator,” as ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold passes along (via Twitter). Wolfe tweets that the Broncos loved Phillips, but the organization saw higher potential in Woods.
Jason La Canfora tweets that general manager John Elway was in favor of changes to the Broncos coaching staff even if former head coach Gary Kubiak stuck around. Klis adds (via Twitter) that Joseph wanted “sweeping changes” when it came to his new staff.

Chargers To Interview Gus Bradley For DC Job

January 13th, 2017 at 8:45am CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers coaching staff has seen plenty of turnover, and now there’s another name to add to the list of potential additions. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the organization will interview Gus Bradley for the role of defensive coordinator. The former NFL head coach is the “favorite” for the gig.

Bradley has been a relatively popular name since he was fired by the Jaguars in mid-December. The 50-year-old was reportedly atop the Redskins’ list of potential defensive coordinator candidates. Bradley has a natural connection to that organization, as the coach worked under general manager Scot McCloughan when the duo was in Seattle. The Browns also reportedly reached out to Bradley regarding their defensive coordinator vacancy.

Bradley had plenty of success as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator, a position he held from 2009 through 2012. However, things didn’t go nearly as well during his head coaching tenure in Jacksonville. In his three-plus seasons with the organization, Bradley compiled a 14-48 record. His .226 winning percent is the second-lowest mark in league history.

The Chargers don’t necessarily have an opening at the position, as defensive coordinator John Pagano is still under contract. However, there seems to be a belief that recently-hired head coach Anthony Lynn will want to hire his own personnel. Bradley and Lynn have been connected throughout the hiring process, and our own Sam Robinson noted that “a Lynn-Bradley ticket was previously thought to be the way the Bills would go.”

For what it’s worth, it appears that the Chargers will be retaining offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

Chargers Hire Anthony Lynn As Head Coach

January 13th, 2017 at 8:15am CST by Sam Robinson

In less than a week, the Chargers have a new city and a new head coach. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the franchise has hired former Bills coach Anthony Lynn. It will be a four-year contract for the new head coach. Lynn entered his Thursday interview as the clear frontrunner for the gig, and reports last night indicated that the organization was finalizing a deal.

The Bills promoted Lynn twice this season, elevating him from running backs coach to OC in September and made him their interim head coach in December. Lynn was viewed as the frontrunner to be the next Bills’ full-time HC earlier during the hiring period, but the organization agreed to a deal with Sean McDermott. Lynn was the only candidate connected to all six teams with vacancies this offseason.

This deal completes a rapid ascent for the 48-year-old Lynn, who served as running backs coach for five different franchises from 2003-16. But the Bills became one of the best ground attacks in football under his guidance this season, and Lynn is in line to have a chance to enhance the Chargers’ offense.

Lynn will consider keeping OC Ken Whisenhunt on offense, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets, and former Jaguars coach Gus Bradley is a prime candidate to become the Bolts’ next DC. Bradley has already interviewed to become the Redskins’ DC but has been connected to Lynn throughout this process. A Lynn-Bradley ticket was previously thought to be the way the Bills would go, but that pairing could be set to work together in Los Angeles.

It’s been quite the eventful 24 hours in a city that had few of those regarding the NFL for around two decades. The Rams named Redskins OC Sean McVay as their next HC — and youngest in NFL history — while the Chargers formally announced they are planning to relocate to L.A. And they’ll now have a coach to help steer that transition, one that wasn’t certain as the franchise interviewed five other candidates to succeed Mike McCoy.