2018 January - Pro Football Rumors

Giants To Interview Jim Schwartz

January 3rd, 2018 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have formally requested an interview with Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The interview is expected to take place this weekend in Philadelphia.

As of Wednesday morning, the Giants had not submitted a request to speak with Schwartz, leading to speculation that the team had cooled on him. Apparently, that is not the case. It was reported last month that Schwartz might be the frontrunner for the job and that may still be the case now that the Giants have finally put the wheels in motion.

Here is the rundown of where things stand in the Giants’ head coaching search:

Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): To be interviewed on 1/5
Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Requested interview
Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Eagles): To be interviewed
Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator (Vikings): To be interviewed on 1/6
Steve Spagnuolo, interim head coach/DC (Giants): To be interviewed on 1/3
Eric Studesville, former assistant head coach/RBs (Broncos): To be interviewed on 1/5
Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Requested interview

Schwartz, meanwhile, is also up for the Cardinals’ vacancy.

Coaching Rumors: Bengals, Cowboys, Colts

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Zachary Links

A roundup of the latest coaching news and rumors from around the NFL:

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis announced that the team is parting ways with offensive line coach Paul Alexander. Meanwhile, the team will retain offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and look to keep defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Guenther is out of contract, meaning that he is free to sign with any team.
Cowboys special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will be allowed out of his contract, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That should pave the way for him to join Jon Gruden‘s Raiders staff. Bisaccia still had some time to go on his deal thanks to the extension he inked back in March.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy confirmed to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he will interview for the head coaching openings with the Colts and Bears.
You can keep up with the dizzying number of head coaching interviews using PFR’s up-to-the-minute tracker.

Packers Hope To Hire GM Next Week

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers are expected to start their GM interviews on Thursday with an eye on making a hire next week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). They’ll likely start by interviewing their trio of internal candidates: Russ Ball, Eliot Wolf, and Brian Gutekunst.

Ball, the team’s vice president of football administration, is said to have a strong rapport with Packers president Mark Murphy. Promoting him to the GM post would likely lead Wolf and Gutekunst to go elsewhere, but if either Wolf or Gutekunst gets the job, the other exec will likely stay in Green Bay. That could weigh heavily on the decision made by Packers president Mark Murphy, who will be working with search firm Korn Ferry to make the determination.

Wolf and Gutekunst have been in the running for GM jobs in each of the last few offseasons. If they decide to leave the nest, it would not be surprising to see both men running teams in 2018.

Bears Interview Vic Fangio For HC Job

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears announced that they have interviewed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for their vacant head coaching position today. The interview was conducted by GM Ryan Pace.

Fangio could have a leg-up on the competition as an in-house candidate. This obviously wasn’t a banner year for the Bears, but Fangio’s defense did manage to finish 14th in league DVOA in 2017, according to Football Outsiders. That’s rather impressive considering the so-so talent that he had to work with and injuries to linebackers Leonard Floyd, Willie Young, and Pernell McPhee.

Fangio joins Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, and Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks as known candidates for the job. Fangio could have the inside track, though the team may prefer an offensive-minded coach to work with young quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Cowboys Want To Keep Linehan, Marinelli

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:51pm CST by Zachary Links

There will be some coaching changes in Dallas, but it sounds like the main coaches will be staying in place. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the team wants to retain offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli for 2018 (link via Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News).

Starting this week, the team will evaluate the futures of assistants such as running backs coach Gary Brown, wide receivers coach Derek Dooley, and linebackers coach Matt Eberflus, who are on expiring deals. Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson and secondary coach Joe Baker have already been fired, according to Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).

Both Marinelli and Linehand signed extensions with the team last March. The length of Marinelli’s contract is unknown, but we do know that Linehan is under contract through 2019.

Meanwhile, Jones says that he has given no consideration to replacing Jason Garrett as head coach.

“It’s not even a thought for me,” Jones said. “I do like the fact that we’ve invested, if you will. We’ve got several years of Jason evolving in this profession in the NFL. There’s no question the familiarity with teams that we’re playing, especially in our division, is a big plus. You pay a big price when you make a change at the head coach. You pay some price when you make a change at any position coach situation. On the other hand, freshness we’re talking about, new ideas, nothing set in stone, that’s a plus too. But I think that Jason’s in a good spot. We’re in a good spot with Jason. He certainly has the mentality of doing things differently, again not just to be doing them differently, but basically recognizing that we’ve got some things we do need to do differently. We’ll make that happen through our assistant coaches.”

While several jobs are up in the air, there is one confirmed vacancy on the Cowboys’ staff following the retirement of tight ends coach Steve Loney.

Chiefs Place CB Phillip Gaines On IR

January 3rd, 2018 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs announced that they have placed cornerback Phillip Gaines on injured reserve. This means that Gaines will not be in action for Saturday’s Wild Card game against the Titans or any other potential playoff games.

Gaines saw a good amount of time to start the season, but slipped on the depth chart as the season wore on. He did see an uptick in playing time in Week 17, but the Chiefs are not willing to keep him on the roster while they wait to see how his elbow heals. Without Gaines, the Chiefs will move forward with Marcus Peters, Terrance Mitchell, Steven Nelson, and Darrelle Revis, Keith Reaser, and Kenneth Acker as their cornerbacks.

To take Gaines’ place on the roster, the Chiefs have signed defensive tackle Stefan Charles. Charles did not see the field in 2017 after missing the Jaguars’ initial cut, but he was a regular for the Bills and Lions over the previous four seasons.

Bengals Want To Keep DC Paul Guenther

January 3rd, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday morning, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis confirmed that defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will interview with the Raiders for their defensive coordinator job under a yet-to-be-named head coach (whom we’re pretty sure is Jon Gruden). However, Lewis says the Bengals hope to have a chance to bring him back, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

It was previously reported that Guenther would be leaving the Bengals, but there’s apparently interest in keeping him on board. Guenther is a free agent, so he is free to pursue opportunities with the Raiders, Redskins, or any other team looking for a DC.

It appears that both Gruden brothers have their eye on Guenther. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden worked with Guenther in Cincinnati and tried to lure him to D.C. a season ago before the Bengals blocked his request. Clearly, Jon also took notice of his work.

If the Bengals and Lewis parted ways this offseason – as was rumored for weeks – it was said that Guenther would have been a strong internal candidate to take over as head coach. That opportunity is no longer on the table, so Guenther could be looking for a change of scenery. In the coming days, we’ll find out whether Lewis’ own lengthy history with Guenther can persuade him to stay.

Buccaneers’ T.J. Ward Arrested

January 3rd, 2018 at 12:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers safety T.J. Ward was arrested on Wednesday on a misdemeanor court of possession of marijuana (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). Ward is already out of jail on bond.

Ward’s agent, Josh Arnold has now released a statement, which conflicts with the original report regarding Ward’s arrest (via Albert Breer of Sports Illustarted on Twitter).

“Reports from various sources revolving around my client, T.J. Ward, and an incident nearly 3 months ago are inaccurate. We dispute the claims being reported and TJ adamantly denies these allegations. IT was our understanding that the matter had been resolved in October and my client was never arrested at that time. Nor was he even at the residence when the police allegedly located marijuana. TJ never received a notice to appear or any other otice of a court date regarding this matter in October or subsequently thereafter. TJ is uncertain as to why this coming up now given the fact it was revolved months ago, but nonetheless he looks forward to resolving the issue as expeditiously as possible.”

Given the conflicting reports, we’ll have to just wait and see how this situation will unfold.

Nonetheless, the news comes at a particularly bad time since Ward is scheduled for free agency in March. This isn’t a particularly serious charge, but GMs won’t be thrilled about this in light of his 2014 assault charge which was later dropped. At the time, it was alleged that Ward threw a glass mug at a strip club bartender after she told him outside drinks were not allowed. The NFL later suspended him for one game in 2015.

It should be noted that Ward was with the Broncos in early September. In Colorado, marijuana is legal for recreational purposes.

Ward’s on-field play will likely be a bigger issue as he looks for his next contract. In 12 games (five starts), Ward graded out as the No. 58 ranked safety in the NFL per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. That’s a big dropoff from where he was from 2013-2015 when he made three straight Pro Bowls.

Bill Lazor To Return As Bengals’ OC

January 3rd, 2018 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

Bill Lazor will return as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2018. On Wednesday, the Bengals announced that they have signed Lazor to an extension, though they did not specify the length of the deal. Prior to the accord, Lazor was slated to be out of contract this offseason.

“We have a lot of talent on this roster and I am excited for the opportunity to build the high-powered offense we have the potential to be. This offseason will give us the chance to continue the success we had at the end of the year as we develop into a dynamic offense in 2018,” Lazor said in a statement.

Lazor took over as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in September after the team failed to score a touchdown in the first two games under Ken Zampese. The Bengals didn’t necessarily set the world on fire with Lazor in command either as they finished dead last in total offense. On the plus side, his unit did occasionally show promise, including two high-scoring wins over the Lions and Ravens in the final games of the season.

The Bengals will have both head coach Marvin Lewis and Lazor on the sidelines this year, but they are in search of a new defensive coordinator following Paul Guenther‘s departure.

Bears To Interview Vikings’ George Edwards

January 3rd, 2018 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have put in a request to interview Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It seems the interview has already been OK’d as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press hears that it will take place this week.

The Vikings meeting marks Edwards’ first head coach interview. It stands to reason that he’ll get at least one more given the way his defense has performed this season. However, it seems like he does not have as much hype as Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur because he does not call plays. For what it’s worth, head coach Mike Zimmer doesn’t think that should preclude him from consideration.

“George does everything,” Zimmer said recently. “He helps with the game plan. He runs a lot of the meetings, the defensive meetings. Him and I really sit down and talk about all the different things that are going on. He studies the game just like he’s calling the game. So he’ll come in and talk to me about second down-and-whatever. ‘They’re doing this,’ or, ‘they’re doing that.’ Really, he does everything other than call the game on Sunday.”

As shown on PFR’s Head Coaching Tracker, Shumur and Josh McDaniels will interview with the Bears on Friday. The team may look to fit Edwards in on Saturday. Others up for consideration in Chicago include Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFillippo, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and Panthers DC Steve Wilks.