2018 January - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Request To Interview Patriots’ LBs Coach Brian Flores

January 1st, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals are going to make an attempt to interview multiple members of the Patriots’ defensive staff. They submitted an interview request to meet with New England linebackers coach Brian Flores, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This comes barely an hour after a request to meet with Patriots DC Matt Patricia. Flores is just 36 years old and has never been a coordinator, but like Patricia, he’s been on Bill Belichick‘s staff since 2004 — beginning a Pats career as a scouting assistant when he was just 23.

Bruce Arians officially retired barely two hours ago, but the Cards have been connected to a host of names since. They are already setting up an interview with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and have submitted interview requests for Vikings OC Pat Shurmur and Eagles DC Jim Schwartz.

Flores has been in his current post for two seasons. He also worked under Patricia from 2012-15 coaching the Pats’ safeties.

Broncos To Fire OL Coach Jeff Davidson

January 1st, 2018 at 2:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jeff Davidson‘s stint as Broncos offensive line coach will be limited to one season. The Broncos are planning to fire Davidson, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter).

A former Browns and Panthers offensive coordinator, Davidson will be on the move for a third straight offseason. He coached the Chargers’ O-line in 2016 under Mike McCoy, who also coached alongside Davidson in Carolina. The Broncos firing McCoy did not bode well for Davidson.

The Broncos have not deployed a particularly good offensive line over the past three seasons. The unit’s undergone frequent changes in that span. Denver could well be searching for a new right tackle for the fifth straight season and may be in the market for a new left guard.

However, the Broncos boasted an improved run game under Davidson, vaulting from No. 27 in 2016 to No. 12 this season. And with Ronald Leary, Matt Paradis and Garett Bolles in place for 2018, the team stands to see less turnover up front than it has in recent offseasons.

Sam Bradford To Practice This Week

January 1st, 2018 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sam Bradford‘s been shelved since an ill-advised return to action in Week 5, but the Vikings’ Week 1 starter the past two seasons will come off IR and return to practice this week, Mike Zimmer said (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

Once Bradford does practice, the Vikings will have three weeks to activate him. Case Keenum is expected to remain the starter after taking the reins from Bradford and piloting the Vikes to the NFC’s No. 2 seed — Minnesota’s first bye since 2009 — but Bradford returning would obviously supply high-end depth.

Bradford has experienced consistent injury trouble since hurting his knee in Week 1, but the 30-year-old passer told Zimmer his injured left knee feels good after this lengthy rest period. The Vikings could activate Bradford this week, but with no game Sunday, they will surely let him see if he can stay healthy through practices before making a decision down the road.

Teddy Bridgewater and Kyle Sloter are Keenum’s backups. A Bradford return would almost certainly force the team to cut Sloter from the 53-man roster.

Packers To Fire DC Dom Capers

January 1st, 2018 at 1:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dom Capers‘ nine-season tenure as the Packers’ defensive coordinator looks to be over. Green Bay will part ways with Capers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

This was the expected course of action for a Packers team that saw its eight-year playoff streak end this season. Demovsky adds there will be more changes on Green Bay’s defensive staff. Packers safeties coach Darren Perry is expected to receive consideration, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

The 67-year-old Capers has been a DC since his stellar work with the Steelers in the early 1990s. Twice a head coach, Capers could well be in demand by other teams as a defensive leader despite this dismissal. He’s been on an NFL sideline since the 1986 season.

Capers, though, has had the task of leading a defense for a franchise that largely eschews free agent help. He’s mostly coached players Ted Thompson‘s brought in through the draft, and the results have not been especially solid in recent years. Both the 2016 and 2017 Green Bay defenses have ranked 22nd in total defense, while the 2015 unit ranked 15th.

This marks just the third time Mike McCarthy’s fired a coordinator in 12 years as Green Bay’s HC. His ouster of Bob Sanders after the 2008 season brought Capers to Green Bay.

Capers’ units have been tasked with operating on a team led by Aaron Rodgers and have naturally been viewed as the weaker part of the Packers during the All-Pro-caliber quarterback’s run. Thompson, though, has used steady draft resources to aid the unit in recent years, using first- or second-round picks on the likes of Kenny Clark, Damarious Randall, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Kevin King, Quinten Rollins and Josh Jones. Injuries have also limited Green Bay’s defenses in recent years.

Due to the franchise’s continuity-centric ways, almost none of the team’s defenders has played in a different defensive system than Capers’ version of the 3-4, so it will be interesting to see how Thompson and Co. go about filling this vacancy. Demovsky notes Vic Fangio, who also runs a 3-4, could be a candidate.

A former Steelers defensive back under Capers, Perry has coached the Packers’ safeties throughout Capers’ tenure as DC.

Cardinals Request HC Interviews With Matt Patricia, Jim Schwartz

January 1st, 2018 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bruce Arians‘ New Year’s Day retirement has the Cardinals searching for a new head coach for the first time in five years, and the franchise has been busy in its opening stages of filling Arians’ post.

The Cardinals have requested permission to interview Eagles DC Jim Schwartz and Patriots DC Matt Patricia, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This comes on the heels of reports the Cards are in the process of setting up a summit with Eagles QBs coach John DeFilippo and have requested a meeting with Vikings OC Pat Shurmur.

Schwartz has been linked to the Giants and has an interview already scheduled with New York. The Giants and Lions have requested permission to meet with Patricia.

The 43-year-old Patricia’s only coached in New England, being on Bill Belichick‘s staff since 2004. He’s served as the Patriots’ DC since 2012. Belichick’s towering presence and his assistants’ less-than-stellar collective work in head-coaching opportunities have helped keep Patricia in New England, but this could be the year a team takes a chance on the defensive leader.

Schwartz almost certainly figures to land a second head-coaching job, with his Eagles defense finishing fourth this season during a campaign that’s seen Philadelphia book the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in 13 years. A bidding war could be on the way for his services.

Lions To Interview Teryl Austin For HC Job

January 1st, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teryl Austin has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and has shown up on other teams’ radars as an HC candidate.

Now that the Lions have a vacancy, they will interview their DC for the job, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Austin will meet with Lions brass on Tuesday, Anderson reports.

The Lions fired Jim Caldwell on Monday morning, and the two have been on the same staff for most of this decade. Caldwell brought Austin over from the Ravens once the Lions hired him in 2014. Austin’s Detroit future will surely be in doubt after Caldwell’s dismissal, but the Lions will evaluate the 52-year-old Austin soon.

Austin’s defense finished this season ranked 27th, however, a drop from 2016’s performance. He figures to have competition from candidates coming off stronger seasons leading their respective units.

Cardinals, Lions Request Interviews With Vikings’ Pat Shurmur

January 1st, 2018 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both the Cardinals and Lions came out of Monday morning with coaching vacancies, and the architect of the Vikings’ offense is on the teams’ list.

The Vikings have a first-round bye, and that’s opened the door for the Cardinals and Lions to submit requests to interview Pat Shurmur for their HC positions, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (Twitter links).

Shurmur’s work in helping the Vikings be an upper-echelon offense despite the keys being in journeyman Case Keenum‘s hands this season undoubtedly made the second-year Minnesota OC an attractive HC candidate.

The 52-year-old Shurmur has two years of head-coaching experience as well, leading the Browns from 2011-12. He’s been an OC with the Rams and Eagles as well and is only in his first season as the Vikings’ full-time offensive leader. Norv Turner‘s departure midway through last season resulted in Shurmur becoming the Vikes’ interim OC. Minnesota took the interim tag off that label after 2016, and the Keenum-piloted Vikings are one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LII.

Bears, Cardinals Setting Up HC Interviews With Eagles’ John DeFilippo

January 1st, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

After firing John Fox, the Bears are moving fast into the interview process to replace him. The team is setting up a meeting with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

The Cardinals are joining the fray as well. Minutes after Bruce Arians officially announced his retirement, a Cardinals request to interview DeFilippo for their HC job emerged, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While the Bears are going to be competition, Ian Rapoport notes (on Twitter) Cards GM Steve Keim has had DeFilippo on his radar for a while.

The interview is expected to occur later this week, per Garofolo. DeFilippo has served in his current role since 2016, and in that time Carson Wentz transformed from Division I-FCS quarterback prospect to one-time MVP frontrunner.

Wentz threw 33 touchdown passes — an Eagles single-season record — in 13 games, and the 39-year-old DeFilippo will have a chance to vault two rungs on the NFL ladder largely because of the North Dakota State’s progress. DeFilippo did serve as the Browns’ OC but did so for one season (2015) before that staff was broken up, routing him to Philadelphia.

Bruce Arians Announces Retirement

January 1st, 2018 at 12:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals will be looking for a new coach. Bruce Arians announced he will conclude his five-season tenure in Arizona and retire from the profession.

Michael Bidwill said (via Kent Somers of AZCentral.com, on Twitter) Arians informed him of this decision on Sunday. The search for Arians’ successor will begin immediately.

The 65-year-old Arians has been a coach for more than 40 years and first coached in the NFL in 1989. Only five of those seasons came as an NFL head coach, but Arians spent nine seasons as an offensive coordinator in the league — the last of which (2012) earned him the long-awaited opportunity to lead a team.

In Arizona, Arians steered the Cardinals to two playoff berths. The 2015 season was his unquestioned masterpiece, with the Cardinals gliding to the NFC championship game. He will finish with a record of 49-30-1.

Arians cemented himself as a high-end coaching candidate by winning NFL coach of the year honors leading the 2012 coach while Chuck Pagano underwent cancer treatment. Prior to that season, Arians operated as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator during a period that saw the franchise win its sixth championship (2008) and reach its most recent Super Bowl (in 2010).

Arians coached Carson Palmer during his entire Arizona stint, one that revived his career, and his offense helped Larry Fitzgerald further place himself among the league’s all-time greats at his position. Neither are guaranteed to return in 2018, so this decision could be a seminal one regarding how the Cards’ cornerstone players proceed.

Jason Witten To Return In 2018

January 1st, 2018 at 11:45am CST by Micah Powell

Following the Cowboys’ 6-0 win over the Eagles on Sunday, tight end Jason Witten announced he would return for his 16th season in 2018, ESPN’s Todd Archer reports.

Witten was expected to return but left open the possibility of retiring in recent weeks. “I’m coming back. I love playing this game too much and I know that I can play it at a high level,” he said. After the University of Tennessee fired its head coach in 2017, Witten’s name appeared in coaching rumors but the tight end quickly shot down the reports.

Archer notes that Witten will become the longest-tenured member of the Cowboys in franchise history, surpassing Mark Tuinei, Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Bill Bates who each played 15 seasons.

Witten is signed through the 2021 season after signing a four-year extension in March. However, he has contemplated retirement each of the last two seasons. He finished the season with 63 receptions for his 14th consecutive 60-catch season.

Behind Witten on the depth chart, the Cowboys do have a promising talent in Rico Gathers, who played basketball at Baylor before being selected by Dallas in the 2016 NFL Draft. Gathers was placed on the practice squad in 2016, and enjoyed a breakout preseason in 2017 but was placed on injured reserve with a concussion.