2018 February - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Colts Could Consider Leslie Frazier For HC?

February 6th, 2018 at 8:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As the Colts restart their head coaching search in the wake of Josh McDaniels‘ rejection, one name that “could come up” is that of Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

As Rapoport notes, Frazier has worked in Indianapolis before, as he served as the club’s assistant head coach/defensive backs from 2005-06, winning a Super Bowl title in the process. As such, Frazier enjoys a close relationship with Colts owner Jim Irsay, and would help Indianapolis “return to normalcy” following the McDaniels debacle. Frazier, 58, also offers the benefit of having been a head coach before, as he led the Vikings from 2010-13.

In 2017, Frazier spent his first season as the Bills’ defensive coordinator under head coach Sean McDermott, and helped the unit finish middle of the pack in most defensive statistics despite the club having traded away key players such as cornerback Ronald Darby and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. In addition to Buffalo, Minnesota, and Indianapolis, Frazier has also worked in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore.

Details On Josh McDaniels’ Rejection Of Colts HC Job

February 6th, 2018 at 7:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In a move not seen since Bill Belichick resigned as “HC of the NYJ” in 2000, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels decided not to accept the Colts’ head coaching position after the club had already formally announced his hire. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who originally reported the McDaniels story, has since offered more details on the New England play-caller’s decision:

While McDaniels’ decision to remain with the Patriots may lead many to speculate that Belichick is close to retirement, that may not be the case, per Schefter. In fact, had Belichick made it clear that he was about to leave New England, McDaniels would have been more inclined to accept a head coaching offer. As Schefter reported earlier, Patriots owner Robert Kraft “sweetened” McDaniels’ contract over the past few days — had that overture started sooner, McDaniels may not have taken any head coaching interviews, at all.
Although McDaniels ultimately decided to reject the Colts’ offer, his decision was not based on money, according to Schefter. Instead, McDaniels had concerns about moving his family away from the New England area (the same worries he reportedly had while considering the 49ers’ job a year ago). His unease with leaving the Patriots lead to the Colts having McDaniels in for a second interview. While Indy formally announced McDaniels as its new head coach earlier today, McDaniels had never officially signed a contract, per Schefter.
Despite rejecting this present opportunity, McDaniels would still like to become a head coach again, per Schefter. It seems incredibly unlikely that any team will trust McDaniels with a head coaching job in the near future given his decision to bail on the Colts, but — clearly — he does have some interest in becoming the next Patriots’ head coach when Belichick retires.
McDaniels was reportedly offering jobs to assistants earlier today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Some coaches, such as Matt Eberflus (defensive coordinator), Dave DeGuglielmo (offensive line), and Mike Phair (defensive line) have already signed contracts with the Colts, and they’ll be offered roles under the new Indianapolis head coach, whomever that may be, per Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).
Kraft’s decision to put the full-court press on McDaniels may have deeper roots, as one source texted Schefter (Twitter link): “That’s Kraft putting it to the Colts again. He will forever try and (expletive) that place ever since DeflateGate.”

Patriots To Retain ST Coach Joe Judge

February 6th, 2018 at 7:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Josh McDaniels is staying put in New England, and so is Joe Judge. The Patriots have struck a deal to retain their special teams coordinator, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.

The Colts had been trying to pry Judge away from the Patriots, but now that McDaniels has rejected Indianapolis’ head coaching offer, Judge will remain in New England. There was also some thought that another former Pats coordinator — new Lions head coach Matt Patricia — could lure Judge to Detroit, but that won’t be happening, either.

Judge, 36, was promoted from assistant special teams coach to the primary role following Scott O’Brien‘s 2015 retirement. New England’s special teams unit, always one of the league’s best under Bill Belichick & Co., hasn’t skipped a beat with Judge in charge, as the club has ranked among the top-eight clubs in ST DVOA since 2015. In 2017, the Patriots’ special teams posted their best year yet under Judge by finishing third in DVOA.

Colts To Restart Head Coach Search Within 24-48 Hours

February 6th, 2018 at 7:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels rejected the Colts’ head coaching job in order to remain with New England, Indianapolis is restarting its search. The Colts “had a feeling” McDaniels could back of out his agreement, and the club now has three candidates ready to be interviewed within the next two days, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).

While none of the new contenders for the position have yet been identified, it’s difficult to imagine Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub is not among them. Toub worked with Colts general manager Chris Ballard in Kansas City and has been viewed as a “contingency plan” for Indianapolis if McDaniels bowed out. Indeed, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) calls Toub a “strong candidate” for the newly-created Colts vacancy.

The other finalist for the Colts’ head coaching job (during the first search) was ex-Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, but he’s already found another position as the Titans head coach. Likewise, other candidates such as Matt Nagy and Kris Richard have landed gigs with the Bears and Cowboys, respectively, while Baylor head coach Matt Rhule removed his name from consideration during the original hunt.

Josh McDaniels Rejects Colts HC Job, Will Remain With Patriots

February 6th, 2018 at 6:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has rejected the Colts head coaching job and will instead remain in New England, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

It’s a stunning reversal by McDaniels, whom the Colts officially announced as their new head coach earlier today. Although there had been increasing chatter that McDaniels could bail on Indianapolis, the team’s official press release seemed to put those rumors to bed. Instead, McDaniels has opted not to take the job, leaving the Colts to restart their search process.

McDaniels had been viewed as one of the preeminent head coaching candidates of the 2018 cycle, and the Colts had reportedly agreed to hire him as their next head coach as far back as January 14. Indianapolis stopped interviewing other contenders for the job, McDaniels stopped taking meetings with other clubs, and the hunt had seemed to be over. Indeed, McDaniels had even begun hiring a staff.

However, Patriots owner Robert Kraft began “sweetening” McDaniels’ New England contract over the past 48 hours as part of an effort to keep the offensive play-caller in tow, tweets Schefter. Family concerns also played into McDaniels’ decision, as did “clarity” over head coach Bill Belichick‘s future, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). While Belichick is returning for the 2018 campaign, that report could indicate McDaniels has been told when Belichick will retire.

For the Colts and general manager Chris Ballard, it’s back to the drawing board. Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub has been viewed as a possible contingency plan for the club, especially given that he and Ballard worked together in Kansas City. Toub never actually interviewed for the Indianapolis job the first time around, and nearly every other candidate who did meet with Ballard & Co. is now employed. Baylor head coach Matt Rhule is the only original contender who hasn’t accepted a new position, and withdrew his name from the Colts’ search after one interview.

It’s unclear what McDaniels’ decision means for those coaches who had agreed to join his staff, but they’re now in-limbo and likely staring at unemployment. Coaches such as Matt Eberflus (who was set to become Indy’s defensive coordinator) and Dave DeGuglielmo (offensive line) are now without jobs. Most positions around the NFL have already been filled, leaving these coaches with limited options going forward.

Now that McDaniels has rejected a job for which he’d already been formally announced, he’ll likely be a hard sell for other vacancies in the future. As such, it’s difficult to imagine that McDaniels hasn’t been told that he’ll be Belichick’s successor.

Panthers Place GM Marty Hurney On Leave

February 6th, 2018 at 6:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have placed interim general manager Marty Hurney on paid leave following allegations of harassment from his ex-wife, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Hurney’s ex-wife, Jeanne, originally filed for a restraining order last Friday, but a judge denied the request given there was no evidence Hurney committed domestic violence. A new hearing had been set for February 16, but given that Jeanne has since withdrawn her complaint, that hearing will not actually occur. The NFL still plans to investigate the allegations regardless of how the judicial process plays out.

While there are no assertions of domestic violence in Jeanne Hurney’s complaint, she does claim Marty Hurney was “extremely controlling and was verbally and emotionally abusive” during the couple’s marriage. Additionally, Jeanne alleges: her computer and security system have been hacked; Marty or his associates have broken into her home; intruders have places sticky notes in her books, highlighting words such as “victim” and “terrorize.”

Marty Hurney’s lawyer has called Jeanne’s complaints “complete fiction,” but it’s fair to wonder how the claims will affect Hurney and his status in Carolina’s ongoing general manager search. Hurney, who was named the club’s interim GM after Dave Gettleman was fired in 2017, had been viewed as the frontrunner for the position. Other candidates for the role include Lake Dawson (Bills), Martin Mayhew (49ers), and Jimmy Raye III (Texans).

The Panthers, of course, are no strangers to harassment-related controversy, as team owner Jerry Richardson was accused of inappropriate sexual and racial comments in December. Richardson quickly ceded control of the club, and announced his intention to sell the Carolina franchise once the 2017 campaign concluded.

Patriots Trying To Keep ST Coach Joe Judge From Joining Colts

February 6th, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge‘s contract has expired, and while speculation has centered around Judge joining ex-New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in Detroit, it’s actually the Colts and former Pats OC Josh McDaniels who loom as the key competitor for Judge’s services, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). However, Bill Belichick and the Patriots are also “making a play” to retain Judge, per Breer.

Judge, 36, was promoted from assistant special teams coach to the primary role following Scott O’Brien‘s 2015 retirement. New England’s special teams unit, always one of the league’s best under Belichick & Co., hasn’t skipped a beat with Judge in charge, as the club has ranked among the top-eight clubs in ST DVOA since 2015. In 2017, the Patriots’ special teams posted their best year yet under Judge by finishing third in DVOA.

While it’s unclear how much Judge currently makes (head coaches salaries aren’t public knowledge, let alone special teams coaches), Mike Reiss of ESPN.com recently speculated the Patriots could give Judge a raise and perhaps a more prominent role, especially given the recent defections of Patricia and McDaniels. While this is purely speculation, it’s possible New England could give Judge an assistant head coach title to go along with his special teams job.

Pats’ Malcolm Butler Denies Missing Curfew

February 6th, 2018 at 4:28pm CST by Zachary Links

To the shock of everyone in the football world, Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler played just one special teams snap in Sunday’s Super Bowl defeat. Over the last two days, many have speculated that Butler was benched due to some sort of disciplinary issue, but the pending free agent says that’s not the case.

“During my four-year career with [the] Patriots I have always given everything I have to play at a high level, and would never do anything to hurt my teams’ chances of winning a game, including this year’s Super Bowl where I visited with my family every night,” Butler said (Twitter link). “During Super Bowl week I never attended any concert, missed curfew, or participated [in] any of the ridiculous activities being reported. They are not only false, but hurtful, to me and my family.”

On Instagram, where Butler’s statement was cross-posted, Tom Brady offered words of support that seemed to support his version of events. “Love you, Malcolm. You are an incredible player and teammate and friend. Always!!!,” the future Hall of Famer wrote (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).

Butler is scheduled to reach the open market in March, so it behooves him to quiet any false speculation regarding his benching. However, even if the Super Bowl XLIX hero’s absence from the big game was not related to any disciplinary issues, teams will want to know more about what went into Bill Belichick‘s decision.

Butler did not have a banner platform year, as evidenced by his 79.2 overall rating from Pro Football Focus (51st amongst cornerbacks), down from 88.1 last season and 83.2 in 2015. However, he started in started 54 of the team’s 55 games leading up to the Super Bowl and turned in a decent performance against the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game.

If not for the Patriots using the restricted free agent tender on Butler last offseason, he may have been in line for a multi-year deal with an annual average value of $15MM. This time around, the Pats aren’t expected to put up much of a fight to keep him. He’ll also make a lot less than $15MM/year on his next contract.

Top 3 Offseason Needs: Miami Dolphins

February 6th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

In advance of March 14, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Miami Dolphins, who missed the playoffs with a disappointing 6-10 record.

Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)

Pending Free Agents:

Walt Aikens, CB
Nate Allen, S
Lamin Barrow, LB
Jake Brendel, C (ERFA)
Jermon Bushrod, G
Jay Cutler, QB
John Denney, LS
David Fales, QB (RFA)
Terrence Fede, DE
Anthony Fasano, TE
William Hayes, DE
Neville Hewitt, LB (RFA)
Mike Hull, LB (ERFA)
Jarvis Landry, WR
Jordan Lucas, CB (ERFA)
Koa Misi, LB
Matt Moore, QB
Cody Parkey, K
Rashawn Scott, WR (ERFA)
De’Veon Smith, RB (ERFA)
Anthony Steen, OL (ERFA)
Michael Thomas, S
Alterraun Verner, CB
Damien Williams, RB
Gabe Wright, DT (RFA)
Sam Young, T

Top 10 Cap Hits for 2018:

Ndamukong Suh, DT: $26,100,000
Ryan Tannehill, QB: $19,800,000
Reshad Jones, S: $11,575,000
Andre Branch, DE: $10,000,000
Kenny Stills, WR: $9,750,000
Kiko Alonso, LB: $9,637,500
Ja’Wuan James, T: $9,341,000
Mike Pouncey, C: $9,000,000
Cameron Wake, DE: $8,625,000
Lawrence Timmons, LB: $8,225,000

Other:

Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $14,227,046
11th pick in draft
Must exercise or decline 2019 fifth-year option for WR DeVante Parker
Must exercise or decline 2019 fifth-year option for LB Stephone Anthony

Three Needs:

1. Offensive guard. This was a rough year for the Dolphins offensive line between injuries and the midseason scandal that resulted in OL coach Chris Foerster‘s resignation. The Dolphins finished the year 30th in run blocking according to Football Outsiders‘ adjusted line yards metric and that’s bad news since the team clearly needs to establish the run game going forward.

Miami placed dead last in the league with 360 rushing attempts in 2017. For reference, the franchise record for fewest rushing attempts in a season is 326, back in 1967 when the regular season was only 14 games long. On a per game basis, Miami averaged just 22.5 carries per game this past season versus 23.9 in ’67. Much of that has to do with the Dolphins often playing from behind last year, but the Dolphins must keep defenses honest with a balanced offensive attack next year.

“There are some times where you just go, ‘Man, we’re getting it,’” former offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said of the team’s run blocking back in December (via Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel). “And then there are times where you go, ‘How does that happen? How did we set him free?’”

The Dolphins’ starting guards – Jermon Bushrod and Ted Larsen – are both due for free agency. Given that they both graded out as the No. 62 and No. 67 ranked guards in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and battled injuries, they are unlikely to return as first shift interior linemen. Jesse Davis (ranked 63rd by PFF) and 2017 fifth-round choice Issac Asiata remain under contract, but neither player is in line for a promotion. In theory, Laremy Tunsil could be moved from tackle to guard, but the team has said that he will remain on the outside.

Whether it’s through free agency, the draft, or trades, the Dolphins need to add at least two guards this offseason.

2. Find a skilled tight end for Adam Gase’s offense. The Broncos’ offense soared under Gase’s guidance in 2013 and 2014 thanks in large part to Gase and the play of Julius Thomas. Thomas broke out over that two year span, averaging 54 catches for 638 yards and 12 touchdowns, despite missing five games. Gase and Thomas reunited in Miami in 2017, but the results just weren’t the same. Thomas finished the year with a respectable 41 catches for 388 yards, but his eleven red zone targets resulted in just three TDs.

The Dolphins are expected to release Thomas and free themselves from his non-guaranteed $6.6MM cap charge. However, comments from Gase late last season indicate that the team may consider retaining him at a lesser rate.

“I see it different than it seems everyone else does,” Gase said. “He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. I wish there’s been situations we’ve called plays for him and haven’t been able to get the ball to him either by coverage or the ball didn’t go there for whatever reason. When we’ve asked him to do things in the running game he’s given me max effort. He’s been there every day for us in practice and at games.”

Even if Thomas returns, the Dolphins would be best served by downgrading him to a secondary role and finding a more reliable target for Ryan Tannehill. There are some intriguing names for the Dolphins to consider in this year’s free agent market, but all come with serious questions. Eagles tight end Trey Burton caught five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns in a challenging December matchup against the Rams, but there is limited film on him since he has been playing in the shadow of Zach Ertz. Jimmy Graham was once one of the league’s most feared TEs, but he is 31 (32 in November) and averaged just 9.1 yards per reception. Austin Seferian-Jenkins doesn’t turn 26 until September and had his best year yet with the Jets, but a deeper look at his numbers – 7.1 yards per reception and 1.3 yards after catch – takes away much of his shine.

There are no obvious answers in the draft, either. The Dolphins have the No. 11 overall pick at their disposal, but top tight ends like Hayden Hurst of South Carolina and Dallas Goedert of South Dakota State are not considered to be top-tier talents worthy of being selected that early.

3. Improve at linebacker. Heading into 2017, the linebacker group appeared to be one of the Dolphins’ biggest strengths. Unfortunately, free agent acquisition Lawrence Timmons disappointed and highly-touted second-round pick Raekwon McMillan missed the entire season with a torn ACL. Meanwhile, holdover Kiko Alonso flopped, grading out as just the No. 75 ranked LB in the NFL, per PFF. The Dolphins allowed 1,034 yards to opposing tight ends and Timmons, ranked 67th at his position by PFF, was Miami’s highest-graded LB. Clearly, something has to change.

Alonso is all but assured to return thanks to the four-year, $28.91MM contract he inked with the Dolphins last year. Timmons is slated to come back with an $8.225MM cap charge, but Miami could release him with little financial penalty thanks to his 2017 suspension for going AWOL. At least one other LB spot will free up with the expiration of outside linebacker Koa Misi‘s deal. Misi, 31, missed all of 2017 and much of 2016 with back issues. He was ranked as a top-30 LB in 2015 and 2016, but the Dolphins will probably stop chasing that dragon this year.

Alonso and Timmons are both among the team’s top ten cap charges and that’s a lot of money to be tied up at the head of an underperforming unit. With just ~$14MM in cap space and other pressing issues to address, the Dolphins have to identify some ready-for-primetime LBs in this year’s draft.

Bears To Meet With CB David Amerson

February 6th, 2018 at 12:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears are set to meet with David Amerson on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The cornerback also has other free agent visits scheduled, Rapoport adds.

The Raiders cut Amerson on Monday, just before his $5.5MM base salary would have become fully guaranteed. In 2016, the Raiders happily handed him a four-year, $35MM extension after he piled up 58 tackles and a career-best four interceptions in the previous season. He was solid in 2016, but he played in only six games in 2017 thanks to a concussion, shoulder injury, and a foot sprain.

If Amerson is healthy, he could be a major addition to the Bears or other cornerback-needy teams. In the aforementioned breakout campaign of 2015, he graded out as the 14th best cornerback in the league out of 111 qualified players. The 26-year-old’s next deal also figures to come in at a much lower rate than the $8.75MM average annual value of his previous pact.

Both of last year’s starting cornerbacks, Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. The Bears may look to retain both players, but that could prove to be too pricey, particularly in the case of Fuller. It’s also not a given that the Bears will be comfortable in making a major commitment to Fuller given his up-and-down career.

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