Former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan is a name to watch for the Chiefs’ newly vacant defensive coordinator position, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Schefter notes that Ryan has been approached about other DC openings in recent years.
This may be a report to take with a grain of salt. It’s not clear whether Chiefs sources indicated the team’s interest to Schefter, or whether Schefter has received word from others around the situation such as Ryan himself, who is a fellow ESPN employee. Nonetheless, Ryan offers the kind of strong defensive pedigree and boisterous energy that the Chiefs may require.
The Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, according to a team announcement. Sutton was rumored to be on the hot seat after the Chiefs’ heartbreaking exit in the AFC Championship Game.
One can’t help but wonder whether Sutton would still be in charge if Dee Ford hadn’t accidentally lined up in the neutral zone prior to the Patriots’ snap. In any event, Sutton is out, and the team’s overall inconsistent defense this past season is the main reason for his ouster.
“Bob is a good football coach and a great person,” head coach Andy Reid said in a statement. “He played an integral role in the success of our team over the last six seasons. I’ve said before that change can be a good thing, for both parties, and I believe that is the case here for the Chiefs and Bob. This was not an easy decision, but one I feel is in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward.”
Despite the Chiefs’ defensive struggles in 2018, the gig is viewed as one of the most valued defensive jobs in the game. With a world-class offense, the Chiefs should be right back in the Super Bowl mix in 2019, and the continued health of star safety Eric Berry should go a long way towards helping the cause.
January 22nd, 2019 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links
The Bengals are set to hire Raiders quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan as their new offensive coordinator, according to Raiders head coach Jon Gruden (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). New Bengals HC Zac Taylor played for Brian’s dad Bill Callahan at Nebraska, giving the two men a unique connection.
The younger Callahan was a hot name in NFL coaching circles last year, as he interviewed for the Titans’ offensive coordinator vacancy and the Jets’ quarterbacks coach position. He was also linked to a job with the Giants, but never officially met with the club. Despite that level of interest, the Lions allowed Callahan to seek employment elsewhere in 2018, leading him to the Raiders’ QB job. Now, he’s taking a big step up as he joins Taylor in Cincinnati.
Taylor is expected to call the Bengals’ plays, but Callahan should still have an active role in the offense. And, as evidenced by Taylor and others in the Sean McVay coaching tree, that type of OC job can still be a launching pad to something bigger and better.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links
In 2017, the Niners traded the No. 2 overall pick to the QB-needy Bears in exchange for the No. 3 pick and three more draft choices. Matt Barrows of The Athletic can imagine a similar scenario unfolding this year as the Niners, once again, hold the No. 2 overall pick.
The draft board seems a little uncertain right now, but quarterbacks tend to drift up from the bottom of the first round to the Top 10 as the big day draws near. This year, teams like the Giants (No. 6 overall pick), Jaguars (No. 7), Broncos (No. 10) and Dolphins (No. 13), and Redskins (No. 15) could all be candidates to move up the board to get their next signal caller.
Here’s more out of SF:
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he initially rebuffed the Broncos’ attempts to speak with Rich Scangarello because he wanted to ensure that Scangarello would in fact be moving up from quarterbacks coach to a play-calling offensive coordinator (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner). Once that was confirmed, Shanahan cleared the way for Scangarello to become Vic Fangio‘s top offensive coach.
Conversely, Shanahan says he declined requests for Mike LaFleur and Mike McDaniel to explore other opportunities because neither position they would have interviewed for would have been a promotion. In the case of both men, neither one would have been given play calling responsibilities. The Packers, Browns, and Vikings all expressed interest in LaFleur while the Packers and Cardinals reached out on McDaniel.
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links
The Dolphins have granted permission for offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains to speak with other teams and won’t stop him from leaving the organization, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With that roadblock out of the way, he is expected to become the Jets’ offensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase.
Loggains worked under Gase both in Chicago and Miami, so it’s no surprise to hear that he’ll be joining Gase in New York. Still, Gase is expected to be the offensive play-caller for the Jets.
Loggains, 38, also coordinated the offense for the Titans, but he’s never led an offense which ranked better than 19th in scoring. His 2016 Bears offense ranked 15th in yardage, but no other unit under his command has finished better than 22nd in that metric.
Still, the longtime assistant is well-respected around the league and the Dolphins even interviewed him for their head coaching vacancy this offseason. At one point, it seemed like the Dolphins might try to keep him as an assistant, but new Fins HC Brian Flores probably has a different lieutenant in mind.
The Giants may ask Manning to take a pay cut in order to stay on board for 2019. Manning is set to carry a $23.2MM salary next year and, speculatively, one has to imagine that the Giants would stick it out with the 38-year-old if he was willing to accept a bit of a trim. If Manning holds his ground, then it’s not hard to imagine Gettleman going in another direction.
The Giants went 5-11 in 2018, but they found some success in the second half of the year and went 4-4 over their final eight games. Defenses were kept honest with Saquon Barkley‘s running later in the season, which allowed Manning to thrive. The veteran QB wound up completing a career-high 66% of his passes last year for 4,299 yards and 21 touchdowns against eleven interceptions.
Eli Manning‘s future with the Giants remains uncertain, and Manning’s agent has yet to hear from the team about his status. While Tom Condon said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post) he believes Manning will be back with the Giants for his age-38 season, he has not spoken with team brass about this yet. Both parties are in Mobile, Ala., this week for the Senior Bowl, so a conversation could transpire regarding a Manning 16th season with New York. The Giants have also not expressed any public desire to ask for a Manning pay cut, per Schwartz. The two-time Super Bowl MVP has one more season, at a $23.2MM cap number, remaining on his Giants deal. When asked earlier this month about Manning’s future with the Giants, Dave Gettleman did not commit to the popular quarterback coming back. Manning has not previously played into a contract year.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
A series of leg surgeries have Alex Smith‘s career in doubt, but the Redskins quarterback made his first public appearance since the injury Monday at the Wizards-Pistons game (via NBC Sports Washington, on Twitter). The 34-year-old passer’s injured right leg was heavily supported by an apparatus, with the quarterback also using crutches at the game. Smith underwent nearly six operations because of his severe leg injuries and a subsequent infection.
Former Redskins secondary coach will Torrian Gray resurface at Florida, where he will become the Gators’ DBs coach, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Washington wants its new hire to become the passing-game coordinator, Keim adds (via Twitter). The Redskins also let linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti leave for the Packers, so Greg Manusky‘s new staff will look a bit different next season.
Jason Peters has one more season and a $10.66MM cap number left on his Eagles deal. The reigning Super Bowl champions are navigating the NFL’s worst cap situation, being one of two teams projected to be over the cap (at $14MM-plus over). Despite the team being able to save $8MM by releasing Peters, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia expects the Eagles’ longtime left tackle starter to be back for one more season. Noting seventh-round project Jordan Mailata being too raw to deploy in Peters’ place, Frank sees the Eagles cutting costs elsewhere and bringing back Peters for his age-37 season. While Andrew Whitworth turned 37 last month, no other NFL tackle has played past his 37th birthday since Ray Brown — a full-time guard starter until age 42, when he shifted to tackle, who retired at 43 with the 2005 Redskins.
Luke Getsy‘s stay as Mississippi State’s offensive coordinator will be limited to one year. The former Packers wide receivers coach will return to Green Bay as quarterbacks coach, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
The Packers interviewed Getsy last week, and the former Mike McCarthy assistant will be back under a new regime. He stands to become the third key new voice in the quarterbacks room, following Matt LaFleur and new OC Nathaniel Hackett to Wisconsin. All of these coaches have yet to turn 40, with Getsy, 34, being younger than Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers voiced concern about the Packers letting previous quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt go last year. In Getsy, the Packers will be bringing back a familiar voice. Prior to moving to Starkville, Miss., Getsy spent four seasons in Green Bay — the first two (2014-15) as an offensive quality control coach before rising to leading the wideouts the following two seasons.
This represents the latest step in a notable rise for the former Akron quarterback, who enjoyed a brief NFL stay as a 2007 49ers UDFA signing. Mississippi State went 8-5 this season and boasted the No. 68-ranked scoring offense in Division I-FBS (28.5 points per game).
A year after leaving Iowa State to join Frank Reich‘s Colts staff, Tom Manning is heading back to the college ranks. Indianapolis’ tight ends coach will depart and rejoin Matt Campbell‘s Cyclones staff, according to Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. Manning was Iowa State’s offensive coordinator from 2016-17 and will once again serve in that role, Keefer notes, adding the Colts hoped he would stay. The Cyclones did not have an OC this past season. One of Manning’s charges had one of the most surprising showings of 2018, with Eric Ebron‘s 13 touchdown receptions breaking Dallas Clark‘s Colts record for tight ends. Ebron’s 14 total touchdowns were the third-most in a season in NFL history. The Colts are looking to replace offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo and assistant O-line coach Bobby Johnson. The tight ends job joins the vacancy list.
Here is the latest from the AFC:
Morgan Burnett seeks a Steelers release, in hopes of landing with a team that will use him as a pure safety. The Steelers often deployed Burnett as a dime linebacker, but younger safeties Terrell Edmunds and Sean Davis saw far more playing time. Pittsburgh coaches knew Burnett did not like his role, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes, adding the longtime Packers starter was moved off full-time safety duties because of recurring injuries. Burnett played in only 11 games this season. Despite signing for three years and more than $14MM, Burnett will not be getting his safety job back over Davis or Edmunds, per Dulac.
DeMarcus Ware served as a pass-rushing consultant for the Broncos this season, but the future Hall of Famer’s role with the Vic Fangio-led staff is not certain. Fangio will spend time coaching Denver’s outside linebackers and hired Brandon Staley to oversee that position, leaving Ware with potentially less to do. However, the former Broncos starter wants to return and would like to do more if asked to come back, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic writes (subscription required). A key Ware 2018 task was mentoring Bradley Chubb, who promptly broke Von Miller‘s record for sacks by a Broncos rookie with 12. Regardless of Ware’s Broncos employment, Jhabvala notes he plans on working with some of Denver’s players in the offseason.
While the Patriots are likely going to have to pay a premium to retain Trey Flowers, another key contributor has enhanced his profile during the latest New England Super Bowl run. Trent Brown will be a top-tier free agent, per ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert, who rates the Patriots left tackle as the No. 7 UFA-to-be in the 2019 class (ESPN+ link). With most of the players listed above Brown unlikely to hit the market, the massive blocker may be in line for a top-level contract. Seifert lists Flowers as the No. 9 free agent.
With the NFL now in the two-week waiting period until its final meaningful game, 30 of the 32 teams are going through offseason motions. And some of those teams are still deciding on coordinators.
Unless another Patriots assistant reneges on an agreement post-Super Bowl, or Zac Taylor makes an 11th-hour decision to remain in Los Angeles rather than taking over in Cincinnati, the eight NFL teams in need of head coaches made their choices.
So, which franchise best positioned itself for long-term success?
The trend being offensive innovation to keep up with some of the ahead-of-the-curve offenses, six of the eight teams hired offensively oriented coaches.
By a substantial margin, the Cardinals won the outside-the-box trophy. After washing out as an NFL quarterback in the mid-2000s, Kliff Kingsbury spent more than a decade as a college coach. The 39-year-old groomed some sought-after NFL talent in Patrick Mahomes, Case Keenum and Davis Webb, while also bringing Baker Mayfield to Texas Tech for a short stay. But he finished his stay in Lubbock, Texas, with a sub-.500 record. The Cards addedVance Josephand Tom Clements to be his top assistants. Because of their unconventional hire, the Cardinals will be one of the most interesting teams in 2019.
Bruce Arians‘ CBS stay lasting one year will bring one of the more interesting coaches in modern NFL history back to the sideline. Tampa Bay’s new coach is the oldest ever hired, at 66 years old. Arians will be tethered toJameis Winston, and it does not sound like he has issues with that. Arians hired several former Cardinals assistants to help him attempt to snap the NFC’s longest active playoff drought. Arians led the Cardinals to their best season, record-wise (13-3 in 2015), since the franchise has been in Arizona but is also barely a year removed from retiring.
The Packers and Browns opted for OCs, the former seeing a major difference inMatt LaFleur‘s vision than those of the other coaches that interviewed. Cleveland made the biggest continuity move of this year’s HC-seeking octet,promoting Freddie Kitchens over candidates with more experience.
LaFleur’s Titans offense regressed from Mike Mularkey‘s final unit, with Tennessee ranking 27th in points scored last season. But the 39-year-old coach, who will be working with ex-Jaguars assistant Nathaniel Hackett in overseeing the back end of Aaron Rodgers‘ prime, trained under Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. Kitchens rose from position coach to head coach in less than three months, but Mayfield’s performance in the second half of the season was obviously different from his play under Hue Jackson and Todd Haley.
Taylor and Adam Gase round out the offensively geared hires, the former being perhaps the highest-variance candidate among the non-Kingsbury wing.
Although Taylor was the Dolphins’ interim OC in 2015 and McVay’s quarterbacks coach this season, he spent 2016 running a Cincinnati Bearcats offense that ranked 123rd (out of 128 Division I-FBS teams) with 19.3 points per game for a 4-8 team and was the Rams’ assistant wideouts coach as recently as 2017. Gase led the Dolphins to the playoffs in 2016, but Ryan Tannehill‘s issues staying healthy and living up to his draft slot limited the former Broncos and Bears OC. The Jets saw enough to add the formerly in-demand assistant, who may be ready to bring longtime coworker Dowell Loggainswith him to the Big Apple.
Denver and Miami went with defense, with the Broncos having no competition for 2018’s assistant coach of the year and, arguably, this decade’s top DC.
The Dolphins cancelled their Vic Fangio summit, and he will be in charge of elevating a Broncos team that finished with back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the early 1970s. John Elway‘s plan to reinstall Gary Kubiak as OCalso hit a snag, with the longtime friends’ disagreement on staffing leading to the Broncos hiring 49ers QBs coach Rich Scangarello. The Dolphins will become the fifth franchise to hire a Bill Belichick-era Patriotsdefensive coordinator (or de facto DC, in Brian Flores‘ case), following the Browns (Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini), Jets (Mangini), Chiefs (Crennel) and Lions (Matt Patricia). Flores helped the Patriots to yet another top-10 ranking in points allowed — their 15th in the past 18 seasons — and another Super Bowl berth.
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