HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Cardinals, Jaguars Interview John DeFilippo

January 14th, 2019 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars interviewed former Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo for their OC position, according to Mike Kaye of NJ.com (on Twitter). DeFilippo also met with the Cardinals regarding their OC vacancy, per 98.7 FM’s John Gambadoro. 

DeFilippo was a hot name in coaching circles after helping to guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory last year, but things fell apart for him in Minnesota. As the offense sputtered, the Vikings canned DeFilippo in December, bringing his tenure to a close after less than one season.

Apparently, the brief run in Minnesota has not damaged DeFilippo’s reputation around the league. He didn’t click with Kirk Cousins, but he did get great performances out of Carson Wentz and late season fill-in Nick Foles in 2017. Both the Cardinals and Jaguars could use a quarterback whisperer, and that was likely the basis for DeFilippo’s pitch in both interviews.

In his 13 games as the Vikings’ OC, the club went just 6-6-1. Before his dismissal, the Vikings went five straight games without topping 24 points.

Jaguars To Interview Gary Kubiak

January 14th, 2019 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Gary Kubiak will not be joining the Broncos, but he’s still after offensive coordinator positions. With that in mind, he’ll interview with the Jaguars on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Kubiak is still technically under contract as the Broncos’ senior personnel advisor, but GM John Elway appears wiling to let Kubiak out of his contract for a coaching job, Rapoport hears. This is a slight departure from Elway’s position a few weeks ago, when he was warding off interested suitors such as the the Bengals and Falcons. At the time, Kubiak was in line for Denver’s OC gig, but the two men had some disagreements when it came time for Kubiak to formally sign up as a lieutenant to new head coach Vic Fangio.

As a head coach, Kubiak has a career 82-75 mark, including a 21-11 record across his two seasons with the Broncos. In his first year as the Broncos’ HC, Denver won Super Bowl 50 with a memorable win over the Panthers.

Browns Hire Todd Monken, Steve Wilks

January 14th, 2019 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns’ coaching staff is officially set. On Monday, the Browns officially announced the hiring of Todd Monken as the new offensive coordinator and Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator. In addition to those hires, the club appointed Mike Priefer as special teams coordinator, Stump Mitchell as the running backs coach/run game coordinator, James Campen as offensive line coach/associate head coach, and Ryan Lindley as quarterbacks coach.

Monken has a reputation for savvy play calling, even though Buccaneers’ offense was inconsistent in 2018. The Bucs didn’t consider him as a potential replacement for head coach Dirk Koetter, but other clubs were eager to talk with him. The Bengals, Packers, and Jets all interviewed him for their head coaching vacancies and several clubs showed keen interest in bringing him on as their new OC. Ultimately, Monken chose the Browns, who offer tremendous potential and a potential star quarterback in Baker Mayfield.

Wilks was one-and-done as the Cardinals’ head coach after the team limped to a 3-13 record. His defense did not perform up to par in Arizona, but he built a reputation for himself as a smart defensive mind in Carolina. In his six seasons with the Panthers (five as defensive backs coach, one as DC), the club finished with a top 10 defense five times.

Cowboys To Keep OC Scott Linehan

January 14th, 2019 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will return for the 2019 season, according to head coach Jason Garrett (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas News). Furthermore, Garrett said he doesn’t expect any significant changes to the coaching staff. 

The Cowboys gave serious though to firing Linehan after the 2017 season and mulled a change during the team’s bye week in October. Ultimately, they stuck with him, and the Cowboys’ playoff run in January may have saved his job. The Cowboys won their divisional round game against the Seahawks before being forced out on Saturday by the Rams.

When Linehan refused to meet with reporters after the loss to L.A., many assumed he was done with the Cowboys. However, that’s not the case. Garrett is opting for consistency over change, perhaps with a belief that the return of Travis Frederick will restore order to the offense.

The Cowboys averaged 343.8 yards per game in 2018, good for just 22nd in the NFL. They also finished tenth in rushing yards, which probably fell below expectations given the presence of Ezekiel Elliott and the team’s reputation for having one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Eagles, Brooks, Kelce, Gates, Chargers

January 13th, 2019 at 9:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Dolphins are entering a complete rebuild in 2019, with a new head coach, new front office head, and likely a new quarterback. New GM Chris Grier is continuing to make moves, as he’s bringing in Bills national scout Marvin Allen to be his new assistant GM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s the latest in a series of coaching and front office swaps teams have made in the AFC East, with Adam Gase going from the Dolphins to the Jets, Brian Flores going from the Patriots to the Dolphins etc.

Schefter writes that Grier and Allen “have a strong relationship.” The Dolphins have perhaps the most unclear path forward of any team in the NFL with a ton of uncertainty, so Grier and Allen will have their work cut out for them. Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald chimed in with a tweet to say that Allen was “widely respected” and a “very good evaluator.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • We heard earlier today that Eagles right guard Brandon Brooks suffered a “serious” lower leg injury in the team’s loss to the Saints, and now we have some clarity. Brooks, who was recently named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, tore his Achilles during the game, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). He wasn’t the only significant player to tear his Achilles during the game, as Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins suffered the same injury. Brooks still has a couple years left back on the huge deal he signed in 2016, but he could miss a significant portion of the 2019 season with this injury. Pro Football Focus gave Brooks the ninth highest grade of any guard in the league, so it’s a massive blow to Philly’s offensive line.
  • Speaking of the Eagles, Brooks isn’t the only member of the offensive line they might be losing for 2019. All-Pro center Jason Kelce hasn’t decided whether or not he is going to play next year, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Kelce told reporters he has considered retiring each of the past couple seasons, so it sounds like a real possibility that he calls it quits this offseason. The 2011 sixth round pick turned 31 in November. If he does indeed retire, the Eagles’ offensive line would be a lot worse off next year.
  • Speaking of retirement, Antonio Gates isn’t ready to hang them up quite yet. Gates told reporters after the Chargers’ loss to the Patriots that he wanted to keep playing if the Chargers would take him back, per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com. The all time leader in touchdown catches for tight ends was only brought back after Hunter Henry tore his ACL last May, so it’s unclear if the Chargers actually have any interest in retaining him for another year. The 38-year-old caught 28 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns this season. If he did play his final game today, he got a garbage time touchdown from Philip Rivers as a nice sendoff.

Colts Sign Nine To Reserve/Futures Contracts, Including CB Jalen Collins

January 13th, 2019 at 8:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After being eliminated from the playoffs, the Colts have made a handful of moves with an eye toward 2019. They signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts today, the team announced on Twitter. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining the team’s offseason 90-man roster:

The most notable name of the bunch is cornerback Jalen Collins. Collins was a highly regarded 2015 second round pick of the Falcons, but his career flamed out due to a series of off-field issues that led to four suspensions. He was released by the Falcons in late 2017, and signed to the Colts’ practice squad this past November. If he can get everything sorted out, it could prove to be a great pickup for Indianapolis. Walker is the former Temple quarterback who has been on Indy’s practice squad the past couple of seasons.

Browns To Hire Steve Wilks As DC, Todd Monken As OC

January 13th, 2019 at 7:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Steve Wilks wasn’t out of work long. The recently fired Cardinals head coach will be joining the Browns as Cleveland’s new defensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Just moments later, Rapoport reported in a separate tweet that Todd Monken would be joining the Browns as their offensive coordinator.

While Rapoport the deal for Wilks isn’t quite done yet, he writes that the two sides are “close on a deal and it should be done tomorrow.” Things came together quite quickly for Freddie Kitchens’ staff, and the coaching staff now has a lot of star power. Wilks was fired by the Cardinals after just one season after the team limped to a 3-13 record.

Monken received a lot of praise for his work as the Buccaneers’ play caller this season, but wasn’t retained after head coach Dirk Koetter was let go. Monken used a creative, downfield oriented passing offense with Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick, and his offensive philosophy would seem to mesh well with Kitchens’.

Monken received some head coaching buzz and interviews this cycle, but obviously didn’t land a gig. The Lions and Packers were reportedly interested in talking to him about their offensive coordinator vacancies, but Monken clearly was intrigued by the prospect of working with Baker Mayfield. He also interviewed with the Jaguars a few days ago.

We heard a couple days ago that the Browns were working to bring in Wilks, so this isn’t a surprise. Wilks’ lone season as a head coach clearly didn’t work out, but he was highly regarded as a coordinator with the Panthers before that.

Coaching Rumors: Contracts, CBA, Broncos, Bears, Rob Ryan, Browns, Packers

January 13th, 2019 at 6:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve been hearing for the past few months that both the NFL and NFLPA think there are increasingly high odds of a lockout during the next round of CBA negotiations, and we got even more confirmation of that today. The NFL is gearing up for a fight, and with coaches who signed contracts this year, “teams are addressing how much each coach would make — or lose — in the event of a work stoppage” sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Sources told Schefter that “both teams and coaches are confident that there will be some type of disruption, and one of the first signs of it is showing up in the language of coaches’ contracts.” The league is widely seen to have won the last round of negotiations over players, and the players’ union will be looking for a lot more from the league in the next round. Owners might not be willing to budge, and it sounds like a lengthy lockout is a very real possibility in 2021.

Here’s more from the coaching ranks:

  • The Broncos are reportedly targeting Bears defensive backs coach Ed Donatell to join Vic Fangio’s staff, and Donatell might not be the only assistant Chicago loses to Denver. The Broncos are “bringing in Bears OLB coach Brandon Staley” for an interview Monday, according to Mike Klis of 9News Denver (Twitter link). It sounds like Fangio is interested in bringing over as many of his assistants from Chicago as possible.
  • With Chuck Pagano now in charge of the Bears’ defense, the team wasn’t planning on bringing back Staley anyway, according to Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune. A source told Briggs that Rob Ryan, the former Saints defensive coordinator and brother of Rex Ryan, could be brought in to replace Staley. Ryan is a big personality and it would certainly be an entertaining hire if nothing else.
  • Freddie Kitchens has added another member to his inaugural Browns staff. Cleveland is hiring Packers offensive line coach James Campen as their associate head coach and offensive line coach, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (Twitter link). Campen was the longest tenured coach on the Packers’ staff, and had been there even before Mike McCarthy took over as head coach.

Eagles RG Brandon Brooks Likely Done For The Year

January 13th, 2019 at 5:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Players have been dropping like flies in the divisional round game between the Saints and Eagles happening right now, and another one appears to have a season ending injury.

Eagles right guard Brandon Brooks has a “serious lower leg injury”, and it’s “unlikely he plays again this season”, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s a big blow to the Eagles’ offense as Brooks had been having a great season. The Miami of Ohio product was recently named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, and started all 16 games for Philadelphia this season.

It means the Eagles will be significantly shorthanded as they attempt to deal with this tough New Orleans defensive front in the second half. Brooks signed a massive five-year deal with the Eagles back in 2016, and amended his contract last spring so that Nick Foles could get more money. Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins already tore his Achilles earlier in the game, and the serious injuries have been piling up. It’s unclear what exactly Brooks is dealing with, but the initial terms Rapoport is using suggest it isn’t anything too longterm.

2019 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker

January 13th, 2019 at 5:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While eight NFL teams are making a head coaching change this offseason, the number of clubs replacing offensive and/or defensive coordinators figures to be much higher than that. In addition to all those teams hiring new head coaches, who may want to bring in their own assistants, several clubs also figure to make changes on one side of the ball or the other after getting disappointing results in 2018. And, of course, the teams whose coordinators landed head coaching jobs will need to replace them.

With reports circulating on potential candidates, interview requests, and actual meetings, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the latest updates on teams hiring new offensive and/or defensive coordinators. This post, which will be updated daily, can be found under the “PFR Features” menu on the right-hand side of the site.

[Updated: 2/21/19, 4:58pm CT]

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Steve Sarkisian)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Marty Mornhinweg)

  • Greg Roman, assistant head coach/tight ends (Ravens): Promoted

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Bill Lazor)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Freddie Kitchens)

  • Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Hired
    • Head coach Freddie Kitchens will call plays.
  • Jim Bob Cooter, former offensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Scott Linehan)

Denver Broncos (Out: Bill Musgrave)

  • Rich Scangarello, quarterbacks coach (49ers): Hired
  • Gary Kubiak, former head coach (Broncos): Will not be hired

Detroit Lions (Out: Jim Bob Cooter)

  • Darrell Bevell, former offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Hired
  • Nathaniel Hackett, former offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Steve Sarkisian, former offensive coordinator (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate

Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Philbin)

  • Nathaniel Hackett, former offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
    • Head coach Matt LaFleur will call plays.
  • Mike McDaniel, run game coordinator (49ers): Mentioned as candidate
  • Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed

Houston Texans 

  • Tim Kelly, tight ends coach (Texans): Promoted

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Scott Milanovich)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Dowell Loggains)

  • Chad O’Shea, wide receivers coach (Patriots): Hired

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets (Out: Jeremy Bates)

  • Dowell Loggains, former offensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
    • Head coach Adam Gase will call plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Todd Monken)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Matt LaFleur)

  • Arthur Smith, tight ends coach (Titans): Promoted

Washington Redskins (Out: Matt Cavanaugh)

  • Kevin O’Connell, quarterbacks coach (Redskins): Promoted
    • Cavanaugh re-assigned as senior offensive assistant.

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Al Holcomb)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Marquand Manuel)

Chicago Bears (Out: Vic Fangio)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Marvin Lewis)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Gregg Williams)

Denver Broncos (Out: Joe Woods)

  • Ed Donatell, secondary coach (Bears): Hired

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Bob Sutton)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Matt Burke)

  • Patrick Graham, linebacker coach/run game coordinator (Packers): Hired
  • Bret Bielema, consultant to the head coach (Patriots): Mentioned as candidate

New England Patriots (Out: Brian Flores)

  • Greg Schiano, former defensive coordinator (Ohio State): To be hired

New York Jets (Out: Kacy Rodgers)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Mark Duffner)

  • Todd Bowles, former head coach (Jets): Hired
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