HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Packers, Lions To Interview Todd Monken

January 11th, 2019 at 2:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Both the Packers and Lions intend to interview former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken in the coming days, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Monken is also scheduled to meet with the Browns this weekend.

Monken generated head coaching interest in the past few weeks, and even interviewed for the Green Bay position before Matt LaFleur was hired. Monken’s meeting with the Packers was said to have gone especially well, so it’s perhaps no surprise that they’ve asked him back. While he presumably wouldn’t call plays in Green Bay, Monken would have the opportunity work with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

In Detroit, meanwhile, Monken would have the opportunity to call offensive plays. Head coach Matt Patricia comes from a defensive background, and the Lions are searching for a new OC after firing Jim Bob Cooter earlier this week. Monken, who runs an Air Raid scheme, would offer a stark contrast to Cooter’s run-oriented offense.

Monken, a former collegiate head coach at Southern Miss, joined Tampa Bay in 2016 but wasn’t named OC until last season. The Buccaneers proceeded to rank third in total yardage, third in yards per play, and 12th in points and DVOA despite flip-flopping between Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.

Jets Working To Hire Gregg Williams As DC

January 11th, 2019 at 2:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are negotiating to hire Gregg Williams as their defensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Williams has interest from other clubs, and if the deal with New York doesn’t get done, he could take an interview with the Redskins, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. 

Williams, 60, took over as the Browns’ interim head coach following the firing of Hue Jackson, and subsequently lead the club to a 5-3 finish. A former head coach with the Bills and a defensive play-caller for a number of NFL clubs, Williams handled a Cleveland defense that ranked near the the bottom of the league in scoring and yardage, but still finished 12th in DVOA, meaning the team was efficient overall.

Other candidates for the Jets’ DC gig have been mentioned, but Williams appears to be the heavy favorite. Former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph was potentially in the running, but he’s the new defensive play-caller for the Cardinals. Former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was also identified as a possible candidate.

Browns To Interview Steve Wilks, Interested In Steve Spagnuolo

January 11th, 2019 at 1:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns are interviewing former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks for their open defensive coordinator position on Friday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Cleveland also has interest in former Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo and could meet with him in the near future, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Cleveland is searching for a new defensive play-caller after new head coach Freddie Kitchens dismissed Gregg Williams earlier this week. Given that he’s handling the offense, Kitchens would likely give his new DC great autonomy. As a former head coach, Wilks would be ready for that responsibility, and despite his lack of success in the desert, his 2017 Panthers defense played extremely well, ranking seventh in DVOA.

Wilks is unlikely to reunite with Carolina, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. There’d been some thought that Wilks would head back to the Panthers after his sole season with Arizona, but that won’t be happening. Carolina is retaining DC Eric Washington, while head coach Ron Rivera will call the team’s defensive plays.

Spagnuolo, meanwhile, didn’t coach in 2018, but is highly respected around the NFL for his work as the Giants’ DC. The 59-year-old also comes with head coaching experience, as he led the Rams from 2009-11.

Cardinals To Hire Vance Joseph As DC

January 11th, 2019 at 1:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vance Joseph will join the Cardinals as their new defensive coordinator, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The Cardinals have since announced the addition of Joseph, also noting Ohio State linebackers coach Bill Davis will take the same job in Arizona.

Joseph wasn’t successful during his run in Denver (11-21 record), but he was viewed as a desirable defensive coordinator during his time with the Dolphins in 2016. He’s generated plenty of DC interest thus far in 2019: Joseph had been set to interview for the Browns’ DC position today, and was reportedly in contention for the same role under Adam Gase in New York. He also met with the Bengals regarding their head coaching job, but Cincinnati has since gone with Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor.

Arizona and first-time NFL head coach Kliff Kingsbury had been searching for a veteran defensive coordinator, and they’ll get that in Joseph. Other reported candidates for the job included former Packers DC Dom Capers and ex-Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, but it doesn’t appear either ever actually interviewed for the job.

The Cardinals had indicated they’d look for a coach who would run a 3-4 defense, but that hasn’t been Joseph’s specialty. While he kept the Broncos’ 3-4 in place when he was hired as Denver’s head coach, Joseph used a 4-3 look as the Dolphins’ DC in 2016.

Dolphins Interviewing Dowell Loggains For HC

January 11th, 2019 at 1:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins are interviewing incumbent offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains for head coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Loggains has long been an Adam Gase disciple, so when Gase was fired last week, it was assumed Loggains would move on, as well. Indeed, he wasn’t part of the club’s initial search — another internal candidate, special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, was known to be in the running, but there hadn’t been any hint Loggains was involved in the head coach process.

If he doesn’t land the Miami job, Loggains is expected to have other options. Gase, who has since been hired as the Jets’ new head coach, is expected to bring Loggains to New York if the latter doesn’t take over for the Dolphins. Loggains would be hired in a senior offensive role (likely offensive coordinator), although he wouldn’t be calling plays.

Loggains, 38, has coordinated offense for the Titans, Bears, and Dolphins, but he’s never experienced much success. While there have been questions about the talent at Loggains’ disposal, 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.

Here’s how the rest of Miami’s search has progressed thus far:

Cardinals Closing In On Steve Sarkisian For OC

January 11th, 2019 at 1:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals are nearing a deal to make Steve Sarkisian their new offensive coordinator, according to Chris Moretensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

New Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury was hired — in large part — due to his offensive acumen, and he’ll be calling plays in 2019. Therefore, Sarkisian is likely to serve in a more administrative role that will probably include game planning and offensive install.

Sarkisian wasn’t the only candidate Kingsbury and the Cardinals had in mind for offensive coordinator. Initial reports suggested Texas State head coach Jake Spavital could be in line for the position, while the 49ers denied Arizona’s request to interview run game coordinator Mike McDaniel. Former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo will also interview for an offensive job with the Cardinals, and could still presumably be hired down the line.

Sarkisian, a former collegiate head coach at both Washington and USC, was fired by the Falcons last month along with defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong. Offense was hardly the problem in Atlanta, as Sarkisian’s unit ranked top-10 in scoring, yards, and DVOA.

Now that he’s in Arizona, Sarkisian will be tasked with helping the development of second-year quarterback Josh Rosen. He’ll also work with an offense that includes assets such as David Johnson, Christian Kirk, and — if he’s re-signed — veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald.

Nathaniel Hackett Meeting With Packers

January 11th, 2019 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

Former Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is in Green Bay interviewing for a top offensive job on the Packers‘ staff, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He previously interviewed with the Lions for their OC job, Rapoport adds.

It’s not immediately clear whether Hackett is up for Green Bay’s OC job, but he’s presumably in the mix to be Matt LaFleur‘s top offensive lieutenant. The Lions job is still open, meanwhile, so Hackett could land on his feet after his November dismissal from Jacksonville.

Hackett joined the Jaguars as their quarterbacks coach in 2015 and took over as offensive coordinator midway through the 2016 season. The Jaguars finished sixth in total offense and first in rushing offense last year, but they were unable to reprise that performance in 2018 under Hackett.

Ravens To Promote Greg Roman To OC

January 11th, 2019 at 8:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens will promote assistant head coach/tight ends coach Greg Roman to the role of offensive coordinator, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets. Coach John Harbaugh confirmed the change to Zrebiec, which will be the first of many on the offensive staff. 

Roman’s promotion takes Marty Mornhinweg out of his role as OC, but Mornhinweg has been asked to stay on board in a different capacity, Zrebiec tweets. More shuffling could take place in the coming days as running backs coach Thomas Hammock is said to be a top candidate for the head coaching job at Northern Illinois.

In 2018, the Ravens’ offensive staff had to reinvent everything on the fly as Lamar Jackson took over for Joe Flacco. Roman played a sizable role in getting the team to adjust and the Ravens believe he is the man to guide them into Jackson’s first full season as a starter.

Roman, who turns 47 this summer, served as the 49ers’ OC from 2011-2014 and the Bill’ OC from 2015-2016. He hooked on with the Ravens in 2017 and nabbed an AHC title before the 2018 season.

The staff’s reorganization and Harbaugh’s role in the shuffling may be a sign that he is staying put. There have been tons of trade rumors surrounding the coach, but the two sides have been discussing an extension over the last week.

Bears Interview Ed Donatell For DC, Have Interest In Chuck Pagano

January 10th, 2019 at 9:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears on Thursday interviewed defensive backs coach Ed Donatell for their vacant defensive coordinator position, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago also has interest in former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano.

After losing ex-DC Vic Fangio — who became the Broncos’ head coach — earlier this week, the Bears attempted to land former Jets head coach Todd Bowles as their new defensive play-caller, but he ultimately followed Bruce Arians to Tampa Bay. Fangio led a defensive unit which ranked first in nearly every defensive metric, and is so well-stocked with talent that, as Biggs notes, general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy shouldn’t have trouble generating interest in the open position.

Donatell has been a Fangio disciple since 2011, following the longtime DC to both San Francisco and Chicago as a defensive backs coach. He’s also served as a defensive coordinator for the Packers (2000-03), Falcons (2004-06), and Redskins (2008). Per Biggs, Donatell’s contract with the Bears has run out, and if he’s not promoted to DC in Chicago, he’s likely to leave to join Fangio in Denver. Donatell has already had two stints as the Broncos’ defensive backs coach.

Pagano, 58, didn’t coach last season after being fired by Indianapolis, but he’s generated plenty of interest during the 2019 hiring cycle. He interviewed for both the Packers and Broncos head coaching positions, and has since been mentioned as a DC candidate for the Jets, Browns, and Cardinals. Just today, Pagano interviewed for a defensive backs coach position with the Panthers.

Jets May Shop DT Leonard Williams?

January 10th, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets may place defensive tackle Leonard Williams on the trade block in the coming months with the hope of receiving at least a second-round pick, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com.

If Gang Green does shop Williams, it appears the club’s motives would be mostly financial in nature. As a former first-round pick, Williams is under contract in 2019 via a $14.2MM fifth-year option. That figure alone would rank Williams ninth among all NFL interior defensive lineman, and he’d only get more expensive in the following years.

New York could potentially reach a long-term extension with Williams at some point in the next year-plus, but a franchise tag could also be in the cards. If he’s franchised in 2020, Williams would collect 120% of his 2019 salary, meaning he’d earn roughly $32MM over the next two seasons combined. A $16MM average annual value would rank sixth among defensive tackles on a league-wide basis.

Thus far, the Jets haven’t had any extension negotiations with Williams, although those talks are expected to occur in 2019. Williams, who has acknowledged New York’s head coaching change will affect his decisions going forward, doesn’t sound interested in giving the Jets any sort of hometown discount. “It’s one of my goals to be one of the best players, one of the best defensive linemen,” Williams said in June. “When that comes, then I think the money comes with it.”

Williams is still only 24 years old, and has never missed a game during his NFL career. In 2018, Williams managed five sacks and tied for 18th among defensive lineman with 20 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as the 31st-best interior defender among 121 qualifiers.

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