2019 January - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching Rumors: Panthers, Packers, Giants

January 10th, 2019 at 9:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Eric Washington will return as the Panthers‘ defensive coordinator in 2019, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer. Head coach Ron Rivera took over defensive play-calling late last season and will continue with those responsibilities next year, but Washington will be back as DC. Carolina is interviewing former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and former Jaguars defensive backs coach Perry Fewell, but neither of those potential hire would affect Washington’s standing on the Panthers’ staff.

Here’s more from the 2019 hiring cycle:

The Cardinals will retain special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, tweets Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com. Kliff Kingsbury convinced Rodgers to stay even though he was fielding offers from other clubs, per Darlington. Meanwhile, the Cardinals received permission to interview Packers wide receivers coach David Raih for the same position, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Green Bay wasn’t planning to retain Raih, who coached alongside Kingsbury at Texas A&M in 2013.
Former Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers was thought to be following Todd Bowles to the Buccaneers, and while that union may still occur, Rodgers today interviewed for a senior defensive position with the Giants, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. If Rodgers does end up in Tampa Bay, he’ll be the club’s new defensive line coach, but it’s unclear what exactly his role would be with New York. Per RapSheet, the Giants would actually create a new position for Rodgers if he were to come on board.
Rodgers’ status with the Buccaneers is still up in the air, but Tampa Bay and new head coach Bruce Arians are well on their way to formulating a staff. In addition to a few hires which were reported yesterday, the Bucs will hire former NFL offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen as quarterbacks coach, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Additionally, former Cardinals defensive backs coaches Kevin Ross and Nick Rapone will join Arians in Tampa Bay. Wide receivers coach Kevin Garver is also making the Arizona-to-Tampa trek, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
The Falcons have made of number of small changes to their coaching staff, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Dave Brock will move from running backs coach to assistant wide receivers coach, while Bernie Parmalee will switch from running backs coach to assistant special teams coach.

Packers Notes: McDaniel, Hackett, Zook

January 10th, 2019 at 8:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have inquired on 49ers run game coordinator Mike McDaniel in their search for a new offensive coordinator, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. However, San Francisco already denied permission for the Cardinals to interview McDaniel for their OC job, and it’s likely the Niners will do the same if Green Bay officially comes calling. McDaniel, who is extremely familiar with the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay offense, served as an offensive assistant for the Falcons from 2015-16 while new Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Atlanta’s quarterbacks coach.

Here’s more from Green Bay:

While McDaniel may not be an option for the Packers, he’s not the only option LaFleur are considering. Former Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is also on Green Bay’s radar, per Tim Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The Packers could have competition within the NFC North, as Hackett is reportedly also in the mix for the Lions’ open offensive coordinator position. Hackett called plays in Jacksonville for parts of three seasons before being fired in November.
The Packers will not retain special teams coordinator Ron Zook, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Zook, a former collegiate head coach at both Florida and Illinois, joined Green Bay in 2014 and took over as the club’s ST coach the following year. 2018 wasn’t a banner year for the Packers’ special teams crew, as the unit ranked 28th in Football Outsiders‘ special teams ratings, including dead last on punt returns. Bengals assistant special teams coach Brayden Coombs could potentially be a candidate to replace Zook, a source tells Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
The Vikings have “vetted” Packers offensive line coach James Campen for the same position, according to Silverstein (Twitter link). Campen finished his playing career in Green Bay and has been a coach there since 2004. At this point, it’s unclear if LaFleur wants to retain Campen, but he’s expected to have offers if he’s not kept on the Packers’ staff. Minnesota also received permission to interview former Packers interim head coach Joe Philbin for their offensive line gig.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/19

January 10th, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Arizona Cardinals

WR Bryant Mitchell

Atlanta Falcons

DT Michael Bennett

Chargers Sign K Nick Rose

January 10th, 2019 at 7:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers are signing kicker Nick Rose ahead of their upcoming Divisional Round matchup against the Patriots, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Rose will handle kickoffs while incumbent kicker Michael Badgley will continue to manage field goals and extra points.

Badgley has been immensely successful on field goals, as he ranks fifth in the NFL with a 93.8% conversion rate. Additionally, he’s only missed a single extra point on 28 attempts. However, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com notes, Badgley has turned only nine of his 54 kickoffs into touchbacks, which translates to an NFL-worst 16.7% touchback rate.

Badgley’s problem on kickoffs could lead to issues against the Patriots, who deploy former All-Pro special teamer Cordarrelle Patterson on kick returns. This season, Patterson averaged 28.8 yards per kick return (tied for fifth in the league), while New England as a whole ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ kick return metric.

Rose, 24, split time between the Chargers and Redskins in 2017, appearing in 10 total games. During that time, he made 11-of-14 field goal attempts while converting 23-of-26 extra points. Most recently, Rose signed on to play for the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football, which debuts in the spring.

Jaguars Will “Move Forward” With RB Leonard Fournette

January 10th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jaguars intend to “move forward” with running back Leonard Fournette after he met with executive Tom Coughlin and the rest of Jacksonville’s decision-makers in order to “clear the air,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

To say Fournette had a tumultuous end to 2018 would be an understatement. First, he was suspended one game by the NFL after taking a swing at Bills defender Shaq Lawson. Next, Coughlin ripped Fournette and fellow running back T.J. Yeldon — calling them “selfish” and “disrespectful” — after they sat on the bench instead of on the sidelines during Week 17. Finally, the Jaguars used Fournette’s ban as reason to void the remaining guarantees on his rookie deal.

As a former No. 4 overall pick, the entirety of Fournette’s contract had been guaranteed. It’s still not evident if the Jaguars would have gotten away with voiding Fournette’s guarantees without facing a grievance from the NFLPA, but that no longer appears to be an issue if Jacksonville plans on retaining the 23-year-old back.

Fournette topped 1,000 rushing yards (but still failed to manage four yards per carry) during his rookie campaign in 2017, but he was hampered by injuries last season. In total, he appeared in only eight games, rushing for 439 yards and five touchdowns. On an efficiency basis, Fournette ranked just 32nd among running backs in Football Outisders‘ DVOA and 26th in success rate.

Cardinals, Browns Interested In Chuck Pagano

January 10th, 2019 at 6:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Both the Cardinals and Browns are interested in hiring former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano as defensive coordinator, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Pagano may indeed be the favorite for the Arizona job, per Somers.

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 candidate to take over as the Jets’ defensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase. Just today, Pagano interviewed for a defensive backs coach position with the Panthers.

The Cardinals are looking for a veteran defensive coordinator to pair with rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and Pagano — who’s been coaching the NFL for nearly two decades — would certainly fit that bill. He also runs a 3-4 defense, the same scheme which Arizona prefers to deploy. Thus far, the only other candidate that’s been linked to the Cardinals’ DC gig is longtime NFL coach Dom Capers.

Like Arizona, Cleveland also hired a first-time head coach. Freddie Kitchens was a positional coach to open the 2018 season and had never ever served as a coordinator until midway through last year, so he could use an experienced defensive play-caller at his side. After installing Kitchens as their head coach, the Browns parted ways with former interim head coach/DC Gregg Williams and a number of defensive assistants. Cleveland is set to interview former Broncos’ head coach Vance Joseph for their defensive coordinator position on Friday.

Bengals Likely To Hire Zac Taylor As HC

January 10th, 2019 at 5:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals’ “preferred choice” for head coach is Rams’ quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Taylor, who interviewed for the position last week, can’t be hired until Los Angeles is eliminated from the postseason. The Rams are preparing for a divisional round game against the Cowboys, and could potentially be tied up into February if they reach the Super Bowl. But Cincinnati’s head coaching job is reportedly Taylor’s to lose, per the ESPN scribes. As of yet, the Bengals have not held any negotiations with Taylor, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Given that he’s only 35 years old, Taylor would mark a departure for the Bengals, who had relied on veteran coach Marvin Lewis since 2003. But Cincinnati’s entire coaching search, which involved interviewing numerous young offensive minds such as the Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy and Taylor’s Rams colleague Shane Waldron, represented a stark change for the club.

Taylor has only called offensive plays at the NFL level for a half-season: in 2015, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in Miami after the Dolphins fired Bill Lazor (who coincidentally is currently the Bengals OC). The following year, Taylor spent time in the Queen City, serving as offensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati before joining the Rams as QBs coach in 2016.

Taylor’s decision to take the Rams’ job proved to be fortuitous, as Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay‘s disciples are quickly claiming head jobs around the NFL. Matt LaFleur, who served as the Rams’ OC in 2016, just landed the Packers’ head coaching gig. And other young coaches with offensive backgrounds (Kliff Kingsbury, Freddie Kitchens) also received HC jobs.

In Cincinnati, Taylor will be tasked with improving an offense that ranked just 19th in DVOA a season ago. Andy Dalton is likely locked in as the Bengals’ starting quarterback for at least one more season, but Cincinnati could draft another signal-caller for Taylor to develop. Elsewhere on offense, the Bengals have a solid set of weapons that includes wide receivers A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd, plus running back Joe Mixon. 2017 first-round receiver John Ross, meanwhile, could represent something of a rehabilitation project for Taylor.

Reports earlier this evening indicated the Bengals were likely to hire an external candidate after interviewing a group of incumbent staffers that included Lazor, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, and special assistant Hue Jackson. Cincinnati also began dismissing some of its assistant coaches, which could be a sign Taylor has told the club which staffers he’d like to retain.

Bengals Plan To Hire External HC Candidate

January 10th, 2019 at 5:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals plan to hire an external candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Therefore, provided they don’t conduct any more interviews, the Bengals appear set to tap either Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, former Buccaneers OC Todd Monken, former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, Rams quarterbacks coach Zach Taylor, or Rams passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Shane Waldron as their next head coach.

Given that they’ve yet to select a new head coach, Cincinnati is likely targeting an assistant who is still coaching in the postseason. That would rule out Monken and Joseph, but Bieniemy, Taylor, and Waldron are each preparing for Divisional Round matchups with their respective teams. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the speculation around the NFL has all signs pointing to Bieniemy, although that’s far from official.

The Bengals began dismissing members of their incumbent staff this morning, tweets Florio. All of Cincinnati’s assistants had one year remaining on their respective contracts, but whomever the Bengals have decided on for head coach has presumably told management which staffers he’d like to retain. Linebackers coach Jim Haslett, tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes, and running backs coach Kyle Caskey are among those who will not return in 2019, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Roughly half of the Bengals’ staff will be back next season, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Cincinnati interviewed a number of internal candidates as part of their head coaching search, including offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, and special assistant Hue Jackson.

Browns To Interview Vance Joseph For DC

January 10th, 2019 at 5:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns will interview former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph for their vacant defensive coordinator position on Friday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

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 interviewed for the Cardinals’ coordinator job on Thursday, and is reportedly in contention for the same role under Adam Gase in New York.

Joseph is also technically still in contention for the Bengals’ head coaching position. He’s familiar with Cincinnati management after spending two years in town as the club’s defensive backs coach, but if he were the Bengals’ choice for head coach, the announcement likely would have already been made. Joseph isn’t under contract with any team after being fired by Denver, so there’s nothing stopping the Bengals from hiring Joseph immediately.

Cleveland and new head coach Freddie Kitchens are seeking to find a replacement for former defensive coordinator/interim head coach Gregg Williams, who was dismissed following Kitchens’ ascension on Wednesday.

Browns To Interview Jim Bob Cooter

January 10th, 2019 at 4:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is slated to interview for the Browns’ offensive coordinator job, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cooter’s contract was not renewed by Detroit at the end of the season, making him a free agent.

Cooter’s work with Matthew Stafford during the 2017 season should be a strong selling point for him, but he’ll have to answer for the Lions’ disappointing 2018 season. But, in theory, Cooter could be the creative and energetic offensive coordinator that Baker Mayfield needs to thrive.

Of course, Cooter can’t expect total freedom if he signs on in Cleveland. By all accounts, new head coach Freddie Kitchens is intent on continuing to call the plays.

The Lions promoted Cooter to offensive coordinator midway through the 2015 season, and the young coach helped elevate Stafford’s game. This topped out when Detroit finished as the NFL’s No. 7 scoring offense in 2017, doing so without much of a running game. But this season, Stafford’s numbers regressed, down by more than 600 passing yards and going from 7.9 yards per attempt in 207 to 6.8 this season, as did the Lions’ offense in a 6-10 season.