HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins Declares For Draft

January 7th, 2019 at 2:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 2019 draft class got a big addition today when Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins announced in a tweet he would forego his senior season and enter the draft.

We heard last month that Haskins had received a first round grade from the draft’s advisory board, and this move had been widely expected for a while now. At this point Haskins seems like a lock for the first round, and unless something goes wrong, is a heavy favorite to be the first quarterback taken this April.

Haskins went from a relative unknown to one of the biggest players in college football during his lone season as the Buckeyes’ starter. He seamlessly took over for longtime quarterback J.T. Barrett with a sensational junior season, and ended up finishing third in the Heisman voting. His path to being the top signal caller selected in the draft got a lot easier a couple of weeks ago when Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, long thought to be the class’ top quarterback, announced he would return to school next year. 

While Haskins is “probably top-ranked QB of this year’s NFL draft class”, the “early assessment is that he’s not necessarily a plug and play”, meaning he could use some time developing on an NFL bench, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). For the first time in a while, not a ton of teams picking at the very top of the draft will be in the market for a quarterback, with top picking teams like the Cardinals, 49ers, Jets, and Raiders already having young quarterbacks, so a surprise team could end up trading up and taking Haskins.

Kliff Kingsbury To Interview For NFL Jobs

January 7th, 2019 at 2:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After a week of drama, Kliff Kingsbury will begin interviewing for NFL jobs after all, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link). 

Adam Schefter of ESPN confirmed Glazer’s report in a tweet, adding that Kingsbury is “square in the HC mix.” Glazer’s initial tweet indicated that Kingsbury had resigned as USC’s offensive coordinator in order to be able to interview, while Schefter’s only states that “USC initially blocked him from doing so.” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that a USC official told him Kingsbury is still employed there, so it seems like he hasn’t resigned at this point.

We first heard last week that the Jets and Cardinals were interested in interviewing Kingsbury, but then word came that USC’s athletic director was blocking him from interviewing. There was a report a couple of days ago that he could resign in order to pursue NFL opportunities, and that report stated his contract with USC had a “very low buyout” and that Kingsbury would “undoubtedly find work at least as an offensive coordinator” in the NFL.

There’s a “growing perception in league circles” that the Cardinals “are seriously considering Kingsbury for their position”, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). Sources also told Schefter that there was “strong mutual interest” between Kingsbury and the Cardinals prior to the athletic director blocking things. With that hurdle out of the way, Kingsbury will now presumably interview for Arizona’s job as well as the one in New York.

While Kingsbury’s tenure at Texas Tech was never particularly successful in terms of wins and losses, he always had one of the most innovative and dynamic offenses in the country, and is a highly respected offensive mind. It’s been reported for a while now that NFL teams were looking to pick his brain, and he did develop Patrick Mahomes with the Red Raiders. He’s been linked recently to the Patriots’ offensive coordinator job if Josh McDaniels were to leave to take a head coaching gig, and Tom Brady sung his praises on the radio earlier today, according to Zack Cox of NESN.com.

Jets Interview Jim Caldwell

January 7th, 2019 at 2:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets interviewed Jim Caldwell for the club’s head coaching vacancy, according to a team announcement. Caldwell most recently served as the Lions’ head coach from 2014-17, but also had a multi-year stint with the Colts. 

Caldwell has been on the Jets’ radar for a while now, but they did not solidify a scheduled time to meet until recently. Caldwell, admittedly, would not be the sexiest choice, but he would offer experience and likely would not seek total control over the 53-man roster. Many of the other names in this year’s pool may want that power, but ownership says that GM Mike Maccagnan will continue to have full authority over personnel.

The Lions made the postseason twice during Caldwell’s tenure in Detroit. And, with the Colts, his teams went 26-22 with one AFC title and two divisional championships.

The Jets previously announced completed interviews with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, and Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Kris Richard.

Ravens, John Harbaugh Working On Extension

January 7th, 2019 at 12:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Maybe John Harbaugh is staying put after all. The Ravens are making progress on extension talks with their head coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Nothing is done yet, but both sides are encouraged by where things stand at the moment. 

[RELATED: PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Despite a group of quality free agent coaches and available coordinators, multiple teams have considered the possibility of trading for Harbaugh. The Buccaneers and Dolphins are seriously mulling the idea of forfeiting draft compensation for the one-time Super Bowl winning coach, but they’ll have to concentrate on their other targets instead if Harbaugh re-ups in Baltimore.

Right now, it sounds as though Harbaugh and the Ravens will spend a 12th year together. Through eleven seasons, Harbaugh owns a 104-72 record (.591) as the Ravens’ head coach with seven playoff appearances.

Chargers To Activate TE Hunter Henry

January 7th, 2019 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have officially activated tight end Hunter Henry to the 53-man roster. He’ll eligible to play on Sunday against the Patriots, just eight months after tearing his ACL. To make room for Henry on the active roster, the team placed linebacker Jatavis Brown, who went down with an ankle injury in the team’s Week 17 win over the Broncos, on injured reserve. 

Monday was the deadline for Los Angeles to activate Henry thanks to the 21-day window that opened when he resumed practicing. If he was not activated, the third-year tight end would have been forced to spend rest of the season on the PUP list. The good news is that Henry was not held out of Saturday’s game against the Ravens due to any setback. Instead, the Chargers simply decided to play it safe with one of their star offensive players.

Assuming he’s fully healthy, or somewhat close to it, the Chargers are expected to get Henry involved in the passing game. The Bolts could exploit the Patriots’ weak coverage across the middle of the field and give their D something extra to think about in addition to their other aerial weapons and Melvin Gordon‘s slick running.

After hauling in 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first two seasons of his career, Henry was primed for a breakout campaign in 2018. His offseason injury robbed him of a chance to truly shine in the regular season, but he’ll now have an opportunity to contribute when it really counts.

Eric Weddle To Retire If Not Back With Ravens

January 7th, 2019 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Safety Eric Weddle is hoping to finish out the last year of his contract with the Ravens in 2019. But, if the Ravens won’t have him back, he says he’ll just retire and “ride off into sunset,” (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun). 

Weddle, 34, came to the Ravens in 2016 after he parted ways with the Chargers. His identity was largely intertwined with the Bolts, but he quickly found a fit in Baltimore and, apparently, can’t envision himself playing anywhere else.

Weddle earned his sixth career Pro Bowl nod this year and his age hasn’t slowed him down much, so it would only make sense for the Ravens to want him back. The vet finished out with 68 total tackles, three passes defensed, and graded out at Pro Football Focus’ No. 17 ranked safety in the entire NFL.

For now, Weddle is set to return at a cap figure of $9.25MM. Should the Ravens release him, they’ll save $7.5MM versus just $1.75MM in dead money.

Dolphins Call Off Vic Fangio Interview

January 7th, 2019 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio won’t be interviewing with the Dolphins after all. A chat was originally slated for Monday, but the Dolphins did not schedule the interview despite doing significant research on him (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

For now, the Broncos are the only known team with interest in Fangio, but one of the other six teams (not counting the Dolphins) could always add him to the list. Fangio offers experience in five different locations as a defensive coordinator and guided a Bears defense that dominated up until Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Eagles.

Fangio is out of the picture, but there are still plenty of intriguing candidates on their list, including Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Latest On Browns, Freddie Kitchens

January 7th, 2019 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are slated to talk to offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens on Monday or Tuesday about their head coaching vacancy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The interview is more than just due diligence – Rapoport hears that Kitchens has a realistic chance at securing the job. 

Multiple teams have expressed interest in Kitchens as an offensive coordinator candidate, but the Browns have so far denied those requests. That’s an indication that the Browns see Kitchens as a real candidate for the top job. At the very least, the Browns believe they’ll want to keep him in the fold going forward, though an outside big name head coaching hire may want to pick his own OC.

Kitchens never called plays before Hue Jackson and Todd Haley got the boot, but quarterback Baker Mayfield soared under his tutelage once he got the headset. The Browns were reinvigorated with Kitchens and interim head coach Gregg Williams running the show and managed to finish the second half 5-3.

As shown in PFR’s Head Coaching Tracker, Kitchens is going up against several candidates who have a leg up when it comes to experience:

John Harbaugh: “Joe’s Going To Have A Market”

January 6th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Joe Flacco‘s tenure with Baltimore may be coming to an end, but head coach John Harbaugh is still a big fan of his long-time quarterback. Following today’s season-ending loss to the Chargers, Harbaugh said the veteran quarterback should have plenty of suitors during the offseason.

“Joe Flacco is going to play really well in this league. Joe can still play — I think we saw that the first half of the season,” Harbaugh said (via Cindy Boren of the Washington Post). “Joe’s going to have a market. There’s going to be a lot of teams that are going to want Joe because they understand that. I’ll be in Joe’s corner wherever he’s at. He’s special. Joe Flacco is a great talent; he’s an even better person. He’s the best QB in the history of the Ravens without question…He’s going to do just fine.”

Harbaugh all but said that Flacco won’t be in Baltimore next season, although this isn’t much of a surprise. It was clear that the veteran’s tenure with the organization was coming to an end when they decided to stick with rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson following Flacco’s return from a hip injury.

A report from mid-December indicated that the organization would ultimately either cut or trade the 33-year-old. This offseason marks the first time the Ravens can cut ties with Flacco and save money against the salary cap, although reports have indicated that the front office could help move the veteran to a franchise of his choice.

Flacco was still more-than-serviceable in his nine games this season. The veteran signal-caller completed 61.2-percent of his passes for 2,465 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Jackson struggled during today’s loss, and Harbaugh admitted that they considered inserting Flacco into the lineup. Ultimately, the veteran didn’t see the field for what will likely be his final game with the franchise.

If this is indeed the end of Flacco’s tenure in Baltimore, the veteran will finish his stint sitting in first for the majority of the team’s all-time passing stats. The 2008 first-round pick even ranks 15th in franchise history in rushing yards, which only accentuates his all-time value to the franchise.

Jets To Interview Baylor HC Matt Rhule?

January 6th, 2019 at 8:57pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets are set to interview Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Tuesday, but it sounds like they might get a crack at Baylor’s head coach before that. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora says he continues to hear that the Jets will talk to Matt Rhule about their head coaching opening prior to their Tuesday interview with Monken (Twitter link).

We heard last week that the Jets were eyeing the Baylor head coach, but it was uncertain if the organization had scheduled an interview. The team was in Texas today to interview Cowboys assistant Kris Richard, so they could easily pull off another meeting in the next 24 hours.

Besides a brief 2012 stint as the Giants’ offensive line coach, Rhule has spent the majority of his career in the NCAA. Rhule was head coach at Temple for four seasons, where he led the Owls to their only back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history. He joined Baylor in 2017 and didn’t see similar results, as the Bears finished with a 1-11 record during his first season. However, Baylor improved in 2018, finishing 7-6.

The 43-year-old has been on the NFL radar for at least a year. Last offseason, the Colts eyed Rhule as a head coaching candidate before the Josh McDaniels fiasco.

Rhule is the eighth known candidate for the Jets’ post. This total doesn’t include Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, who declined the team’s interview request.

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