2020 January - Pro Football Rumors

Injury Notes: Fuller, Jackson, Addae, Akins

January 11th, 2020 at 9:58pm CST by Marc Delucchi

By now it’s no secret that the Texans offense is a different animal when wide receiver Will Fuller is on the field. Without their deep threat, Houston managed to squeak by the Bills in the Wild Card Round, but going up against the Chiefs on Sunday, the team is very happy to expect Fuller to return from his groin injury, according to James Palmer of the NFL Network. Fuller missed time during the regular season with a hamstring injury and only appeared in 11 of the teams games. In those 11 contests, Fuller amassed 49 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns.

Here are a couple other injury notes for Sunday’s games:

The Packers have added cornerback Josh Jackson to the injury report with an illness, according to Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network. While it is not expected to prevent Jackson from taking the field, it very well could limit him from playing to the top of his talents.
Texans safety Jahleel Addae and tight end Jordan Akins did not travel with the team to Kansas City and will not play Sunday against the Chiefs, according to James Palmer of the NFL Network. Neither Addae nor Akins are massive contributors for Houston, but both have been solid role players for the team. Addae compiled 41 tackles and two interceptions, while Akins started 9 games and caught 36 passes for 418 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Browns Interested In GM Interview With Bills Joe Schoen

January 11th, 2020 at 9:00pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Browns are the lone organization remaining without a head coach. After restructuring the front office, Cleveland is also searching for a new general manager. After years of internal turmoil, a primary aim of the search appears to be finding a general manager and head coach who have experience working together to keep the organization on the same page.

Earlier reports suggested Bills offensive coordinator Brian Dabol impressed the team in his interview for the head coaching job and now, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Browns have expressed interest in interviewing Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen for their general manager position.

Cleveland entered this season with some of the organization’s highest expectations in recent history. After finishing 2018 strong under interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, the organization doubled down on Kitchens, hiring him as the team’s head coach. Rather than taking the next step towards contention though, the team fell apart. Sophomore quarterback Baker Mayfield took a huge step back and the Browns proved to be one of the most undisciplined teams in football.

While Cleveland shares a division with the Ravens, questions surrounding the future for the Bengals and Steelers leave the rest of the division wide open. The next regime’s early success will likely rest on Mayfield’s shoulders, but with talented players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Myles Garrett there’s reason to believe a new contender could be built soon.

Bill Cowher Elected To Pro Football Hall of Fame

January 11th, 2020 at 7:43pm CST by Marc Delucchi

During the pregame show for Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round matchup between the Titans and Ravens on CBS Sports, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, David Baker, showed up on set to surprise Bill Cowher with the news that he had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2020. Cowher is the first selection of the class, which will have twenty members.

Cowher, of course, built his Hall of Fame pedigree as the head coach of the Steelers from 1992-2006. Following in the footsteps of another Hall of Fame coach, Chuck Noll, Cowher led Pittsburgh to 11 playoff appearances, 6 AFC Championship games, 2 Super Bowls, and a Super Bowl victory in his penultimate season with the team.

Prior to Cowher’s arrival in Pittsburgh, the team had failed to make the playoffs in five of their previous six campaigns. After Cowher’s arrival, the team reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, including Super Bowl XXX (where they lost to the Cowboys). At that time, Cowher was the youngest head coach to reach the Super Bowl. Still, it would take him another ten years to reach the Super Bowl again. When he did, the Steelers defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, giving him his only Super Bowl ring.

After just one more season, Cowher stepped down to spend more time with his family. Since he has served as an analyst with CBS Sports. While many teams have been rumored to make runs to get Cowher back on the field, it appears he is content with what he has accomplished.

In the end, Cowher finished his career with a 149-90-1 regular season record and a 12-9 postseason record.

Position Coaches: Gilbride, Flaherty, Lupoi, Tolbert

January 11th, 2020 at 6:59pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is beginning to fill out the position coaching spots in Carolina. Kevin M. Gilbride will be in charge of the team’s tight ends and Pat Flaherty is expected to be named the team’s offensive line coach, per Alex Marvez of Fox Sports. Gilbride has extensive experience as a tight ends coach, serving in the position with the Giants from 2014-17 and with the Bears from 2018 until he was fired last month.

The Panthers will be the fifth NFL organization to hire Flaherty as an offensive line coach. Flaherty worked as the offensive line coach from 2004-2015 with the Giants followed by a one-year stint with the 49ers, a two-year stint with the Jaguars, and a a short period with the Dolphins in 2019. While Flaherty brings a long line of experience, he was fired in Miami prior to the end of training camp after struggling to implement the team’s scheme.

The Falcons have named Browns defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi as the team’s defensive line coach and run game coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Lupoi was a collegiate defensive lineman at Cal, where he began his coaching career in 2008. After a stint with the University of Washington as the defensive line coach, he joined the staff at Alabama, eventually becoming the team’s defensive coordinator in 2018. Lupoi moved to the professional coaching ranks for the first time when he joined Freddie Kitchens‘ staff prior to this season.
Giants new head coach Joe Judge will not be making changes to the entire coaching staff. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, reports that Judge is expected to retain wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. While New York struggled in many areas this season, the receiving corp showed impressive depth. Tolbert was credited with helping late-round pick, Darius Slayton, become a legitimate receiving option.

Giants Request Permission To Interview Dolphins DC

January 11th, 2020 at 5:56pm CST by Marc Delucchi

New Giants head coach Joe Judge continues working to fill out his staff. New York has requested permission to interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the same position, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Garafolo adds that the request is expected to be granted.

Generally, teams are hesitant to allow their coaches to interview with other teams unless it is for a clear promotion. However, Judge worked with Graham and current Dolphins head coach Brian Flores with the Patriots, which may make Miami more willing to make an exception. Graham not only shares a history with Judge, but also worked with the Giants from 2016-17, serving as the team’s defensive line coach from 2016-17.

On the surface, it would seem like a surprise for a coach on a 5-11 team to be receiving outside interest, but entering the season many wondered if the Dolphins would manage to win any games. Miami clearly entered the season with a tank in mind, making minimal free agent additions last offseason and trading the team’s best offensive lineman (Laremy Tunsil), defensive back (Minkah Fitzpatrick), and wide receiver (Kenny Stills) early in the season. While the Dolphins are by no means a legitimate contender, they finished the season winning three of their final five games, including wins against the Eagles and Patriots.

Since Judge was relatively unknown before the Giants announced his hiring this week, little is known about the people he might target to fill out his staff. At least to start, it appears he will continue to look to the Bill Belichick coaching tree.

17-Game Schedule Holding Up CBA?

January 11th, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Introduced during these collective bargaining agreement discussions, the 17-game schedule has become one of the central components of the negotiations. It appears the talks are progressing, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports (on Twitter) the revised schedule is likely to be part of the next CBA.

However, were the 17-game schedule not included in these discussions, Florio adds it is believed the league and the NFLPA would have a deal by now (Twitter link). It could then be inferred the parties have agreed to a revenue split figure, which would be a critical barrier cleared.

The owners, who recently proposed a new revenue-split figure, are confident the extra game will be added to schedules. While the 17-game season would not necessarily become a reality in the CBA’s first year, it can be assumed that would be an early-2020s change.

The prospect of a 17-game season surfaced in late September, and we’ve steadily learned what this would mean for the league. Having used a 16-game schedule for 42 years, the NFL moved off its 18-game pursuit during these talks and is attempting to structure a 19-week season (two byes) with a Super Bowl that moves into late February. Each team’s extra game would come at neutral sites, both domestic and international, with the preseason being shortened.

A longer season obviously isn’t an especially popular proposition for the players, though the extra bye week and the NFL’s (known) concessions on marijuana and Roger Goodell‘s disciplinary powers would seemingly help. As would greater cap spikes generated by additional revenue. But it remains to be seen what effect an extra game would have on contracts.

Browns Request GM Interview With Eagles’ Andrew Berry

January 11th, 2020 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns are interested in bringing Andrew Berry back to Cleveland. They requested an interview with the Eagles’ vice president of football operations, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

With Berry being part of the Browns’ new-age front office experiment, along with Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, this certainly loomed as a possibility. The Eagles hired Berry in February of last year.

The prospect of a Berry-DePodesta reunion surfaced earlier this week. DePodesta is seeking an analytically oriented coach, and Berry would make sense as a GM for this approach. Prior to becoming a the Colts’ pro scouting coordinator and the Browns’ VP of player personnel, Berry graduated from Harvard with an economics degree. He has a computer science master’s.

Despite the Browns wanting to hire their head coach before their GM, front office candidates have emerged. Cleveland is slated to interview Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds. Seahawks execs Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer are on the radar as well. So is Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).

Reuniting DePodesta and Berry would be an interesting move for a Browns franchise that hit its low point during their previous time together. Cleveland went an NFL-record 1-31 in this duo’s first two years working with Brown and Hue Jackson. Both Berry and DePodesta were on board for a 2018 Browns draft that included Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward and Nick Chubb. But since-departed GM John Dorsey held the most influence in that process.

Adam Thielen To Play Through Ankle Injury

January 11th, 2020 at 2:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite suffering an injury this week in practice, Adam Thielen will play against the 49ers. The Vikings have declared him active for their divisional-round game, but it sounds like the Pro Bowl wide receiver will play through some pain.

Thielen suffered a “deep laceration” near his ankle and heel area, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reports. The Vikings plan to numb the area, tape up the injury and hope their standout wideout can play through any discomfort. The 29-year-old receiver expressed confidence earlier Saturday he will be able to play through this malady (Instagram link).

This injury occurred early this week in practice, with Smith indicating a Vikings teammate’s cleat cut through Thielen’s shoe to cause the laceration — one that required four stitches. No Achilles damage occurred. But this continues an injury-marred season for Thielen, who saw his two-year Pro Bowl run halt.

The former rookie-tryout success story missed five full games with a hamstring injury but missed most of two more because of that malady. However, he came through with one of the biggest Vikings catches this century to cap a seven-reception, 129-yard performance in an overtime win over the Saints.

Brian Daboll, Robert Saleh Remain In Mix For Browns Job

January 11th, 2020 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns interviewed Josh McDaniels on Friday to (seemingly) wrap up their eight-candidate run of meetings. The buzz at the work week’s end fixated on the Patriots offensive coordinator and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski, but this weekend, other names remain in the mix.

Bills OC Brian Daboll is the sleeper in this process, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen, who notes Daboll gave a strong interview earlier this week (Twitter link). Additionally, 49ers DC Robert Saleh is not off the radar either. Saleh and Stefanski have been most connected to this job recently, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

Saleh and Stefanski will match up in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, and the loser of said showdown will be eligible to accept Cleveland’s offer immediately. While the Browns would have to wait to hire the winner in this matchup, they are not competing against any other team to fill their HC post. The Browns were believed to want to wrap up this search by today, but Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes that the team now seeks to table that decision until after divisional-round weekend (Twitter link).

McDaniels left Cleveland without a deal in place, which could be an ominous sign for his chances of securing his job with his hometown franchise. The northeast Ohio native has interviewed for this job three times since 2009. Stefanski wowed Browns brass during last year’s coaching search, but the John Dorsey-led search included Jimmy Haslam preferring Freddie Kitchens. Paul DePodesta, who is piloting this year’s search, has a good relationship with Eagles DC Jim Schwartz. But the former Lions HC’s momentum may have cooled.

Vikings To Begin Dalvin Cook Re-Up Talks

January 11th, 2020 at 1:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The loaded 2017 running back class is now extension-eligible, and the group that houses Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones and others stands to reshape the running back market. The Vikings certainly employ a back on that tier and will soon explore keeping him in Minnesota long-term.

Although the Vikings’ payroll is flush with high-end extensions for homegrown players, they are ready to explore what it will take to keep Dalvin Cook in purple beyond 2020, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link).

Cook’s second-round rookie deal runs through 2020; he is due to make $1.3MM next season. The Pro Bowl back flourished in Gary Kubiak‘s scheme this season, driving the Vikings to the divisional round with a career-high 1,654 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns. Cook, 24, will be one of the key figures in an interesting offseason for the 2017 running back class.

Minnesota is projected to be $3MM-plus over the cap and already has skill-position talents Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph signed long-term. The system Kubiak uses has a history of churning out numerous 1,000-yard running backs, dating back to his first stint in Denver, and Alexander Mattison (signed through 2022) showed immediate promise behind Cook this season. Cook also has missed time due to injury in each of his three seasons, but he bounced back from a 2017 ACL tear to become one of the NFL’s best.

It’s clear the Vikings want to see what it will take to extend Cook, who will surely be eyeing a deal on the Ezekiel Elliott–Todd Gurley level ($14.5MM AAV-plus). The Vikings certainly have a history with mega-extensions for running backs. They gave Adrian Peterson a market-resetting six-year deal worth $96MM in 2011, when the salary cap was $120MM. The cap is expected to rise to around $200MM come March.