HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Ravens Hire Anthony Weaver

January 22nd, 2021 at 6:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

After spending the 2020 season as the Texans’ defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver will migrate to a familiar location. Nineteen years after drafting Weaver in the second round, the Ravens hired him as their defensive line coach and run-game coordinator.

Weaver spent the past five seasons with Houston, serving first as the Texans’ D-line coach before a 2020 promotion to succeed Romeo Crennel as DC. The 40-year-old assistant received interest elsewhere but is now on Baltimore’s staff, joining Rob Ryan among former coordinators set to work under Don Martindale next season.

The Jaguars interviewed Weaver for their D-coordinator position, but the Urban Meyer-led team’s decision to hire Joe Cullen ended up helping Weaver land another job. Cullen served as Baltimore’s D-line coach for the past five seasons.

Weaver’s Texans defense did not fare well this past season, ranking 30th in DVOA. The former NFL D-linemen, however, has been an NFL assistant since 2012 and has a history with the Ravens. He operated as a starter for four seasons in Baltimore, from 2002-05, before signing with the Texans. It will be the Ravens who provide him an opportunity to bounce back.

“As a former Ravens draft pick who made significant contributions while playing here, he understands the culture of our organization and the standard to which Baltimore defense is held,” John Harbaugh said of Weaver.

Ravens Add Rob Ryan To Staff

January 22nd, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rob Ryan will be back in the NFL next season. The Ravens hired the former defensive coordinator as their inside linebackers coach.

Ryan sat out another season in 2020, doing so after a one-year stay as Washington’s inside linebackers coach in 2019. The 58-year-old assistant has been a one-and-done in each of his past two roles, leaving Buffalo after Rex Ryan was fired in 2016.

The Ravens will be the ninth team to employ Ryan as an assistant. Beginning his career as a Cardinals DBs coach under father Buddy Ryan in the mid-1990s, Rob served as defensive coordinator for four teams — the Browns, Raiders, Cowboys and Saints — from 2004-15. The Saints fired him after their defense set an NFL record for touchdown passes allowed in 2015.

Jay Gruden‘s firing in Washington led Ryan out of the league again after the 2019 slate. But the brash staffer will now oversee Patrick Queen‘s development under DC Don Martindale. John Harbaugh saw linebackers coach Mike Macdonald defect to Jim Harbaugh‘s Michigan staff, leaving an opening in Baltimore. The Ravens, who had Rex Ryan on staff for 10 seasons — including during John Harbaugh’s 2008 debut — will fill that position with a high-profile candidate.

Antonio Brown To Miss NFC Title Game

January 22nd, 2021 at 5:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The knee injury Antonio Brown suffered against the Saints will keep him out of Sunday’s Buccaneers-Packers game. The Bucs ruled out their hired-gun wideout for the NFC championship game.

Brown has not shown too much of his Steelers-era form this season but has certainly proven valuable for the Bucs, who have assembled one of the highest-profile skill-position cadres in recent NFL history. Brown’s absence will mean more work for younger players Scott Miller and Tyler Johnson alongside Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski. Brown did not practice this week.

“I just talked to him this morning, and to put him on the plane and fly up there and have it swell more doesn’t make any sense,” Bruce Arians said Friday, via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. “He wasn’t as close as we’d hoped, so we’ll get him ready for the next one.”

For the season, the 32-year-old receiver caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Brown’s best game came in Week 17, when the Bucs lost Evans to a knee injury. Evans did not miss any additional time, returning for Tampa Bay’s playoff opener in Washington. Like Evans, Brown did not suffer serious structural damage. Should the Bucs upset the Packers, Brown would have two weeks to recover before what would be the second Super Bowl of his career.

The Bucs had not yet signed Brown when they routed the Packers in Week 6. Miller took a backseat to Brown once the Bucs signed the polarizing talent but put together a 501-yard season (15.2 per catch). A rookie fifth-rounder, Johnson added 169 yards and two TDs off the bench this season.

Bears Interested In Eagles’ Duce Staley

January 22nd, 2021 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Duce Staley has been an Eagles assistant for 10 seasons, but the franchise’s longtime running backs coach has landed on the Bears’ radar.

The Bears are interested in the former NFL starter-turned-HC candidate, Adam Jahns of The Athletic tweets. While Staley arrived in Philly before Doug Pederson, he worked with Matt Nagy‘s former Chiefs coworker for five seasons.

The Eagles will likely bring in a host of new assistants after hiring Colts OC Nick Sirianni as their Pederson replacement. Staley was on the radar for the job Sirianni landed but did not seem to gain much traction during Philadelphia’s search. He was also passed over for Philly’s OC position when the team promoted Mike Groh in 2018.

Nagy has seen two of his offensive assistants — QBs coach Dave Ragone and running backs coach Charles London — defect to the Falcons this week. London will be Atlanta’s new QBs coach, working under new Falcons OC Ragone. Nagy will need to replace these staffers, and Staley has extensive experience as an offensive staffer.

Philadelphia’s RBs coach since 2013, Staley began his career at the quality control level two years prior. He worked under Pederson, Chip Kelly and Andy Reid. The Eagles tabbed him as their acting head coach during Pederson’s bout with COVID-19 last summer. But with Sirianni coming in, it is unclear if Staley remains in the Eagles’ plans or if he would want to continue working as a position coach with another new Eagles HC.

Patriots To Bring Back Matt Patricia

January 22nd, 2021 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Weeks after his foray into the head coaching world ended after three playoff-less seasons in Detroit, Matt Patricia found a familiar landing spot. The Patriots are bringing him back to join their staff, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports.

The longtime Patriots defensive coordinator will serve in a variety of roles, per McBride and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). The Pats transitioned to Brian Flores as their top defensive assistant following Patricia’s 2018 exit and have seen Jerod Mayo rise into that role since. Patricia, however, served as New England’s DC for six years and spent his entire NFL coaching career with the franchise prior to relocating to Michigan three years ago.

Patricia will follow Josh McDaniels in trekking back to the Patriots after an HC tenure did not work out. McDaniels returned to the Pats during the 2011 playoffs, ahead of a divisional-round game against the team that fired him (the Broncos), and resumed OC duties in 2012. Patricia will rejoin a Patriots defensive staff that has gotten younger since his exit.

Patricia, 46, became the latest Bill Belichick assistant to struggle away from his mentor. The Lions went 13-29 under his watch and fired him after a Thanksgiving Day blowout loss. After coaching with the Patriots from 2004-17, he will have a chance to reboot his career and provide their staff with extensive experience.

Bears To Promote Sean Desai To DC

January 22nd, 2021 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears interviewed a few outside candidates for their defensive coordinator job but will make a promotion instead. They are elevating safeties coach Sean Desai into the DC role, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Desai, 37, has been with Chicago since 2013. He worked at the quality control level for several seasons but coached Bears safeties over the past two. It is believed Desai will become the first person of Indian descent to become an NFL coordinator, Rapoport adds.

Desai joined D-line coach Jay Rodgers as internal candidates to succeed Chuck Pagano. He will take over a defense that has ranked as a top-10 DVOA unit in each of the past three seasons. The Bears interviewed George Edwards, James Bettcher, Colts DBs coach Jonathan Gannon and Mike Singletary for the job. A Hall of Fame Bears linebacker, Singletary re-emerged on the interview circuit after a lengthy absence. But Chicago is going with Desai, who holds a doctorate degree from Temple.

While Desai does not have much experience as a position coach in the NFL, he did serve as a special teams coordinator at Boston College prior to turning 30. He worked in that capacity with the ACC school in 2012, doing so after spending five years at his alma mater as a special teams assistant.

Texans Interview Jim Caldwell, Josh McCown For HC Job

January 22nd, 2021 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s last remaining head coaching search took another interesting turn Friday. While the Texans have contacted former Colts and Lions HC Jim Caldwell about their vacancy, they also announced they spoke with Josh McCown about the opening Friday as well.

This marks Caldwell’s second interview for the job. The former Lions and Colts HC spoke with the Texans in December, but the team’s search took on a different tone after Nick Caserio‘s GM hire.

McCown began this season with Eagles, residing as the NFL’s oldest practice squad player and operating as a remote emergency quarterback, but signed with the Texans in November. The 41-year-old QB would be one of the most unorthodox choices in modern NFL history, but the Texans are exploring the prospect of hiring McCown and pairing him with at least one former head coach, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

The 19-year veteran has been viewed as a future coach and is interesting under contract with the Texans through 2021. The team viewed the well-regarded backup as a culture-type signing and a player who could help as a coach immediately after retirement. This would certainly spark debate, however. While players jumping straight into HC roles has happened in the NBA — like Jason Kidd or Derek Fisher — McCown would be a controversial hire considering the NFL’s current imbalance between white and minority head coaches.

McCown’s previous plan was to spend time watching his sons play football after retirement. A leap into a head coaching position would certainly change his schedule. And making such a move before gaining any experience as an assistant would represent a risk for McCown. That said, the 49ers hired John Lynch as GM without experience and paired him with Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers won the NFC in that regime’s third year. Of course, this backfired with Matt Millen in Detroit.

A McCown hire would run beyond the “outside the box” label, but this is now something to monitor for a Texans team that began the week interviewing popular HC candidate Eric Bieniemy. The Texans remain interested in Colts DC Matt Eberflus, whom the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes (via Twitter) is a frontrunner for the job. Houston has interviewed eight candidates for the position. Eberflus initially declined an interview request but met with Nick Caserio and Co. on Sunday.

Caldwell (feat. Peyton Manning) coached the Colts to a Super Bowl in his first season as Indianapolis’ HC but was out of a job after his third. Caldwell elevated the Lions to a playoff berth in his first year with Detroit in 2014 but was fired after a 9-7 2017 season. The 66-year-old coach experienced a health issue that caused him to step away from his post as Dolphins QBs coach in 2019, but he is back to full health and would certainly represent an experienced right-hand man for McCown or another younger coach.

Julian Edelman To Return In 2021?

January 22nd, 2021 at 2:54pm CST by Rory Parks

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman played in just six games in 2020 thanks to a knee injury, and there has been plenty of speculation that the three-time Super Bowl champ will elect to call it a career. But it doesn’t sound as if he’s contemplating retirement just yet.

In a recent interview on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast (h/t Doug Kyed of NESN.com), Edelman was asked if he would “reconsider” his decision to retire. Edelman replied, “What are you talking about? Right now we’re being a dad right now and we’re sitting back and training, getting our body right for the next year.”

Of course, his reference to getting his body right for next year is hardly a definitive declaration that he will return to the field, especially since he later said he is just “decompressing” for the time being and doesn’t “necessarily” know what the interviewer meant when he brought up the topic of retirement. Nonetheless, Kyed believes all signs are pointing towards an Edelman return.

The Patriots’ receiving corps left much to be desired in 2020, and Edelman’s absence made an already bleak situation even worse. So while the Pats could cut their franchise icon and save $4MM of cap space in the process, one would think that if Edelman wants to play, New England will be happy to have him, even if his age and the wear-and-tear on his body force him into a more limited role. Plus, the club will already be flush with cap space, so the extra $4MM it would save with an Edelman release probably wouldn’t be worth it.

The Pats could use some of their cap room to sign a free agent wideout or two, as the market is likely to have a few appealing options. Players like Kenny Golladay and Chris Godwin could get hit with the franchise tag or sign extensions with their current clubs before free agency opens, but a decrease in the salary cap might make that more difficult. Meanwhile, Allen Robinson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Corey Davis might all be marketing their services in March.

Patrick Mahomes Clears Concussion Protocol

January 22nd, 2021 at 2:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Jan. 22, 2:00pm: Mahomes has cleared the concussion protocol, as the star QB announced to reporters this afternoon. Players who are in the protocol don’t meet with the media, so the fact that Mahomes had press availability suggested that he had been given the all-clear, and that is indeed the case. With that, the much-anticipated showdown between Mahomes’ Chiefs and Josh Allen‘s Bills will have its headliners.

Jan. 20, 3:28pm: The Chiefs listed Mahomes as limited in today’s practice, though Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes this was more of an estimation on his status since the team partook in a light workout overall (Twitter link). But had Kansas City gone through a full practice, its all-world quarterback would have been limited. Reid said Mahomes has yet to be cleared for full contact work, per the Washington Post’s Mark Maske (on Twitter). This points to Thursday being a pivotal day for Mahomes, who is in the final stages of the concussion protocol.

Jan. 20, 10:31am: Patrick Mahomes will practice on Wednesday, but he’ll be taking it easy, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Chiefs quarterback remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol but plans to slowly ramp things up over the course of the week.

Fortunately, Mahomes is symptom-free after taking an ill-fated hard hit against the Browns. Mahomes was left dazed in the third quarter, forcing him out of the game in favor of Chad Henne. Henne had never thrown a postseason pass before — he went on to record his first ever playoff victory.

At this point, Mahomes is on track to be cleared in time for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. Still, there are hurdles to clear. Per the league’s protocol, the QB must go through five steps; his light Wednesday workout is part of step No. 4. After going through a full practice, Mahomes will need the green light from team doctors and an independent neurologist.

“So listen, I just leave that with [team trainer] Rick [Burkholder] and the docs,” head coach Andy Reid said earlier this week. “Because of the protocol, it’s a no-brainer from the coach’s standpoint. You don’t have to think about it, you just have to make sure you go forward and have an answer if he’s there and an answer if he’s not there. I can’t tell you from a medical standpoint where he’s at. I mean, I don’t know that. That’s their decision and I just follow it.”

Bengals To Spend Big On O-Line?

January 22nd, 2021 at 1:44pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bengals’ offensive line was a major question mark going into the 2020 season, and the fear was that poor blocking would jeopardize the health of rookie quarterback Joe Burrow. And then that fear became reality, as Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 11 and the silver lining of another lost season in Cincinnati was quickly tarnished. So, a year after Cincinnati committed significant free agent dollars to the defensive side of the ball while relying on its existing offensive linemen to develop, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic says the team appears poised to reverse a long-standing trend and to spend big on the O-line.

Jonah Williams will remain the starting left tackle, but the other four spots are up for grabs. There is some hope that the return of O-line coach Frank Pollack will help left guard Michael Jordan, but after Jordan’s poor performance in 2020, it would not be at all surprising to see the Bengals pursue an upgrade (though the team has been historically reluctant to make major investments at guard).

The ACL injury that center Trey Hopkins sustained in the team’s regular season finale could mean that former first-rounder Billy Price will get one more chance to prove himself as a starting pivot, but again, after seeing Burrow writhing on the ground in pain, Cincy could seek reinforcements on the open market.

If the team does make a major free agent splash, it would likely come at right tackle, where Taylor Moton may be available. The Panthers might put the franchise tag on Moton, but if that doesn’t happen, expect the Bengals to be an active bidder for his services. Dehner also suggests that, if the team finally opens up its wallet for a guard, Joe Thuney would appear to be a perfect fit.

Whether it’s through free agency, the draft, or some combination thereof, Cincinnati has to do something. The club does want to re-sign Quinton Spain, who helped provide some stability at guard after he signed with the Bengals in October, and right tackle Bobby Hart is expected to be released, which will open up $6MM in cap space and a spot for a quality free agent. B.J. Finney, who came over from Seattle in the Carlos Dunlap trade, is also unlikely to return.

There is plenty of young skill position talent in the Queen City. With a couple of additions to the O-line, the Bengals’ offense could well be a serious threat in 2021 and beyond.

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