2021 January - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching Notes: Chargers, Steelers, Ravens, Taylor, Marrone

January 25th, 2021 at 7:41pm CST by Ben Levine

After adding Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator and Renaldo Hill as defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley has found the coach who will lead his special teams unit. The Chargers announced this evening that they’ve hired Derius Swinton as their special teams coordinator.

The 35-year-old has made his way up the coaching ranks over the past decade-plus, spending time with the Rams, Chiefs, Broncos, Bears, 49ers, Lions, and Cardinals. He served as San Francisco’s special teams coordinator in 2016, and he helped the 49ers improve their kickoff return average by nearly six yards that season.

We’ve already heard of some other additions to the Chargers’ coaching staff. The team added Joe Barry as their defensive passing game coordinator, and they’ve hired Frank Smith to be their new offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Let’s check out some more coaching notes…

Today, the Steelers officially announced the promotion of Matt Canada to offensive coordinator. Canada served as quarterbacks coach during the 2020 season, and Ben Roethlisberger finished with one of the lowest interception rates (1.6) and sack totals (13) of his career. As Teresa Varley of Steelers.com points out, Canada helped implement jet sweeps and pre-snap motions to the Steelers’ offense.
The Ravens have added D’Anton Lynn as their new defensive backs coach, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (via Twitter). The 31-year-old previously spent time on the Jets, Bills, Chargers, and Texans coaching staff, and he earned a promotion to Houston’s defensive backs coach for the 2020 campaign.
Press Taylor won’t be back in Philly next season. Mike Kaye of NJ.com reports (via Twitter) that the Eagles won’t be retaining their quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator. The 33-year-old had been with the organization since the 2013 season, and after serving as QBs coach in 2018 and 2019, he took on the additional role of passing game coordinator in 2020. The Eagles passing game was dreadful this past season, ranking either 31st or 32nd in the NFL in passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt, and interceptions.
Doug Marrone is joining the Alabama coaching staff as offensive line coach, per a team announcement. Marrone, of course, spent the past four seasons as the Jaguars head coach, including a 2017 campaign that saw him make the AFC Championship. The 56-year-old has plenty of familiarity with new Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, as the two coaches worked alongside each other during their stints with Georgia Tech back in the 1990s.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/25/21

January 25th, 2021 at 6:32pm CST by Ben Levine

A day after they secured their trip to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have made a change to their practice squad:

Kansas City Chiefs

Released: OT Prince Tega Wanogho

The former Auburn standout was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in this past year’s draft, and he spent the majority of the 2020 campaign on Philly’s practice squad. He caught on with Kansas City’s practice squad last week, providing the organization with some extra depth along the offensive line.

That depth will be tested during the Super Bowl, as we learned earlier today that left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game. The team is also expected to be without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz during the championship game. Perhaps the team will look to sign a veteran offensive lineman to their practice squad with Wanogho’s former spot.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/25/21

January 25th, 2021 at 6:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Buffalo Bills

WR Tanner Gentry, WR Jake Kumerow, RB Antonio Williams

Green Bay Packers

OLB Tipa Galeai, LB Scoota Harris, OG Zack Johnson, TE Isaac Nauta, DL Willington Previlon, DL Anthony Rush, CB Stanford Samuels, RB Mike Weber, RB Dexter Williams, P Ryan Winslow

Los Angeles Rams

S Jake Gervase, QB Devlin Hodges

As a reminder, these are all non-guaranteed deals, usually for practice-squad-type players, to help teams flesh out their 90-man offseason rosters.

This Date In Transactions History: Eagles Sign TE Zach Ertz To Extension

January 25th, 2021 at 5:02pm CST by Ben Levine

With Zach Ertz coming off a career year and about to enter the final year of his rookie contract, the Eagles decided to back up the Brinks truck on this date five years ago. On January 25th, 2016, Philly signed their star tight end to a five-year extension (including an option for the final year).

The 35th-overall pick in the 2013 draft built off strong rookie and sophomore years and put together a breakout campaign in 2015. Ertz established himself as quarterback Sam Bradford‘s favorite target, hauling in 75 receptions for 853 yards and two touchdowns. As a result of his continued improvement, the Eagles committed to the then-25-year-old through the 2021 season.

Ertz ended up inking a five-year, $42.5MM deal that included $20MM in guaranteed money. At the time, his new $8.5MM AAV ranked fourth in the NFL among tight ends (behind Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski; the deal still ranked seventh this season behind George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Kyle Rudolph, and Gronk in 2020). The deal officially kicked in during the 2017 season, following the completion of Ertz’s rookie contract.

“Nothing could make me happier than knowing I’m going to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for years to come,” Ertz wrote at the time (on his blog).

The Eagles were also happy with the extension, at least temporarily. Ertz made a Pro Bowl in each of the first three years of his extension, including a 2018 campaign where he set the record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (116, which went along with career-highs in receiving yards (1,163) and touchdowns (eight, tie)).

Following another Pro Bowl appearance in 2019, the Eagles predictably picked up Ertz’s option for the 2021 campaign, and it was assumed that the two sides would work on an extension throughout the 2020 campaign. However, following months of inaction, Philly’s extension offer came in lower than expected, putting an “abrupt halt” to the negotiations.

Things went a bit downhill after that; Ertz expressed doubt that the Eagles wanted to keep him long-term, and the tight end reportedly engaged in a shouting match with general manager Howie Roseman following a September practice. To add insult to injury (pun wasn’t really intended), Ertz landed on IR in late October. In total, Ertz finished the 2020 campaign having hauled in 36 receptions for 335 yards and one touchdown, all career-lows. At the end of the season, the veteran indicated that he’d still be open to sticking around Philly.

Ertz’s extension, signed five years ago, is looking like it won’t have the desired ending that both sides had hoped for back in 2016. Still, considering Ertz’s production between 2017-2019 and his continued standing as one of the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends, you could easily say the deal worked out for both sides.

Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz Out For Super Bowl?

January 25th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs beat the Bills without the services of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Odds are, they’ll have to face the Buccaneers without him too. Head coach Andy Reid told reporters that he’s not “optimistic about” Schwartz’s chances of playing in the Super Bowl. (Twitter link via Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star).

Schwartz‘s iron-man streak was snapped at 134 games, thanks to an October back injury. The All-Pro blocker tackle has recovering since Week 6 and attempting to get back on the field. The 31-year-old, who has long been one of the NFL’s top right tackles, will likely wind up as a fan on Super Bowl Sunday.

Schwartz spent four years with the Browns before joining the Chiefs on a five-year, $33MM deal prior to the 2016 season. Then, in 2019, the Chiefs tacked on an additional year. He’s lived up to both contracts, though his back injury may impede him going forward.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have also learned that they’ll be without left tackle Eric Fisher against the Bucs. After Fisher tore his Achilles against the Bills, the Chiefs placed Mike Remmers on the opposite side, kicked Andrew Wylie to the interior, and brought in swingman Stefen Wisniewski. That’ll be the likely arrangement on Feb. 7.

Duce Staley Joins Lions

January 25th, 2021 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

Duce Staley got his wish. The Eagles granted the assistant coach’s request for release, paving the way for him to join the Lions’ staff (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

Staley will now serve as the Lions’ assistant head coach/running backs coach under Dan Campbell. The ex-Eagles running back joined the Birds’ coaching staff all the way back in 2013, but he got frustrated after being passed over twice for the head coaching job. In 2016, the Eagles chose Doug Pederson instead. This year, the Eagles went with Nick Sirianni, who opted against promoting Staley to offensive coordinator.

Staley, who will turn 46 next month, also drew interest from the Bears. Instead, he’ll face Chicago a couple times per year. With ex-RBs Staley and Anthony Lynn (offensive coordinator) in the fold, you can expect the Lions to focus on the run game in 2021. That might be for the best, since the Lions will probably be moving forward without quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Ravens Hope To Re-Up Mark Andrews

January 25th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens aren’t just focused on a new deal for Lamar Jackson. The Ravens also hope to extend Mark Andrews‘ contract this offseason, GM Eric DeCosta says (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic).

“Mark Andrews, in my opinion, is one of the best TEs in the NFL. We’d be foolish to not try and keep him,” DeCosta said. “Those discussions will start up at some point.”

Andrews, 25, turned in a solid encore to his 2019 Pro Bowl season. In 2020, he reeled in 58 grabs for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. Over the course of three pro years, he’s got 156 catches, 2,105 yards, and 20 TDs to his credit. As one of the Ravens’ 2018 third-round picks, he’ll be extension eligible for the first time. The same goes for fellow ’18 third-rounder Orlando Brown, though DeCosta acknowledged that the tackle might not get a re-up due to their cap situation.

Morgan Cox, who has served as the Ravens’ long snapper for eleven years, will also be a victim of the numbers crunch. The four-time Pro Bowler tells Zrebiec that he will not be re-signed after his contract lapses in March.

“Obviously, I’m certainly disappointed that I won’t be back with the Ravens next year,” Cox said. “I take a lot of pride in what we’ve accomplished there. All of that to say, rather than be frustrated or disappointed on this end, which would be easy to fall into, I’m really just thankful that it happened. I am sad that it’s over, but I’m also eternally happy that it happened.”

Chiefs’ Eric Fisher Tears Achilles

January 25th, 2021 at 9:54am CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is the news that Andy Reid expected following Sunday’s win over the Bills.

Fisher, of course, will be out of action when the Chiefs take on the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were already playing without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, and they could be sans both of their starting tackles in the title game. Following Fisher’s exit, the Chiefs moved right tackle Mike Remmers over to the left side, slotted RT Andrew Wylie at right guard, and brought in swingman Stefen Wisniewski to play RG. That’ll likely be the Chiefs’ game plan in Super Bowl LV if Schwartz is still out of action.

The Bucs have a dangerous duo on the edge in Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett, so they’ll be relying heavily on their pass protection. On the plus side, the Chiefs have been resilient throughout the year, despite playing with a weakened front five. Early on, they lost interior standout Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and rookie tackle Lucas Niang to COVID opt-outs. They also lost left guard Kelechi Osemele in October — none of that has stopped the Chiefs’ world-class offense.

Chargers Hire Renaldo Hill As DC

January 25th, 2021 at 8:35am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers will hire Broncos defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill for their defensive coordinator position, as Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Hill, a former NFL safety, has long been considered a “rising star” in the coaching ranks.

Hill has managed the Broncos’ defensive backs for the past two seasons, including the 2019 season when he overlapped with new Bolts head coach Brandon Staley. This new job marks Hill’s biggest role in his coaching career, which began at the University of Wyoming in 2012. His NFL coaching career, meanwhile, only began a few years ago with a job on the Dolphins’ staff.

Staley has been contacting former colleagues in recent weeks and recently tapped one-time Broncos assistant Frank Smith as his offensive line/run game manager. And, just over the weekend, Staley hired fellow Dayton alum Joe Lombardi to be his new offensive coordinator. There’s been a lot of talk about the weapons at Lombardi’s disposal, but Hill also has plenty to work with in safety Derwin James, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, corners Casey Hayward and Chris Harris, and edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa.

Eagles Hire Shane Steichen As OC

January 25th, 2021 at 8:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles will hire Shane Steichen as their new offensive coordinator (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The deal will likely become official sometime this week.

[RELATED: Duce Staley Wants Out]

Steichen has history with new head coach Nick Sirianni – the two worked together with the Chargers from 2014 through 2017. Most recently, Steichen served as the offensive coordinator in Los Angeles, guiding Justin Herbert in his tremendous rookie season. Some believed that Steichen would be a candidate for the Seahawks opening, following Brian Schottenheimer‘s firing, but he’s heading out east instead.

The Bolts promoted Steichen from quarterbacks coach to OC in October 2019 after Ken Whisenhunt‘s offense tanked. Under Whisenhunt, the run game was downright pitiful: The Chargers went four straight games without achieving 40 yards rushing, leaving them in the bottom third of the league in points. With Steichen at the helm, things improved – the Chargers finished out that year ranked No. 12 in DVOA.

Now, the 35-year-old will be tasked with getting Carson Wentz back on track. He’ll also have to hire a new assistant to help with the run game with Duce Staley leaving.