Today’s taxi squad moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After canning Joe Brady late in his second season as Panthers OC, Matt Rhule said he sought an experienced play-caller to replace him. Two former head coaches are now officially in the running.
Jay Gruden loomed on Carolina’s wish list for over a week, but the former Washington HC has since spoken with Rhule about the job, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Former Giants HC Ben McAdoo also met with the Panthers about the job, doing so Tuesday, per Person (on Twitter).
Gruden, 54, did not coach in 2021, with the Jaguars moving on from him as OC after hiring Urban Meyer. But the six-season Washington HC spent 10 seasons as an NFL play-caller, initially running the Bengals’ offense in the early 2010s. Four of those produced playoff berths, while Kirk Cousins set franchise single-season records under Gruden as well.
McAdoo, 44, worked under Gruden with the Jaguars in 2020, coaching quarterbacks for that 1-15 team. He is obviously better known for his two-season stint as Giants head coach. That ended badly, with an in-season firing, but McAdoo did coach the 2016 Giants to an 11-5 record and the team’s first playoff berth in five years. McAdoo spent the previous two years as Giants OC under Tom Coughlin.
Additionally, Chip Kelly resurfaced as a potential option. Rhule sought to see if the current UCLA coach was interested, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets, but Kelly instead signed an extension to stay with the Bruins. Kelly has not coached in the NFL since his one-and-done 2016 season in San Francisco.
The Panthers have now interviewed seven coaches — Gruden, McAdoo, Luke Getsy, Tim Kelly, Mike Groh, Scottie Montgomery and Klint Kubiak — f0r their OC job.
With Vic Fangio being fired after three seasons, the Broncos are likely planning to hire a new defensive coordinator as well. Their current one has generated outside interest, however.
The Seahawks requested an interview with Ed Donatell, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Donatell spent the past three seasons as Fangio’s right-hand man on defense in Denver but has coached in the NFL for decades — including with Pete Carroll. The Seahawks fired veteran DC Ken Norton Jr. less than 24 hours ago.
Donatell and Carroll were both on Bruce Coslet‘s Jets staffs from 1990-93, and Donatell stayed on in 1994 once the Jets promoted Carroll to HC. Donatell served as Jets DBs coach in the early 1990s; this was his first NFL job. Carroll and Donatell also have a history at the college level, each being on the University of Pacific’s staff in 1983. The Seahawks are not planning to move on from Carroll, despite occasional rumblings, and an interesting reunion could take place.
Donatell, 64, coached DBs under Fangio in San Francisco and Chicago from 2011-21 but has now been defensive coordinator with the Packers, Falcons and Broncos. Denver’s defense, despite extensive injury issues and the trade of Von Miller, finished the season in the top 10 in both total defense (eighth) and points allowed (third) — the team’s best marks during the Fangio-Donatell run.
Nearly 10 names have now been connected to the Panthers in their offensive coordinator. Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy and former Texans OC Tim Kelly are now in the mix.
Both Getsy and Kelly interviewed for the Carolina job, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Panthers have not interviewed everyone to whom they have been connected, but the team has met with Colts wide receivers coach Mike Groh, Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery and Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Getsy, 37, has now interviewed for jobs on two coaching tiers this offseason. The Broncos met with the Packers assistant for their HC job last week. Although Getsy also serves as Green Bay’s passing-game coordinator, he is the least experienced candidate to be linked to the Carolina OC gig thus far. Getsy did serve as Mississippi State’s OC during the 2018 season. His NFL experience has come entirely in Green Bay, where he has worked his way up from the quality control level.
In making their widely debated David Culley decision, the Texans also fired Kelly. Culley kept Kelly in place despite the latter’s extensive ties to Bill O’Brien. Kelly served as Houston’s OC for three seasons, taking over play-calling from O’Brien during that span. Deshaun Watson made his second and third Pro Bowls on Kelly’s watch, while Davis Mills showed improvement as this season progressed.
Interestingly, O’Brien (along with Jay Gruden) have been mentioned as candidates for the Panthers job as well. The Jaguars have also met with O’Brien, who spent the season as Alabama’s OC, for their HC job. Texans QBs coach Pep Hamilton has also popped up on the radar for this expansive Panthers OC search.
After spending some time with both of the recent spring leagues, Trey Brown is back on the NFL GM radar. The current Bengals exec has caught the Raiders’ attention.
The Raiders, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), sent an interview request to Brown. The former Eagles staffer caught on with the Bengals as a scout last year. While Brown’s current title does not match most others in GM mixes, he has been part of this process before — including with the Raiders.
A six-year Eagles staffer from 2013-18, Brown rose to the position of director of college scouting during his final three years in Philly. This garnered him attention from the Bills, who interviewed the then-32-year-old exec for the GM job that went to Brandon Beane in 2017. The Raiders then interviewed Brown for the job that went to Mike Mayock. With Mayock and Jon Gruden now out of the picture, Mark Davis is eyeing Brown once again.
In between Brown’s Raiders interview and Bengals hire, he spent time with the Alliance of American Football and XFL — with the Birmingham Iron and St. Louis BattleHawks, respectively. Brown, 36, began his NFL career with the Patriots in 2010. Brown joins Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler and Colts VP of player personnel Ed Dodds to receive Raiders interview requests.
The second round of interviews conducted by the Giants to fill their general manager vacancy have begun. With it, two candidates have completed – or been scheduled to undertake – in-person meetings with the team’s ownership: Joe Schoen, assistant GM of the Bills, and Ryan Poles, the executive director of player personnel for the Chiefs.
According to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, Schoen had his interview on Tuesday. That news is significant, as he was also the first candidate to interview virtually in the opening round of the GM search. While that may be a coincidence and Schoen might not be the clear-cut favorite, Schwartz writes “there is no denying he is a bonafide NFL front office executive and those in the know around the league anticipate he will have the opportunity to run a team of his own sooner, rather than later”.
The 42-year old Schoen has spent the past five seasons as an assistant under current GM Brandon Beane, who has a relationship with Schoen dating back to 2001 when he was the general manager of the Panthers. The turnaround in Buffalo over the past few years, and Schoen’s role in that process, has earned him plenty of GM interest; he also interviewed with the Bears on Sunday. Not surprisingly, Schwartz writes that “if Schoen gets the job, it is expected he will endorse [Bills OC] Brian Daboll” to become the new head coach.
The request for a second interview with Poles, meanwhile, was first reported (via Twitter) by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He notes that Poles is no stranger to being in strong consideration for a GM job, as he was also a finalist for the position in Carolina last year. The fact that Poles, at 36, is the youngest candidate to fill the Giants’ vacancy makes it noteworthy that he is obviously on the shortlist of options. On the other hand, he has also received interview requests from the Bears and Vikings, proving how popular he is among GM-needy franchises.
Poles’ interview will be conducted on Wednesday, days before the Bills and Chiefs meet in the playoffs. Schwartz notes the large amount of success those two franchises have had in recent years, and the desire for the Giants to “hire someone from outside their organization to show them the way back in [to the postseason]”. He adds that the team is planning on having their GM “in place by the end of the week”.
Stay tuned to see any official announcements naming either of these two as the GM, or any more second interviews conducted with the other eight candidates.
Another name has been added to the list of potential head coaching candidates in Minnesota. The team has requested an interview with Raheem Morris, the current Rams defensive coordinator (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Peter Schrager). 
Morris, 45, has an NFL coaching background dating back to 2002. He has spent time primarily as a defensive backs coach, serving in that role in Tampa Bay (on two different occasions, including the Super Bowl XXXVII-winning squad) and Washington. However, he also took over as the Bucs’ head coach after the firing of Jon Gruden in January of 2009. He had an encouraging year in 2010, posting a 10-6 record, but the one preceding and following that campaign saw the team put up a combined record of 7-25.
After a three year stint in Washington, Morris got his next prominent coaching positions in Atlanta. He served as an assistant head coach and pass game coordinator from his arrival in 2015 to 2019. Then, in 2020, he became the team’s DC until taking over as interim HC following Dan Quinn’s firing. He interviewed to remain in Atlanta on a full-time basis, but the team ultimately went with former Titans OC Arthur Smith.
This past offseason, Morris was hired by the Rams to take over for now-Chargers HC Brandon Staley as the team’s defensive coordinator. His work in L.A. has prompted many to expect more head coaching opportunities, so it was surprising this is the first request he has received in the 2022 coaching cycle.
The news brings the total number of candidates linked to the Vikings’ HC vacancy to ten. Here is the updated list:
Another member of the Crimson Tide has made the decision turn pro. Linebacker Christian Harris has declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, becoming the sixth underclassmen from Alabama to do so.
In an Instagram post, Harris says in part, “First, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play at the University of Alabama. I want to thank family, friends and coaches for supporting me, and believing in me through the adversity we faced. Their support is something I am forever thankful for. I want to especially thank coach Saban coach Goldins for… instilling values that I will take with me on and off the field. Over the past three years, I have developed amazing relationships and made everlasting memories with my teammates… After carefully weighing my options with my family, I know I am ready to accomplish my next goal”.
The announcement came on Monday – the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft – and marks the third defensive starter from Alabama (along with defensive linemen Phidarian Mathis and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis) who is turning pro. The junior posted 80 total tackles, including 11.5 for a loss, along with 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2021 en route to another appearance in the national title game.
His performance this season made him a semifinalist for both the Butkus and Lombardi awards, demonstrating his talent and off-the-field character. The 6-2, 230 pounder should be one of the top middle linebackers taken in the draft, as he is ranked No. 3 at the position by ESPN’s Mel Kiper.
There has been troubling news regarding Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell. The 25-year old has been arrested in Florida, as first reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Unfortunately, it is not the first time he has had run-ins with the law. 
McDowell’s arrest stems from an incident on Monday in Deerfield Beach. As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes, he “has been accused of exposing himself in public, resisting arrest with violence, and battery on a law enforcement officer”. The police report indicates that the latter accusation consisted of a “violent attack” that left the affected deputy “dazed”.
Originally drafted in the second round in 2017 by the Seahawks, McDowell didn’t play at all in his rookie season due to an ATV accident. In December of that same year, he was arrested for disorderly conduct after an incident in an Atlanta nightclub. That wasn’t the end of his legal troubles, however. In November of 2019, McDowell was sentenced to 11 months in prison, along with three years’ probation, after pleading guilty to three charges including DUI and a fight with police officers. That also earned him a two-game NFL suspension, and helped keep him out of the league without having played up to that point. Florio notes that he is still on probation in his native Michigan, which could further complicate this latest incident.
This past May, the Browns signed McDowell to a one year contract. In 15 games, he recorded 33 total tackles, five QB hits and three sacks. While his play demonstrated his potential as an interior disruptor, and likely would have earned him another deal in Cleveland, this news may very well end his NFL career once and for all.
In an official team statement, a spokesperson said, “We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information. We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. We will have no further comment at this time“.
In the aftermath of an historic playoff defeat, and not long before a milestone birthday, Patriots HC Bill Belichick has no plans of leaving his current role. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, he fully intends to continue coaching in New England. 
Belichick held a press conference on Sunday after the Patriots’ 47-17 loss to the Bills. When asked if wanted to return for the 2022 season, he answered “I’d say that would be accurate”. His league-leading 22 year tenure with New England most recently saw one of the worst losses in his career. The Bills became the first team in postseason history to score a touchdown on their first seven possessions, making it clear that defensive improvements need to be an offseason priority. However, he stated an intent to take “a longer view” of the team’s overall performance during the season.
The news comes as Belichick approaches his 70th birthday in April. Reiss notes that he had once planned against coaching into his seventies, as a select few coaches have done – and, in the case of Pete Carroll of the Seahawks and Bruce Arians of the Buccaneers – seem poised to do now. With positive results stemming from an unusually busy free agency last offseason, along with an encouraging rookie season from first-round quarterback Mac Jones, there is cause for optimism the team can continue building momentum off of 2021’s 10-7 campaign.
If the league’s only six-time Super Bowl champion does return in 2022, he would likely hit a major milestone in terms of not only age, but success. If the Patriots were to win at least four games next year, that would move Belichick ahead of George Halas (324) into second on the all-time head coaching wins list. An overall record of 321-156 between the regular season and playoffs combined also gives Belichick a good chance at eclipsing Don Shula (347) for top spot on the list as early as 2023.