HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Bengals Sign Zac Taylor To Extension

February 16th, 2022 at 9:16am CST by Zachary Links

Zac Taylor is going to stay awhile. On Wednesday morning, the Bengals announced a brand new extension for their head coach that will take him through the 2026 season. 

[RELATED: Burrow Avoids Serious Injury]

“Zac has come into the league and worked to develop the foundations for a winning program that can be successful over time,” said Bengals president Mike Brown. “The fruits of Zac’s efforts were seen this year, and Zac is well-regarded by our players and coaches. I know the effort and passion Zac brings to the building and to our team, and I am pleased by his approach. And I think the city of Cincinnati sees him the way the players and I do. He’s brought excitement to the town and deserves credit and recognition for that.”

The news comes as no surprise, following the Bengals’ Super Bowl appearance. After years of disappointing finishes, the Bengals are clearly on the right track with Taylor at the helm. Of course, the last two years were a different story. Taylor’s teams went 6-25-1 between 2019 and 2020, but the franchise’s decision to stick by him has paid off.

“If I coached in any other organization in football, I probably wouldn’t be here right now in my third year. That’s the truth,” Taylor said during the postseason.

Taylor, 38, became one of the youngest coaches in Super Bowl history this year. With Joe Burrow under center and Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase at wide receiver, Taylor’s Bengals will head into 2022 as an early championship favorite. Meanwhile, more extensions are expected for coaches including wide receivers coach Troy Walters, D-line coach Marion Hobby, tight ends coach James Casey, DC Lou Anarumo, and OC Brian Callahan.

AFC Coaching Notes: Chargers, Steelers, Jaguars

February 15th, 2022 at 10:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Al Golden is leaving Cincinnati after all. The Bengals coach is joining Notre Dame as their new defensive coordinator, reports ESPN’s Pete Thamel (on Twitter). Golden is inking a three-year deal with the school.

The 52-year-old had spent the past two seasons with the Bengals as the team’s linebackers coach. Following a successful 2021 season, Golden was expected to ink a new deal with Cincy. Instead, he’ll be heading back to the college ranks.

Golden spent almost two decades in the NCAA, including stints as head coach at Temple and Miami. He joined the NFL in 2016 when he was hired as the Lions tight ends coach, and he eventually switched over to the defensive side of the ball in 2018.

More coaching notes out of the AFC…

  • The Chargers are looking to hire Brendan Nugent as their offensive line coach, as Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com passes along. Frank Smith left to become the Dolphins offensive coordinator, leaving a vacancy on the LAC staff. Nugent had spent the past seven years with the Saints, earning the promotion to OL coach in 2021.
  • The Steelers have also been seeking a new OL coach, and Brooke Pryor of ESPN tweets that the team is hiring Pat Meyer for the role. Meyer spent the past two seasons as the Panthers offensive line coach, and he also served in that role with the Chargers. The 49-year-old has also had coaching stints with the Bills and Bears.
  • Richard Angulo is heading south. The Ravens assistant offensive line coach is joining the Jaguars as their new tight ends coach, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The former player had been coaching in Baltimore since 2014. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets that the Jaguars have finalized deal with Deshea Townsend as defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach. Before his three-year stint as the Bears secondary coach, Townsend had stints on the Giants and Titans coaching staffs.
  • Nathaniel Hackett continues to add to his Broncos staff. According to Wilson (on Twitter), Denver has hired Ramon Chinyoung as an offensive quality control. Chinyoung had been serving as head football coach/athletic coordinator at Willowridge High in Houston. Meanwhile, the team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve hired Derek Haithcock as assistant to head coach (Dwight Schrute?) and John Vieira as instructional designer.
  • The Colts are finalizing a deal with Richard Smith to be their new linebackers coach, reports Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indy (on Twitter). Smith has had a long NFL coaching career that saw him serve as the defensive coordinator with the Dolphins, Falcons, and Texans. He’s also been on the coaching staffs for the Oilers, Broncos, 49ers, Lions, Panthers, Chargers, and Raiders.
  • The Jets are adding Nathaniel Willingham as a defensive assistant, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). The son of former college coach Tyrone Willingham, Nathaniel Willingham worked at Stanford for four years before spending the past three seasons as a quality control coach with the Broncos.

Vikings To Interview Thomas Brown For OC Job

February 15th, 2022 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a Super Bowl win on Sunday, Rams running backs coach Thomas Brown is now eyeing a potential promotion. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), Brown will interview with the Vikings for their offensive coordinator job.

[RELATED: Vikings Plan To Hire Rams’ Kevin O’Connell]

Former Rams OC (and new Vikings head coach) Kevin O’Connell will surely recruit some of his fellow Rams coaches to Minnesota, and it appears that Brown is on his list. Only 35, Brown has made a rapid rise through the coaching ranks. Following a nine-year stint in the NCAA, Brown has spent the past two years with the Rams. After starting as RBs coach in 2021, Brown also earned the title of assistant head coach in 2021.

Thanks to his success in Los Angeles, Brown was considered for the Dolphins HC gig this offseason. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network (on Twitter), Brown impressed the Dolphins brass, and the coach is considered a “respected offensive mind” around the NFL.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are finalizing their deal with O’Connell to be their new head coach, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). An announcement is coming, and the press conference is expected to take place on Thursday.

Dolphins Expected To Add Darrell Bevell To Coaching Staff

February 15th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Mike McDaniel is adding a notable name to his coaching staff. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports that the Dolphins are expected to hire Darrell Bevell as their passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. ESPN ‘s Jeremy Fowler was first to report (via Twitter) that the Dolphins were closing in on a deal with the veteran coach.

Brought onto Urban Meyer‘s Jaguars staff to be offensive coordinator a little over a year ago, Bevell was tasked with serving as the interim head coach for the Jaguars’ final four games of the 2021 season after Meyer was relieved of his duties. Over those four games, Jacksonville recorded one win and three losses. This wasn’t Bevell’s first tenure as an interim head coach; Bevell coached the final five games of the Lions’ 2020 season after the firing of Matt Patricia, winning one game in Detroit (for a career record of 2-7 as a head coach (all in an interim capacity)).

Prior to his forgettable stints in Detroit (where he also served as OC) and Jacksonville, Bevell had a successful run with the Seahawks. During his seven years as Seattle’s offensive coordinator, the Seahawks were a consistent top-10 offense. Aaron Wilson also gave credit to the coach for the selection of Russell Wilson, and the writer also pointed out Bevell’s ability to recruit former players to his new gigs (a list that includes Brett Favre, Sidney Rice, and Percy Harvin). Now, after having worked with a long list of quarterbacks that includes Favre, Wilson, and Matthew Stafford, Bevell will now be focused on the development of Tua Tagovailoa.

The 52-year-old Bevell was OC in Minnesota from 2006 to 2010, and he also had a six-year stint on the Packers coaching staff.

TE Cameron Brate Expected To Stick With Buccaneers

February 15th, 2022 at 5:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Cameron Brate is expected to be back in Tampa Bay next season, but that will likely come with another pay cut. According to Greg Auman of The Athletic (via Twitter), Brate is expected to return to the Buccaneers next year but will likely have to rework his contract.

The tight end has taken “literal” pay cuts in each of the past two offseasons, per Auman. Brate inked a six-year, $40.8MM extension with the organization in 2018, and he’s set to earn $6.8MM in 2022.

The former undrafted free agent out of Harvard took a bit to find his footing in the NFL. He had a breakout season in 2016, finishing with 660 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He’s been a consistent member of the offense ever since, appearing in every game for the Buccaneers since 2017. He finished this past season with 30 receptions and four scores.

He was buried behind Rob Gronkowski during Tom Brady‘s two years in Tampa Bay, but with the two Hall of Famers out of the picture, Brate should return to the top of the tight end depth chart next season. Fellow tight end O.J. Howard is set to hit free agency this offseason.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow Avoided Serious Injury During Super Bowl

February 15th, 2022 at 5:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Joe Burrow suffered a knee injury during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Fortunately, it sounds like the Bengals QB avoided a serious injury. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (and passed along by NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread), Burrow suffered a sprain that will not require surgery.

Burrow suffered the injury with 11:55 remaining in the game. The QB was sacked by Rams defender Von Miller, and replays showed Burrow yelling in pain after landing on the ground. The former first-overall pick limped to the sideline, but he was able to return to the field and finish the game.

All of Cincinnati surely held their breath while Burrow limped off the field, especially following a 2020 campaign when Burrow was knocked out by a torn ACL and MCL. Fortunately, Burrow escaped serious injury this time around, but the knee sprain just emphasizes the Bengals’ need for more protection in front of their franchise quarterback.

Burrow got into 16 games during his sophomore season, completing a league-leading 70.4 percent of his passes while tossing 34 touchdowns vs. 14 interceptions. The 25-year-old also had a strong postseason, throwing another five touchdowns.

Saints Interview Michael Wilhoite For DC

February 15th, 2022 at 3:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

The search for a new defensive coordinator continues in New Orleans. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Saints have interviewed Michael Wilhoite for the vacancy (Twitter link). 

[Related: Saints Hire Dennis Allen As Head Coach]

Wilhoite, 35, had a seven-year NFL career, including six with the 49ers. That stretch included an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, and set up his coaching career, which began two years after his retirement. He served as a special teams assistant with the Saints in 2019; the following year, he assisted the defensive staff, so there is a degree of familiarity between him and the team. Wilhoite spent the 2021 campaign as the linebackers coach for the Chargers.

The news comes one week after longtime DC Dennis Allen was, as expected, chosen as the successor to Sean Payton. While the team has already made some additions to the offensive staff, the OC role is seen as being more of a priority, given Allen’s background. Still, the team is working to fill the position, having also met with Lions defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant last week. The former Rams assistant has been generating DC interest with his work dating back to 2017 in particular.

While Allen will surely be heavily involved in the Saints’ defense, the team is getting closer to hiring his replacement.

Patriots Promote Matt Groh To Director Of Player Personnel

February 15th, 2022 at 2:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

The departure of Dave Ziegler left a vacancy in the Patriots’ front office. Today, they filled it with an internal promotion, naming Matt Groh their new director of player personnel (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

[Related: Raiders Hire Dave Ziegler]

Groh has spent the last 11 years with New England. After a decade in the team’s scouting department, he served as their college scouting director in 2021. The son of former coach Al (who formerly worked with Bill Belichick), and the brother of recently-named Giants wide receivers coach Mike, he is continuing to climb the ladder in New England.

As Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tweets, Groh played a large role in re-shaping the scouting department in New England last season. With Ziegler out of the picture, Groh will no doubt take on an even larger role in overseeing the department he has so much experience in. Being able to do so would be helpful for the Patriots, as their recent drop off to the middle of the pack in the league has coincided with some less successful drafts than the team is accustomed to.

While there will be an inevitable change of some sort on the coaching staff, following offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel’s departure, the Patriots will at least have a good deal of continuity in the front office.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/15/22

February 15th, 2022 at 1:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s Reserve/Futures deals signed in the NFL:

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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