HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Alex Van Pelt Lands Patriots’ OC Job

February 1st, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:20pm: The Patriots have officially announced the hiring. The organization also revealed that they’ve hired Jeremy Springer as their new special teams coordinator.

Springer spent the past two seasons as the Rams assistant special teams coach, and he had previous ST coordinator gigs at Marshall and Arizona. Springer had a pair of interviews for the Patriots job, with the coach having a dinner with Patriots brass last week.

4:20pm: A thorough Patriots search to replace Bill O’Brien took place, and it will end with a recently dismissed coordinator seeing a responsibility increase. Alex Van Pelt will be the Pats’ choice as offensive coordinator, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Fired after four seasons as the Browns’ non-play-calling OC, Van Pelt will move into position to call plays for the Patriots. He will become New England’s fourth OC in four seasons. After Josh McDaniels reclaimed the Pats’ play-calling reins for a 10-year period, his Las Vegas exit destabilized this situation. Van Pelt had interviewed for the Buccaneers and Raiders’ jobs, but he will end up with the AFC East club.

The team, which employed O’Brien and Matt Patricia as its primary play-callers over the past two seasons, will look to Van Pelt to offer more consistency. The Pats have now filled their OC and DC posts. With Jerod Mayo bringing a defensive background into his first chance as a head coach, the Van Pelt hire is naturally more important than the recent DeMarcus Covington promotion. After working as a Kevin Stefanski game-planning aide for four years, Van Pelt will pick up play-calling duties in Foxborough.

This hire comes at a rather important juncture for the franchise. The Patriots hold the No. 3 overall pick. Although this was long regarded as a draft that would begin with Caleb Williams and Drake Maye before a potential drop-off at quarterback, Heisman winner Jayden Daniels has made inroads toward being an early draftee. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN mock draft has Daniels going off the board to Washington at No. 2, with Maye falling to New England at 3. Whichever passer the Pats end up with, it would be their top draft investment at the position since choosing Drew Bledsoe first overall in 1993.

Chosen seven rounds after Bledsoe in that 1993 draft, Van Pelt played quarterback in the NFL for 11 years. The 53-year-old assistant has primarily coached QBs during his time on the sidelines. Van Pelt was in place as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach from 2014-17, which overlapped with the second of the ex-Packer great’s four MVP awards. This is now his third crack as an offensive coordinator. The longtime Bills backup QB received an early chance to call plays in Buffalo, back in 2009 under Dick Jauron. A Bills coaching change sent Van Pelt back to the position coach circuit, but the Browns moved him back to the coordinator tier in 2020.

The Browns made the decision to fire Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney. These ousters proved curious due to the play at certain positions. Cleveland received a boost from its Joe Flacco signing, with the recent Jets backup showing much better form than he displayed in New York. While Flacco could not lead the Browns past the Texans in the wild-card round, Stefanski and Van Pelt helped the aging QB morph from emergency late-season signing to Comeback Player of the Year finalist.

Van Pelt interviewed well in Tampa, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, potentially giving him options. The Bucs and Raiders will continue their respective searches. The Patriots are attempting to bounce back from a rough two-season stretch on offense. Mac Jones‘ value tanked in that span, going from Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021 to a player demoted to the third-string spot by the end of his third seasons.

The Pats ranked 31st in points and 30th in total yardage under O’Brien, who left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. The team will turn to Van Pelt (and likely a rookie QB) in an effort to change its fortunes on offense. This will be Van Pelt’s 19th season as an NFL assistant.

With Van Pelt now in the fold, the Patriots can start filling out the rest of their coaching staff. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the team is eyeing Andy Dickerson as their offensive line coach. Following a nine-year stint as the Rams assistant OL coach, Dickerson spent four years on the Seahawks staff, serving as the offensive run game coordinator and (later) the offensive line coach.

Bengals Want To Re-Sign Tee Higgins, Uncertain To Retain Jonah Williams

February 1st, 2024 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin quickly took Tee Higgins out of trade rumors in his contract year, indicating the team’s No. 2 wide receiver would not be available. While Higgins did not take a step forward in 2023, he still stands to be one of the top pass catchers available — should the Ja’Marr Chase sidekick reach free agency.

Tobin is a bit less emphatic about Higgins’ future with the team this year. The former second-round pick played out his rookie deal and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. If the Bengals do not have Higgins franchise-tagged by March 5 or re-signed by March 11, the Clemson product will be free to speak with other teams.

Seeing as Chase will understandably be the receiver priority and the team having made Joe Burrow the NFL’s highest-paid player, the prospect of losing Higgins has long been on the horizon. The Bengals do, however, want to re-sign the four-year starter. A January report also indicated the team is prepared to tag the 6-foot-4 pass catcher.

“We’ll see what happens this year,” Tobin said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. “I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like to have Tee Higgins back. Again, there’s one pie and how big of a slice that takes and what else we can’t do because of it, we’ll have to determine and we’ll see.”

Higgins, who finished an injury-plagued season with career-low marks in receptions (42) and yards (656), would cost approximately $21.7MM to retain on the tag. The Bengals cuffed A.J. Green back in 2020. That situation, when Burrow was on a rookie deal, obviously differs from present circumstances. Burrow is now the NFL’s salary kingpin, and Chase is on track to one day become the league’s highest-paid receiver.

Thanks to the fifth-year option, Chase can be kept on his rookie contract through the 2025 season. No team in the fifth-year option era has extended a first-round receiver with two years of control remaining on a rookie deal; as was the case with Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, this points Cincinnati toward Chase extension talks in his fifth year (2025) rather than this offseason.

Still, a future with Chase on a deal that eclipses $30MM per year will impact the Bengals’ decision on Higgins. The sides engaged in extension talks before the season, but Higgins did not find the team’s offer appealing. The Bengals still rebuffed trade interest before the deadline. Burrow’s contract also features a midlevel cap number in 2024 ($29.7MM) before spiking past $45MM in 2025. Burrow’s contract structure and the prospect of Chase being kept on a rookie rate next season does keep the door open for a Higgins rental year.

Tobin seems less optimistic Jonah Williams can be retained. The Bengals blindsided Williams by signing Orlando Brown Jr. to a $16MM-per-year deal, a move that kicked the three-year left tackle to the right side. Williams requested a trade but returned to the fold during the summer. It certainly looks like the four-year O-line starter will be on the move soon.

“I don’t know what the future holds. We’ll see,” Tobin said, via Conway. “We’ve got this pie, whether there’s a big enough piece of pie for him or he’s going to get a bigger piece of pie somewhere else, we’ll see. It’s hard to predict right now exactly what other teams are going to do and their interest level in any of our free agents. We’re proud of Jonah for the way he played.”

Williams, 26, returned from his postseason knee injury to start all 17 Bengals games this past season. Pro Football Focus graded him 59th among tackles, and it will be interesting to see if Williams makes it clear ahead of free agency he wants to return to left tackle for his next team. Regardless of position, the 2019 first-round pick would be one of the top O-linemen available if he hits the market.

Seahawks Interested In Alabama’s Ryan Grubb For OC Role

February 1st, 2024 at 3:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

New Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald has a college option in mind to become his offensive coordinator. Weeks after accepting an offer to become Alabama’s OC, Ryan Grubb could return to Washington.

In place as the Huskies’ OC over the past two seasons, Grubb is now in play to join the Seahawks, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. Grubb agreed to leave the Seattle-based program for Alabama in mid-January, following ex-Washington HC Kalen DeBoer — Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide successor — after the Pac-12 school soared to the national championship game. No agreement between Grubb and the Seahawks has been finalized.

Grubb, 47, has climbed the ladder in recent years. Stationed as Eastern Michigan’s offensive line coach as recently as 2016, Grubb spent the next five seasons at Fresno State. He closed that tenure with three seasons as the OC for the Mountain West Conference program. Washington ranked 13th in Division I-FBS in points per game this season, and QB Michael Penix led the nation with 4,903 passing yards. Ex-Huskies wideout Rome Odunze is on the radar to become a top-10 pick. The Seahawks are not the first team to look into Grubb, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, who mentions the two-year Washington OC generated interest in the recent past.

While Grubb reversing course after starting work on the recruiting trail would be unexpected, coach backtracking is not exactly rare. Alabama has not announced his hire yet, and the allure of an NFL gig would certainly intrigue. The Seahawks must interview at least one external minority candidate to comply with the Rooney Rule, and it would surprise if the team did not meet with multiple NFL assistants as it considers Shane Waldron‘s successor.

The Seahawks did not stop Waldron from leaving, allowing Pete Carroll‘s assistants to explore other jobs. Waldron and longtime Seahawks running backs coach Chad Morton are now with the Bears, with Waldron in place as Chicago’s play-calling OC. With Macdonald set to call defensive plays, Seattle’s OC post represents the top offensive voice in the building. It will be a critical hire as the NFL’s youngest HC begins his tenure.

Texans To Bring Back LS Jon Weeks

February 1st, 2024 at 2:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already the longest-tenured player in Texans history, Jon Weeks will keep going with the AFC South franchise. The veteran long snapper is set to play a 15th season with the team.

Weeks agreed to another one-year contract to stay in Houston on Thursday, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Standard long snapper money will come Weeks’ way, with the specialist agreeing to terms on a $1.38MM deal for the 2024 season. The contract includes a $168K signing bonus.

This season, Weeks reached 227 games as a Texan this season (239 if playoff games are counted, as Weeks has snapped in every Texans playoff game). The 2024 season will be Weeks’ age-38 campaign; he will turn 38 later this month. The low wear and tear on long snappers allows for considerable longevity, and Weeks has taken full advantage by extending his career to this point.

The Texans initially added Weeks as a 2010 UDFA. This will be the Baylor alum’s eighth contract with the team. After signing multiple four-year extensions during the 2010s, Weeks has gone year-to-year since 2020.

Houston’s long snapper has played for seven head coaches, counting the team’s two interim leaders during his career, over the course of his NFL run. Weeks earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2015. He has lapped the field in terms of Texans games logged, surpassing Andre Johnson‘s previous franchise games-played record (169) a few years back.

NFC Coaching Notes: Martindale, Macdonald, Gruden, Saints, Canales, Bucs, Bears, Eagles

February 1st, 2024 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers went off the board with their defensive coordinator hire, bringing in Boston College HC Jeff Hafley. Matt LaFleur has looked to the college ranks during each of his DC searches, wanting to hire then-Wisconsin staffer Jim Leonhard in 2021. Hafley’s hire comes after the Packers squeezed in another interview with a seasoned NFL coordinator. Don Martindale met with the Pack about the gig, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein tweets.

Martindale resigned his two-year post as Giants DC after a turbulent second season with Brian Daboll; he has since interviewed with the Jaguars for a job that went to Ryan Nielsen. Martindale has been accused of going rogue at points in New York, with the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz adding another footnote here. Ahead of the Giants’ Christmas game against the Eagles, Martindale is believed to have requested the equipment staff change linebacker Tomon Fox‘s number from 49 to 94 due to the DC’s plans of having him bumped up from the practice squad. That change was made without Daboll or GM Joe Schoen‘s approval.

As the Giants’ DC search continues, here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • The Saints–Jon Gruden connection persists. Although Gruden is not on the radar — at least, as far as we know — for the Saints’ OC job, a GM informed the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora the former Raiders and Buccaneers HC should be expected to have a bigger role with New Orleans in 2024. Gruden worked as a consultant last summer and met with Saints officials recently. The GM suggested the possibility Gruden could eventually replace Dennis Allen, which would be quite the development considering the circumstances surrounding Gruden’s Las Vegas exit. For now, Gruden, who is still suing the NFL, remains without an NFL job.
  • Unsurprisingly, Mike Macdonald confirmed he will start his Seahawks tenure as the team’s defensive play-caller. Though, the new Seattle HC said (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) he is open to that changing at some point. Michigan’s 2021 DC, Macdonald called plays for the Ravens over the past two years and became one of this year’s most popular HC candidates as a result. Although Pete Carroll carried a defensive background, he did not serve as the Seahawks’ defensive play-caller.
  • The Buccaneers have lost much of their offensive staff to Carolina, seeing one-and-done OC Dave Canales take three staffers (receivers coach Brad Idzik, run-game coordinator Harold Goodwin, O-line coach Joe Gilbert). Tom Moore, however, will be staying in Tampa, per Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager. Moore, 85, has been with the Bucs since Bruce Arians‘ 2019 arrival. The former Colts OC, who is now 85, has served as a consultant for the NFC South team. This will be Moore’s 47th NFL season.
  • Baker Mayfield finished last in QBR in 2022, seeing his Panthers stay responsible for that dismal result. Canales helping the inconsistent QB recover from what happened in Carolina represents a key reason for his HC hire, ESPN.com’s David Newton notes. A Canales selling point hinged on the Bucs’ downfield passing, with Newton adding Tampa Bay went from 24th in that area (6.9 air yards per attempt) in Tom Brady‘s final season to third in 2023 (8.4).
  • The Eagles have permitted quarterbacks coach Alex Tanney to explore opportunities elsewhere, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. During the period between Brian Johnson‘s exit and the Kellen Moore OC hire, Tanney asked the team for the opportunity. The Eagles are moving on, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. Tanney received interest from the Colts last year, and McLane points to Indianapolis under ex-Eagles OC Shane Steichen as a potential landing spot.
  • The Bears have hired three more assistants. Chad Morton is signing on as running backs coach, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser, while ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin adds Chris Beatty is coming in as wide receivers coach. Most recently with the Chargers, Beatty coached D.J. Moore at Maryland. A former NFL return man, Morton is following OC Shane Waldron from Seattle. Morton was the Seahawks’ RBs coach from 2017-23. Chicago also hired Jason Houghtaling as assistant O-line coach, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds; Houghtaling was Tennessee’s O-line coach in 2023.

Packers Expect To Retain Aaron Jones, Not Considering Jaire Alexander Trade

February 1st, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2023 offseason involved multiple teams moving pricey running back contracts off their payroll, while others — the Packers included — reached pay-cut agreements with veteran starters. Aaron Jones‘ contract runs through 2024 and sees its cap number increase significantly, seemingly putting the accomplished back on unstable ground.

GM Brian Gutekunst may be putting a stop to talk of Jones leaving Green Bay, however, indicating (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) the Packers “absolutely” expect their starting running back to be on the 2024 roster. Jones has been with the Packers since 2017. Of the deep 2017 RB draft class, only he, Alvin Kamara and Joe Mixon remain with the teams that selected them.

Jones agreed to take a $5MM pay cut last February, with that deal adding an $8.52MM signing bonus. The restructure added void years to the veteran back’s deal and trimmed his 2023 cap figure to $8.2MM. The cap hit spikes to $17MM in 2024, potentially pointing to another Packers move to address their top RB’s deal.

“He was such a difference-maker when he was out there this year, the way our offense was able to move,” Gutekunst said. “He changed a lot of the way we operated when he was in there and when he was healthy. He’s just really the heartbeat of our team.”

A Jones extension would make sense, as the void years on the current deal would bring a $6.6MM dead-money hit if he is not re-signed before the 2025 league year. Though, teams are no longer making a habit of reupping backs in their late 20s. The Packers gave Jones a four-year, $48MM deal just before free agency in 2021, changing course after several years of not paying running backs. The NFL largely opted to squeeze RBs last year, bringing another value drop for a position long past its prestige peak.

Jones, 29, missed time this season due to MCL and hamstring issues. These injuries caused the seven-year veteran to miss six games. But the UTEP alum proved effective when available, finishing the season surging. Returning to action in Week 14, the former fifth-round pick closed the season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. This counted two in the playoffs, springing the Packers past the Cowboys and nearly upsetting the No. 1-seeded 49ers six days later. Jones’ veteran presence certainly helped a Packer team reliant on nothing but first- or second-year pass catchers.

AJ Dillon is coming off a sluggish contract year, being set to hit free agency at a bad time — as a crowded RB market is set to form. Jones being released — a move that would come with $12MM in dead money without a post-June 1 designation — would send him to a market that could well house Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard and D’Andre Swift. Dillon is unlikely to secure a lucrative deal on this market. The Packers losing Jones would also create a major need, albeit at a position that is among the easiest to fill.

Additionally, Gutekunst made an effort to cool down Jaire Alexander trade rumors. The longtime Packers GM said, via Schneidman, no consideration is being given to trading Alexander. Following Alexander’s coin-toss fiasco that led to a one-game suspension, a report injected doubt about the highly paid cornerback’s Wisconsin future. The Packers owe Alexander an $8MM roster bonus on March 20.

The Packers gave Alexander a four-year, $84MM extension — one that remains the NFL’s high-water AAV mark for corners — in 2022 but have seen the former first-round pick miss extensive time due to injuries over the past three seasons. After a shoulder malady cost Alexander most of the 2021 season, he missed 10 games this year. That and the costly contract dent Alexander’s trade value. That said, Pro Football Focus rated the six-year veteran in the top 25 at the position this season.

Ravens Promote Zach Orr To DC

February 1st, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

A day after Mike Macdonald‘s departure for Seattle, the Ravens have a new defensive coordinator. Once again, Baltimore will give its defensive play-calling gig to a staffer who brings extensive experience with the franchise.

The Ravens announced Thursday they are elevating inside linebackers coach Zach Orr to replace Macdonald. A former Ravens linebacker, Orr has been on the team’s staff for all but one season since 2017. Multiple logical candidates appeared in place for the Ravens, but it will be Orr who takes over.

The Packers interviewed Orr on Wednesday but went with Boston College HC Jeff Hafley. At 31, Orr will become the NFL’s second-youngest defensive coordinator. Cardinals DC Nick Rallis is 30.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

This promotion comes after Dennard Wilson agreed to leave for Tennessee. The Titans reached an agreement to hire Wilson, who spent this past season as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach, as their next DC. D-line coach Anthony Weaver also stood as a clear option, considering he booked two interviews for the Commanders’ HC job and has coordinator experience (2020 in Houston). But Orr loomed as the favorite over Weaver, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec tweets.

The Seahawks also considered Orr an option to become their next DC, according to ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. Orr worked under Macdonald over the past two seasons and coached alongside him in Baltimore from 2017-20. While this could open the door for Weaver in Seattle, it is a bit early to make predictions before the Seahawks start a search.

Orr has ascended fairly quickly in Baltimore. His playing career ended early due to a neck injury. A congenital neck condition stalled Orr’s ascent as a Ravens defender. He started 15 games for the Ravens in 2016, moving into the lineup that year and making 133 tackles. Despite the Ravens rostering C.J. Mosley at the time, Orr led the ’16 team in tackles and intercepted three passes. The neck problem interrupted Orr as a player, but he was part of the Ravens’ coaching staff soon after that retirement.

Learning the ropes as a defensive analyst from 2017-20, Orr received a chance to coach a position in Jacksonville in 2021. Unfortunately for Orr, that came under Urban Meyer. The Jaguars scrapped the Meyer operation, which included Orr as an outside linebackers coach, months after greenlighting it. The Ravens rehired Orr in 2022, and he has mentored one of the league’s best linebacking duos in that span. Baltimore saw both its inside ‘backers — Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen — earn Pro Bowl nods. After an iffy first two seasons, Queen has taken off with Smith and Orr in the fold. Queen is a candidate to leave in free agency, seeing as the Ravens have Smith tied to the NFL’s top ILB contract. But the Ravens will again ensure continuity on their defensive staff.

Baltimore hired Macdonald from Michigan, but he had been on John Harbaugh‘s staff from 2014-20. The continuity-based franchise has made familiarity a prerequisite for this job. The Ravens bumped Don Martindale up to DC in 2018, after he had spent the previous six seasons on staff. Dean Pees was a Ravens assistant before moving to DC in 2012, with Chuck Pagano taking the same path previously. Both Greg Mattison and Rex Ryan were position coaches in Baltimore prior to moving up, with Mike Nolan doing the same in 2002.

Marvin Lewis was hired from outside the organization, but seeing as that took place during the year the Browns morphed into the Ravens (1996), this Baltimore-based franchise has never looked beyond its facility for a DC option. Orr will continue the pipeline, being the first ex-Ravens player to take this job.

Commanders Spoke With Bill Belichick About HC Job

February 1st, 2024 at 11:46am CST by Sam Robinson

While multiple reports came out suggesting the Commanders were not interested in Bill Belichick, the longtime Patriots HC may have spoken to two teams about HC positions this year.

The Commanders are believed to have spoken with Belichick about the job, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Some internal support existed for a hire, though not too much appears to have developed on that front. Five teams went with defense-oriented candidates this year, making it even more interesting the greatest defensive coach in NFL history does not have a job.

[RELATED: Commanders Expected To Retain Martin Mayhew]

Belichick met with the Falcons twice about their job and was viewed as the early favorite. But that prospective partnership fizzled, leading to Raheem Morris landing the Atlanta job. Both the positions to which Belichick was connected went to candidates who served as Falcons HCs in 2020; Morris succeeded Dan Quinn in the interim that year. Quinn became the team’s Ron Rivera successor Thursday morning.

Although a brief Belichick-Commanders connection formed as the regular season ended, Russini’s report runs counter to what came out when the Patriots and Belichick parted ways. The Commanders were not believed to be interested in the Maryland native for their job, and a Wednesday follow-up indicated the team expressed issues with Belichick’s age and how he would fit on a rebuilding team. Belichick’s willingness to work alongside new football ops president Adam Peters is also believed to have come up during the Washington search.

It is possible the above-referenced concerns developed after the Commanders discussed the job with Belichick, though no official interview was ever reported. The Falcons reported both their meetings with the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC. Ben Johnson appeared positioned as the favorite for the Washington job, but the Detroit OC — just before his second interview with the Commanders — informed both the Commanders and Seahawks he was staying with the Lions. It is unclear if Quinn served as a consolation prize, but given the smoke surrounding Johnson, assuming that is the case would not be a stretch.

Belichick joins Mike Vrabel and Pete Carroll as longtime HCs out of the mix for the 2024 season. The 24-year New England leader has not been connected to retirement, sitting 14 wins shy of Don Shula‘s all-time record. Belichick and Vrabel’s statuses stand to make the 2025 coaching carousel fascinating, as that could conceivably represent the former’s last chance to land another NFL HC job. At 48, Vrabel obviously has more time. Belichick, 72 in April, has been an NFL staffer in every season since 1975. He has not worked as an assistant since being the Jets’ defensive coordinator in 1999.

Joe Whitt Favorite To Become Cowboys’ DC; Commanders Also Interested?

February 1st, 2024 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

One of Dan Quinn‘s assistants in Atlanta and Dallas, Joe Whitt appears more likely to stay with the Cowboys than follow Quinn to Washington. With Quinn signing on as Commanders HC, the Cowboys are looking inward to replace him.

The Cowboys’ secondary coach for the past three seasons, Whitt has emerged as the lead candidate to take over for Quinn as DC, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken. Whitt has been an NFL assistant since 2007. One year remains on Whitt’s contract, the Morning News’ Calvin Watkins tweets.

Whitt could, however, have two options in the NFC East. Whitt’s past with Quinn would naturally point to the new Commanders leader viewing him as a strong candidate to move to Washington to become its DC. That scenario should not be ruled out, per NFL.com’s Steve Wyche. Quinn is believed to have mentioned Whitt as a DC option during interviews, ESPN.com’s John Keim tweets. The Cowboys would be unable to block that move, as it would be a promotion to a coordinator post, but the team can also offer its own DC job to convince Whitt to stay.

The Cowboys may also have a difficult time hiring a defensive coordinator from outside the organization. Although the team has one of the NFL’s top defensive nuclei, Mike McCarthy will be the rare head coach to enter a season as a lame duck. The Cowboys are not expected to extend their fifth-year HC, whose job security sustained a massive blow after the Packers’ wild-card upset.

Whitt, 45, spent 10 seasons with the Packers (2009-18) before a one-and-done season under Freddie Kitchens in Cleveland. Quinn hired Whitt to be the Falcons’ secondary coach and defensive pass-game coordinator in 2020 and circled back to him upon landing the DC job in Dallas a year later. The Cowboys’ secondary has performed well under Whitt, seeing two cornerbacks — Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland — earn first-team All-Pro acclaim. Diggs became the first cornerback since the Cowboys’ Everson Walls in 1981 to intercept 11 passes in a season, and Bland broke the single-season pick-six record with five this season. The Cowboys have also fixed their yearslong safety issue during Whitt’s time, finding value on three midlevel safety contracts given to Jayron Kearse, Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker.

Defensive line coach Aden Durde also followed Quinn from Atlanta, positioning the England-born assistant to be a DC candidate in Dallas or Washington. Cornerbacks coach Al Harris also stands as an option, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. Durde has also emerged as a candidate for the Rams’ DC job.

If an outside hire is to be considered, the Cowboys have been connected to recently fired Commanders HC Ron Rivera. The latter interviewed for the Eagles’ job that quickly went to Vic Fangio. While this path would allow Rivera to land on his feet, it would be worth wondering if the veteran coach would take a job under a lame-duck HC considering his recent dismissal in Washington. Though, the Cowboys and Commanders effectively trading defensive coordinators would be a fun NFL storyline.

2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 1st, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders’ hire has wrapped this year’s cycle. Barring a team making an 11th-hour change, the 2024 HC carousel has come to a stop. The final breakdown produced five defensive coaches being hired compared to three with backgrounds on offense. Many teams are still searching for offensive and defensive coordinators, however.

Updated 2-1-24 (10:37am CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Hired

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

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