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AFC Coaching Notes: Colts, Bills, Jaguars, Ravens

February 12th, 2022 at 8:55pm CST by Ely Allen

Since Frank Reich was able to land defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to replace Bears’ head coach Matt Eberflus, Bradley has begun the process of putting his staff together. Today Bradley added longtime defensive backs coach Ron Milus to coach his secondary, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Milus first started coaching defensive backs at his alma mater, the University of Washington, about eight years after playing cornerback there. He held the college position for seven years before getting an NFL coaching opportunity in 2000. Since then, Milus hasn’t spent a season out of work with stints in Denver, Arizona, New York (Giants), St. Louis, Carolina, San Diego, and Las Vegas. His longest stint was with the Chargers, spending eight years in southern California and transitioning with the team to Los Angeles. It was in Los Angeles that Milus was retained when Bradley joined the Chargers’ staff. He followed Bradley to Las Vegas and will join him once more in Indianapolis.

Here are a few other coaching notes from around the AFC starting with another bit from the Hoosier State:

  • In addition to Milus, Mike Chappell of Fox59 reports that Indianapolis is also in the process of hiring linebackers coach Richard Smith, who worked with Bradley and Milus in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Smith has coached in the NFL since he debuted for the Houston Oilers in 1988 coaching special teams and tight ends. He found his niche as a linebackers coach in 1997 for the 49ers and has had three short stints as a defensive coordinator in Miami, Houston, and Atlanta.
  • ESPN’s Yates also tweeted out a report that the Bills have added former QB Kyle Shurmur on staff in a defensive quality control position. After four years at Vanderbilt, Shurmur signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs, spending time on their practice squad as well as on the Bengals’ and Washington’s practice squads. He was released by Washington a little over a month ago and that appears to mark the end of his playing career. He seems to be following in the footsteps of his father, Pat Shurmur, and joining the coaching track.
  • A castaway from the Matt Nagy Bears’ staff, outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey will not be without work for long as Curtis Crabtree of NBC Sports reports that Shuey is joining Doug Pederson‘s staff in Jacksonville in the same role. Shuey and Pederson had two separate tenures together in Philadelphia.
  • Pederson also made a crucial move of retaining running backs coach Bernie Parmalee. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tells us that keeping Parmalee was a priority for Pederson, especially due to his strong relationship with star running back James Robinson.
  • Baltimore has hired Rob Leonard as outside linebackers coach, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (Twitter). Leonard will replace Drew Wilkins who left to join Brian Daboll‘s staff in New York. Leonard spent the past three seasons in the same position with the Dolphins. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic adds that former Michigan analyst Ryan Osborn will follow Mike Macdonald to the Ravens for a quality control position. Osborn is credited with having a role in the development of Wolverines’ EDGE players like Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.

Emmanuel Sanders Considering Retirement

February 11th, 2022 at 9:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Emmanuel Sanders has spent the past few seasons chasing a second Super Bowl ring, but 2021 may have been the final chapter in that endeavor. As Nick Fierro of Sports Illustrated writes, the veteran is giving retirement some serious consideration. 

Sanders will be 35 by the start of the 2022 season, which would be his 13th year in the league. In an interview with Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports, he made it clear that his priorities may be changing with regards to the balance between football and family.

“I’ve got my son, he’s getting older”, he said. “I’ve got a daughter getting older. And for the past three years, [I’ve] been traveling and moving from team to team, trying to win a Super Bowl. But I’ve got some reflecting I want to do and possibly retire. I don’t know yet. I’m just feeling it out”.

Sanders spent the first four years of his career with the Steelers, after being drafted in the third round in 2010. His longest – and most successful – stint came with the Broncos, which included a stretch of three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. It’s also where he won his only Super Bowl to date. He got a chance at another title with the 49ers in 2019, but wound up on the losing end of that game.

After a season with the Saints which saw another playoff appearance, and demonstrated he could still be a productive complementary receiver, Sanders joined his third new team in as many years. He signed a one-year, $6MM deal with the Bills last March. Even though Sanders didn’t exactly fill the stat sheet (42 catches, 626 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games), he had another good opportunity at a Super Bowl. Once again, he was ousted by the Chiefs, though, in an iconic game which may have been his last in the NFL.

If Sanders does find a home for another season, he would need 755 yards to reach 10,000 for his career. If he doesn’t return to Buffalo, the Bills would still have Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis under contact for next season.

Bills’ Tre’Davious White On Track To Return In 2022

February 10th, 2022 at 9:54am CST by Adam La Rose

The loss of Tre’Davious White was a massive one for the Bills this season. In his absence, the team came within a play of a second straight AFC Championship game appearance, but there is encouraging news for the Pro Bowl cornerback. He is “on schedule” with regards to the recovery process from his torn ACL, writes Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News. 

White suffered the injury in November, ending his fifth career season prematurely. It was a crushing blow to the Bills’ defense, of course, but also for the former All-Pro, since many of his coverage statistics were career bests at the time. In 11 games, he ended up with 41 tackles, one forced fumble, six pass breakups and one interception.

That certainly wasn’t what White or the Bills were hoping for after agreeing on a four-year extension worth up to $70MM heading into the final season of his rookie contract. On the positive side, though, head coach Sean McDermott stated that White has undergone surgery and is recovering well so far.

“It looks like, from what I’m hearing, both are on schedule”, he said, referring to White and defensive tackle Justin Zimmer. “I hate seeing them in that position, but their determination, their guts, their grit is on display every day, and it’s not an easy process, the pain they’re going through to get back”.

Assuming he is fully recovered by Week 1 next season, White will anchor a Bills defense which, if it stays intact, should keep Buffalo in position as a Super Bowl contender.

Coaching Notes: Wilks, Bills, Dolphins, Bears, Broncos

February 9th, 2022 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Steve Wilks is back with the Panthers. The team announced that they’ve hired the veteran coach as their new defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach.

Wilks played for the Carolina franchise during his stint in the AFL, and his first coaching gig was at a nearby college. Of course, Wilks also worked for the Panthers, starting as a defensive backs coach before working his way up to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

The 52-year-old had a brief stint as the Cardinals head coach in 2018 before moving on to Cleveland as the Browns defensive coordinator in 2019. Now, he’s back in Carolina, replacing now-Raiders defensive pass-game coordinator Jason Simmons.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • The Bills have a new special teams coordinator, as the team announced the promotion of Matthew Smiley. The veteran coach has spent the past five years in Buffalo, serving as assistant ST coach. Per the team’s announcement, Smiley played a significant role in the development of kicker Tyler Bass and returner Andre Roberts. Smiley will replace Heath Farwell, who will be joining the Jaguars coaching staff.
  • Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will be retaining special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). Crossman has been with the Dolphins since 2019, and he earned a promotion to assistant head coach in 2021. The 55-year-old previously served as the ST coordinator with the Bills, Lions, and Panthers.
  • Matt Eberflus continues to add to his coaching staff. The Bears announced that they’ve hired Tim Zetts as their assistant tight ends coach and Omar Young as an offensive quality control coach. The two coaches both have connections to the Packers franchise. Meanwhile, Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the Bears also hired David Walker as their new running backs coach. The 52-year-old last coached in 2018.
  • Ben Steele will be the Broncos new assistant offensive line coach, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). Chris Kuper, who previously served in the role, has been let go. Steele will report to Butch Barry, who is the full-time OL coach.

AFC Coaching Notes: Bieniemy, Raiders, Broncos, Jaguars, Bills, Ravens

February 7th, 2022 at 10:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Another coaching cycle has come and gone without Eric Bieniemy getting a head coaching job, but that doesn’t mean the Chiefs offensive coordinator will automatically return to Kansas City. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), Bieniemy‘s contract is expiring.

While the accomplished offensive coordinator could (and probably will) ink a new contract with the Chiefs, Pelissero warns that he would be a “hot free-agent OC target elsewhere.” You could make an argument that Bieniemy could improve his chances for a HC gig if he succeeds out of Andy Reid’s and Patrick Mahomes‘ shadows. Of course, if Bieniemy struggles without his elite offense, that would surely compromise any lingering chances he has of securing that elusive promotion.

Following a five-year stint as the Chiefs RBs coach, he earned a promotion to OC in 2018. Considering the Chiefs’ success, Bieniemy was a popular name in the coaching circuit in both 2019 and 2020. However, the 52-year-old didn’t generate as much interest during this year’s coaching cycle, as he was connected to only a pair of jobs (Saints, Broncos).

More coaching notes out of the AFC…

  • Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon will join the Raiders in the same role, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The 52-year-old has been a ST coordinator in the NFL since he was hired by the Rams in 2009, and he worked alongside Josh McDaniels during his final season with the organization. McMahon has since served as the ST coordinator for the Chiefs, Colts, and Broncos.
  • The Broncos natural replacement for McMahon, special teams assistant Chris Gould, was let go by the organization, reports Klis (on Twitter). The older brother of kicker Robbie Gould, Chris Gould had spent seven years with the Broncos organization. The 36-year-old had a brief career in the AFL before transitioning to coaching.
  • More Broncos coaching notes: Broncos DL coach Bill Kollar is moving to a consultant-type role (via Klis on Twitter), while WR coach Zach Azzanni and offensive assistant Justin Rascati are sticking around (via Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post on Twitter). Azzanni actually had a second interview with the Falcons today, but Nathaniel Hackett “stepped up” to retain his WR coach (via Klis on Twitter).
  • The Jaguars are hiring Mike McCoy as their QB coach, reports Pelissero (via Twitter). The former Chargers head coach was the Broncos OC in 2017 and Cardinals OC in 2018, but he’s been out of the NFL since that time.
  • The Bills announced that they have hired Aaron Kromer as their new offensive line coach. This is Kromer’s second stint as the Bills OL coach, having served in the role in 2015 and 2016. The veteran coach was with the Rams between 2017 and 2020, but he wasn’t retained for 2021. Previously, Kromer was the Saints’ interim head coach in 2012 and the Bears offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2014.
  • Zach Orr is joining the Ravens as their new linebackers coach, tweets Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Orr played for Baltimore for three years, including a 2016 campaign where he earned a second-team All-Pro nod. He also got his first coaching gig with the Ravens. After serving as a defensive analyst from 2017 to 2020, Orr joined the Jaguars to be their outside linebackers coach in 2021.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/7/22

February 7th, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s Reserve/Futures contracts signed around the league:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants 

New England Patriots

2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 6th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Last year, seven NFL teams opted to make a head coaching change. Sean Payton stepping away from the Saints created nine full-time vacancies available this year.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-7-22 (1:45pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Bills Want To Re-Sign Mitchell Trubisky

February 6th, 2022 at 9:31am CST by Rory Parks

QB Mitchell Trubisky, taken by the Bears with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft, will always be compared to draftmates Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, who were selected that year at No. 10 and No. 12, respectively, and who obviously have enjoyed quite a bit more on-field success than Trubisky. Chicago declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option for 2021, and he ultimately had to settle for a backup job with the Bills, spending all of last season as Josh Allen‘s clipboard holder and Buffalo’s scout team quarterback.

All is not lost for the UNC product, however. Former Bears HC Matt Nagy received his walking papers last month, and Nagy’s inability to get much of anything out of his offense in his four years at the helm has reinforced the notion that Chicago’s issues may have had more to do with the coach than the QB. And as Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News recently wrote, Trubisky and the organization believe his year with the Bills has helped him grow as a player.

Brian Daboll, who spent the 2018-21 seasons as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator before recently being hired as the Giants’ head coach, said, “[Trubisky’s been] a good addition for us. I think he’s made strides in his game, both mentally and physically.” Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who appreciated Trubisky’s selflessness when running the scout team offense, also saw growth, saying, “[t]he way he comes to practice every day, you wouldn’t know that he’s not a starter currently in the league or the fact that he was a former starter.”

Trubisky himself said of the Bills’ offense, “[i]t’s a lot less restricted than what I’ve been in in the past. The quarterback has a lot more freedom to make checks, go where he wants with the ball, exploiting matchups and getting the optimal play for this team. So it’s been a really fun offense to learn, and I feel like it’s really quarterback friendly once you get it down.”

Although players like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Watson could be available on the trade market this offseason, there are teams that might consider signing Trubisky to compete for a starting job, knowing that they will at the very least have a quality backup. Clubs like the Steelers and Daboll’s Giants could make some sense in that regard, and Trubisky has also been loosely connected to the Browns in early rumors.

Interestingly, Bills GM Brandon Beane said he received some interest in Trubisky in advance of the 2021 trade deadline, but he rebuffed those inquiries because of Trubisky’s fit on a team that had designs on making a championship run. Beane understands that Allen’s physical style of play makes him more of an injury risk than other passers, and as such, he wants Trubisky back if the right opportunity does not materialize for him elsewhere.

“If anybody calls me about Mitch on another team, I’m going to give him a great recommendation,” Beane said. “And I’ve told him and his agent, if he doesn’t get what he wants, we’ve got a spot for him.”

AFC Coaching Notes: Broncos, Jaguars, Chiefs

February 5th, 2022 at 9:47am CST by Ben Levine

As Nathaniel Hackett continues to build his staff with the Broncos, the new head coach interviewed many of the team’s holdover position coaches this week, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The majority of these coaches are “pretty much on hold,” but a handful of coaches are starting to get clarity on their job security.

As Klis notes, defensive backs coach Christian Parker is one of the coaches who will return next season. The 30-year-old has had a rapid rise through the coaching ranks. Prior to getting hired as the Broncos DBs coach in 2021, he spent time as the defensive quality control coach with the Packers. Of course, Hackett was on that Green Bay staff, so there’s already familiarity between the two.

Meanwhile, long-time coach Reggie Herring won’t be retained (per Klis on Twitter). The linebackers coach had been with the organization since their Super Bowl-winning 2015 campaign. He previously spent time as the linebackers coach with the Bears, Texans (two stints), and Cowboys.

More coaching notes out of the AFC:

  • The Jaguars won’t be retaining special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). The former player was added to Urban Meyer’s staff last offseason. The 43-year-old previously spent time with the Seahawks, serving as assistant ST coach, assistant defensive backs coach, and secondary coach.
  • SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan tweets that Andrew Breiner could be a candidate for Doug Pederson’s new Jaguars staff, potentially as quarterbacks coach. Breiner was last in the NFL in 2020 when he was the passing game analyst for the Eagles, and he spent the 2021 campaign in the college ranks as the offensive coordinator at FIU.
  • The Chiefs have hired Joe Cullen as their new defensive line coach, with former DL coach Brendan Daly moving to linebackers coach (per a team announcement on Twitter). Cullen spent last season as the Jaguars defensive coordinator, and he had talks with the Ravens and Colts about their DC vacancies. He was a DL coach for more than a decade during stints with the Lions, Jaguars, Browns, Buccaneers, and Ravens. Daley had spent the past three seasons as the Chiefs DL coach.
  • The Bills are expected to hire Vikings offensive line coach Phil Rauscher in the same role, reports ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (via Twitter). Rauscher was one of several Vikings coaches who were given permission to seek other coaching opportunities. The 36-year-old had previous NFL coaching gigs with the Broncos and Washington.
  • Former Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly is in talks to join the Titans staff, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). Only 35, Kelly had a quick rise through the Texans organization. After starting as an offensive quality control coach in 2014, Kelly was eventually promoted to assistant offensive line coach, tight ends coach, and (ultimately) OC. He was fired by the organization after the season. Kelly has ties to Titans coach Mike Vrabel stemming from their stints in Houston.
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