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NFL Coaching Notes: Rams, Brown, Bengals, Texans

February 20th, 2022 at 10:41pm CST by Ely Allen

While the Rams have lost Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips to Minnesota, it appears they won’t see their entire offensive staff dismantled. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, assistant quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson is expected to stay with the team with a bit of a promotion in title.

The Rams still have an offensive coordinator position up for grabs. Currently, the favorite to land the job is University of Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Coen worked on the Rams’ offensive staff for three years before spending last year in Lexington. He’s turned down multiple job offers recently to remain at Kentucky, but the opportunity to rejoin Sean McVay in Los Angeles may be too good to pass up.

Here are a few more coaching notes from the NFL starting with another note from the Super Bowl LVI champions:

  • Rapoport also reported that Rams’ running backs coach and assistant head coach Thomas Brown is expected to return to Los Angeles. Brown received head coaching interest from Miami and was a candidate to join O’Connell in Minnesota as offensive coordinator before Phillips was announced earlier today. Brown’s presence will provide McVay with some much needed continuity to his offensive staff.
  • The Bengals have hired Charles Burks from the Dolphins to become their cornerbacks coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. No word yet on the status of the Bengals’ cornerbacks coach from last season, Steve Jackson.
  • The Texans’ have hired Ted White with the official title of offensive assistant-quarterbacks. White had recently accepted the position of offensive coordinator at Grambling State University under head coach Hue Jackson, but Jackson will have to find someone else to fill the role. White has molded quarterbacks at Texas Southern, Southern, his alma mater of Howard, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Prairie View A&M. He’ll be tasked with the development of second-year quarterback Davis Mills.

AFC Coaching Notes: Texans, Browns, Bettcher, Ravens, Gould

February 19th, 2022 at 9:45pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans have hired former Dolphins’ coaching assistant Kenyon Jackson in the position of assistant defensive line coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Son of former Pro Bowl tight end Keith Jackson, Kenyon played defensive tackle at the University of Illinois under new Texans’ head coach Lovie Smith.

In what is starting to seem like a trend, Smith also hired Dele Harding as a defensive assistant. Harding also played for Smith at Illinois, serving for two years as a team captain at linebacker.

Here are a few more notes on coaching changes in the AFC, starting with a note from the location of this weekend’s NBA All-Star game:

  • The Browns have hired Jordan Thomas in the role of assistant defensive line coach, according to Wilson. Thomas has coached defensive linemen at San Diego State and spent time at Lamar and Texas A&M University-Kingsville, as well. In addition, the Browns added Jeff Anderson to the staff as a defensive quality control coach.
  • Staying in the Buckeye State, recent 2021 NFL runner-ups the Bengals have made a move to replace former linebackers coach Al Golden. Golden is headed back to the college coaching ranks to become Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former NFL defensive coordinator James Bettcher will fill the role. After time as the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals and Giants, Bettcher spent last season as a senior defensive assistant in San Francisco.
  • Staying in the AFC North, Baltimore brought in former Texans’ offensive line coach Mike Devlin to become the Ravens’ assistant offensive line coach, according to Wilson. Devlin coached big men for the Jets before Houston and at Toledo before that. The Ravens will certainly welcome the help for an offensive line that frequently had quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley scrambling for their lives last year.
  • Lastly, the Chargers have hired 49ers’ kicker Robbie Gould‘s kid brother Chris Gould. The 36-year-old was a former kicker in the Arena Football League and will be the Chargers’ assistant special teams coach, a role he’s held for the past five seasons for the Broncos. Additionally, the Chargers have hired Brendan Nugent as their new offensive line coach. Last year was Nugent’s first year coaching offensive linemen in the NFL in his seventh year with the Saints. He’ll 17 years of NFL coaching experience to Los Angeles.

Latest On Bengals’ Jessie Bates

February 17th, 2022 at 10:51am CST by Adam La Rose

While much of the offseason focus for the Bengals will revolve around upgrading the team’s offensive line, they have an important piece of business to take care of with one of their best defenders. Safety Jessie Bates is a pending unrestricted free agent, though Jay Morrison of The Athletic writes that other teams shouldn’t be counting on him reaching the open market. 

Bates, 24, will see his rookie contract expire next month, which would make him a free agent. However, as Morrison states, “that will not happen”. The Bengals’ options are to sign him to a long-term deal or, at a minimum, apply the franchise tag to keep him on the team through 2022 and buy time to negotiate a new pact. If Bates were to play on the tag, it would come with a value of around $13MM.

Things didn’t go smoothly last offseason when the former second rounder wanted a big contract. Talks between the sides stalled, leaving both sides where they are now. Before the 2021 season started, Bates said, “I guess I haven’t done enough yet to be considered one of the top safeties in the league, which is fine”. His play leading up to that point certainly warranted consideration that he could reset the safety market, as he registered at least 100 tackles and exactly three interceptions in each of his first three campaigns.

Bates had a down year in 2021 compared to the standards he had set previously. In 15 games, he totalled 88 tackles, one interception and four passes defensed . More worryingly, he gave up a career-worst 122 passer rating in coverage, which contributed to a 56.2 PFF grade – a stark contrast to the position-leading grade he received in 2020. On the other hand, he did record six pass breakups and two interceptions (including one in the Super Bowl) during the Bengals’ playoff run.

Newly-extended head coach Zac Taylor expressed a desire to keep Bates in the fold, saying in part, “he’s a big part of what we do. We’re really proud of how he’s led this team and how he’s played for us, really over the last four years… I think everyone knows we want Jessie to be a part of this”. If the two sides are able to hammer out a new deal, one of the biggest pieces to the Bengals’ roster would be in place to help keep the team in Super Bowl contention.

Dolphins To Add Sam Madison To Staff

February 16th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sam Madison is set to return to Miami. The former Pro Bowl Dolphins cornerback agreed to join their coaching staff Wednesday night, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

A Chiefs assistant for three seasons, Madison will join Mike McDaniel‘s Dolphins staff as a passing-game specialist and cornerbacks coach. Madison played nine seasons as a Dolphins cornerback, earning four Pro Bowl bids and notching first-team All-Pro honors twice.

Madison originally came to Miami in 1997 as a second-round pick, starting 127 games — most by a corner in Dolphins history — before signing with the Giants in 2006. His 31 interceptions rank third in franchise history. Madison, 47, spent three years coaching the Chiefs’ cornerbacks — a group featuring mid- or late-round picks or low-cost free agents throughout Madison’s tenure — and is in line to oversee high-priced corners Xavien Howard and Byron Jones in 2022. Madison will also follow ex-teammate Wes Welker back to Miami. The Dolphins hired Welker as their wide receivers coach last week.

This move comes shortly after previous Dolphins cornerbacks coach Charles Burks agreed to join the Bengals in a similar role, Schefter tweets. Despite Burks being a holdover from Brian Flores‘ staff, the Dolphins were planning to retain him.

The Dolphins are also hiring Tyrone McKenzie as their new outside linebackers coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. McKenzie, 36, coached the Titans’ inside linebackers from 2018-19 and headed up the Lions’ linebackers in 2020.

MCL Sprain For Bengals’ Joe Burrow

February 16th, 2022 at 11:09am CST by Zachary Links

After the Bengals announced a brand new deal for head coach Zac Taylor, they delivered even more good news on Wednesday. Quarterback Joe Burrow is only dealing with an MCL sprain, according to doctors, which means that he won’t need surgery this offseason. 

[RELATED: Bengals Sign Zac Taylor To Extension]

Burrow went down in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl clutching his right knee. He was clearly in pain after the takedown from Von Miller, but still managed to finish out the game. Fortunately, this shouldn’t hamper him in the 2022 season.

Burrow has dealt with much worse in the past, including the 2020 offseason when he had to rehab from a torn ACL (and MCL). Since then, the Bengals have prioritized their offensive line, but it’s safe to say that they’ll do even more on that front this spring.

In the regular season, Burrow played in 16 games and led the league with 70.4% of his throws completed. His TD/INT ratio (34-14) further positioned him as one of the NFL’s brightest young talents. Even though he didn’t capture a ring on Sunday, it stands to reason that he’ll have plenty more opportunities in the years to come, starting with the ’22 campaign.

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.

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.

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

Bengals Assistant Coaches In Line For New Contracts

February 14th, 2022 at 3:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

While Super Bowl LVI didn’t go the way the Bengals wanted, their 2021 postseason run demonstrated that they are set to be a force in the AFC for years to come. One of the results of their success is not only an expected contract extension for head coach Zac Taylor, but a number of assistants on his staff as well.

As Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network writes, the list of coaches receiving new deals includes at least five names. On the offensive side of the ball, wide receivers coach Troy Walters is listed; he jumped into coaching almost immediately after an eight-year playing career, and has worked with the Bengals’ wideouts since joining the team in 2020. The other offensive assistant is tight ends coach James Casey, who has coached that position (after playing it himself in the NFL) since 2017. He has been in Cincinnati for the past three seasons.

Defensively, new deals are forthcoming for linebackers coach Al Golden and defensive line coach Marion Hobby. The former has been coaching since 1993, between the college and NFL ranks, including the last two years with the Bengals. The latter is equally experienced, and coached the position in Cincinnati this year, after four seasons doing the same in Jacksonville and Miami. Wilson adds that strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese is the final name on the list.

[SOURCE LINK]

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