Greg Manusky

Broncos Add Davis Webb, Chris Banjo To Coaching Staff

February 26th, 2023 at 3:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

FEBRUARY 26: Confirming that his playing days are officially over, Banjo tweeted on Sunday that he has retired. He acknowledged that his next NFL chapter is already well known, as was announced when the Broncos unveiled their full coaching staff. Banjo’s 33rd birthday will mark the turning point of his transition to the sidelines, where he will look to help a Denver special teams unit which ranked 29th in the league in DVOA last season.

FEBRUARY 23: On a day in which the Broncos have already made multiple noteworthy hires, the team has added a few more intriguing names to its staff. Denver is hiring a pair of NFLers who played in the 2022 season, allowing them to begin their respective coaching careers.

The Broncos are hiring Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The move represents a significant jump directly from the playing to coaching ranks, but not an unsurprising one, considering the 28-year-old’s stated intention of moving his career to the sidelines.

Webb nearly signed with the Bills as their QBs coach last offseason, one in which offensive coordinator Brian Daboll took the head coaching job with the Giants. Buffalo hired Joe Brady as their coach at that position, leaving Webb to follow Daboll to New York. He spent the 2022 season as a backup to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, getting one start in the season finale.

Webb has made it very clear he intended to immediately transition to coaching once his playing days ended. This posting will allow him to do that, while teaming with head coach Sean Payton and an intriguing signal-caller in Russell Wilson. The nine-time Pro Bowler struggled immensely in his first Broncos season, so his ability to rebound in 2023 will largely depend on Webb’s and Payton’s success coaching him.

In addition, the Broncos are giving veteran special teamer Chris Banjo a first look in the coaching ranks. The safety was released by the Cardinals earlier today, marking an end to his playing career but allowing him to once again work a few familiar faces. The 32-year-old is becoming an assistant special teams coach, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Banjo played in the NFL for 10 seasons, including time spent under Payton in New Orleans from 2016-18. The former UDFA most recently spent the past four seasons with the Cardinals, playing under new Broncos DC Vance Joseph. Overall, he carved out a role for himself as a core special teamer, racking up 143 tackles over 131 total games played. Now, he too will make an immediate jump from playing to coaching as he begins the next chapter of his football career.

In other coaching news out of the Mile High City, Denver has hired Greg Manusky as their new inside linebackers coach, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The 56-year-old was recently let go by the Vikings, but has landed in his next NFL home quite quickly. Manusky has 12 years of defensive coordinator experience across four teams, but this will be his first posting in Denver. He, along with Webb and Banjo, will look to help guide the Broncos to a resurgent season in 2023 as members of Payton’s first staff.

NFL Coaching Updates: Broncos, Brown, Cowboys, Jaguars

February 19th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Following the departure of former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, there has been a litany of change to the coaching staff in Denver. A few of the updates and notes have flown a bit under the radar. For instance, in the midst of new head coach Sean Payton attempting to find his new defensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the team was interested in former Eagles linebackers coach Nick Rallis, who ended up getting hired for the same position in Arizona. Rapoport also avers that Philadelphia, knowing new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon would be leaving their defensive coordinator position vacant, also had interest in retaining Rallis in an enhanced role as coordinator.

A rumor has also come to light that may explain a bit of why Payton and the Broncos have not yet filled the position. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the Broncos are seeking to retain defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and secondary coach Christian Parker regardless of who they hire at the defensive coordinator position. While a flattering notion towards the two coaches, the move effectively handcuffs whoever accepts the position into working with the two, regardless of system fit. Many of former defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero‘s staff have departed to join him in Carolina, though, and this appears to be the dedication Denver must show in order to retain the remaining assistants.

Klis also tweeted of another departure from the Broncos staff. While not technically a coach, instructional designer John Viera will reportedly be following Hackett to New York. Klis describes Viera as the “coach to the coaches,” detailing that he would lead presentations to the coaching staff.

Here are a few other coaching rumors from around the league:

The Panthers hired one of the league’s up and coming coaches this past weekend, announcing the addition of Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown as their new offensive coordinator. Rams head coach Sean McVay reportedly didn’t want to lose Brown but didn’t feel he could block him from a great opportunity, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. McVay regarded Brown as one of the best teachers he has worked with, and he was not the only one who noticed. Brown interviewed for the open Dolphins’ head coaching position last offseason and interviewed for the Texans’ job this year, as well. He was also a candidate for several other offensive coordinator positions. Brown’s considered a rising offensive mind in the game brings some intrigue to Carolina as a new play caller.
The Cowboys have added two former NFL players to their coaching staff for 2023. Former Vikings first round pick Sharrif Floyd will be officially added to the staff as the assistant defensive line and defensive quality control coach, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The former defensive tackle, who played under Dan Quinn at Florida, worked with the staff during training camp last year. Todd Archer of ESPN adds that the team is also bringing on former safety and special teams ace Darian Thompson to serve as assistant linebackers and quality control coach. After spending much of 2021 on the practice squad, Thompson did not appear on the field in 2022.
In a tweet this week, the Jaguars announced two minor additions to their 2023 coaching staff. Jacksonville has hired former Bills wide receivers coach Chad Hall to serve in the same role for the Jaguars. After coaching Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis for the past four seasons, Hall will join Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson to coach a wide receivers group that surpassed all expectations in 2022 and may benefit even more with the potential addition of suspended receiver Calvin Ridley. The team has also added Greg Austin in the position of offensive quality control coach.
After hiring Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator, the Vikings are parting ways with linebackers coach Greg Manusky, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Manusky has served as defensive coordinator for four different teams over the years. The veteran assistant should have plenty of options moving forward.
The Chargers announced a minor addition to their staff this week, according to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports. Los Angeles will be bringing in former Georgia defensive analyst Robert Muschamp as a quality control coach. Muschamp is the nephew of Georgia co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Will Muschamp and joined his uncle in Athens after two years working in Tennessee.
The Texans have hired former Kent State director of football operations and Yale chief of staff Jake Olson to the coaching staff, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It’s a bit unclear what his role will be, but he will don the title of assistant senior assistant.

NFC Coaching Notes: Vikings, 49ers, Rams, Falcons

February 25th, 2022 at 1:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings have already provided new head coach Kevin O’Connell with an experienced defensive coordinator in Ed Donatell. They are moving towards adding another veteran defensive mind, as Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson reports that they are expected to hire Greg Manusky as their new linebackers coach.

Manusky, 55, was most recently a defensive quality control assistant at Kentucky, a post he’d held for two seasons. Before that, though, he had spent two decades on NFL sidelines. Two years after his playing days were over, he joined Washington’s staff in the same LBs coach role he is set to take on again. He held that same title in San Diego for five years, which set him up for his first defensive coordinator position.

Manusky took over as the 49ers’ DC in 2007, and remained there until he returned to the Chargers to call their defense for one season. His third DC post came with the Colts, spanning another four years. Not long after he returned to Washington as their OLBs coach, he was promoted to DC in 2017, staying there for three campaigns.

Here are some other coaching notes from the NFC:

Sticking with Kentucky, the Wildcats are hiring 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello to be their new offensive coordinator (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). That role opened up when Liam Coen took the Rams’ OC job earlier this week. The news continues a significant exodus of coaches from Kyle Shanahan’s staff this offseason, the most notable being former OC Mike McDaniel becoming the new HC of the Dolphins.
The Rams are keeping a key member of their defensive staff in place. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets that defensive line coach Eric Henderson has been extended. His contract was set to expire at the end of the 2022 season, but he will be staying put in L.A., keeping one of the league’s best at that position group in place.
Lastly, Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo reports that Shawn Flaherty is joining the Falcons’ staff (Twitter link). The son of Pat Flaherty, he had spent the first three years of his NFL coaching career as an assistant o-line coach in Miami.

Extra Points: Draft, Bills, Williams, Manusky

April 4th, 2020 at 7:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting everything in the sports world, including the NFL draft. The draft being in Las Vegas has already been scrapped for a while, but now it appears teams won’t even be gathering in their respective buildings. In an unprecedented situation, multiple high-level officials will conduct the draft from their homes, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The pre-draft preparation will be more important than ever, as it will likely be more difficult for teams to coordinate internally while the draft is going on. It’ll be very interesting to see how this impacts draft-day trades, among other logistical issues.

Here’s more from around the league on a quiet Saturday night:

The Bills signed offensive lineman Daryl Williams a couple weeks ago, and now we have the details on his contract. Williams got a one-year deal worth $2.25MM from Buffalo with only $250K guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. As Pelissero points out the two sides are very familiar with one another since a lot of Buffalo’s brass, including head coach Sean McDermott, used to be with the Panthers. Williams started all 16 games at right tackle for Carolina in 2017 and played very well, but missed almost all of 2018 with a knee injury. He signed a one-year deal with the Panthers worth $7MM last year and started 12 games, a few each at left tackle, right guard, and left guard. Pelissero adds that Buffalo plans to move him back to the right side.
Greg Manusky spent the last three years as the Redskins’ defensive coordinator, but he got bounced last year after head coach Jay Gruden got the axe. Manusky has a new job now, and it’s a big step down the coaching ranks. The former 49ers, Chargers, and Colts defensive coordinator has accepted a position as a defensive quality control assistant with the University of Kentucky, according to JP Finlay of NBC Sports. It’s an unusual move for such a grizzled veteran, but it’s possible he decided to take this gig as a temporary stopgap before emerging with a more prominent role in 2021. Quality control coaches are often young guys on one of their first jobs, but nonetheless Manusky will be serving on Mark Stoops’ staff this fall.

Latest on Dwayne Haskins, Redskins’ Coaching Staff

September 29th, 2019 at 8:29am CST by Rory Parks

There was some chatter Saturday suggesting that Redskins head coach Jay Gruden could be coaching for his job against the Giants this afternoon, but Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports that no Washington coaches were informed by team execs or ownership that they will be fired if they lose against New York today (Twitter link). That may or may not mean anything, but since Gruden’s seat gets hotter by the day, these types of reports are worth monitoring.

However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms that the relationship between the coaching staff and the front office, headed by team president Bruce Allen, has become untenable. And differences in opinion over roster construction are just the beginning. Per La Canfora, the organization wants Gruden to part ways with defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, but Gruden refuses to consider any changes to his staff.

But it seems inevitable that Gruden, at least, will be looking for a new job in 2020. Manusky will likely be gone too, but La Canfora says team brass is high on first-year OC Kevin O’Connell, so he may stick around. If Gruden were to fired be mid-season, offensive line coach Bill Callahan may serve as the team’s interim HC. Gruden, meanwhile, may join his brother Jon’s staff with the Raiders.

As we have been hearing, another source of contention between the Redskins’ coaching staff and front office/ownership is rookie QB Dwayne Haskins. La Canfora writes in a separate piece that many members of the coaching staff — including Gruden — and people close to Haskins believe that it would be best for the Ohio State product to redshirt his entire rookie year, especially given the state of Washington’s O-line and the club’s general dearth of offensive talent. But owner Dan Snyder may be inclined to throw Haskins into the fire sooner rather than later, while Gruden views playing Haskins as a last resort. Although Gruden’s fate with the Redskins is likely sealed, the disagreement between him and Snyder over Haskins may hasten his departure.

As for today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Case Keenum will get the start, and Haskins will be his backup. Colt McCoy, who recently returned to practice, will be inactive, though the Redskins did consider dressing all three signal-callers. Despite Gruden’s reservations about playing Haskins, Rapoport hears that if Keenum should struggle against the Giants’ defense, Gruden may feel compelled to send in his rookie signal-caller (video link).

Redskins Plan To Keep DC Greg Manusky

January 17th, 2019 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Greg Manusky isn’t going anywhere after all. The Redskins explored other candidates for their defensive coordinator position, but they now plan to retain Manusky instead, according to Les Carpenter of the Washington Post.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Redskins have been reportedly mulling ex-head coaches Gregg Williams, Todd Bowles, and Steve Wilks for the DC job. They talked to all three men, but ultimately decided to keep Manusky in order to maintain consistency in the locker room. Someone with knowledge of the Redskins’ plans told Carpenter that head coach Jay Gruden was simply looking for “different perspectives” in those conversations, but it sounds like they would have liked to replace Manusky with Williams.

The Redskins’ D showed promise in 2018, but things fell apart on both sides of the ball after the club’s 6-3 start (of course, Alex Smith‘s injury played a significant role in their drop-off). According to Carpenter’s person in the know, the Redskins are aiming to keep the momentum moving for defensive tackles Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, and other young defenders in 2019, despite the occasional hiccups experienced last year.

In 2018, the Redskins allowed the 17th-most yards in the NFL but were tied for tenth in turnovers with 26. Both were improvements over 2017, so things are trending up for Manusky’s unit.

Jay Gruden, Bruce Allen Expected To Remain With Redskins

December 30th, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Rory Parks

Several weeks ago, we learned that Redskins assistant coaches were beginning to worry about their futures, as they were uncertain as to head coach Jay Gruden‘s status with the club. But it appears that Gruden will get one more shot. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that Gruden looks to be on “safe footing,” especially given that his team was performing well in 2018 before being decimated by injury for the second year in a row.

Another reason to believe that Gruden’s job is safe has to do with team president Bruce Allen. Washington fired four marketing executives this week, which was a decision that Allen would at least have been involved in. It is unlikely that team owner Dan Snyder would have allowed Allen to make such a move if Allen’s job was in jeopardy, and if Allen is safe, the expectation is that Gruden is safe as well.

John Keim of ESPN.com agrees, and he says that when it comes to Snyder, there are usually some rumblings that a head coach or executive will be fired. Keim indicates there have been no such rumblings to date, and while Gruden will meet with Snyder at some point soon, it seems that Gruden and Allen will be returning in 2019 (Twitter links).

Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky is a different story. Manusky is in his second year as the Redskins’ DC, and if he were fired, his replacement would be the fourth DC during Gruden’s tenure. Rapoport suggests that Manusky, who has been a source of player frustration, is definitely on the hot seat, and Keim tweets that Manusky is the obvious target if the team wants to make a high level coaching change. But Keim also wonders if Manusky, whose locker room support was a major factor in his promotion to DC in 2017, and whom some players still love, is really the problem.

NFC Notes: Oher, Peppers, Redskins, Rams

January 28th, 2017 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera said earlier this month he expects Michael Oher to be back with the Panthers next season, but the recently re-signed left tackle has not yet been completely cleared from the concussion that sidelined him for most of the 2016 season, Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Oberserver reports. Oher missed 13 games last season and has dealt with concussion trouble for more than four months.

Rivera did not know when Oher suffered the concussion, but Jones reports the setback likely occurred before the Panthers’ Week 3 Vikings tilt — the most recent game in which Oher played. GM Dave Gettleman said recently he had not spoken to Oher in a bit and was going to give him some time. The Panthers’ left tackle signed a three-year extension last summer, but Gettleman said he plans to investigate the position this offseason. Mike Remmers is a free agent as well, and Carolina doesn’t have any much depth here, so an Oher return is crucial. He will turn 31 in May.

Here’s more from the NFC.

A Julius Peppers-Panthers reunion makes sense for the 37-year-old North Carolinian as his career winds down, Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer writes. The outside linebacker who played as a 4-3 end in Carolina is a UFA. He spent four seasons with the Bears and three with the Packers, initially going to Chicago after the Panthers offered to make him the league’s highest-paid defender in 2010. The Panthers have ends Mario Addison and Charles Johnson looming as UFAs.
The Redskins‘ promotion of Aubrey Pleasant from assistant secondary coach to secondary coach has yet to be completed, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union notes. Washington’s talks with Pleasant are “at a standstill” after the team offered him the position, in a somewhat strange status for a defensive backs job. The Redskins still want to make Pleaseant its DBs boss after firing Perry Fewell. However, the Rams remain interested in Pleasant as well. Los Angeles already hired Samson Brown from the Broncos, but the former assistant secondary coach under Wade Phillips in Denver doesn’t appear to have a definitive role yet.
Regarding the top of the Redskins’ defensive hierarchy, one reason Joe Barry may have been ousted was due to some in the organization preferring he operate a more aggressive defense, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. However, a source told Keim he doesn’t consider new Washington DC Greg Manusky to be particularly aggressive. The newly promoted assistant promised to use an attacking style, though. Manusky’s Colts defenses did average more blitzes per season than Barry’s two in Washington did, Keim notes.
Should Pleasant join the Rams, he would be working with Don Shula’s grandson. The Rams plan to hire Chris Shula to work on Phillips’ defensive staff in Los Angeles, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News tweets. Chris Shula worked as a Chargers quality control coach the past two seasons. Prior to that, he served as a college defensive assistant. Shula played college football with Sean McVay.

Redskins Promote Greg Manusky To DC

January 22nd, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Rory Parks

The Redskins will promote outside linebackers coach Greg Manusky to defensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Washington fired former DC Joe Barry earlier this month, and the club compiled an extensive list of candidates to replace him, including Gus Bradley, Rob Ryan, and John Pagano (the Redskins were denied permission to interview Romeo Crennel and Paul Guenther). PFR’s coordinator tracker provides the full complement of candidates.

Manusky, though, reportedly had the backing of Redskins players, and his familiarity with the organization may have helped him land the position.

He also brings a great deal of experience to the table, having served as defensive coordinator for three different teams, but that experience is largely a mixed bag. The 50-year-old Manusky got his feet wet as a linebackers coach for the Redskins in 2001, and he worked as the linebackers coach for the Chargers from 2002-06 before being hired as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator in 2007. The 49ers’ defense proved to be one of the best in the league in 2009, but it took a step back in 2010, and Manusky was allowed to seek another position following the hiring of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Manusky returned to the Chargers as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2011, but he was fired after his unit finished as the league’s 22nd-ranked defense. Manusky was subsequently hired as the Colts’ defensive coordinator in 2012, and he spent four years in that role. The Colts made the playoffs in three of those four seasons, but Manusky’s defense finished in the top-10 in points allowed only once during his tenure. He was fired following the 2015 campaign, and he soon caught on as the Redskins’ outside linebackers coach.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets that 49ers’ linebackers coach Jason Tarver, who was another candidate for the Redskins’ DC opening, could replace Manusky as the team’s OLB coach. Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that the team will keep Kirk Olivadotti as its ILB coach and would like to promote Aubrey Pleasant to DBs coach.

As Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets, it is fair to wonder whether the Redskins would have fired Barry at all if they had known they would have ended up with Manusky and his spotty DC resume as his replacement as opposed to their big name targets like Bradley and Wade Phillips.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Redskins, Vikings, Seahawks

January 21st, 2017 at 11:16am CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys defensive line struggled at times this past season, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the team would be searching for some reinforcement this offseason. Executive vice president Stephen Jones essentially confirmed that the team would be pursuing an edge rusher when appearing on Ben and Skin on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan (via DallasNews.com):

“There’s no question. That’s why we always have to continue to be better. We haven’t done a good job of that. We’ve tried in several different ways to make that happen. But as we sit here today, we don’t have that player. We saw glimpses of that with Randy Gregory, but that’s a huge question mark as to when he might be able to come back and be a football player in the NFL. Getting his life off the field in the right order is the most important thing. But in the mean time, there’s no question what our needs are. The focus is gonna be on defense.

“You don’t ever shut your eye to a player who can help improve you on the offensive side of the ball either. We showed that last year when everybody knew how bad we needed defense and we obviously picked Zeke. Had the right rationale for it. I don’t think anything could have gone more according to plan than picking Zeke. I don’t think you ever rule out anything. That’s how you make huge mistakes. But I think it’s obvious to anyone who watches our football team that the defensive side of the football, especially our front seven, is where we need the most improvement.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…

The Redskins‘ search for a defensive coordinator will be entering a third week, and one player believes the wait is a positive sign for outside linebackers coach (and candidate) Greg Manusky. ESPN.com’s John Keim writes that the former Colts defensive coordinator has the support of the Redskins players, and he notes that the front office may appreciate the continuity and Manusky’s familiarity with the organization.
Keim writes that the Redskins want to hang on to assistant defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, noting that Sean McVay has had interest in bringing his former co-worker to the Rams. Pleasant played a significant role in helping former wideout Quinton Dunbar transition to a defensive back.
UCLA has hired Vikings assistant offensive line coach Hank Fraley as their new offensive line coach, reports Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports (via Twitter). The former NFL lineman had spent the past three seasons in Minnesota, and he previously coached at the University of San Diego and San Jose State.
The Seahawks worked out a trio of players yesterday, according to Howard Balzer on Twitter: offensive linemen Pierce Burton and Tayo Fabuluje and defensive end B.J. McBryde. Fabuluje, a former sixth-round pick, played four game for the Bears in 2015. Burton and McBryde have yet to play in an NFL game.

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