Cory Undlin

Lions To Hire Cory Undlin As DC

The Lions are hiring Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin as their new defensive coordinator, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Undlin and Lions head coach Matt Patricia began their NFL careers together as coaching assistants with the Patriots in 2004 and they’re teaming up more than 15 years later. 

Undlin takes over for Paul Pasqualoni, who stepped down/retired at the end of the 2019 season. He comes with ample NFL experience, including stops with the Browns and Broncos, in addition to the aforementioned Pats and Eagles stints. The Eagles’ secondary has not performed well in recent years, but many feel that Undlin was stuck with some iffy personnel.

Even though Undlin is taking over as DC in Detroit, he won’t necessarily call the plays. Patricia quietly took that responsibility away from Pasqualoni last year and he may opt to ease Undlin into that responsibility.

Undlin’s departure leaves yet another vacancy on the Eagles’ coaching staff. They’ll have to find a new DB coach, offensive coordinator, and wide receivers coach after firing Mike Groh and Carson Walch last week.

Giants To Interview Jim Schwartz

The Giants plan to interview Jim Schwartz for their head coaching vacancy within the next week, according to ESPN’S Adam Schefter. Schefter’s sources indicate that Schwartz will be a favorite — if not the favorite — for the position.

Jim Schwartz

Schwartz, who is currently in his second season as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, previously served as the Lions’ head coach from 2009-13. His tenure in Detroit was largely disappointing, as he compiled a 29-51 regular season mark in the Motor City and took his team to the playoffs just once in five years, losing his only postseason game.

Nonetheless, he has long been regarded as one of the league’s best defensive minds, having worked as the Titans’ defensive coordinator from 2001-08, and he was immediately tabbed as the Bills’ defensive coordinator following his ouster from Detroit. He has helped turn the Eagles into one of the league’s powerhouses, and in so doing, he has restored his viability as a head coach.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, echoing previous reports, indicates that new Giants GM Dave Gettleman is partial to current Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, whom Gettleman knows well from his time in Carolina. Nonetheless, Giants ownership prefers a candidate with previous head coaching experience, which could give Schwartz a leg up. La Canfora also names Steelers’ offensive line coach (and former Titans head coach) Mike Munchak as a dark-horse candidate for Big Blue’s head coaching gig.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, in addition to providing a list of candidates the Giants planned to interview for their GM position had they not hired Gettleman, also confirms that New York will be focusing on veteran head coaching candidates (Twitter link).

Should Schwartz leave Philadelphia, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com tweets that Eagles DB coach Cory Undlin would be a logical in-house candidate to replace him.

Eagles Hire 15 Assistants

5:46pm: The Eagles have made Reich’s hiring official. They’ve also named 14 other assistants to posts. Seven of those coaches are holdovers from Chip Kelly‘s staff. Here’s the list (unless otherwise specified, the names come courtesy of the Eagles’ website):

  • Eugene Chung, offensive line/tight ends/running game
  • Phillip Daniels, defensive quality control/assistant defensive line
  • Dave Fipp, special teams
  • Ken Flajole, linebackers
  • Matthew Harper, assistant special teams
  • Tim Hauck, defensive backs/safeties
  • Greg Lewis, wide receivers (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Caplan)
  • Justin Peelle, tight ends
  • Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator
  • Duce Staley, running backs
  • Jeff Stoutland, offensive line
  • Press Taylor, offensive quality control/assistant quarterbacks
  • Cory Undlin, defensive backs/cornerbacks
  • Dino Vasso, defensive quality control/assistant secondary

On the heels of these moves, the Eagles released offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and linebackers coaches Rick Minter and Bill McGovern from their contracts, according to Caplan (on Twitter). They let go of previous D-coordinator Billy Davis on Monday, per Caplan (Twitter link).

1:40pm: The Eagles have reached an agreement with Frank Reich to make him their new offensive coordinator, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSports.com, who reports (via Twitter) that it’s a “done deal.” Reich had been scheduled to have a formal interview with the team today, and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com had suggested “it would be an upset” if he wasn’t hired (Twitter link).Frank Reich

[RELATED: Eagles hire Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator]

Reich, recently fired as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator after two seasons leading San Diego’s offense, interviewed for the same position on Adam Gase‘s Dolphins staff, but Miami ultimately chose Clyde Christensen as their new OC.

Had he become the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, Reich wouldn’t have called the team’s plays (Gase will do that), and it looks as if he won’t handle that responsibility in Philadelphia either. New head coach Doug Pederson indicated during his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he expects to call offensive plays in 2016.

In San Diego, Reich was let go in large part due to the Chargers’ ineffective running game, but he did just fine with the team’s aerial attack — Philip Rivers led the NFL in completed passes in 2015, racking up nearly 4,800 yards passing to go along with 29 touchdowns.

Injuries have plagued the Chargers over the last couple years, and health problems on the offensive line likely contributed to the struggles of first-round running back Melvin Gordon, but Reich took the fall for the offense’s regression. In 2014, Reich’s first year as offensive coordinator, San Diego went from second in offensive DVOA to 11th. The team slipped to 15th this season, and the Chargers also went from scoring nearly 25 points per game in 2013 to just 20 by 2015.

In addition to reaching a deal with Reich, the Eagles have also reportedly agreed to hire former Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo as the club’s quarterbacks coach. The new additions to Pederson’s offensive coaching staff likely spell the end of Pat Shurmur‘s time in Philadelphia, despite the fact that the new head coach said on Tuesday that Shurmur would receive consideration for the OC role.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach/GM Notes: Gase, 49ers, Eagles

Following his nine seasons as John Elway‘s backup, Gary Kubiak bounced around a bit when he entered the coaching profession. He started as the running backs coach at Texas A&M before spending a year with the 49ers as the quarterbacks coach. Kubiak then spent more than ten seasons with the Broncos before he was hired as the Texans head coach. Last season, the 53-year-old was the Ravens offensive coordinator.

As a result, Kubiak is hoping to have a lengthy tenure in Denver (via Mike Klis of The Denver Post):

“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to the work. It’s great to be home again.

“Hopefully it works out so this is the last coaching job I have in my career.”

Here are some more assorted coach and front office notes from around the league:

Coaching:

  • Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase will interview with the Ravens this evening, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Ironically, Gase’s meeting would be for the position previously held by the current Broncos head coach.
  • The 49ers have requested permission to interview Colts special assistant Rob Chudzinski to become the team’s offensive coordinator, tweets Rapoport. We learned earlier today that the Bears had also requested permission.
  • The Eagles have hired former Broncos defensive backs coach Cory Undlin for the same role, the team announced. The team also promoted assistant Justin Peelle to tight ends coach.
  • Meanwhile, former Eagles defensive backs coach John Lovett and former tight ends coach Ted Williams will stay with the organization in the pro scouting department, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (via Twitter).

Front office:

  • The Buccaneers have denied the Eagles the opportunity to interview director of player personnel Jon Robinson for the open general manager vacancy, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While the Philadelphia job may have the GM title, Chip Kelly will have final say over roster and personnel decisions, so it wouldn’t necessarily be a promotion for an exec who already holds a director of player personnel title.
  • The Eagles will have an opportunity to interview candidates from the front offices of both the Patriots and Seahawks this week, reports Jeff McClain of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). However, the team will still need organizational permission to reach out to candidates.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.