Dave Toub - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Extend ST Coordinator Dave Toub

February 16th, 2024 at 2:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs employ three coordinators who were once on the head coaching radar only to have settled in as veteran assistants. After extending Steve Spagnuolo earlier this week, the two-time reigning champions have locked down their special teams coordinator.

Dave Toub has signed a new deal with the Chiefs, the team announced. This will allow the longtime Andy Reid assistant to coach a 12th season with the team. Reid brought Toub to Missouri upon taking the job in 2013. His new deal will cover three years, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

Special teams coaches rarely find their way into HC consideration, John Harbaugh‘s 15-plus-year Ravens stay notwithstanding, but Toub was on that radar several years ago. The Broncos and Chargers met with him in 2017, and after the Colts’ Josh McDaniels choice fizzled a year later, Toub emerged on Indianapolis’ radar. None of those connections produced a hire, keeping one of the league’s top ST coaches in Kansas City.

The Chiefs checked in at 14th on Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings in 2023. After being ranked last in that cumulative score in 2022, Kansas City came through with two special teams plays to make its Super Bowl LVII win possible. Skyy Moore‘s punt return late in the fourth quarter against the Bengals helped a gimpy Patrick Mahomes — with a notable assist from Joseph Ossai‘s ensuing late hit — do enough to move the Chiefs into field goal range in the 2022 AFC championship game. Kadarius Toney then set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return, setting up a walk-in Moore score in the fourth quarter against the Eagles.

Toub, 61, initially coached with Reid on the Eagles from 2001-03. He spent the following nine season as the Bears’ STC. The Chiefs now have Spagnuolo going into his sixth season as DC and Matt Nagy — who joined Spagnuolo in not being tied to any HC jobs this year — set for his fourth year (over two stints) as OC. With the Chiefs set to eye the first threepeat in the Super Bowl era, Reid and his top lieutenants will all be back for that push.

Chiefs Promote Dave Toub To AHC

April 6th, 2018 at 2:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs assistant Dave Toub has been given a new title. Toub will continue as the team’s special teams coordinator while also serving as the club’s Assistant Head Coach.

“Dave has had the opportunity to work with our team on both sides of the football, on the field and in the classroom,” Reid said. “His leadership qualities have entrusted me to promote him to Assistant Head Coach.”

Toub has been the team’s special teams coordinator since 2013. Since then, his name has surfaced as a possible head coaching candidate. The new title – and likely pay bump – may help the Chiefs to ward off other interested suitors down the line.

Since Toub has run KC’s special teams operation, the Chiefs have had ten special teams returns for touchdowns, the most in the NFL over that span. In 2013, they set a new NFL watermark in a single season with 29.9 yards per kick return. Before joining Andy Reid‘s staff, Toub worked with the Bears and Eagles.

Colts To Restart Head Coach Search Within 24-48 Hours

February 6th, 2018 at 7:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels rejected the Colts’ head coaching job in order to remain with New England, Indianapolis is restarting its search. The Colts “had a feeling” McDaniels could back of out his agreement, and the club now has three candidates ready to be interviewed within the next two days, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).

While none of the new contenders for the position have yet been identified, it’s difficult to imagine Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub is not among them. Toub worked with Colts general manager Chris Ballard in Kansas City and has been viewed as a “contingency plan” for Indianapolis if McDaniels bowed out. Indeed, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) calls Toub a “strong candidate” for the newly-created Colts vacancy.

The other finalist for the Colts’ head coaching job (during the first search) was ex-Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, but he’s already found another position as the Titans head coach. Likewise, other candidates such as Matt Nagy and Kris Richard have landed gigs with the Bears and Cowboys, respectively, while Baylor head coach Matt Rhule removed his name from consideration during the original hunt.

Dave Toub Possible Colts Contingency Plan?

February 4th, 2018 at 8:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh McDaniels has been linked as the next Colts coach for two weeks, with the parties — just as the Lions and Matt Patricia have — reaching an unofficial agreement.

But if McDaniels is having second thoughts and ends up backing out of this setup, Chris Ballard may have a contingency option.

Although Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub did not interview, he is viewed by some around the league as a candidate if an in-case-of-emergency situation arises, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. This has been on the radar, to some degree, for over a year.

In January 2017, a report emerged the Colts had a Ballard/Toub partnership in mind. And earlier this year, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk reported Toub was expected to draw interest. However, the franchise zeroed in on McDaniels soon after.

Toub interviewed with the Broncos and Chargers last year but remained with the Chiefs for a fifth season. The 55-year-old Toub was the Bears’ ST coordinator from 2004-12 and has been in the same organization as Ballard twice, with the current Indianapolis GM spending 12 years in Chicago prior to coming to Kansas City.

Steve Wilks No Longer Scheduled To Interview With Colts

January 11th, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Steve Wilks‘ path could be clearing up, because reports have come out Thursday night distancing the Panthers’ DC from the Giants’ and Colts’ HC jobs.

Wilks’ Colts interview, initially scheduled to take place today, will no longer commence, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport reports Wilks has “no plans” to interview with the Colts presently, adding the team looks more focused on hiring an offensive-minded coach.

ESPN.com’s Mike Wells tweets this could have been more of a scheduling issue, although Wilks completed back-to-back interviews — with the Giants on Tuesday and the Cardinals on Wednesday — already this week. The Colts wanted an earlier summit, Wells reports.

The Colts’ search remains fluid. Matt Nagy took the Bears’ HC job after meeting with the Colts, who have interviewed DCs Kris Richard and Mike Vrabel. Josh McDaniels remains in contention for the Indianapolis job but is also a finalist for the Giants’ position, a race in which Wilks looks to have fallen out of contention, although the Patriots’ OC may loom larger on the Colts’ radar than on the Giants’.

This could point to a Wilks/Cardinals path. He interviewed in Arizona on Wednesday, and the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder posits (on Twitter) the first-year DC could be nearing a deal elsewhere. Rapoport adds (Twitter link) McDaniels could be a good spot when it comes to landing the Colts’ job. McDaniels and Chris Ballard have the same agent, Holder notes, in Bob LaMonte.

Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk also notes Chiefs ST coach Dave Toub is expected to draw interest from the Colts. No report has emerged linking Toub, who interviewed for HC jobs last season, to a Colts summit yet.

Coaching Rumors: Joseph, Eagles, Colts

December 31st, 2017 at 11:25am CST by Rory Parks

This offseason’s coaching carousel is expected to be one of the more exciting ones in recent history given all of the jobs that will become available, though that excitement is not limited to the head coaching gigs. It’s been a busy morning already, but let’s take a look at a few more head coach and coordinator rumors:

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is facing increasingly longer odds of being retained for a second season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
Former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who is currently serving as a senior personnel executive for the team, has interest in returning to the sidelines as an offensive coordinator. However, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports that the Broncos are looking to keep Kubiak around and expand his role to include more front office responsibility and perhaps some coaching responsibilities as well.
The Eagles may lose their defensive coordinator this offseason, and ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports that Philadelphia could also lose several top position coaches (Twitter links). Caplan says Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo and WR coach Mike Groh could be targeted by other clubs, though Philadelphia could still block either man from accepting coordinator jobs elsewhere.
Colts GM Chris Ballard has strong ties to several members of the Chiefs‘ coaching staff — special teams coach Dave Toub and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that both men will get consideration for Indianapolis’ head coaching job. La Canfora points out, however, that Colts owner Jim Irsay may prefer to make a “splashier” hire if possible.
The Bengals have reached out to external candidates for their (expected) head coaching opening, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). This will be an open search for Cincinnati, which generally prefers to promote from within.
Saints head coach Sean Payton said that Darryl Tapp, who played in the league for 11 years (including four games with the Bucs this season), is now serving as a coaching intern for New Orleans. It would appear, then, that Tapp’s playing days are over and he is shifting his sights to the next stage of his career.

NFL Recommends Coaching Candidates

December 21st, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Each year, the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel releases a list of candidates for head coaching jobs. According to Mike Lombardi of The Ringer (Twitter link), that list includes:

Dan Campbell (Assistant Head Coach/TE coach, Saints)
Jim Bob Cooter (Offensive Coordinator, Lions)
John DeFilippo (Quarterbacks Coach, Eagles)
George Edwards (Defensive Coordinator, Vikings)
Josh McDaniels (Offensive Coordinator, Patriots)
Matt Nagy (Offensive Coordinator, Chiefs)
Matt Patricia (Defensive Coordinator, Patriots)
Jim Schwartz (Defensive Coordinator, Eagles)
Pat Shurmur (Offensive Coordinator, Vikings)
Dave Toub (Special Teams Coach, Chiefs)
Steve Wilks (Defensive Coordinator, Panthers)
Mike Vrabel (Defensive Coordinator, Texans)

McDaniels, of course, comes with previous head coaching experience. He was probably too young to handle those responsibilities in Denver, but he has reasserted himself as an offensive wunderkind. Both McDaniels and Patricia will be hot candidates for head coaching jobs this year, so the Patriots may have to make serious changes on the coaching staff.

There is some overlap with the list of minority candidates recommended by the Fritz Pollard Alliance, though Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie did not make the cut on this list. Austin received head coaching interviews in each of the last two offseasons, so he seems likely to garner some consideration this time around.

Colts Considering Ballard/Toub Partnership?

January 28th, 2017 at 6:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Colts aren’t expected to rush in their pursuit to fill their GM position, positive reviews continue to surround one candidate. The Colts are “definitely intrigued by” Chiefs director of football operations Chris Ballard, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. And that could be an interesting development because of Ballard’s ties to a recent head coaching candidate.

Ballard’s preferred choice as HC would be Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, per La Canfora. That is a logical pairing, but the Colts are not currently in the market for a head coach. Jim Irsay reaffirmed his commitment to Chuck Pagano and is prepared to bring him back for a sixth season. Pagano’s seat, though, would be arguably the hottest in the NFL going into 2017 after consecutive 8-8 seasons helped end the Pagano/Ryan Grigson partnership.

Ballard and Packers player operations director Eliot Wolf are considered the favorites for the Indianapolis GM position, a status interim GM Jimmy Raye III occupied last weekend before the official interviews commenced. The Colts met with all six of the candidates between Wednesday and Friday.

Irsay’s been connected to multiple head coaches this offseason, and while the owner said his conversations with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden were merely about the stete of his team, Sean Payton trade rumors also surfaced recently. The Colts said the call came from a Payton associate rather than being an Irsay-initiated process. Hiring a GM who has a coach preference not currently employed by the franchise would add to the uncertainty surrounding Pagano. Recently, much of Pagano’s staff received word they are going to remain in their positions for at least one more year.

The 54-year-old Toub interviewed for the Chargers’ and Broncos’ HC positions, being one of just three coaches Denver considered for its since-filled vacancy. Ballard and Toub have worked in Kansas City since John Dorsey‘s hire in 2013.

AFC Coaching Notes: Broncos, Browns, Jaguars

January 7th, 2017 at 10:22am CST by Ben Levine

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is set to interview with the Broncos today, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Denver gig is the job that Shanahan “identifies with.” The reporter notes that the coordinator is also intrigued by the Jaguars head coaching position.

In a separate tweet, Rapoport notes that Shanahan will “be picky and patient” as he decides which opportunity he wants to pursue. As our head coaching tracker shows, the 37-year-old is also set to meet with the Rams and 49ers.

Let’s take a look at some other coaching notes coming out of the AFC…

Chiefs’ special teams coordinator Dave Toub interviewed for the Broncos head coaching gig this morning, and Mike Klis of Denver7 writes that the coach impressed the organization during the four-hour meeting.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is considered a favorite for the Broncos head coaching gig. If he ends up getting the position, Albert Breer of MMQB.com tweets that former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy could be an option as Denver’s new offensive coordinator.
After firing Ray Horton yesterday, the Browns have started searching for a new defensive coordinator. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets that the organization reached out to former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley regarding the opening. ESPN’s Pat McManamon writes that the team also approached Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
We learned yesterday that Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is in “prime position” to get the Browns defensive coordinator gig, and Toni Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweets that Williams would bring at least three additional Rams coaches to Cleveland (assuming he gets the job).
Fortunately for the Browns, it appears that at least one coach will be staying put. Cabot tweets that running backs coach Kirby Wilson isn’t expected to go elsewhere. The longtime coach is a “longtime friend” of Browns head coach Hue Jackson.

Coaching Rumors: Lynn, 49ers, McDaniels

January 4th, 2017 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

The latest news on the league’s coaching vacancies:

For a complete rundown of every interview scheduled for the teams in search of a new coach, check out PFR’s 2017 NFL Head Coaching Tracker.
Anthony Lynn‘s interview with the 49ers will take place today (Wednesday), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will interview with the Rams, Jaguars, and 49ers all on the same day, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe writes. McDaniels will huddle up with all three teams on Saturday in separate rooms at a hotel near Gilette Stadium. Those three teams will be permitted to interview McDaniels again in the week after the AFC title game, if the Pats make it to the Super Bowl.
The Chargers won’t force assistants on a new head coach, but they value their offensive staff, Rapoport tweets. There’s a good chance offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and his fellow offensive coaches stay put.
The Broncos are expected to talk to Lynn at some point and will interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as soon as the rules allow, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets.
Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin is scheduled to meet with the Rams on Thursday and the Bills on Saturday, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub will interview with the Broncos on Friday and then he has the Chargers on Sunday, Rapoport tweets.