DeShawn Shead - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins Will Not Retain Renaldo Hill, Sam Madison; Team To Hire DeShawn Shead

February 14th, 2024 at 12:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Renaldo Hill left his post as Chargers DC to rejoin former boss Vic Fangio in Miami. With Fangio determining he was not a good fit in South Florida, leading to a quick return to Philadelphia, the Dolphins have since changed plans.

As Anthony Weaver transitions to his role as Dolphins DC, Hill will not be in the equation. Neither Hill nor Sam Madison will be part of Weaver’s defensive staff, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Fangio kept Madison, a former Pro Bowl cornerback in Miami, in place as cornerbacks coach.

A Dolphins safety from 2006-08, Hill had coached under Fangio with the Broncos. The Chargers hired the two-year Denver assistant to be their defensive coordinator in 2021. Brandon Staley retained play-calling duties on that side of the ball during his Los Angeles tenure, and when Fangio accepted the Dolphins’ lucrative DC offer in 2023, Hill made the interesting move to leave a DC post for a position coaching role. The Dolphins employed Hill as their DBs coach. This marked the longtime assistant’s second tour of duty with the franchise; the Dolphins had Hill in place as assistant DBs coach in 2018 under Adam Gase.

The Chiefs had Madison in place as their corners coach from 2019-21; he returned to Miami to work under then-DC Josh Boyer in 2022. A 1997 Dolphins second-round pick, Madison spent nine seasons with the team. He collected All-Pro accolades in four of those years, signing a lucrative extension in in 2000. Madison, 49, will be in search of a new team moving forward.

Miami has since replaced Hill with Brian Duker, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. While the Dolphins are also making Duker their pass-game coordinator on defense, he will make a lateral move after serving as the Lions’ DBs coach under Aaron Glenn. Duker took over as Detroit’s DBs coach following the midseason firing of Aubrey Pleasant in 2022. The Lions gave Duker more help in 2023, via the additions of several free agents and second-round pick Brian Branch. But Duker’s unit lost C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley early. The Lions also made tweaks to their secondary this season, accounting for Branch’s rise and the struggles of cornerback Jerry Jacobs.

Additionally, the Dolphins are hiring DeShawn Shead from the Seahawks, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Although Shead’s role is not yet confirmed, the Seahawks had the ex-Legion of Boom supporting-caster in place as their assistant DBs coach from from 2021-23. It is certainly reasonable to expect Shead, 34, to work in that capacity under Duker in Miami. After an ACL tear during a Seahawks 2016 divisional-round loss to the Falcons sidetracked Shead’s playing career, he eventually found his way to coaching for his former team. The Pete Carroll favorite will follow the longtime HC off Seattle’s staff.

NFC Coaching Notes: Seahawks, Vikings, Falcons, Packers, Bears

February 16th, 2022 at 2:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the various changes to coaching personnel around the league winding down, teams are beginning to officially unveil their 2022 staffs. The Seahawks recently did so, confirming a number of changes following a disappointing season, but some important retentions as well.

As Bob Condotta of The Athletic tweets, Sanjay Lal is remaining with the team in his current role of wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator. The 52-year-old has worked with that position group on seven different teams dating back to 2009. He spent the 2020 campaign in Seattle, but spent last season in Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Karl Scott, 36, is officially being brought in as the team’s secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator. That move had been expected since last week when it was reported the team was in talks with him.

In addition, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports (in a pair of tweets) more names on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Dave Canales will remain as the team’s QBs coach, a role he first had in 2018, but he will no longer have the passing game coordinator title. Brad Idzik has been added as an assistant WRs coach; he entered the NFL with Seattle in 2019. Lastly, Nate Carroll has been promoted to senior offensive assistant, after spending 11 years with the Seahawks in various roles.

As for the defensive staff, Aaron Curry is now an assistant defensive line coach; the former Seattle draftee spent the last two seasons on their sideline. He will be joined in that role by Damione Lewis. Another former player on staff is DeShawn Shead, who has been promoted to defensive backs coach. The last to fit that description is Will Tukuafu, who is coming aboard as a defensive quality control coach.

Here are some other coaching notes from the NFC:

USA Today’s Mike Jones tweets that it is “sounding like” Wes Phillips and Chris O’Hara will be following newly-hired head coach Kevin O’Connell to Minnesota. The former, who is also the son of Wade Phillips, has been a TEs coach with three different teams, the most recent being the Rams. It was reported earlier this week that O’Connell was expected to give him the role of either OC or passing game coordinator. The latter only spent the 2021 season in L.A., but worked as an offensive assistant in Jacksonville and Washington before that.
According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the Falcons are parting ways with WRs coach Dave Brock (Twitter link). The 54-year-old has an extensive background in the college ranks, but his only NFL experience was in Atlanta starting in 2017. Chandler Henley, who had been an assistant offensive line coach with them, has left to join the Dolphins.
The Packers are supporting new ST coordinator Rich Bisaccia with Byron Storer, reports Matt Schneidman of The Athletic (Twitter link).The 37-year-old has worked with Bisaccia in each of his other three NFL coaching locations, and even knows Aaron Rodgers dating back to their college days.
Lastly, the Bears are hiring Brent Salazar as their strength and conditioning coach (Twitter link via Wilson). He has more than a decade of experience in the NFL, having previously worked with three different teams. He also spent the years between 2017 and 2020 as the director of performance for the United States Tennis Association.

Seahawks Add DeShawn Shead To Staff

March 3rd, 2021 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeShawn Shead will make the transition to the coaching side. The former Seahawks cornerback will be part of the team’s 2021 coaching staff.

The Seahawks announced their former starting corner will work as a defensive assistant. Shead, as could be expected, will primarily coach Seattle’s defensive backs.

A former UDFA success story, Shead saw his playing career turn after he suffered an ACL tear in the Seahawks’ 2016 divisional-round game against the Falcons. He was not able to recapture his previous form, spending time on the workout circuit after his six-year Seahawks run concluded following the 2017 season. Shead, 31, has not played since the 2018 season.

Shead worked as a reserve for both of Seattle’s Super Bowl squads and moved into the starting lineup in 2015. Prior to his injury, the Portland State product operated as a full-time starter opposite Richard Sherman in 2016. Shead finished his playing career by suiting up for 12 games with the 2018 Lions.

Saints To Waive CB DeShawn Shead

December 28th, 2019 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeShawn Shead‘s Saints tenure may not end up including a game. Four days after signing Shead, the Saints waived him, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic tweets.

The Saints also cut offensive lineman Michael Ola and promoted wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey from their practice squad. Humphrey has played in four games as a rookie with New Orleans this season.

Prior to his agreement with the Saints, Shead trekked to several auditions this season. He did not catch on anywhere else, however, and has not played since the 2018 campaign. The Lions deployed the cornerback in 12 games last year, but Shead’s career has never truly recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in a January 2017 playoff game. He’d previously operated as a full-time Seahawks starter during the 2016 season. The 30-year-old defender has started one game since.

Saints Sign DB DeShawn Shead

December 24th, 2019 at 2:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are making a late-season move for some secondary depth. New Orleans is signing veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Shead originally signed with the Seahawks as an UDFA out of Portland State in 2012, and became a member of their vaunted ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary. He started six games for them in 2015 and 15 in 2016, also winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the team. After becoming a full-time starter in 2016 he tore his ACL in the playoffs, causing him to miss almost the entire 2017 season. In March of the following year he signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Lions, and he appeared in 12 games for them.

He returned to Seattle in July of this year, but couldn’t make it out of camp with the team. Shead worked out for the Saints last week, before they ultimately signed D.J. Swearinger. He’s been making the workout rounds recently, also auditioning for Detroit, Oakland, and Jacksonville over the past couple of months.

New Orleans’ secondary is pretty banged up at the moment, so the signing makes some sense. Starting safety Von Bell has been hurt, and fellow safety Marcus Williams went down during their win over Tennessee this past week. Shead can play both corner and safety, and will be a decent depth piece.

South Notes: Godwin, Peat, Marrone

December 19th, 2019 at 12:10pm CST by Rory Parks

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin left Sunday’s victory over Detroit due to a hamstring injury, and since Tampa Bay is out of playoff contention, Godwin’s breakout 2019 campaign may end prematurely. Curiously, fellow wideout Mike Evans has already been placed on IR with a hamstring ailment, and yet another receiver, Scott Miller, also left the Lions game due to a hamstring issue.

That has led some to question the way in which head coach Bruce Arians is running things, and as Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Arians has conceded that he may be overworking his receivers. “We’ll be talking with our sports science people about it,” Arians said. “Maybe I’ve overworked them in practice, the receivers, because we need the reps. Our quarterbacks need the reps, so we run them this time of the year more than I would probably like to, but we need the reps.” The hamstring injuries may all just be a coincidence, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the team’s new sports science department moving forward.

Jenna Laine of ESPN.com says Arians has already ruled Godwin out for Week 16 but hopes he will play in the 2019 finale.

Now for more from the league’s south divisions:

Good news for the playoff-bound Saints. As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets, New Orleans guard Andrus Peat, who has missed the last five games with a broken arm, has returned to practice. The team’s offense has performed just fine in Peat’s absence, but the Saints would surely like to have their 2018 Pro Bowler back in action.
The Saints continued to bolster their secondary by adding safety D.J. Swearinger on Wednesday, just two days after claiming CB Janoris Jenkins. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle observes, the Saints did their due diligence in the DB market before signing Swearinger, working out nine total players (Twitter link). That list included recognizable vets DeShawn Shead and Kentrell Brice.
The Jaguars parted ways with executive vice president Tom Coughlin yesterday, and many believe that head coach Doug Marrone will be axed at the end of the season. However, Marrone said he has not heard anything in that regard from owner Shad Khan, nor does he expect to (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that, since Khan did not also fire Marrone when he fired Coughlin, Marrone (and GM Dave Caldwell) could be back in 2020. But Coughlin seems to have been fired largely as a result of a damning NFLPA report that surfaced Monday, so the fact that Marrone and Caldwell will stay on board for the rest of 2019 probably doesn’t mean very much.
The Colts tried to shore up their CB position by signing Briean Boddy-Calhoun yesterday, and as Wilson tweets, Indy also brought in CB Ken Crawley for a tryout.

Jaguars To Workout DeShawn Shead

November 26th, 2019 at 12:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jaguars don’t look like they’re headed to the playoffs, but they’re still sniffing around the veteran free agent market for help. The team is brining in defensive back DeShawn Shead for a workout today, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Shead came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks back in 2012, and he had some real success in Seattle. He ended up spending six seasons with the team, and started 21 games between 2015 and 2016. A torn ACL in the playoffs then derailed his career, and he missed all but two games in 2017. Released after the season, he latched on with Detroit. He then came back home and re-signed with the Seahawks this Summer, but was released at final cuts. He had been playing safety instead of cornerback in an attempt to make the team.

He hasn’t played any football yet this season, but has been making the rounds on the workout circuit. He auditioned for the Lions back in October, and for the Raiders just a couple of weeks ago. There aren’t any major injuries in Jacksonville’s secondary, but their defense has struggled a bit overall. In their most recent loss to the Titans, they gave up a whopping 42 points.

A Portland State alum, Shead won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks. He turned 30 back in June, and teams won’t be beating down his door this offseason. For his career, he has two interceptions and 24 passes defended in 66 games and 23 starts.

Raiders To Work Out CB DeShawn Shead

November 11th, 2019 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders recently replaced Karl Joseph on their active roster with D.J. Swearinger, but with Lamarcus Joyner battling an injury as well, they are searching for cornerback help. Ex-Seahawks and Lions corner DeShawn Shead is working out for the team Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Shead has not played this season but was most recently linked to both of his former teams. He caught on with the Seahawks earlier this year and worked out for the Lions last month.

His career turning during a 2016 divisional-round game in Atlanta, Shead has not returned to the full-time starter role he occupied before suffering a broken leg that day. However, the 30-year-old defender did play in 12 games (with one start) for the Lions last season.

Oakland has lost some key secondary cogs this season, with Johnathan Abram going on IR and Gareon Conley being traded to Houston. The team has used Joyner more as a slot corner than in the pure safety role he played with the Rams the past two seasons. Jon Gruden said he was concerned about Joyner’s immediate status following his hamstring injury against the Chargers.

Lions Audition DeShawn Shead

October 30th, 2019 at 2:16pm CST by Zachary Links

DeShawn Shead could be set to reunite with the Lions. On Wednesday, the cornerback worked out for Detroit’s coaches, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Shead entered the league as a UDFA with the Seahawks back in 2012 and proceeded to make a big impact over a six year run. Shead started 21 games between 2015 and 2016, and was one of the few remaining members of the team that won Super Bowl XLVIII for the Seahawks. He became a starter toward the end of the 2015 campaign, and started 15 games in 2016. Unfortunately he suffered a torn ACL in the 2016 playoffs, which derailed his career.

He only appeared in two games in 2017 as he worked his way back from the injury, and was then cut after the season. He signed with Detroit, and appeared in 12 games for the Lions last season, making one start. He was placed on injured reserve in December, then signed back with the Seahawks in July.

The Lions have some familiarity with the veteran, which could lead to a deal this week.

Seahawks Release DB DeShawn Shead

August 30th, 2019 at 9:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Seahawks are cutting a longtime familiar face. Seattle has released veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Shead originally signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent back in 2012. He spent the next six seasons with the team, and made a big impact. Shead started 21 games between 2015 and 2016, and was one of the few remaining members of the team that won Super Bowl XLVIII for the Seahawks. He became a starter toward the end of the 2015 campaign, and started 15 games in 2016. Unfortunately he suffered a torn ACL in the 2016 playoffs, which derailed his career.

He only appeared in two games in 2017 as he worked his way back from the injury, and was then cut after the season. He signed with Detroit, and appeared in 12 games for the Lions last season, making one start. He was placed on injured reserve in December, then signed back with the Seahawks in July.

As Henderson points out, the Seahawks had been mostly using him as a safety this season in an attempt to have him make the team. The Portland State product ended up coming up short, and will now re-enter the open market at the age of 30.