HEADLINES

Grant Udinski

Coaching Updates: Cowboys, Bears, Vikings, Steelers, Browns

March 23rd, 2024 at 3:22pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys announced a number of staff updates recently. We’ve tracked many of the initial changes to occur with the departure of Dan Quinn and a few assistants across the division to Washington, but with the staff filled out, head coach Mike McCarthy opted to hand out of few promotions.

Firstly, Al Harris, who serves as the team’s defensive backs coach has had the title of assistant head coach added to his title, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. Dallas had blocked Harris from interviewing for a lateral move to follow Quinn and opted to sweeten the deal after keeping him from another opportunity. ESPN’s Todd Archer tells us that, also on defense, assistant defensive backs coach Cannon Matthews has been granted the title of safeties coach for 2024, making him a full position coach.

On offense, wide receivers coach Robert Prince has added the role of pass game coordinator to his position. Likewise, Chase Haslett, previously the assistant tight ends coach, will serve as the pass game specialist next season. Lastly, game management and offensive assistant Ryan Feder has replaced “offensive assistant” in his job title with “assistant quarterbacks coach” for the 2024 season.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFL:

  • The Bears made a couple of adjustments to their front office recently. Vice president Corey Ruff was promoted by the organization to senior vice president of strategy and analytics and chief of staff. Chicago also hired Tanya Dreesen as the team’s senior vice president of strategy and global affairs and chief of staff, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
  • We’ve tracked a number of Vikings staff changes throughout the offseason, but we have a new promotion and an update to an earlier report. First, 2023’s assistant quarterbacks coach and chief of special projects Grant Udinski earned a promotion, replacing “chief of special projects” in his job title with “assistant offensive coordinator,” according to Kevin Seifer of ESPN. Udinksi will assist new quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. We had originally reported that former quarterbacks coach Chris O’Hara had been moved to pass-game specialist with McCown’s addition, but we now see that Minnesota has him listed as senior offensive assistant.
  • The Steelers will add veteran defensive assistant Anthony Midget to their 2024 staff, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. Midget has experience as the Texans former secondary coach and most recently served as the defensive backs coach in Tennessee. After being fired by the Titans following the 2022 NFL season, Midget sat out in 2023. He rejoins the ranks of NFL coaching as the assistant secondary coach in Pittsburgh.
  • Finally, the Browns will add an intriguing young name in Nick Charlton, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Charlton made history at Maine, where he became the youngest head coach in Division I history at 31 years old. Following a three-year stint with the Black Bears, Charlton accepted the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coaching job at UConn. He’ll leave the Huskies to serve as the new offensive assistant and run-game specialist in Cleveland.

NFC Coaching Updates: Commanders, Vikings, Giants

February 24th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Confirming early rumors from this week that Stanford quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard could be finding his way onto Eric Bieniemy‘s new offensive staff in Washington, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has reported that the Commanders are working toward an agreement to likely make Pritchard the team’s new quarterbacks coach. The quarterbacks coaching position is currently occupied by last year’s position coach, Ken Zampese, but Fowler speculates that Zampese may stay on with the Commanders in a different role.

On the other hand, the team is parting ways with senior offensive assistant Jim Hostler, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Hostler has been in Washington for the past three years and has an extensive history as a position coach in the NFL for several franchises, even serving as offensive coordinator for the 49ers back in 2007. Also expected to leave is wide receivers coach Drew Terrell. Terrell was a candidate for the Cardinals offensive coordinator position that was awarded to Drew Petzing, but after missing out, is still a strong candidate in Arizona for the role of pass-game coordinator.

Here are a few other coaching updates from around the NFC:

  • The Vikings announced three staff updates today, according to Vikings staff writer Craig Peters. Minnesota hired two defensive staffers with past ties to new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Mike Siravo was hired as the team’s new inside linebackers coach. Siravo worked as a graduate assistant at Boston College when Flores was there as a linebacker. Since then, Siravo has been a longtime follower of former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, working with him at Temple, Baylor, and Carolina. He most recently held the position of defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach for the Panthers. Lance Bennett has been hired as a defensive quality control coach for the Vikings. Bennett previously worked under Flores in Miami as an assistant to the head coach. Lastly, on the offensive side of the ball, Grant Udinski has been promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach. Udinski spent last season in the role of assistant to the head coach/special projects.
  • The Giants are expected to make an addition to their coaching staff, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. Former Panthers assistant head coach on offense Jeff Nixon is expected to be hired in the role of running backs coach in New York. If true, Nixon would be taking the role over from DeAndre Smith, who departed for the same position in Indianapolis today. Nixon likely hopes the Giants will find a way to bring back star running back Saquon Barkley, who is set to hit free agency this offseason.

Panthers Add Several To Coaching Staff

January 31st, 2020 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

As could be expected given Matt Rhule‘s hiring, the 2020 Panthers will feature a heavy Baylor feel on their coaching staff. In addition to Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow, several more Baylor assistants will make the jump to the pros.

The Panthers announced additional hires to their staff Friday. Among them are assistant head coach Jeff Nixon, wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson, tight ends coach Brian Angelichio, assistant offensive line coach Marcus Satterfield, assistant D-line coach Frank Okam, cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley.

Nixon and Jackson played key roles under Rhule at Baylor, but both are ex-NFL assistants. Nixon, who will coach Carolina’s running backs, led the Dolphins’ running backs for five years before working on Chip Kelly‘s 49ers staff in 2016. He was Rhule’s co-offensive coordinator at Baylor from 2017-19. Most of Jackson’s work has come at the college level, but he spent 2017 as the Titans’ wideouts coach.

Angelichio has more experience at the NFL level, coaching tight ends previously for the Redskins in 2019. Instead of working for former Panthers coach Ron Rivera, he will trek to Charlotte for a role with Rivera’s old team. Previously, Angelichio was tight ends coach with the Buccaneers, Browns and Packers since 2012.

Rhule’s former Temple OC, Satterfield was Baylor’s tight ends coach last season. He is an NFL first-timer. A former NFL lineman, Okam is as well. He spent the past two seasons as Baylor’s assistant D-line coach. Also set to become an NFL rookie staffer, Cooper will move from Baylor’s assistant cornerbacks coach to running that position in Carolina. On Rhule’s Temple and Baylor staffs, Foley headed up the Owls’ special teams and was their interim HC after Rhule took the Baylor job. He is also set for his first NFL coaching gig.

The Panthers also hired E.J. Barthel, Grant Udinksi and Cedric Whitaker as coaching assistants. Barthel and Whitaker will make major jumps to the NFL after respectively spending 2019 at Houston Baptist and William & Mary, respectively. Udinski will make the Baylor-to-Carolina transition.