HEADLINES

Ian Cunningham

Bears Targeting Eagles’ Ian Cunningham For Front Office Role, Kevin Patullo For OC

January 27th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the Bears tabbing a Chiefs executive for their general manager role and a Colts assistant to be their head coach, multiple Eagles staffers have emerged for top lieutenant roles.

Eagles passing-game coordinator Kevin Patullo has surfaced as a key target in the Bears’ offensive coordinator search, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While other candidates will come up, Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan notes Patullo is indeed on the Bears’ radar (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Bears Hire Matt Eberflus As Head Coach]

Patullo has worked with Eberflus previously, being part of Frank Reich‘s staff from 2018-20. Patullo, 40, left to join Nick Sirianni‘s Eagles staff last year. He has yet to be a coordinator at any level but has been in the NFL since 2007, excepting a one-season stay at Texas A&M. The Bears going with a defensive-minded coach obviously elevates the profile for their next OC hire, with that person being positioned to call plays for a Justin Fields-led offense next season.

The Bears are also targeting Eagles director of player personnel Ian Cunningham to join Ryan Poles‘ front office in a high-ranking role, per Caplan and InsidetheBirds.com’s Geoff Mosher (on Twitter). A Ravens staffer for nine years, Cunningham joined Philly’s staff in 2017 and has climbed the ranks to become a top Howie Roseman lieutenant. Poles and Cunningham are close, according to Mosher. The Jets attempted to hire Cunningham in multiple offseasons, but he ended up staying with the Eagles. It will be interesting to see if Poles can lure him to Chicago.

Eberflus is also likely to bring Colts linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi to Chicago with him, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). A former Cowboys and Buccaneers assistant, Borgonzi has coached the Colts’ linebackers since 2018.

AFC East Rumors: Jets, Cunningham, McCourty, Dolphins

January 16th, 2022 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets wasted no time in 2019 when wide receiver Braxton Berrios was waived by the Patriots just prior to the 2019 NFL season. The fourth-year player from the University of Miami was tabbed early in his Jets’ tenure as Jamison Crowder‘s back up in the slot, but Rich Cimini, of ESPN, details how Berrios’s effectiveness running and returning the ball could net him a bigger contract than his fellow slot receivers.

The first-team All Pro return man hits free agency this offseason and it’ll be interesting to see how those talks play out.

Here are a few more notes on the AFC East, starting with another item out of the Tri-State area:

  • Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has recognized the Eagles’ director of player personnel, Ian Cunningham, as a potential future general manager. The Jets, specifically, have tried twice to bring him on, as he and Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas are both products of the Ozzie Newsome tree from their time with the Ravens.
  • As the Patriots’ season came to an end with last night’s blow out loss to the Bills, ESPN’s Mike Reiss brings forth the question of Devin McCourty‘s future. The New England mainstay has been a lynchpin of the Patriots’ defense for 12 years. But, at age 34 with an expiring contract, what does the future hold for the Boston-based twin.
  • Cornerback Xavien Howard put enough pressure on the Dolphins in August that they restructured his contract with a few rewarding incentives. Howard made sure to cash out. Howard added to his salary $1MM for making the Pro Bowl and another $1MM for playing at least 90% of Miami’s defensive snaps. Barry Jackson, of the Miami Herald, details the situation in his Sports Buzz column.

Front Office Notes: Panthers, Kuechly, Texans

May 3rd, 2021 at 10:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Scott Fitterer is looking to add to his staff. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers have requested permission to interview Bills director of player personnel Dan Morgan for their assistant GM job. The organization has also reached out to the Eagles about interviewing director of player personnel Ian Cunningham for the assistant GM gig, via Rapoport on Twitter.

Morgan, of course, was a first-round pick by the Panthers back in 2001. The linebacker spent the first seven seasons of his career with Carolina, including a 2004 campaign where he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance. Following his playing career, Morgan joined the Seahawks front office, and he’s been in his current role with Buffalo since 2018.

Cunningham’s front office career started in Baltimore, and he joined the Eagles organization as director of college scouting in 2017. The executive was promoted to his current gig in 2019. As Eagles reporter Geoff Mosher points out (on Twitter), Panthers director of player personnel Patrick Stewart previously served as Philly’s national scout, so the front office has a connection to the Eagles.

Let’s check out some more front office notes from around the NFL…

  • While the Panthers are looking to add to their front office, the team has also lost a valuable (and very popular scout). Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Panthers legend Luke Kuechly resigned from his role as pro scout. The former Defensive Player of the Year took on the role after retiring as a player last offseason. Panthers reporter Joe Person tweets that Kuechly wants to spend more time with his family before deciding the next steps of his career.
  • The Texans and director of pro personnel Rob Kisiel have mutually decided to part ways, according to Albert Breet of TheMMQB (via Twitter). Kisiel had been with the organization since the beginning, first serving as a scout before eventually making his way up to director of pro personnel.
  • Speaking of the Texans, the front office hired former Patriots pro scout Ronnie McGill prior to the draft, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Houston GM Nick Caserio has had a habit of stealing talent from New England, and it makes sense that he’d have his eyes on McGill. The former college running back had been with the Patriots organization since 2010.

NFC Notes: Floyd, Cousins, 49ers, Eagles

June 16th, 2017 at 5:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd is fighting back against a report that he violated his house arrest rules by testing positive for alcohol, telling Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Totally false. The whole thing is false. You can’t believe everything TMZ says.” Floyd, who had completed 91 days of his 96-day house arrest sentence as of Monday, is due in court June 26.

His agent, also named Brian Murphy, released a statement Friday, part of which says (full statement here via ESPN’s Adam Schefter):

“On June 10, 2017, Michael watched movies at his place of residence until 3:00 a.m. During that time, he drank several bottles of kombucha tea drinks, unaware that the drinks contain alcohol.

On June 11, 2017 at 5:30 a.m., Michael was tested and his blood alcohol content was .055. Michael was tested again at 5:54 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was down to .045. Michael was tested again at 6:23 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was .044. He then went back to sleep and missed a test at 6:33 a.m.”

More from the NFC:

  • Newly named Redskins senior vice president of of player personnel Doug Williams told NFL Network on Friday that he wants the team to extend contract-year quarterback Kirk Cousins “in the worst way” (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). Williams isn’t involved in talks with Cousins’ camp, though, as president Bruce Allen and VP of football administration Eric Schaffer “have been on this negotiation for a long time.” In the event the Redskins are unable to prevent Cousins from hitting free agency next winter, they’ll have to “search long and hard to find” a capable successor, Williams noted. “But at the same time, we got a capable backup here in Colt McCoy, who can hold the fort down for a while or even take it the long distance.”
  • The 49ers have not broached an extension with safety Eric Reid, the contract-year defender told Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Reid, a 2013 first-round pick who’s set to play his fifth-year option season at a $5.676MM salary, is moving from free safety to strong safety this year. Between that and the fact that San Francisco has a new regime, including head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, the team likely wants to see if Reid’s a fit before considering making a long-term commitment to him, notes Wagoner. Saleh’s impressed with Reid so far, calling the 25-year-old “unbelievable from a mental standpoint,” “very athletic” and “strong.”
  • The Eagles announced some changes to their scouting staff on Friday, including promoting Trey Brown from director of college scouting to player personnel executive college/pro and hiring Ian Cunningham to take over Brown’s old post. Brown was among a few candidates who interviewed last month for the Bills’ then-vacant general manager job, which ended up going to Brandon Beane. Cunningham’s new to Philly, having spent the previous nine years with Baltimore. There, he worked with Joe Douglas, whom the Eagles hired as their vice president of player personnel last year.