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J.T. Barrett

Coaching Notes: Bills, Panthers, Dolphins, Saints, Lions, Packers

February 8th, 2023 at 9:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Another former member of the Panthers organization is heading to Buffalo. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), the Bills are hiring Al Holcomb as a senior defensive assistant. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets that the two sides have yet to officially finalize a deal but are heading in that direction.

After having previously spent five seasons as the Panthers linebackers coach, Holcomb returned to Carolina in 2020 as their defensive run game coordinator. When Steve Wilks became the Panthers interim head coach this past season, Holcomb was promoted to the team’s interim defensive coordinator/assistant head coach.

Holcomb worked under former Panthers defensive coordinator (and current Bills head coach) Sean McDermott in Carolina. He also worked alongside current Bills GM Brandon Beane, who previously served as Carolina’s director of football operations and assistant GM.

Speaking of the Panthers, they made their own coaching move today. The team announced that they’ve agreed to terms with linebackers coach Peter Hansen. The coach served in the same role with the Broncos last season, where he coached under new Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The 43-year-old Hansen was previously the defensive coordinator at UNLV.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • The Dolphins are hiring Butch Barry as their new offensive line coach, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). Barry was recently canned by the Broncos after serving as their OL coach for one season, but now he’ll get another opportunity in Miami. The veteran coach will be replacing Matt Applebaum, who was let go after only one season with the Dolphins organization.
  • The Saints have been busy adding to their coaching staff. Cardinals defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson is heading to New Orleans, per Mike Jurecki (on Twitter). Robertson, who spent the past four years in Arizona, will presumably be serving in the same role with the Saints. Meanwhile, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets that the Saints are closing in on a deal with Clancy Barone to serve as their tight ends coach. The veteran coach most recently served in that same role with the Bears, and he previously worked alongside Saints head coach Dennis Allen when the two were with the Broncos and with Texas A&M. Finally, Underhill tweets the the Saints are retaining offensive assistant Kevin Petry. The young coach “was coveted for a position by Sean Payton” in Denver, per Underhill, but the Saints ultimately convinced him to stick in New Orleans.
  • The Lions have made some changes to their coaching staff. Most notably, the team promoted J.T. Barrett to assistant quarterbacks coach and Shaun Dion Hamilton to assistant linebackers coach. Barrett, a former star at Ohio State, bounced around the NFL before joining the Lions coaching staff as an offensive assistant last offseason. Hamilton, a former sixth-round pick, spent a year on the Lions’ roster before joining their coaching staff last year. Per Tim Twentyman of the team’s website (on Twitter), the Lions also promoted Brian Duker to defensive backs coach, Tanner Engstrand to passing game coordinator, and Steve Oliver to assistant offensive line coach. The Lions have also added Dre Thompson as a defensive quality control coach.
  • The Packers are hiring former Cardinals cornerbacks coach Greg Williams, according to Tom Silverstein of Packers News. It’s uncertain what role Williams will fill on Matt LaFleur’s staff, but Silverstein expects him to help fill the void left by defensive passing game coordinator Jerry Gray, who left Green Bay for the Falcons. Prior to his four-year stint in Arizona, Williams served as the Broncos and Colts defensive backs coach.

NFC North Notes: Bears, OL, Vikings, Barrett

August 3rd, 2022 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mentioned in trade rumors to start the week, Teven Jenkins has not practiced with the Bears since Day 1 of training camp. Due to the unknown ailment he is currently battling and last year’s back injury, Jenkins has participated in just one training camp practice since being chosen in the 2021 second round. He does not look to be factoring into Chicago’s first-string tackle mix. Recently signed veteran Riley Reiff does, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune expects the 11th-year blocker to be the team’s left tackle starter. Reiff spent most of his career as an NFC North left tackle but played on the right side for the Bengals last season. Larry Borom, Chicago’s primary right tackle during his 2021 rookie season, should be considered the favorite to stay in that role, Biggs adds. The Bears ditched their five-year tackle setup last summer, cutting Bobby Massie before the ’21 draft and releasing Charles Leno after selecting Jenkins. Leno has since signed a three-year, $37.5MM extension with the Commanders.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Irv Smith Jr. worked his way back from the knee injury that wiped out his 2021 season, but the third-year Vikings tight end has run into more trouble. Smith underwent thumb surgery, Kevin O’Connell said. While the first-year Minnesota HC added Smith should be back by Week 1, he will miss the preseason. Having let Tyler Conklin hit the market and defect the Jets, the Vikings are counting on Smith to be their starter this season.
  • Jesse Davis has worked as the Vikings’ first-string right guard to start training camp, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. The Vikings used fellow free agent signing Chris Reed as the primary first-stringer here during a recent Davis day off. Minnesota is also incorporating second-round pick Ed Ingram into this competition, per O’Connell. Davis, who shuttled between guard and tackle with the Dolphins for years, signed for one year and $3MM. Reed, a recent Colts backup, signed a two-year, $4.5MM pact. Reed has also worked at center in his initial months with the Vikes.
  • The Packers promoted Jon-Eric Sullivan recently. The veteran executive is now serving as the team’s VP of of player personnel. A Packers staffer since 2004, Sullivan has worked his way up from the regional scouting ranks. When Brian Gutekunst was hired as GM in 2018, Sullivan became the team’s co-player personnel director alongside John Wojciechowski. Green Bay also promoted Chris Gaines and Sean Linton to college scouts.
  • J.T. Barrett is breaking into the coaching ranks. The former Ohio State quarterback is now on the Lions‘ staff as an offensive assistant. Barrett, 27, caught on with the Saints, Seahawks and Steelers as an NFLer but never saw regular-season time. He also spent time with the CFL’s Edmonton Elks.

Cowboys Won’t Sign J.T. Barrett, Brady Davis

May 17th, 2021 at 12:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Cowboys brought in a pair of young free agent quarterbacks for tryouts this past week, but it doesn’t sound like either will be getting a contract.

Dallas is not planning on signing either J.T. Barrett or Brady Davis as of right now, veteran beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. tweets. Hill writes they had “less than stellar showings” at the team’s rookie minicamp. Barrett, of course, is well known to college football fans for his long tenure under center at Ohio State. He set many records for the Buckeyes, and was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree.

He’s bounced around practice squads and offseason rosters since going undrafted in 2018. The Cowboys currently don’t have much behind Dak Prescott on the depth chart after Andy Dalton left in free agency, so they may continue kicking the tires on veteran backup options.

As of right now, former AAF star Garrett Gilbert would seem to be the favorite to hold Prescott’s clipboard. Davis is a 2020 UDFA from Illinois State.

QB J.T. Barrett Joining Cowboys On Tryout Basis

May 12th, 2021 at 10:34pm CST by Ben Levine

J.T. Barrett is getting another shot at an NFL gig. The journeyman quarterback is joining the Cowboys on a tryout basis, reports ESPN’s Todd Archer. Dallas is also auditioning quarterback Brady Davis.

Barrett had a standout career at Ohio State, earning three first team All-Big-Ten nods and setting a number of school records. He ultimately finished his collegiate career with a 38-6 record, tossing 104 touchdowns vs. only 30 interceptions. While many of his teammates were ultimately drafted following their stints with the Buckeyes, Barrett went undrafted in 2018.

Since that time, the quarterback hasn’t been able to hold a steady gig in the NFL. He’s had two stints with the Saints, and he also spent time with the Seahawks and Steelers, but the 26-year-old has yet to see the field for a regular season game. 2020 was the first season where Barrett didn’t have a job, so this could be his final chance to crack an NFL roster.

While he has some familiarity with a handful of Cowboys players (including college teammate Ezekiel Elliott), Barrett will be hard pressed to make the regular season roster. Barrett will have to leap at least two of Cooper Rush, Garrett Gilbert, and Ben DiNucci for the opportunity to be one of Dak Prescott‘s backup.

Davis, an undrafted free agent in 2020, split his collegiate career between Memphis and Illinois State. In 27 games for the Redbirds, the quarterback compiled 3,514 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/20

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

New York Giants

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Reserve/Futures Contracts: 12/30/19

December 30th, 2019 at 7:26pm CST by Ben Levine

With the regular season behind us, teams can start signing players to reserve/futures contract. This ties the player to the team’s 90-man offseason roster.

Several teams have already started completing these deals, which we’ve compiled below:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/19

September 17th, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

  • Signed: TE Donald Parham
  • Cut: TE Drew Belcher

NFL Workout Updates: 9/17/19

September 17th, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s updates from the workout circuit, all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter unless otherwise noted.

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • T Gerhard deBeer, Christian DiLauro, Brandon Hitner, C James Murray (link)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

Seahawks Get Down To 53 Players

August 31st, 2019 at 6:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Seahawks have made their roster cuts. Perhaps most notably, they cut quarterback Geno Smith. Since they already waived Paxton Lynch last night and also waived J.T. Barrett, they currently have no passers on the roster behind Russell Wilson. It’s possible the team is just maneuvering the roster and planning on re-signing Smith. If not, they’ll be adding a veteran in the coming days.

The Seahawks had a crowded running backs room, and J.D. McKissic and Bo Scarbrough ended up as the odd-men out. A lot of people were expecting Jaron Brown to start the year as the team’s number two receiver while D.K. Metcalf recovers from his knee injury, but he didn’t even end up making the initial 53. Brown was set to make $2.75MM, so maybe he’ll be brought back after the regular season starts when his contract won’t be guaranteed.

Here’s the full list of moves:

Released:

FB Nick Bellore

WR Jaron Brown

DE Cassius Marsh

C Marcus Martin

DT Jamie Meder

QB Geno Smith

CB Jamar Taylor

Waived:

QB J.T. Barrett

WR Jazz Ferguson

TE Jackson Harris

T Will Holden

TE Jacob Hollister

LB Jawuan Johnson

WR Kahlil Lewis

S Shalom Luani

 RB J.D. McKissic

DT Earl Mitchell

WR Nyqwan Murray

T Elijah Nkansah

WR Keenan Reynolds

G Jordan Roos

TE Wes Saxton

RB Bo Scarbrough

DE Logan Tago

CB Simeon Thomas

G Landon Turner

RB Xavier Turner

T Brian Wallace

WR Terry Wright

LB Juwon Young

Waived/injured:

CB Jeremy Boykins

LB Justin Currie

PUP:

DT Demarcus Christmas

G Phil Haynes

Injured reserve:

G Jordan Simmons

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