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Marcus Dixon

NFC Coaching Notes: Eagles, Clay, Pettine, Vikings, Panthers, Giants, Lions, Rams

February 16th, 2024 at 4:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles‘ changes at offensive and defensive coordinator show how quickly job security can evaporate in the NFL, and Nick Sirianni‘s seat has heated up as a result. But the Eagles are not changing out all their coordinators. They will extend special teams boss Michael Clay, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This marks the second straight year in which the Eagles have extended Clay, who is going into his fourth season as their ST coordinator. Just 32, Clay has been a special teams coach in the NFL since 2015, serving as the 49ers’ assistant ST coach for five years. Clay debuted with the Eagles, however, joining Chip Kelly‘s staff in 2014. The Eagles vaulted from 31st to 10th on Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings in 2023.

Philly is adding former Titans inside linebackers coach Bobby King to their staff, ESPN.com’s Tim McManus tweets. While Brian Callahan kept a handful of Mike Vrabel assistants, he did not retain King. Under King’s guidance last season, Titans free agency pickup Azeez Al-Shaair tallied 163 tackles — the most by anyone during the franchise’s 25-season Titans period.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • Fired as the Jaguars’ defensive pass-game coordinator last month, Deshea Townsend has another gig lined up. The Lions are hiring the former NFL cornerback in the same capacity, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Townsend, who won two Super Bowls during his 12-year Steelers run as a player, has been in coaching since his 2011 retirement. Prior to his two-year Jacksonville stay, Townsend coached DBs with the Bears, Giants and Titans and Cardinals. The Lions recently lost DBs coach Brian Duker to the Dolphins.
  • After working as a Vikings senior defensive assistant over the past two years, Mike Pettine will have a more defined role this year in Minnesota. The Vikings announced the veteran DC and ex-Browns HC will be their outside linebackers coach in 2024. Still carrying an assistant HC title, Pettine worked with the Vikes’ OLBs under Brian Flores last season. This will be the 57-year-old coach’s 22nd season in the NFL.
  • The Vikings also hired Marcus Dixon to be their defensive line coach. Brought over from the Broncos, Dixon was a Nathaniel Hackett hire in Denver. Ejiro Evero took Dixon with him from the Rams in 2022; he served as the Broncos’ D-line coach for two years. The Broncos are losing their only two pre-Sean Payton defensive assistants this offseason, seeing DBs coach Christian Parker rejoin Vic Fangio in Philadelphia. Evero tried to take both Parker and Dixon with him to the Panthers last year, per 9News’ Mike Klis, but the Broncos blocked the effort and kept them around to work under Vance Joseph.
  • The Giants are doling out some new titles. QBs coach Shea Tierney and DBs coach Jerome Henderson will respectively serve as the team’s offensive and defensive pass-game coordinators. Henderson has been with the Giants since 2020, while Tierney came over from the Bills with Brian Daboll. The Giants also moved former safety Mike Adams from assistant secondary coach to assistant DBs coach.
  • Additionally, Big Blue hired Charlie Bullen to replace Drew Wilkins as outside linebackers coach. Daboll fired Wilkins, a longtime Don Martindale right-hand man, and that choice keyed an explosive conclusion to the Daboll-Martindale relationship. Wilkins is now with the Patriots. Bullen spent last season as Illinois’ OLBs coach; he spent the previous four years coaching linebackers with the Cardinals. The veteran assistant previously worked with Dolphins LBs under Joe Philbin and Adam Gase.
  • The Rams recently interviewed former Packers pass-game coordinator Greg Williams for their inside linebackers coach gig, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. This is not the ex-St. Louis Rams DC better known for Bountygate; the two-G Greg Williams spent time with the Broncos and Cardinals prior to spending last season in Green Bay.

Latest On Broncos’ Coaching Staff; Matt Patricia Still On Radar For Assistant Job?

February 23rd, 2023 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

1:13pm: If Patricia is part of Payton’s plans, it will not be as linebackers coach. The Broncos are hiring Michael Wilhoite for that position, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Recently dismissed by the Chargers, Wilhoite worked with the Saints from 2019-20. The former NFL linebacker was on Payton’s staffs then as a lower-level assistant; this job represents a title bump.

12:20pm: The Broncos’ Vance Joseph defensive coordinator hire removes some of their candidates from the equation, but it might not scrap partnerships will all of them. Matt Patricia may still be on the radar for a role in Denver.

The former Lions HC and longtime Bill Belichick assistant has been connected to joining the Broncos as linebackers coach, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Sean Payton responded to a tweet questioning his methodical pace at filling out Denver’s staff, indicating he had 16 coaches in place. It would appear more names will surface soon. The team is still looking for an offensive coordinator.

Patricia, 48, interviewed Wednesday for the job Joseph just accepted. Although he worked with the Patriots’ offensive line last season — one that became a controversial campaign due to the longtime defensive staffer being the team’s de facto OC — the former head coach and longtime defensive coordinator has not held a position coach title since 2011, when he was the Pats’ safeties coach. Patricia has only worked for the Patriots and Lions during his lengthy NFL stay; the Pats brought him back shortly after his Lions firing.

Patricia is no longer under contract with the Patriots, and while it is believed he should still have a job under Belichick, the Lions no longer paying him a head coach salary would require the Pats to handle the entire compensation going forward. That should not be a major issue, given assistants’ salaries, but it certainly would be interesting if Patricia left New England for a non-coordinator job. His contract expiring would mean the Pats cannot block such a move, however.

The Broncos are also retaining two of their holdover defensive assistants. They will keep both defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and defensive backs coach Christian Parker, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. Parker, 31, interviewed for the DC job, providing an illustration of the team’s view of the young staffer, and will enter his third season with the team. He joined the Broncos during Vic Fangio‘s tenure; Dixon, 38, signed on under Ejiro Evero last year. This is Parker’s first job coaching a position, while Dixon — a former NFL D-lineman — coached on the Rams’ staff in 2021.

Although Mike Zimmer also interviewed for a separate staff position and would make sense in a senior defensive assistant-type role alongside Payton, his Cowboys coworker in the 2000s, the linebackers position is the top box for the Broncos now to check on defense. On offense, the team is replacing five-year wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni with ex-NFLer Keary Colbert, Matt Zenitz of On3Sports.com tweets. Colbert, who played an auxiliary role for the Broncos’ receiving corps from 2008-09, spent last season as Florida’s receivers coach. He also mentored Drake London at USC. Colbert, 40, began coaching immediately after his playing career wrapped. Azzanni joined the Jets as their receivers coach recently.

NFL Coaching Updates: Broncos, Brown, Cowboys, Jaguars

February 19th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Following the departure of former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, there has been a litany of change to the coaching staff in Denver. A few of the updates and notes have flown a bit under the radar. For instance, in the midst of new head coach Sean Payton attempting to find his new defensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the team was interested in former Eagles linebackers coach Nick Rallis, who ended up getting hired for the same position in Arizona. Rapoport also avers that Philadelphia, knowing new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon would be leaving their defensive coordinator position vacant, also had interest in retaining Rallis in an enhanced role as coordinator.

A rumor has also come to light that may explain a bit of why Payton and the Broncos have not yet filled the position. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the Broncos are seeking to retain defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and secondary coach Christian Parker regardless of who they hire at the defensive coordinator position. While a flattering notion towards the two coaches, the move effectively handcuffs whoever accepts the position into working with the two, regardless of system fit. Many of former defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero‘s staff have departed to join him in Carolina, though, and this appears to be the dedication Denver must show in order to retain the remaining assistants.

Klis also tweeted of another departure from the Broncos staff. While not technically a coach, instructional designer John Viera will reportedly be following Hackett to New York. Klis describes Viera as the “coach to the coaches,” detailing that he would lead presentations to the coaching staff.

Here are a few other coaching rumors from around the league:

  • The Panthers hired one of the league’s up and coming coaches this past weekend, announcing the addition of Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown as their new offensive coordinator. Rams head coach Sean McVay reportedly didn’t want to lose Brown but didn’t feel he could block him from a great opportunity, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. McVay regarded Brown as one of the best teachers he has worked with, and he was not the only one who noticed. Brown interviewed for the open Dolphins’ head coaching position last offseason and interviewed for the Texans’ job this year, as well. He was also a candidate for several other offensive coordinator positions. Brown’s considered a rising offensive mind in the game brings some intrigue to Carolina as a new play caller.
  • The Cowboys have added two former NFL players to their coaching staff for 2023. Former Vikings first round pick Sharrif Floyd will be officially added to the staff as the assistant defensive line and defensive quality control coach, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The former defensive tackle, who played under Dan Quinn at Florida, worked with the staff during training camp last year. Todd Archer of ESPN adds that the team is also bringing on former safety and special teams ace Darian Thompson to serve as assistant linebackers and quality control coach. After spending much of 2021 on the practice squad, Thompson did not appear on the field in 2022.
  • In a tweet this week, the Jaguars announced two minor additions to their 2023 coaching staff. Jacksonville has hired former Bills wide receivers coach Chad Hall to serve in the same role for the Jaguars. After coaching Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis for the past four seasons, Hall will join Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson to coach a wide receivers group that surpassed all expectations in 2022 and may benefit even more with the potential addition of suspended receiver Calvin Ridley. The team has also added Greg Austin in the position of offensive quality control coach.
  • After hiring Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator, the Vikings are parting ways with linebackers coach Greg Manusky, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Manusky has served as defensive coordinator for four different teams over the years. The veteran assistant should have plenty of options moving forward.
  • The Chargers announced a minor addition to their staff this week, according to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports. Los Angeles will be bringing in former Georgia defensive analyst Robert Muschamp as a quality control coach. Muschamp is the nephew of Georgia co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Will Muschamp and joined his uncle in Athens after two years working in Tennessee.
  • The Texans have hired former Kent State director of football operations and Yale chief of staff Jake Olson to the coaching staff, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It’s a bit unclear what his role will be, but he will don the title of assistant senior assistant.

AFC Coaching Notes: Pederson, Broncos, Bills, Raiders, Texans

February 18th, 2022 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Jaguars had offensive-oriented coaches in place as head coach in Doug Marrone and Urban Meyer, neither operated as the team’s primary play-caller. That pattern will change with Doug Pederson. The former Eagles HC will call the Jaguars’ offensive plays, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is not surprising, with the former Super Bowl-winning coach having been Philadelphia’s play-caller during his five seasons at the helm. Pederson also helped establish his HC case by calling plays at points with the Chiefs. Pederson’s primary task will be relaunching Trevor Lawrence‘s career after the prized quarterback prospect struggled under Meyer and Darrell Bevell. OC Press Taylor has not called plays previously, but passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has. They will be Pederson’s right-hand men on his Lawrence reboot effort.

Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:

  • In addition to making the long-expected Ejiro Evero defensive coordinator hire, the Broncos are plucking two more assistants off the Rams’ staff in the wake of Super Bowl LVI. Dwayne Stukes is coming to Denver to be the team’s special teams coordinator, while Marcus Dixon is leaving Los Angeles for Colorado to be the new Broncos D-line coach. Stukes, 45, spent the 2021 season as the Rams’ assistant ST coordinator. Stukes has experience as an ST coordinator — with the 2011 Buccaneers — and has been an assistant ST coach with the Bears and Giants. Dixon will also be a one-and-done with the Rams, having been hired as their assistant D-line coach last year. Previously, Dixon spent four years as an assistant at Division I-FCS Hampton.
  • The Raiders are hiring a new defensive line coach, tabbing Frank Okam for that role, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). This comes more than a month after the Panthers fired Okam. Carolina brought Okam from Matt Rhule‘s Baylor staff in 2020, when he served as the Panthers’ assistant D-line coach. Carolina bumped Okam to its D-line coach last year. He will follow ex-Panthers assistant Jason Simmons to Las Vegas.
  • The Bills are expected to hire Marcus West as a defensive assistant, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic tweets. Previously a co-defensive coordinator at Charlotte, West is on track to be the Bills’ assistant D-line coach, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (on Twitter). This will be West’s first NFL coaching gig.
  • One of the Marrone-era holdovers Meyer kept on his lone Jaguars staff, Joe Danna is now on board as the Texans’ safeties coach, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Danna spent five seasons in Jacksonville and was with the Jets and Falcons as well, serving as DBs coach with both teams.

Titans Cut Mooney, Mariani, Others

August 30th, 2014 at 4:29pm CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 4:29pm : In addition to trading DE Lavar Edwards to the Cowboys, the Titans have announced the following roster moves:

Waived:

  • Maikon Bonani (K)
  • Moise Fokou (LB)
  • Will Poehls (OT)
  • Rico Richardson (WR)
  • Winston Wright (CB)

Placed on injured reserve:

FRIDAY, 3:36pm: The Titans have released fullback Collin Mooney and wide receiver Marc Mariani, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean (on Twitter). Terry McCormick of FOX 17 (on Twitter) adds defensive lineman Chigbo Anonuby to that list. As we passed along earlier today, offensive lineman Jeff Adams, defensive lineman Marcus Dixon, and offensive lineman Justin McCray were also let go. Here’s the full list of Titans cuts from today:

Minor Moves: Friday

August 29th, 2014 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll be grouping most of today’s cuts by team or division, but we’ll keep track of the stray minor moves here..

  • The Titans released offensive lineman Jeff Adams, tweets Wyatt.
  • The Texans cut wide receiver Travis Labhart and kicker Chris Boswell, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter).
  • The Bears will cut offensive lineman Robert Turner, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Chicago signed the guard/tackle just a few weeks ago.
  • The Texans released former USC safety Jawanza Starling, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • The Titans have released defensive lineman Marcus Dixon and offensive lineman Justin McCray, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean (Twitter links). Dixon recorded a sack in the preseason finale and almost had a second one, but it wasn’t enough to stay on board.
  • The Texans will release fullback Toben Opurum, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). The 23-year-old Kansas product didn’t touch the ball in Houston’s first three preseason contests and had three carries for nine yards last night against the 49ers.
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Buccaneers have made four cuts.