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Ronald Curry

2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

February 9th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a crowded carousel previously stopped, the 49ers opened their defensive coordinator position. Here is how the NFC champions’ search looks:

Updated 3-2-24 (10:00am CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dave Ragone)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Ken Dorsey)

  • Joe Brady, interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (Bills): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed

Carolina Panthers (Out: Thomas Brown)

  • Marcus Brady, senior offensive assistant (Eagles): Interview requested
  • Brad Idzik, wide receivers coach (Buccaneers): Hired

Chicago Bears (Out: Luke Getsy)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Brian Callahan)

  • Andy Dickerson, offensive line coach (Seahawks): To interview
  • Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): Promoted

Cleveland Browns (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Mick Lombardi)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Kellen Moore)

New England Patriots (Out: Bill O’Brien)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Pete Carmichael)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Brian Johnson)

  • Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Interviewed 1/23
  • Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Chargers): Hired

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Matt Canada)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Shane Waldron)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Dave Canales)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Tim Kelly)

  • Nick Holz, passing game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Eric Studesville, associate head coach/running backs coach (Dolphins): Interview requested

Washington Commanders (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Chip Kelly, former head coach (Eagles/49ers): On team’s radar
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Hired

Defensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Mike Macdonald)

  • Zach Orr, inside linebackers coach (Ravens): Promoted

Buffalo Bills

  • Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): Promoted
  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Sean Desai, former defensive coordinator (Eagles): To interview

Chicago Bears (Out: Alan Williams)

  • Joe Barry, former defensive coordinator (Packers): To interview 1/27
  • Chris Harris, secondary coach (Titans): To interview
  • Eric Washington, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Bills): Hired
  • Terrell Williams, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Titans): To interview

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Dan Quinn)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Barry)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Mike Caldwell)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Derrick Ansley)

  • Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Hired

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Raheem Morris)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Vic Fangio)

New England Patriots

  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Promoted
  • Michael Hodges, linebackers coach (Saints): To interview
  • Tem Lukabu, outside linebackers coach (Panthers): To interview
  • Christian Parker, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed

New York Giants (Out: Don Martindale)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Sean Desai)

  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Vic Fangio, former defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
  • Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/22

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Gerald Alexander, safeties coach (Raiders): Interviewed 3/1
  • Daniel Bullocks, defensive backs coach (49ers): Interviewed 2/28
  • David Merritt, defensive backs coach (Chiefs): To interview
  • Nick Sorensen, defensive passing game specialist (49ers): Promoted
  • Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Clint Hurtt)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Shane Bowen)

  • Brandon Lynch, cornerbacks coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/30
  • Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Hired

Washington Commanders (Out: Jack Del Rio)

  • Joe Cullen, defensive line coach (Chiefs): Considered a candidate
  • Joe Whitt, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Hired

Bills Expected To Hire Saints’ Ronald Curry

February 7th, 2024 at 8:44am CST by Sam Robinson

Being set to hire 49ers pass-game coordinator Klint Kubiak as their next OC, the Saints will continue to bid farewell to assistants on that side of the ball. Quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry will follow Pete Carmichael and Doug Marrone out of New Orleans.

Curry has already landed a gig elsewhere. The Bills are expected to hire him to be their next QBs coach and pass-game coordinator, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. Joe Brady entered last season in as Buffalo’s QBs coach but was bumped up to OC following the team’s Ken Dorsey firing. With Brady now in the full-time OC position, the AFC East champions had a vacancy.

NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan initially reported Curry was not going to be part of the Saints’ 2024 staff. The Saints offered to keep Curry on as their wide receivers coach, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill. Curry served as the team’s wideouts coach from 2018-20, but his departure to mentor Josh Allen is understandable, especially considering a new OC is coming to New Orleans. As of now, the only Saints position coaches still in place on offense are O-line coach Jahri Evans and tight ends coach Clancy Barone.

[RELATED: Broncos Add Pete Carmichael To Staff]

A former NFL wide receiver, Curry had been with the Saints since 2016. Sean Payton hired Curry, a former college quarterback at North Carolina, and steadily promoted him over the years. Curry became New Orleans’ QBs coach in 2021 and worked in that role over the past three seasons. Curry and Brady overlapped as Saints assistants from 2017-18, undoubtedly helping lead to the former’s anticipated appointment in Buffalo.

The Saints were among the teams to interview Curry for an offensive coordinator post over the past two years, meeting with their longtime assistant about the job that is expected to go to Kubiak. The Broncos and Buccaneers met with the 44-year-old assistant about their OC gigs in 2023 as well.

Buffalo’s OC job being tied to Allen could certainly make Brady a key part of the 2025 HC carousel, thus putting Curry in a position to potentially become a coordinator in Buffalo. Allen will represent a new tier of QB talent for Curry, who coached the likes of Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian and Andy Dalton in New Orleans before the Derek Carr signing. Each post-Drew Brees option had moments of success, however.

Dalton threw 18 TD passes compared to nine INTs, while averaging a career-best 7.6 yards per attempt. That landed the 2022 Saints starter a nice QB2 offer from the Panthers. Before suffering an ACL tear, Winston finished with a 14-3 TD-INT ratio in 2021; he did so with a basement-level receiving corps. Though, the former No. 1 overall pick could not match that form in 2022. Carr produced an uneven 2023, still improving down the stretch and finishing 16th in QBR. Carr’s contract aside, the Saints also continued to make Hill a regular part of their QB equation in 2023.

Saints Interview Ronald Curry, Brian Griese, Klint Kubiak For OC Role

January 23rd, 2024 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ offensive coordinator candidate list has now doubled. Its recent batch of meetings brings the list to six, with two 49ers staffers on the team’s docket.

Both Brian Griese and Klint Kubiak have met with the Saints about their OC position, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill. Also in consideration to replace Pete Carmichael: Saints quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry, according to NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson.

A Carmichael-to-Griese switch would be fascinating. The Saints had employed one of the longest-tenured coordinators in modern NFL history in Carmichael, who managed to stay in his position — which involved full-time play-calling duties over the past two years and during Sean Payton‘s Bountygate suspension in 2012 — for 15 years. Griese, conversely, was in the Monday Night Football booth as recently as 2021. This role as the 49ers’ QBs coach is Griese’s first regular coaching role in the pro or college ranks.

Still, it is unsurprising teams want to talk to Kyle Shanahan‘s top two offensive assistants. Brock Purdy has quarterbacked the 49ers back to the NFC championship game, overcoming UCL surgery to build on his stunning 2022 work. Purdy averaged an NFL-high 9.6 yards per attempt this season. That is tied for eighth all time in a season. Kurt Warner (2000) is the only passer to have bettered that mark since the 1950s, and the Hall of Famer missed a chunk of that 2000 season due to injury. Purdy started every game this year, working with an elite armada of aerial options.

Kubiak, 36, was a teenager during Griese’s time playing under his father as OC in Denver (1998-02). The younger Kubiak has enjoyed multiple NFL play-calling stints, however, succeeding Gary as Vikings OC under Mike Zimmer (2021) and taking over during the Broncos’ befuddling 2022 season under Nathaniel Hackett. Shanahan hired Kubiak as his pass-game coordinator this past offseason, and the 49ers came close to becoming the rare team with three 1,000-yard pass catchers. Deebo Samuel, who missed two games, finished 108 yards away from joining Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle in reaching 1,000.

Curry, 44, has been with the Saints since 2016. With Johnson noting Curry is highly regarded within the organization, Curry has been in place as QBs coach since 2021. This timeline did not allow the former NFL wideout (and college QB) to work with Drew Brees, but Payton did interview Curry to be his OC in 2023. Curry also met with the Buccaneers about their vacancy, making it unsurprising the Saints are considering him to replace Carmichael.

Courtesy of PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how the Saints’ search stands:

  • Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach (Saints): Interviewed
  • Brian Griese, quarterbacks coach (49ers): Interviewed
  • Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed 1/22
  • Klint Kubiak, pass-game coordinator (49ers): Interviewed
  • Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): Second interview on 1/24
  • Zac Robinson, quarterbacks coach (Rams): Interviewed

2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

February 28th, 2023 at 2:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the head coaching carousel spun for several weeks, many teams made coordinator changes as well. Teams seeking new head coaches are conducting OC and DC searches, and a handful of other teams that did not make HC changes are also searching for top assistants.

This is a big year for offensive coordinator hires, with nearly half the league making changes. Here are the teams searching for new OCs and DCs. As new searches emerge, they will be added to the list.

Updated 3-1-23 (3:31pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals 

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Greg Roman)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Ben McAdoo)

  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach, (Rams): Hired
  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Brian Angelichio, tight ends coach (Vikings): Interviewed 2/2
  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed
  • Jeff Nixon, running backs coach (Panthers): Interviewed
  • Brian Schottenheimer, offensive consultant (Cowboys): Hired

Denver Broncos (Out: Justin Outten)

Houston Texans (Out: Pep Hamilton)

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Parks Frazier)

  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Tee Martin, wide receivers coach (Ravens): Interview requested

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach (Chiefs): Hired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Joe Lombardi)

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Liam Coen)

New York Jets (Out: Mike LaFleur)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Shane Steichen)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Todd Downing)

Washington Commanders (Out: Scott Turner)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Vance Joseph)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dean Pees)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Leslie Frazier)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Al Holcomb)

  • Ejiro Evero, former defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Marquand Manuel, safeties coach (Jets): Interviewed
  • Kris Richard, co-defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans 

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Renaldo Hill)

  • Derrick Ansley, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Promoted
  • Doug Belk, defensive coordinator (Houston): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Interviewed

Miami Dolphins (Out: Josh Boyer)

Minnesota Vikings (Out: Ed Donatell)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard)

  • Joe Woods, former defensive coordinator (Browns): Hired

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Jonathan Gannon)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: DeMeco Ryans)

  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): On radar
  • Chris Harris, defensive backs coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/31
  • Kris Kocurek, defensive line coach (49ers): On radar
  • Steve Wilks, former interim head coach (Panthers): Hired

Coaching Notes: Pleasant, Curry, Broncos

February 17th, 2023 at 11:48am CST by Sam Robinson

A defensive coordinator interviewee earlier this decade, Aubrey Pleasant was without a job midway through last season. The Lions fired the veteran assistant, leading to a Packers move. But the former Rams assistant is coming back to Los Angeles. The Rams are rehiring Pleasant to be their defensive backs coach and defensive pass-game coordinator, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The sides have been talking about the job for about a month, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets.

Both the Saints and Vikings interviewed Pleasant for their DC positions in 2021, shortly after he had taken a job as the Lions’ secondary coach. But the Lions fired him in October. The Packers, who have ex-Rams staffer Joe Barry in place as DC, hired him as a consultant to close out the season. Pleasant, who has been in the NFL for 10 seasons, will return to a Rams organization that previously had him in place as its cornerbacks coach from 2017-20. In addition to Pleasant, the Rams are adding Mike Harris as their assistant DBs coach, Rodrigue adds (on Twitter). Harris spent the past two years as a Bears offensive assistant.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • The Broncos’ lone known offensive coordinator candidate thus far, Ronald Curry will not be moving. The Saints will retain their quarterbacks coach, Aaron Wilson of KPRC tweets. Curry, a former Sean Payton hire, interviewed for both the Buccaneers and Broncos’ OC positions. As Denver will continue its search, Tampa Bay hired Dave Canales earlier this week. A former NFL wideout, Curry has been with the Saints since 2016.
  • While multiple former Payton assistants connected to a reunion will not be heading to Denver, former Saints special teams coach Mike Westhoff will meet with his former boss tweeted about his upcoming Broncos meeting. Westhoff, 75, has been retired since 2019 but was rumored to be a candidate to join Payton in Denver. He worked for the Saints from 2017-18 but enjoyed long tenures (with the Dolphins and Jets) previously. In addition to former Saints coaches, Payton has been connected to coaches out of the league. Rex Ryan is favored to be the next Broncos DC, though interviews are ongoing, and Mike Zimmer has surfaced as a possible Broncos assistant option.
  • Canales will bring a Seahawks assistant to Tampa. The Bucs are hiring Brad Idzik to be their wide receivers coach, John Schneider said during a radio interview (via Seahawks.com’s John Boyle, on Twitter). Idzik previously worked as the Seahawks’ assistant wideouts coach. This marks a return trip for Idzik, who is the son of former Bucs front office bastion (and ex-Jets GM) John Idzik. The younger Idzik had been with the Seahawks since 2019.
  • The Raiders will greenlight a reunion as well, hiring Matt Lombardi to be their assistant wide receivers coach, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Matt Lombardi is the younger brother of Raiders OC Mick Lombardi and the son of former Raiders exec (and Browns GM) Michael Lombardi. Matt Lombardi spent the past three years with the Panthers, being one of Matt Rhule‘s hires.
  • Staying with the family theme, the Giants have added Brian Daboll‘s son to their staff. Christian Daboll will work as an offensive assistant in New York, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News tweets. Christian Daboll had previously worked as a student assistant at Penn State. Although the Giants have the younger Daboll listed as a staff member, they have not announced the hire.

Broncos To Interview Ronald Curry For OC

February 7th, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

After some early work on his defensive coordinator position, Sean Payton is moving on his OC pursuit. The first candidate, unsurprisingly, worked with the new Broncos HC in New Orleans.

The Broncos have set up an interview with Saints quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes. Curry, who coached with Payton from 2016-21, is also in consideration for the Buccaneers’ OC job. Payton deciding on Denver could make a difference for the former NFL wide receiver.

Entering the coaching ranks on Jim Harbaugh‘s 49ers staff back in 2014, Curry moved up the ladder under Payton. The Saints promoted Curry to wide receivers coach in 2018 and to QBs coach in 2021. Dennis Allen kept him on in that role in 2022. Regardless of Curry’s contract status, the Saints could not block him from joining the Broncos as OC due to the promotion it would entail. Curry, a quarterback at North Carolina, played seven seasons as a Raiders wideout in the 2000s.

Curry’s promotion came shortly after Drew Brees‘ retirement, and the Saints — who had previously enjoyed one of the longest-tenured starting QBs in NFL history — have started five over the past two seasons. The team benched Jameis Winston following an early-season injury, sticking with Andy Dalton the rest of the way. Despite not being a regular starter since his Bengals tenure wrapped in 2019, Dalton ranked ninth in passer rating. Curry just finished working as the National Team’s play-caller at the Senior Bowl.

Payton is expected to call plays in Denver. The Broncos went through three play-callers this past season; OC Justin Outten represented the last of those. While the Broncos put up multiple barriers to keep DC Ejiro Evero, they allowed Outten to interview for the Ravens’ OC post early. That points to the former Packers assistant not being in the team’s plans any longer. Outten has spoken with the Ravens twice about their OC job. Eventually let out of his Broncos contract, Evero is now the Panthers’ DC.

The Broncos are expected to bring in Saints staffer Zach Strief and have Declan Doyle on the radar for a Louisiana-to-Colorado move. Payton has also made an offer to Saints assistant Kevin Petry, according to Duncan. Petry has worked as an operations assistant with the Saints for the past six years. Payton is also interested in bringing Mike Westhoff out of retirement, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Westhoff, 75, worked as a special teams assistant in New Orleans from 2017-18 but has not coached since. He previously enjoyed long tenures with the Jets (2001-12) and Dolphins (1986-2000) and has been in coaching since 1974. The Broncos are also interested in ex-Saints co-DC Kris Richard and longtime offensive staffer Dan Roushar, whom the team fired last month.

Buccaneers Interviewed Ronald Curry For OC Job

February 1st, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers are looking within their own division to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. The team announced that they interviewed Saints passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry for their OC job on Tuesday night.

[RELATED: Bucs To Interview Georgia OC Todd Monken]

Curry wasn’t the only candidate in the building yesterday. We previously learned that Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Giants QBs coach Shea Tierney also met with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The team previously interviewed Jaguars passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, Broncos QBs coach Klint Kubiak, Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, and Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher (who ultimately decided to stick in Cincy) for the job. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, while Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (who is likely on his way out in Houston) declined his interview request.

Curry has been with the Saints organization since the 2016 season, working his way from offensive assistant to wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach. While New Orleans has dealt with an inconsistent quarterback depth chart during Curry’s two seasons in the role, the Saints have still managed to put up impressive passing numbers. Jameis Winston and Trevor Siemian combined for 25 touchdowns vs. only six interceptions in 2021, and the coach squeezed an 18-touchdown, nine-interception season out of Andy Dalton in 2022.

During Curry’s stint as New Orleans’ WRs coach, Michael Thomas established himself as one of the most product wideouts in the NFL. Thomas earned a pair of first-team All-Pro nods playing under Curry, and the receiver also set the single-season record with 149 catches in 2019.

The Buccaneers are looking at some major changes on offense next season with Byron Leftwich out as offensive coordinator. Of course, we also learned earlier today that quarterback Tom Brady was hanging up his cleats, leading to major question marks at the quarterback position heading into the offseason.

Latest On Saints’ Coaching Staff

February 23rd, 2022 at 3:06pm CST by Ben Levine

WEDNESDAY: Both will indeed become co-DCs for the Saints. Nielsen agreed to a two-year contract as New Orleans’ co-DC, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman tweets, while NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes Richard is ticketed to stay on as Saints secondary coach with the co-DC title added (Twitter link). Nielsen will remain the Saints’ D-line coach, and Pelissero adds special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is now an assistant head coach with the team.

The Saints also announced quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry is now the team’s passing-game coordinator. Curry has been with the Saints for seven years. Doug Marrone is on track to be the Saints’ offensive line coach, a role he held from 2006-08, when he was also New Orleans’ OC.

MONDAY: Ryan Nielsen and Kris Richard are getting promotions in New Orleans. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), the pair of Saints defensive assistants are taking on new roles. The duo could be promoted to co-defensive coordinators, although the reporter cautions that nothing has been set.

[RELATED: Saints To Keep Pete Carmichael As OC]

Richard made a name for himself with the Seahawks, working his way up from an assistant to defensive coordinator. The coach ended up spending three years in that role before getting canned following the 2017 campaign. Since that time, the 42-year-old has worked as the Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, and he joined the Saints as their defensive backs coach in 2021. Richard met with both the Ravens and Steelers about their DC vacancies last month

Nielsen has been with the Saints organization since 2017, and he earned a promotion to assistant head coach in 2021. Prior to his stint in New Orleans, the coach was in the collegiate ranks, including a stint as defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. We heard recently that Nielsen was a candidate for the DC gig.

The Saints have met with multiple outside candidates, including Michael Wilhoite and Aubrey Pleasant. Meanwhile, Pete Carmichael will be sticking around as offensive coordinator on Dennis Allen’s staff.

Staff Notes: Raiders, Bears, Bucs, Dolphins

February 15th, 2017 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

New Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing had a year remaining on his deal, but the contract allowed the ex-quarterbacks coach to interview for other clubs’ offensive coordinator vacancies, according to Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune (Twitter link). Without naming any particular team, Downing confirmed previous reports that multiple clubs expressed interest in hiring him as OC. Instead, Oakland parted ways with former play-caller Bill Musgrave and installed Downing as coordinator.

Here’s more from the 201 hiring cycle:

  • The Bears have interviewed Bob Bicknell, Ronald Curry, and George McDonald as part of their effort to find a new wide receivers coach, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bicknell has coached wideouts at the NFL level since 2012, spending time with Buffalo, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Curry, a former NFL wide receiver himself, has worked on the Raiders’ and 49ers’ staffs, while McDonald has spent the past several years in the coaching ranks.
  • Ex-Saints defensive assistant James Willis is a candidate for the Bears‘ assistant defensive line coach position and will interview this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. New Orleans relieved Willis of his duties last month after he’d spent two years with the club. Willis previously coached in the NCAA with Alabama, Auburn, and Texas Tech.
  • The Buccaneers announced that they’ve hired Danny Breyer as a defensive assistant. Breyer spent the 2016 campaign as an analytics staffer in Tampa Bay, worked for the Dolphins year prior, and coached in the college ranks before heading to the NFL.
  • The Dolphins have hired Josh Grizzard as an offensive quality control coach, tweets Caplan. Grizzard previously worked as an assistant quarterbacks and quality control coach at Duke, where he’d spent the past four years.

49ers To Fire OC Geep Chryst

January 19th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly hasn’t yet been introduced via press conference, but he’s already making changes to his staff. San Francisco is expected to fire offensive coordinator Geep Chryst, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as well as the following eight assistant coaches:Geep Chryst (Vertical)

  • Scott Brown, defensive line
  • Ronald Curry, wide receivers
  • Ejiro Evero, defensive assistant
  • Aubrayo Franklin, defensive assistant
  • Tim Lewis, defensive backs
  • Steve Logan, quarterbacks
  • T.C. McCartney, offensive assistant
  • Joe Scola, offensive assistant

In addition to those coaches listed above, four other former 49ers assistants have found jobs elsewhere in the NFL/NCAA. Chris Foerster (OL) joined the Dolphins, Adam Henry (WRs) will head to the Giants, Clancy Pendergast (LBs) left to coordinate USC’s defense, and Tony Sparano (TEs) will coach the Vikings’ offensive line.

Chryst, who was promoted from QBs coach to offensive coordinator after Greg Roman left for the Bills, lasted just one season in the Bay Area. Under former head coach Jim Tomsula, Chryst led an offensive unit that ranked 31st in yards, 32nd in points, and 28th in DVOA. Granted, he didn’t have much to work with, as quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert were largely ineffective, while promising running back Carlos Hyde was injured for most of the year.

As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link), the omission of certain coaches from that list above — RBs coach Tom Rathman and DC Eric Mangini among them — could indicate that they’ll be asked to remain on staff (reports earlier today indicated that Rathman and both Niners special teams coordinators would likely be retained). Mangini’s role, in particular, remains uncertain, especially given that San Francisco interviewed Mike Vrabel today for its defensive coordinator position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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