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Eric Bieniemy Has Not Taken Any OC Interviews; Commanders, Ravens Remain Interested

February 8th, 2023 at 1:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

1:29pm: Neither the Commanders nor the Ravens have hired an offensive coordinator, and neither team can interview Bieniemy until after Super Bowl LVII. Bieniemy’s statement regarding OC jobs notwithstanding, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes (on Twitter) he remains a prime candidate for both Baltimore and Washington.

A move to either team would not be a lateral shift; both the Commanders and Ravens are looking for their next play-caller. Each team has proceeded methodically here. The Commanders’ job became open on Jan. 10; the Ravens moved on from Greg Roman on Jan. 19.

9:58am: Another team with Eric Bieniemy on its interview wish list filled its offensive coordinator vacancy this week. The Titans promoted from within, elevating Tim Kelly to the post.

Tennessee is not the only franchise to show interest in Kansas City’s OC for a non-head coaching position this year. Baltimore and Washington requested Bieniemy interviews weeks ago, but the 10-year Chiefs staffer — whose inability to land a top coaching job has drawn extensive scrutiny over the past several years — said he has only taken one interview this year. Bieniemy spoke with the Colts about their HC position, but no other teams reached out to him regarding their top sideline gigs.

“I have not taken any interviews for any offensive coordinator positions. I’ve only taken one interview, for a head coaching position. Right now, I’ve interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts. I thought it went great,” Bieniemy said, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (on Twitter). “We’ll see where that goes. Now, as far as the offensive coordinator stuff, right now I am where my feet are. And right now I’m focusing on helping us win this game this weekend.”

The Colts are proceeding with one of the most thorough HC interview processes in recent history, potentially planning a third round of meetings. Bieniemy not confirming he spoke with the Colts a second time may well point to yet another team bypassing him. The Colts have interviewed eight candidates twice, including Shane Steichen, who is in the same scheduling boat as Bieniemy due to NFL rules regarding Super Bowl assistants. Bieniemy was linked to being a finalist for the Indianapolis job, but that was before the host of second interviews went down.

Heavy Bieniemy HC interest emerged in past offseasons, but it has waned. The five-year Chiefs OC only interviewed for two of the 10 available jobs last year and one of this year’s five openings. Despite the Chiefs leading the league in offensive DVOA after trading Tyreek Hill, Bieniemy has not received too much credit for the team’s success with Patrick Mahomes. Andy Reid, understandably, has received the bulk of the praise for best stretch in Chiefs history. Bieniemy’s persistent hurdle has led teams to inquire about his interest in becoming a play-calling OC, in an effort to show he can lead a successful offense independent of Reid. Though, past Reid Kansas City lieutenants Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy secured HC jobs during Alex Smith‘s stay as K.C.’s starter.

Bieniemy has reached agreements to stay in Missouri in each of the past two offseasons. He re-signed via a one-year pact in 2022, Jhabvala adds. While the former NFL running back did not confirm he would be back with the Chiefs in 2023, saying he will “have that conversation with coach Reid at that particular time,” the team would naturally have interest in retaining its OC. The Chiefs may yet again have the opportunity to retain Reid’s right-hand man.

Coaching Notes: Panthers, Kocurek, Leftwich, Titans

February 7th, 2023 at 9:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Yesterday, Joseph Person of The Athletic provided a breakdown of the Panthers‘ recent search for a new head coach that ended in the hiring of Frank Reich. There were a few notes of interest that we took away from the behind the scenes look.

The first note of interest is the revelation that, when interim head coach Steve Wilks interviewed for the official role, he laid out his full offensive plan for the search committee. Part of Wilks’ offensive plan relied on the pursuit of Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson as his offensive coordinator. Johnson’s year coaching a phenomenal season by quarterback Jalen Hurts made him a name to watch for many of the open offensive coordinator jobs around the league. He did end up interviewing with the Rams and Jets for jobs that went to Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett, respectively.

A second note of interest is likely a clue as to why Wilks didn’t end up as the official head coach of the Panthers. Of the nine candidates Carolina looked at for the position, seven had offensive backgrounds. Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer has a belief that “offensive coordinators-turned-head coaches might have an edge in game management.” That explains why Wilks was so detailed in his offensive plan and, perhaps, how much of an uphill battle he faced.

Lastly, it was reported that Reich was becoming the clear choice for the job by his second interview. “The first time he came in, he was dialed in, laid out his plan,” Fitterer said. “Then when he came back in the second time, he took that plan and went deeper, went to a different level.” Reich was offered the position the next day, prompting an immediate response from the legal team representing Wilks and Brian Flores in their lawsuit accusing the league of racial discrimination.

Here are a few other notes of coaching developments occurring around the NFL:

  • Even though Wilks didn’t get the head coaching position he coveted, he ended up landing a top coordinator position in the league with the 49ers, following the departure of DeMeco Ryans. San Francisco defensive line coach Kris Kocurek received some interest for the Texans defensive coordinator position under his former coordinator and was in consideration for the job that Ryans vacated and Wilks took. Wilks apparently was able to convince Kocurek to stay in the Bay Area, keeping a respected defensive assistant on his staff, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
  • Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich could be headed to the college ranks, following his recent dismissal from Tampa Bay. According to Grace Remington of 247Sports, Leftwich reached out to Notre Dame about the offensive coordinator position vacated by Tommy Rees, who left to become the offensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa. Leftwich has reportedly remained in contact with the head coach of the Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman, and remains a strong contender for the job.
  • A slew of coaching updates in Nashville were provided earlier today, with a few smaller assignments sliding under notice. Formerly the running backs coach over star Derrick Henry, Tony Dews has transitioned to the tight ends coaching position for the Titans, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It was recently reported that former Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust was making her way to Tennessee. Wilson provided clarification that she has been brought on in a defensive quality control role. Justin Hamilton will reportedly join her in a similar role. Finally, Wilson provided news of a departure, reporting that secondary coach Anthony Midget will not be retained in 2023.

Titans Promote Tim Kelly To Offensive Coordinator, Add Charles London To Staff

February 7th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans created an offensive coordinator opening early this offseason, but not much had come out on the team’s search recently. The team has made a decision, however, going with in-house staffer Tim Kelly. This will be the third consecutive time in which the Titans are promoting from within to fill their OC position.

A former Texans OC, Kelly has been on Mike Vrabel‘s staff since last year. The Titans are elevating Kelly from the passing-game coordinator title they are handing to another of their OC candidates. Charles London, who spent the past two years as the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach, is coming to Tennessee to work in the same role. Tennessee did not conduct an expansive search, with London and Kelly the only confirmed interviewees. The team had also requested meeting with Chiefs staffers Eric Bieniemy and Matt Nagy.

London, who joined Kelly in interviewing for the Tennessee OC post, is also believed to have interviewed for Washington’s still-vacant OC position. He worked with Kelly in Houston during the 2010s. An in-house promotion and the addition of a two-year Arthur Smith assistant points to the Titans prioritizing continuity here. They had previously promoted Smith to OC, replacing Matt LaFleur, and bumped up Todd Downing to the role after Smith accepted the Atlanta HC job. The Titans fired Downing just after the season ended.

The timing of this announcement also comes shortly after the 49ers hired Steve Wilks as their defensive coordinator. That decision appears to finally provide some Chris Harris clarity. The veteran assistant had been set to trek from Washington to Nashville, agreeing to join Vrabel’s staff more than two weeks ago. But DC interest soon followed. The 49ers interviewed Harris for their DC gig, and the Texans requested a DC meeting Monday. Connected to many teams (including the Bears) this offseason, Harris looks set to choose the Titans — who loomed as his top backup plan in the event the 49ers path did not open — and become one of Shane Bowen‘s top lieutenants.

Kelly, 36, spent three seasons as Houston’s OC. Bill O’Brien elevated Kelly, one of his original Houston hires back in 2014, ahead of the 2019 season. David Culley kept Kelly on in 2021, but the Texans fired both after that season. Although the Panthers interviewed Kelly for their OC job in 2022, Kelly ended up in Tennessee. Kelly called plays for three seasons in Houston; two of those ended with Deshaun Watson Pro Bowl invites. The Texans also advanced to the divisional round in 2019. Davis Mills showed progress late in the 2021 season. The third-round pick the Titans made at QB last year, Malik Willis, did not display similar readiness during his outings in 2022. The Titans did receive surprisingly effective play from late-season pickup Joshua Dobbs, who generated an early spark for the injury-ravaged team in its do-or-die Week 18 game in Jacksonville.

But continuity this time around comes after a poor season. After trading A.J. Brown and losing a number of players to injury, the Titans trotted out one of the NFL’s worst offenses. Tennessee ranked 30th in passing offense and 28th in scoring. In 2023, Kelly and London will be in charge of either overseeing Ryan Tannehill‘s fifth season as the team’s starter or be tasked with integrating a new quarterback to the Titans’ system.

Although London, 47, was also an O’Brien-Kelly coworker at Penn State and in Houston, he spent the 2011 season as a Titans offensive assistant. Over the past two years, Kelly transitioned from coaching Matt Ryan to helping in an offensive redesign for run-based ex-Titan Marcus Mariota. The team ranked 31st in passing but had moments — including upset wins over the 49ers, Buccaneers and Seahawks — during a 7-10 season did saw Mariota’s run-game capabilities contribute to third-ranked rushing attack. Mariota gave way to third-round rookie Desmond Ridder, prompting an in-season adjustment to Atlanta’s offense.

Harris, 40, will coach the Titans’ cornerbacks. After the run of interest, the former NFL safety will come to Tennessee after three seasons as Washington’s DBs coach. The Titans will also make a change on their offensive line. Jason Houghtaling will take over for Keith Carter, whom the team fired along with Downing. Carter is now the Jets’ O-line coach. Formerly a head coach at Division I-FCS Wagner, Houghtaling made his NFL coaching debut in 2021 with the Titans. Luke Steckel, who interviewed for the Chargers’ OC gig, will also move from tight ends coach to run-game analyst. The team’s previous QBs coach, Pat O’Hara, is not leaving the team; he will stay on in an analyst role.

Coaching Notes: Klemm, Solari, Stoutland, Locust, Landow

February 5th, 2023 at 7:01pm CST by Ely Allen

Former Patriots offensive lineman and current associate head coach/run game coordinator/offensive line coach at the University of Oregon Adrian Klemm has been in consideration for an assistant coaching role with his former team this offseason, reportedly heading to Las Vegas to interview with the staff during their time at the Pro Bowl. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning claimed that he doesn’t anticipate any staff changes, though, indicating that Klemm will be remaining with the Ducks, according to James Crepea of Fox Sports Eugene.

This wasn’t the only coaching position Klemm has been considered for in New England. The 45-year-old assistant coach was also a candidate for the offensive coordinator position that was eventually awarded to Bill O’Brien. Keeping Klemm in Eugene is a big win for Lanning, as Klemm clearly has a lot of potential as a coach in the NFL.

Here are a few other coaching notes that may get swept aside as bigger names and jobs continue to make headlines:

  • Longtime offensive line coach Mike Solari will return to a coaching position in Dallas for the first time in 35 years. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Solari will be replacing Joe Philbin as the team’s new offensive line coach. Solari was an assistant offensive line coach and special teams coach for the Cowboys under Tom Landry in the 1987 and 1988 seasons and worked under Mike McCarthy in Green Bay for a year in 2015. He was not coaching in the NFL last year after a four-year stint in Seattle.
  • One of the key pieces to the Super Bowl-bound Eagles‘ staff will be sticking around for a bit longer, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Philadelphia’s run game coordinator/offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was an attractive candidate for multiple offensive coordinator jobs this offseason but has reportedly agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in the City of Brotherly Love. The Eagles boasted a top-five rushing attack this year that led the league with 32 rushing touchdowns behind an elite offensive line coached by Stoutland. He has been a huge part of what has helped the Eagles lead the NFC in points and yards this season and will be sticking around to attempt to continue that success.
  • The Titans have landed an exciting new defensive assistant, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, signing a deal with former Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust. She reportedly impressed both head coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Ran Carthon in the interview process and will continue to work her way up the NFL coaching ladder.
  • The Broncos are reportedly parting ways with strength and conditioning coach Loren Landow, as reported by Mike Klis of 9NEWS. The 27-year veteran is seeking other opportunities as new head coach Sean Payton is expected to bring in his own strength and conditioning coach. In a year that saw Denver suffer an unusually large number of injuries, Landow surprisingly avoided much of the blame, which seemed to fall on the shoulders of former head coach Nathaniel Hackett and his unusual practice schedules. Landow has his own practice, Landow Performance, that has seen a remarkable level of success, but he will likely be considered for open strength and conditioning positions for the league in the future.

Jeffery Simmons Wants To Remain With Titans

February 5th, 2023 at 9:27am CST by Rory Parks

Titans DL Jeffery Simmons just finished his second consecutive Pro Bowl campaign, and he has positioned himself well for a lucrative contract extension. Because Tennessee exercised the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, Simmons is under club control through 2023, but it sounds as if player and team are interested in a longer arrangement.

In speaking with reporters at this weekend’s Pro Bowl festivities, Simmons said that he recently sat down with new Titans GM Ran Carthon. While Carthon did not make any promises, he told Simmons that a new contract for the Mississippi State product is a priority, and the relationship between the two men is apparently in good shape (via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official website).

“We had a great talk, and him saying I am one of his priorities, that meant a lot,” Simmons said. “I feel like he is the person for this job. There’s not much I can say especially with talk of the contract – my (agent) is handling that. But whenever we get to that point – I feel very confident that I’ll be here in Tennessee, and I want to be in Tennessee. So, we’ll see how that goes.”

While the Titans ended the 2022 season on a seven-game losing streak that knocked them out of the postseason hunt, Simmons held up his end of the bargain. In 15 games, he tallied 7.5 sacks and 54 total tackles and once again fared well in the eyes of advanced metrics. Pro Football Focus assigned him a stellar 81.1 overall grade for his work — a top-10 figure among interior defenders — with strong marks for his efforts against both the run and pass.

It therefore makes sense that Carthon would want to keep Simmons as the anchor of Tennessee’s defensive front for the foreseeable future, though that will be a costly proposition. Spotrac presently suggests that Simmons merits a four-year deal worth over $86MM, which would represent a $21MM+ per year payout. That type of contract would put Simmons near the top of the interior defender market, behind only future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald‘s $31.6MM AAV.

Interestingly, it appears that Simmons has now secured representation. Reports last summer concerning Simmons’ “hold-in” — which both Simmons and the Titans said was unrelated to his contract status — indicated that he was operating without an agent. Now, however, Spotrac lists Paul DeRousselle as his agent.

If a new contract does not come to fruition, Simmons will earn $10.6MM in 2023.

Coaching Notes: Texans, 49ers, Bengals, Panthers

February 4th, 2023 at 12:38pm CST by Ben Levine

DeMeco Ryans was a popular name on the head coach market before ultimately landing with the Texans. The now-former 49ers defensive coordinator also generated strong interest from the Broncos, but the coach admitted that his choice to join Houston instead of Denver wasn’t all that difficult.

“When it came down to it, there was no place I wanted to be any more than H-Town,” Ryans said earlier this week (via NFL Network’s Bridget Condon on Twitter). “…It was a no brainer.”

While Ryans’ comments could certainly be interpreted as shade being thrown at the Broncos, his comments were more about his connection to Houston and the Texans organization. Ryans was selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2006 draft, and he proceeded to spend six years with the organization. While the Texans were able to lure their favorite for the job, the Broncos had to pivot to Sean Payton, who was ultimately dealt from the Saints to Denver.

With Ryans now in the building, the focus shifts to the rest of the coaching staff. Naturally, the coach will be looking to some of his former peers for positions, as we previously heard that 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik as well as 49ers defensive quality control coaches Andrew Hayes-Stoker and Stephen Adegoke are candidates to join Ryans in Houston. Matt Barrows of The Athletic adds another name to the list of targeted 49ers coaches, noting that Ryans leaned heavily on safeties coach Daniel Bullocks when he was in San Francisco. Barrows described Bullocks as Ryans’ “eyes in the coaches’ booth,” so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the head coach recruits his confidante to Houston.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher interviewed for the Buccaneers offensive coordinator job before Cincinnati ultimately signed him to an extension. However, the new contract hasn’t stopped teams from inquiring on his availability. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor indicated that “there’s still interest from other teams” in adding Pitcher to their staff, per ESPN’s Ben Baby on Twitter. Pitcher became the club’s quarterbacks coach in 2020, and his work with 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow over the past few years is starting to pique the interest of other organizations.
  • It’s been a bit since we heard that the Commanders requested an interview with 49ers assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Earlier this week, Josina Anderson passed along (via Twitter) that Lynn had follow-up and informal conversations with the Commanders to determine “if there is mutual interest.” It’s uncertain if the two sides decided to move on with a formal interview.
  • Commanders defensive backs coach Chris Harris interviewed for the 49ers defensive coordinator vacancy earlier this week. If Harris doesn’t land the gig, he’s most likely going to end up on the Titans coaching staff, per Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). We heard last month that Harris was set to join the Titans as their their defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach. However, no deal was finalized, and Harris was clearly waiting out the 49ers’ search before fully committing to Tennessee.
  • The Panthers are searching for new coordinators on both sides of the ball, but it sounds like their special teams coordinator will be sticking around under new head coach Frank Reich. According to Joseph Person of The Athletic, general manager Scott Fitterer and owner David Tepper encouraged head coaching candidates to retain ST coordinator Chris Tabor and offensive line coach James Campen for next season. Following a four-year stint as the Bears special teams head, Tabor joined the Panthers last offseason, with Reich describing the unit as “really strong.” Campen has bounced around a bit in recent years before landing in Carolina for the 2022 campaign.

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 2nd, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this week, the NFL revealed its 2023 salary cap. Teams can now budget for their offseasons, knowing a $224.8MM ceiling is in place. This year’s nonexclusive franchise and transition tag numbers also emerged, giving teams more clarity on those fronts as well. With that in mind, here is where every team stands in terms of cap space:

  1. Chicago Bears: $90.91MM
  2. Atlanta Falcons: $56.42MM
  3. New York Giants: $44.28MM
  4. Houston Texans: $37.56MM
  5. Cincinnati Bengals: $35.55MM
  6. New England Patriots: $32.71MM
  7. Seattle Seahawks: $31.04MM
  8. Baltimore Ravens: $26.87MM
  9. Las Vegas Raiders: $19.78MM
  10. Arizona Cardinals: $14.47MM
  11. Kansas City Chiefs: $13.96MM
  12. Detroit Lions: $13.83MM
  13. Indianapolis Colts: $12.59MM
  14. Denver Broncos: $9.07MM
  15. San Francisco 49ers: $8.28MM
  16. Washington Commanders: $8.24MM
  17. Philadelphia Eagles: $4.24MM
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.03MM
  19. New York Jets: $1.31MM over the cap
  20. Dallas Cowboys: $7.18MM over
  21. Carolina Panthers: $8.94MM over
  22. Los Angeles Rams: $14.19MM over
  23. Cleveland Browns: $14.64MM over
  24. Miami Dolphins: $16.45MM over
  25. Green Bay Packers: $16.48MM over
  26. Buffalo Bills: $17.88MM over
  27. Los Angeles Chargers: $20.38MM over
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars: $22.35MM over
  29. Minnesota Vikings: $23.43MM over
  30. Tennessee Titans: $23.67MM over
  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $55.03MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $60.47MM over

These figures (courtesy of OverTheCap) will change dramatically in the coming weeks, but this is where each team stands ahead of Super Bowl LVII. After that point, cap-casualty cuts can begin taking place. Restructures, extensions and trades will commence as well, with the Saints of recent years doing well to prove there are a few roads to cap compliance.

While New Orleans is in its usual February place, the team actually was further over the 2021 and ’22 caps at this point on the NFL calendar. Using void years to load up its roster during Tom Brady‘s three-year stay, Tampa Bay has seen much of that bill come due. If Brady does not re-sign a procedural deal, which would allow for the Buccaneers to spread out his dead money, the team will be hit with a $35.1MM dead-cap charge this year.

The Browns led the league by a wide margin in cap carryover from 2022, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cleveland carried over $27.6MM in cap space. The Browns paced the league in cap space throughout the 2022 season, bracing for the Deshaun Watson contract’s spike. As of now, Watson’s cap figure will balloon from $9.4MM to $54.9MM. No NFL player has ever played a season on a cap number higher than $45MM.

The Panthers, Broncos, Bears and Raiders rounded out the top five in carryover dollars, ranging from $10.8MM to $6.7MM. Chicago ate considerable dead money via the Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn trades. The rebuilding team is still paying most of Quinn’s salary, doing so in order to secure a better draft pick from the Eagles. The Bears will have quite the opportunity to bolster their roster in Ryan Poles‘ second year in charge, leading the league by a massive margin and holding the No. 1 overall pick. The Falcons still have $12MM-plus in Deion Jones dead money on their 2023 payroll, but the team is rid of Matt Ryan‘s record-setting dead-cap hit ($40MM).

Baltimore will have a major decision to make in the coming weeks. GM Eric DeCosta said he has not decided if the team will place the exclusive or nonexclusive tag on Lamar Jackson. Even the nonexclusive number — $32.42MM — will dramatically change the Ravens’ budget ahead of free agency. The exclusive tag, which prevents other teams from submitting an offer sheet to Jackson, is expected to come in just north of $45MM.

49ers Eyeing Chris Harris For DC Interview

January 31st, 2023 at 7:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Chris Harris was reportedly heading from Washington to Tennessee, but there could be a change of plans. According to Josina Anderson (via Twitter), the 49ers are hoping to interview Harris for their defensive coordinator vacancy. They have moved forward with an interview request, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

[RELATED: Texans Hire DeMeco Ryans As HC]

After most recently serving as Washington’s defensive backs coach, we heard earlier this month that Harris was set to join the Titans as their their defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach. No deal was finalized, leaving the door open for Harris renege on the agreement. A promotion to defensive coordinator would obviously be an opportunity the 40-year-old couldn’t refuse, but there’s still a good chance he lands in Tennessee if things don’t work out with San Francisco.

Harris has spent the past three years with Washington, helping develop a number of defensive backs behind veterans Kendall Fuller and Bobby McCain. Washington’s defense only allowed 3,252 passing yards this past season, good for fourth in the NFL. They also allowed opposing QBs to complete only 59.9 percent of their passes, the second-best mark in the NFL. As a result, Harris became a hot name on the coaching circuit, with the Bears also making a run at him.

The 49ers are officially in the market for a new defensive coordinator after DeMeco Ryans agreed to become the new Texans head coach. We heard earlier today that the 49ers requested an interview with former Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks, and Anderson confirms that the organization is set to speak with the coach. Anderson also notes that Vic Fangio is also in contention for the gig; Fangio was reportedly heading to the Dolphins to become their defensive coordinator, but that move has yet to become official.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/23/23

January 23rd, 2023 at 6:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures deals, mostly featuring teams recently eliminated from the postseason:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Chargers To Conduct OC Interviews With Luke Steckel, Greg Olson

January 23rd, 2023 at 10:56am CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers’ search for a new offensive coordinator is continuing, and two more names have been added to the list of candidates. Los Angeles will conduct an interview with Titans tight ends coach Luke Steckel this week, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The 37-year-old began his coaching career with the Browns in 2009. He spent four years in Cleveland under the title of assistant to the head coach. He held a similar one the following year when he joined the Titans staff, and began working with the team’s offense in a number of different capacities.

One of those came as an assistant wide receivers coach, a post which the Princeton graduate held in 2017. For three seasons after that, he returned to the general position of offensive assistant. Over the course of the past two years, he has operated as the team’s TEs coach, including this past campaign where veteran Austin Hooper rebounded to a degree from a down 2021 season in Cleveland and rookie Chigoziem Okonkwo flashed potential as the campaign progressed.

Meanwhile, Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport tweets that the Chargers will also interview Rams assistant Greg Olson tomorrow. The 59-year-old, unlike Steckel, has a plethora of NFL experience, including 14 years as an OC at the pro level. Most recently, that involved a four-year stint with the Raiders in which his units generally put up middling numbers.

Olson rejoined the Rams’ staff last offseason, having spent one year as the team’s QBs coach during Sean McMay‘s first season as head coach. The latter recently confirmed that he will remain in place for 2023, though many changes (including OC Liam Coen returning to Kentucky) have already taken place. Olson could be in line for a larger role with the Rams given their multiple shake-ups, but the Chargers would also represent an intriguing opportunity.

L.A’s AFC franchise suffered a shocking Wild Card defeat this season, contributing in part to Joe Lombardi‘s dismissal. Their search for his replacement will include an attempt to build off of his success in the passing game, but also find more balance for the unit and maximize Justin Herbert‘s potential. Steckel and Olson represent intriguing, yet very different, options for the team to consider.

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