Titans Begin General Manager Search; Eight Execs On Radar
Weeks after their surprising ouster of longtime GM Jon Robinson, the Titans are attempting to line up a host of candidates as potential replacements. Tennessee has sent out eight interview summons — both to in-house and external candidates — for its top front office post.
Appearing on the radar for recent jobs outside the Titans organization, Robinson staffers Ryan Cowden and Monti Ossenfort will be considered for the position. The team will speak with its interim GM (Cowden) and director of player personnel (Ossenfort) soon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Titans have also identified six outside candidates as well, with Rapoport adding the Browns and Bears’ assistant GMs — Glenn Cook and Ian Cunningham, respectively — are on Tennessee’s list. Both made the jump to the second-in-command tier in 2022, with the Browns promoting Cook and the Bears hiring Cunningham from Howie Roseman‘s staff — amid a run on Eagles execs — to pair with Ryan Poles.
With Cowden being named Robinson’s interim replacement and having the chance to pair with Mike Vrabel in overseeing the Titans’ roster, it would seem he has a leg up on Ossenfort. As such, it will be interesting to see if Ossenfort is with the team next season. But the Titans do want to see what the former Patriots exec brings to the table. The Titans hired Ossenfort from the Pats in 2020. Cowden came to Tennessee along with Robinson in 2016, trekking to Nashville after 16 years with Carolina. Both Cowden and Ossenfort have interviewed for other teams’ GM roles. Ossenfort was a Bears finalist last year, while Cowden met twice for the Steelers job.
49ers execs Adam Peters and Ran Carthon are also on the Titans’ list, while Rapoport adds (Twitter links) the team wants to interview Cardinals exec Quentin Harris. Bills senior director of pro personnel Malik Boyd is also on the Titans’ candidate list, Rapoport tweets. Considering the vaults the Bills and 49ers have made, both division champions will run the risk of losing front office talent. Harris, Arizona’s VP of player personnel, has been with the Cardinals for 15 years and is a candidate to become their next GM. The Cards also have Ossenfort, Peters, Carthon and Cunningham on their radar.
The 49ers lost one of their staffers, Martin Mayhew, in 2021, while the Bills lost longtime Brandon Beane right-hand man Joe Schoen last year. Schoen’s Giants success could benefit Boyd, a longtime Cardinals staffer who has been with the Bills since Beane’s arrival in 2017. The 49ers added Peters, John Lynch‘s assistant GM, from the Broncos that same year. Peters interviewed twice for the Giants job that went to Schoen last year and met twice with the Panthers in 2021. An NFL exec since 2008 who has been the 49ers’ pro personnel director since 2017, Carthon has also been on the GM interview circuit previously as well. He met with both the Giants and Steelers last year.
“We’ve been working on it for at least four weeks now,” Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk asaid of the GM search. “I’d like to have a GM as soon as possible, but we’re not going to rush the process just to get someone in as quickly as possible. The way we have it planned right now is we have two rounds, and we’re going to see where these interviews take us.”
The Titans fired Robinson midway through his seventh season, doing so despite signing him to an extension less than a year ago. Adams Strunk denied the A.J. Brown trade (and two-touchdown game against his former team) prompted the move, indicating she disapproved of Robinson’s roster construction. The Titans’ recent run of injuries factored in as well. The about-face makes this search more interesting, as does Vrabel’s entrenched presence within the organization.
Josh Jacobs Wants To Re-Sign With Raiders
Josh Jacobs went from seeing the Raiders decline his fifth-year option to winning the rushing title. No Raider had previously secured that crown since Marcus Allen in 1985. Following the accomplishment, Jacobs said he would like to stay in Las Vegas.
The former first-round pick, naturally, indicated he will not come cheap. That should be expected after a 1,653-yard rushing season, but the Alabama alum would prefer his second contract come from the Raiders.
“For me, it’s got to make sense,” Jacobs said (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez) on the financial component of a new deal. “But this is obviously where I want to be. Coming in, I remember sitting down with Maxx [Crosby] and all these guys and talking about the Raiders organization and the culture and wanting to be part of the change. I still feel that way so, hopefully, I’ll be back.”
Also amassing a career-high 400 receiving yards, Jacobs paced the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,053) as well. The former No. 24 overall pick also stayed healthy throughout his contract year, setting him up for a payday. Jacobs is still just 24. Although Jacobs handled an NFL-high 393 touches this season, he can factor in his age and a light college workload (251 handoffs) as selling points for prospective longevity. But free agency should not be expected to be in the cards.
The running back franchise tag is expected to come in just north of $10MM — likely a palatable price for teams with top-shelf backs on the cusp of hitting the market. Jacobs and Saquon Barkley represent prime tag candidates, giving their respective teams time to work out extensions ahead of the July 15 deadline. But the Raiders, despite passing on Jacobs’ fifth-year option, want to keep their running back find on a second contract.
“Obviously J.J.’s performance was a huge bright spot for us,” Josh McDaniels said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for him as a person and as a player and he kind of embodies all the things that we want a Raider to be. Dave [Ziegler] and I have talked about that; J.J. and I have had private conversations about those kinds of things. I think all that will play out in due time. But love him and would love to have him continue to be a Raider.”
Jacobs finished with six 100-yard rushing games — including a 229-yard outing in Seattle in which he totaled 303 scrimmage yards to rank in the top 10 all time for a single game — in his fourth NFL season. Although Derek Carr looks to be on the move, the Raiders would prefer to pair Jacobs and Davante Adams with their next quarterback. It will be interesting to see if Jacobs pushes for a top-market deal — the $15MM range — or settles for the roughly $12MM-AAV pact five other backs have since 2020. With the cap expected to rise from $208MM toward the $225MM mark, it should be expected Jacobs pushes for the market’s top stratum.
Titans Fire OC Todd Downing
A number of changes have been made to the Titans’ coaching staff in the wake of their losing streak to close out the season which left them out of the playoffs. Among them is offensive coordinator Todd Downing being fired, per a team announcement. 
Tennessee seemed to be well on their way to another AFC South title for much of the 2022 season, but the team finished the campaign on a seven-game losing skid. That included their regular season finale against the Jaguars, which sealed their fate at 7-10 and sparked questions regarding Downing’s job security. Those have been answered with today’s announcement, one head coach Mike Vrabel hinted at when speaking to the media earlier.
Downing, 42, joined the Titans in 2019 and worked as the team’s tight ends coach. He held that role for two seasons, and was then promoted to OC to replace Arthur Smith after he left to become head coach of the Falcons. That move represented the second time Downing was put in charge of an offensive, as he had previously been the Raiders’ OC in 2017.
The Titans entered the campaign with a number of question marks on offense, with wideouts A.J. Brown and Julio Jones no longer in the picture and question marks surrounding quarterback Ryan Tannehill‘s future with the team. To perhaps little surprise, then, the team struggled to move the ball through the air in particular. Tennessee ranked 29th in the NFL with an average of only 190 passing yards per game, as Tannehill battled injuries late in the campaign and the team was unable to establish a consistent pass-catcher to lean on.
The Titans, with a healthy Derrick Henry, were still able to run the ball at a serviceable rate (125 yards per game). However, their production on the ground was not enough to hold on to a postseason berth; Tennessee scored more than 16 points just once during their late-season collapse. That led to increased calls for a shake-up on the sidelines, one which has now come not long after general manager Jon Robinson was fired in the middle of the campaign.
Downing’s job status was also called into question earlier this year when he was arrested on a DUI charge in November. Vrabel quickly voiced his support for Downing in the wake of the incident and both a team and NFL investigation, so this move comes as a reaction to on-field struggles. The arrest is still expected to set his head coaching aspirations back at least a few years, though.
In addition to Downing, offensive line coach Keith Carter, secondary coach Anthony Midget and offensive skill assistant Erik Frazier have been let go. In a statement, Vrabel said, “I want to thank Todd, Keith, Anthony and Erik for their service and commitment to our team over their time here in Tennessee. Each of them made an impact on our organization, were dedicated to the process and loyal members of our coaching staff.”
In what is shaping up to be a busy offseason for the Titans (featuring the GM search, and an evaluation of several key players’ futures, including that of Tannehill), the team will now begin to look for replacements on their staff.
Cardinals Request GM Interviews With Ian Cunningham, Ran Carthon, Adam Peters, Monti Ossenfort
It was announced not long after the Kliff Kingsbury firing that the Cardinals would also be in need of a new general manager. Steve Keim has permanently stepped away from the team due to health-related reasons, meaning Arizona joins Tennessee as the only NFL clubs currently in need of a new leader in their front office.
Keim took an indefinite leave of absence in December, and it was reported days later that he and the team were expected to part ways. With that move now having been made official, the franchise is currently operating with vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson filing in on an interim basis.
Each of them has already been interviewed for the full-time position, though, owner Michael Bidwill said on Monday. He added that his preference would be to have a new GM in place prior to the team’s next head coaching hire, but that the opposite order would also not be an issue (Twitter link via team reporter Darren Urban). External candidates have begun to emerge alongside Harris and Wilson.
One of those is Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, who has had received a formal interview request from the Cardinals, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter). He has also drawn the attention of the Titans in the early goings of their GM search, a testament to his continued rise through the ranks of various NFL front office positions during his career.
Cunningham began with the Ravens in 2013 as a scout, translating his time there into a move to Philadelphia in 2017. Over the course of his time with the Eagles, he worked his way up to the title of player personnel director. Most recently, he was hired by the Bears last January in another promotion, this time to assistant general manager.
In addition to Cunningham, the Cardinals wish to meet with Ran Carthon and Adam Peters, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Those two hold the titles of director of pro personnel and AGM, respectively, with the 49ers. Like Cunningham, they too have caught the eye of the Titans for their general manager vacancy. Carthon, 41, has served in his current role since 2017 after spending time in the front office with the Falcons and Rams.
Monti Ossenfort is also on the Cardinals’ radar, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Ossenfort, a longtime Patriots exec who has been with the Titans since 2020, saw the team elevate Ryan Cowden to its interim GM post in the wake of Jon Robinson‘s firing. Interviewing for GM roles in the past, Ossenfort serves as Tennessee’s director of player personnel. Given the Cowden development and the Titans’ changing of the guard, it will be interesting to see if Ossenfort remains on staff ahead of the 2023 season.
Peters, meanwhile, has been an NFL executive for two decades, beginning with the Patriots and later, the Broncos. He joined the 49ers in 2017, working his way up from VP of player personnel to the assistant GM title last year. He was a finalist for the Giants’ GM job last winter, which ultimately went to Joe Schoen.
Seeking their first GM in a decade, the Cardinals will have plenty of options to consider before making a hire. On the head coach side of the situation, quarterback Kyler Murray will be involved in the search for Kingsbury’s successor (Twitter link via Johnny Venerable of the PHNX Cardinals Podcast). That could add a interesting element to Arizona’s offseason, one which will be busy in light of today’s events.
Texans Request Five HC Interviews
The Lions made major strides on offense this season, and their young coordinator received an interview request Monday. Not long after their Lovie Smith firing, the Texans requested an interview with Ben Johnson, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Other interview requests are coming in fast.
49ers DC DeMeco Ryans, Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon and Broncos DC Ejiro Evero are on the team’s candidate list, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adding the Texans have requested interviews with each defensive play-caller (Twitter link). While KPRC’s Aaron Wilson reported Evero, Johnson and Gannon are expected to be in the mix, he added Ryans is not expected to pursue the job. It will be interesting to see how the former Texans linebacker proceeds regarding this request.
Johnson has been with the Lions since Matt Patricia‘s hire in 2019. Dan Campbell not only kept Johnson on but promoted him this past offseason. The production of Jared Goff and Jamaal Williams certainly will boost Johnson’s chances, and this probably will not be the only job he winds up being linked to during this cycle.
Johnson’s age (36) and the experience levels of the other candidates are notable here. The Texans made two odd hires in 2021 and ’22, adding 60-somethings in Smith and David Culley despite neither being on the radar for other teams at the time. GM Nick Caserio made each a one-and-done, leading to rumblings about his own future. Evero is the oldest of this bunch, at 42, with Gannon being 40 and Ryans — a Texans inside linebacker from 2006-11 — having entered the profession a bit later. The 38-year-old DC, however, will be one of this interview cycle’s top names, considering what he has done with the 49ers’ defense this season.
Robert Saleh‘s successor, Ryans has rocketed onto the HC tier — to the point he is expected to land a job — after elevating San Francisco’s defense to the No. 1 spot. The 49ers launched their 10-game win streak by mounting a four-game streak in which they held opponents without a second-half touchdown. It will certainly be interesting if Ryans passes on a meeting with his former team, but the Texans’ past two coaching searches — each involving Josh McCown, despite no NFL staff experience — have surprised. The Broncos also requested a Ryans meeting.
The other Eagles coordinator — OC Shane Steichen — joins Gannon among the Texans’ interview requests, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). Considering Jalen Hurts‘ progression and the Eagles’ run to the NFC’s No. 1 seed, it should be expected Steichen — the former Chargers OC — receives attention during this year’s cycle. Steichen is 37. The Eagles, who were linked to veteran QBs via trade this past offseason, rank third offensively and have shown malleability under Steichen. Nick Sirianni gave Steichen the play-calling reins midway through the 2021 season, and the Eagles’ pivot to a run-heavy offense drove them to last year’s playoff bracket. Hurts’ progression as a passer this year led to the team’s latest crack at the NFC’s top seed.
The reported frontrunner, Gannon was a finalist for Houston’s HC position last year. That makes his inclusion in Caserio’s third HC search in three years more intriguing. The Eagles also progressed significantly on defense, using a menacing pass rush — one that fell two sacks shy of the 1984 Bears’ single-season record — to spearhead a unit that ranks second in total defense. It is entirely possible the Eagles lose both their coordinators this year, but candidates might be choosey with regards to the Texans, given their recent history.
Evero makes for one of the more unusual candidates in recent years. The Broncos finished 5-12 and fired the coach who brought in Evero — Nathaniel Hackett — after 15 games, making him just the third coach since the 1970 merger to be canned before his first season wrapped. But Evero was on Sean McVay‘s first five Rams staffs and was rising before Hackett hired him. Despite steady injuries and Denver’s offense cratering under Hackett, Evero’s defense finished seventh this season.
Latest On Texans’ Lovie Smith Firing, HC Candidates
The Texans got a head start on ‘Black Monday’ by firing head coach Lovie Smith last night. The move was expected given the circumstances of his hiring last year and the team’s poor performance, but further details have emerged painting a discouraging picture of the organization’s operations during his tenure. 
Not long before Smith was dismissed, it was reported that part of the reason he was on thin ice was his aversion to change and suggestions from others regarding his approach. That included a range from conversations with players, to a stubbornness on the subject of things like analytics and the role of modern approaches to on- and off-field operations.
One Texans player said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, “Lovie would meet with players, but he would never use any of our suggestions and ideas… We wanted to be heard, and he ignored what we had to say. It was very frustrating. Talking with him became a waste of our time.”
With Smith following David Culley as a one-and-done on the sidelines, attention has now turned to the Texans’ list of replacement candidates. To little surprise, Wilson reports that Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon sits atop the list of Houston’s targets. He adds that there is a “mutual interest” between the 39-year-old and the Texans to make him the franchise’s next head coach.
Gannon was one of three finalists during Houston’s HC search last offseason, alongside former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and longtime NFL quarterback Josh McCown. Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and several teams was filed not long before Houston’s ultimate decision to pivot very late in the process to Smith. Circling back to Gannon would come as little surprise considering the interest shown in him previously, and his success this season.
Philadelphia has been stellar on defense this season, ranking seventh in the league in points (20.2) and second in yards (301) allowed per game. They also comfortably led the NFL in sacks with 70 in the regular season, and boasted the best pass defense in the league. That represents a step forward for Gannon’s unit, something which will likely only make him an even more sought-after coach in this year’s cycle. Gannon met with the Broncos and Vikings in addition to the Texans last year.
Wilson also lists Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Broncos DC Ejiro Evero as other names to watch as Houston prepares their latest search. The former has drawn plenty of attention with his role in helping Jared Goff and Detroit’s offense help the team to a 9-8 record and nearly clinch an unlikely postseason berth. Evero, meanwhile, has been commended for his performance with Denver’s defense, a unit which (to a degree) masked the team’s offensive woes. Evero will interview for the full-time HC gig with the Broncos.
On the other hand, one candidate who appears unlikely to be hired is 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans. The former Texans linebacker “is not expected to pursue the job,” per Wilson, in spite of Houston’s interest in him. Ryans is likely to draw significant interest from at least some of the other four teams (the Panthers, Colts, Broncos and Cardinals) in need of a new bench boss given his success in his current role. The Texans will still have plenty of options to consider even if he steers clear of the organization.
Falcons DC Dean Pees Retires
For the third time in his coaching career, Dean Pees has announced his retirement. The Falcons defensive coordinator is stepping away from the NFL after two seasons in Atlanta and 18 total years as a staffer in the professional ranks. 
Pees, 73, began his storied coaching career in college in 1979. In the decades to follow, he would go on to work on with seven different staffs, including the head coaching role at Kent State for six seasons. That led to his arrival in the NFL in 2004, as a linebackers coach with the Patriots It was under that title that he won his first Super Bowl. He became New England’s DC two seasons later, and remained with the franchise through 2009.
That stint was followed by a similar one (transitioning from LBs coach to DC) in Baltimore. Pees was in charge of the Ravens defense for six years, a span including the team’s Super Bowl campaign in 2012. He was expected to retire at the conclusion of the 2017 season (and, very briefly, did), with the Ravens ready to move on to Don Martindale as his replacement and Pees’ status as a highly successful coach secured.
Very shortly after that, however, Pees came back to serve as the Titans’ DC. He led Tennessee’s defense for two seasons, including a 2018 campaign which saw them rank amongst the league’s best in terms of both points and yards allowed. When he decided once again to step away from the game (this time for a full season), it was expected that he would end his career.
Instead, the Falcons – under new head coach and former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith – were reported to be interested in luring him out of retirement, and they succeeded in doing so in January 2021. Pees oversaw Atlanta’s defense for the past two campaigns, one in which the team has struggled on both sides of the ball through their transition into a rebuilding phase. Last month, he suffered a health scare following a pregame collision which required a trip to the hospital, but he was able to return to his post the following week.
Overall, Pees now walks away after 14 years in charge of four teams’ defenses. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes (on Twitter) that the Falcons will undergo a “wide search” for his replacement. Two candidates he names are LBs coach Frank Bush (who filled in for Pees in Week 15 following his hospitalization) and Packers defensive passing game coordinator Jerry Gray, who has eight years of DC experience dating back to his time with the Bills and Titans.
Broncos Request HC Interviews With Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, DeMeco Ryans
The list of candidates for the vacant Broncos’ head coaching role continues to grow. Denver has formally requested an interview with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). In addition, Mike Klis of 9News tweets that the Broncos have reached out for permission to speak with Rams DC Raheem Morris and 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans. 
The Quinn news comes as no surprise, given the degree to which he has been linked to Denver this offseason and last. The former Falcons HC was one of the top candidates in the 2022 coaching cycle, taking part in interviews with the Broncos but also the Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants.
Choosing to remain in Dallas for one more year proved to be a fruitful one for Quinn. The 52-year-old led Dallas to a solid showing in most defensive categories, including the fifth-fewest points allowed per game (20.1) and the league’s third-highest sack (54) and seventh-highest interception (16) totals. He has experience as a head coach (something widely thought to be a top priority for the Broncos after their disappointing results in recent years with rookie HCs), and has familiarity with Russell Wilson given their shared time in Seattle.
Morris, likewise, has a lengthy NFL resume including a three-year stint as head coach of the Buccaneers and time spent alongside Quinn in Atlanta. He has held his current role in Los Angeles for the past two years, and helped guide the team’s defense during their Super Bowl win last year. The 46-year-old has been named as a candidate to replace Sean McVay should he step away from the Rams, but he is also a likely to be highly sought-after from outside teams as well.
The same is expected to hold true of Ryans, 38. He has been a member of San Francisco’s staff since 2017, working his way up to the DC role last year. Over the course of the past two campaigns, the 49ers have boasted an elite unit on that side of the ball, making Ryans a serious head coaching candidate in short order. With San Francisco being playoff-bound, he, like Quinn, will not be eligible to interview with the Broncos until next week at the earliest, should Denver be granted permission to do so.
The Broncos already have their first set of interviews lined up, with current DC Ejiro Evero and, virtually, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. The addition of Quinn, Morris and Ryans to their list of candidates – which also includes, of course, Sean Payton – will make the Denver search one to watch in the coming weeks.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick To Return In 2023
The 2022 season came to an end for the Patriots yesterday, as their loss to the Bills gave the team an 8-9 record and kept them out of the postseason. That represents a disappointing finish to the campaign, and has invited speculation about changes being made on the sidelines. 
One constant which will remain heading into 2023 will be head coach Bill Belichick. The 70-year-old announced on Monday that he will stay on as the Patriots’ bench boss for what will be his 24th season at the helm. He made it clear, however, that a thorough review of the organization will commence, adding that “we’ll look at everything.”
While Belichick’s announcement comes as little surprise, it also included little in the way of details concerning the future of the team’s offensive coaching staff. To replace longtime offensive coordinator (and current Raiders head coach) Josh McDaniels, the Patriots elected to split his responsibilities between ex-Pats staffers Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. The marked lack of experience on the offensive side of the ball for both of them led to plenty of scrutiny leading into, and during, the season.
New England finished the year in the bottom half of the league on several offensive fronts, averaging 331 yards and 21.4 points per game. Second-year quarterback Mac Jones took a step back in a number of categories, leading to something of a QB controversy when he was briefly replaced by rookie Bailey Zappe due to injury earlier in the season. Most importantly, the unit’s struggles have led to increasing calls for a new, more experienced OC to be brought in.
When asked the future of Patricia and Judge in the organization (or at least in their current capacities), Belichick added, via Michael Hurley of CBS Boston, “We’ll evaluate everything that we’ve done – from me on down to everybody else – and evaluate things and make improvements where we feel like we can. Again, there were a lot of positive things over the course of the year in all areas that we can build on, but in the end, it wasn’t what we want it to be or need it to be.”
Alabama OC – and fellow Patriots alum – Bill O’Brien has been connected to a potential vacancy for the same role in New England. Interest between he and the Patriots, depending on which direction the team goes with respect to Patricia and Judge, will be worth monitoring in the offseason. In any case, the status quo will be in place for at least one more year with respect to the team’s leader on the sidelines.
Browns Fire DC Joe Woods
The Browns are not making a head coaching change during ‘Black Monday,’ but they are nevertheless going ahead with a notable shake-up on the sidelines. Cleveland has fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods, per a team announcement.
Woods arrived in Cleveland in 2020, the first season of head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s tenure with the team. Over the course of their time together, the Browns’ defense has has been up-and-down at times, but the unit underperformed throughout the 2022 campaign in particular, leaving the former on the hot seat. Cleveland ended the season ranked 14th in yardage allowed, and 20th in defensive scoring, surrendering an average of 22.4 points per game.
That, in turn, came one season after the Browns posted the fifth-best total defense in the league, something which was not enough for the team to make the postseason but did lead to heightened expectations relative to their performance this year. Cleveland ranked fifth against the pass in 2022, but allowed over 135 yards per game on the ground; despite the presence of All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett, the team also managed only 34 sacks, good for 27th in the NFL in that category.
Recently, Woods has been involved in the controversy surrounding defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and the team’s decision to send him home following public remarks about his usage. The former No. 1 overall pick stated that he had a 5% chance of re-signing with the Browns this offseason, adding that Woods being let go could help his chances of wanting to return. Regardless of the team’s handling of Clowney, Cleveland is likely to pursue additions at all three levels of the defense in the coming months, in addition to their search for Woods’ replacement.
“I’d like to thank Joe for his hard work and dedication in his three seasons as our defensive coordinator,” Stefanski said in a statement, via the team’s website. “I will always have the utmost respect for Joe, the person, and the coach. Unfortunately, we didn’t perform up to our standards enough this season, and we all share in that responsibility. We all wish Joe and his family the best in the future.”
Given his age (52) and previous DC experience with the Broncos, Woods could still have a future in the NFL as a top assistant, but the Browns’ inconsistency this year will no doubt hurt his prospects in at least the short-term future. Cleveland, meanwhile, will turn their attention to that side of the ball as they look to improve on this year’s 7-10 campaign.