Cardinals To Request HC Interview With Jonathan Gannon
8:00pm: In an update to his previous reporting, Balzer states rather definitively that Gannon “will be the Cardinals’ new head coach” (Twitter link). He adds that there is a “strong possibility” Browns QBs coach Drew Petzing is hired for the OC role, something SI’s Albert Breer tweets would come as no surprise if Gannon were to be hired. Petzing and Gannon have history with each other dating back to their time spent with the Vikings.
10:16am: When Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said that his team’s new head coach would not be announced until after today’s Super Bowl, it led to plenty of speculation that he wanted to interview one of the coordinators participating in the title bout. That turned out to be the case, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Arizona is expected to request an HC interview with Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon (Twitter link).
Gannon interviewed for the Texans’ head coaching position in January and was at one time considered the frontrunner for the post, particularly since he had interviewed for the same job last year. Houston, however, pivoted to DeMeco Ryans, and until today, Gannon had not been formally connected to any other HC opening in this year’s cycle.
It’s easy to see why the Cardinals would have interest in Gannon. The 39-year-old, who just wrapped his second season as Philadelphia’s DC after a three-year stint as the Colts’ defensive backs coach, oversaw a unit that ranked second in the league in total defense and eighth in points allowed in 2022. The Eagles also boasted the best pass defense in the NFL — which reflects well on Gannon given his background as a DBs coach — and posted a whopping 70 sacks (60 of which came from a base front, as opposed to a blitz).
In a lengthy feature on Gannon’s life and career, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says that Gannon’s scouting experience — he spent several years as a college and pro scout with the Rams — has boosted his stock as a top HC candidate. Gannon himself confirmed that the GMs he has spoken with appreciate the fact that he knows and understands that side of the business.
Gannon also has a strong relationship with new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort, as Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Breer adds that Bidwill also did a great deal of background work on Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, though no interview has been requested as of the time of this writing. It presently appears as if Steichen is in line to land the Colts’ head coaching job, so the Eagles could find themselves looking to replace both of their top coordinators in short order.
The strength of Gannon’s Arizona candidacy will depend, at least in part, on whom he taps as his offensive coordinator, as Howard Balzer of PHNX tweets. Kyler Murray may not be ready to return to action until midway through the 2023 season, but he is the team’s franchise quarterback, and his performance will largely drive the team’s fortunes in the coming years. So in addition to bringing the right head coach aboard, the team also needs to hit on its OC hire.
Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and Giants OC Mike Kafka are the Cardinals’ other two head coaching finalists.
Coaching Notes: Burke, Bolts, Wendell, Jags
In the early days of the Cardinals‘ search for their next head coach, it was uncertain which assistants would be back. That still may be the case. But the Browns sought to hire one of the Cards’ assistants in January. Cleveland hiring Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator prompted an interview request for Arizona defensive line coach Matt Burke, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). Burke had been the Lions’ linebackers coach throughout Schwartz’s time as Detroit’s HC, and the Browns wanted to reunite the veteran assistant with their new DC. But the Cardinals blocked the move, Breer adds.
This ended up working out well for Burke. Weeks later, the Texans filling their head coaching post led to DeMeco Ryans bringing him in for a defensive coordinator interview. Burke is now Houston’s DC, and he may be in position to call plays. Teams cannot block position coaches from interviewing for coordinator jobs any longer. The Cardinals’ HC hire will not come to pass until at least next week. Then, Arizona’s staff will start to take shape. Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:
- Former Patriots offensive lineman Ryan Wendell will receive his first chance as an offensive line coach. The Rams are hiring him to lead their O-line, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. Wendell, 36, spent the past four seasons with the Bills — the past three as their assistant O-line coach. Wendell played eight seasons with the Patriots, three as a regular starter, and was the team’s starting right guard during its Super Bowl XLIX-winning season in 2014. After beginning his coaching run in Buffalo, Wendell will take over a Rams O-line that struggled consistently last season.
- The Chargers are in the process of filling out Kellen Moore‘s new offensive staff. They interviewed Raiders offensive assistant Fred Walker for their quarterbacks coach position, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. One of Josh McDaniels‘ hires last year, Walker came to Las Vegas after a run on Duke’s staff under David Cutcliffe. The first of those years, back in 2018, featured Walker working as Daniel Jones‘ QBs coach.
- Former Browns defensive backs coach Jeff Howard had multiple options to continue his career. He received offers from both the Chargers and Panthers, according to ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter, who notes Howard chose the Bolts (Twitter link). Howard, an NFL assistant for the past 10 seasons, will be the Chargers’ next linebackers coach. The 40-year-old staffer spent seven years as a Vikings assistant before taking the Browns’ DBs job in 2020.
- In addition to Wendell, the Bills will lose another assistant. Buffalo wide receivers coach Chad Hall will leave to take the same position with the Jaguars, Pelissero notes (via Twitter). Hall, 36, had spent the past four seasons as the Bills’ wideouts coach and had been with the team since Sean McDermott arrived in 2017. Hall’s contract had expired. An NFL receiver from 2010-14, Hall’s last stop came with the Jaguars. He also began his career with the Eagles, when current Jags HC Doug Pederson was on staff.
- Sean Payton had eyed Dan Roushar, a longtime Saints assistant, for a spot on his Broncos staff. But the veteran assistant will instead stay in Louisiana. Roushar, whom the Saints dismissed last month, is expected to land on Tulane’s staff, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com tweets. Payton lured Roushar out of the college ranks in 2013, and he spent 10 seasons with the Saints coaching multiple positions. Payton will undoubtedly add some of his former Saints coworkers to his Broncos staff — Ronald Curry has interviewed for Denver’s OC job — but Roushar will return to the college game.
Latest On Cardinals Coaching Search
FEBRUARY 10: Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill confirmed that the team’s new head coach will not be unveiled until after the Super Bowl. He said, via team reporter Darren Urban, that he and the front office will “pause throughout the rest of the weekend” and resume the search on Monday.
“We’re excited about the great progress we have made,” Bidwill said. “Every bit of advice as been ‘take your time’ and we have. I’m sure there are some frustrations with some of our fans, but we want to make the right decision, not the fastest decision.”
With only two known candidates remaining, it comes as little surprise that Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds he expects Arizona’s search process to “accelerate” after the Super Bowl has completed (video link). Barring a surprising hire being announced this weekend, Arizona will join Indianapolis in not having their new bench boss in place until the offseason has begun league-wide.
FEBURARY 8: There haven’t been many updates on the Cardinals’ head coaching search…besides the organization learning that they missed out on one of their top finalists. We learned recently that Brian Flores had backed out of the heading coaching race and would join the Vikings as their new defensive coordinator. That left Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo as Arizona’s final two candidates.
[RELATED: 2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Since the Giants and the Bengals are out of the playoffs, the Cardinals could sign either of the coaches immediately. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the organization isn’t expected to make a hire until after the Super Bowl. Cardinals reporter Mike Jurecki says “word on the street” is that the organization will hold a press conference announcing their new head coach next Tuesday.
The Cardinals may simply be taking their sweet time by delaying their inevitable hire of Kafka or Anarumo. However, the fact that they’re delaying the hiring until after the Super Bowl at least opens the door to them considering candidates from the Eagles and Chiefs coaching staffs. As our Head Coaching Tracker shows, the Cardinals haven’t interviewed any coaches from these two teams.
With new general manager Monti Ossenfort now running the front office, any of Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, or Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could suddenly emerge as a serious candidate. However, unless the organization had some unreported meeting with any of these coaches, it seems unlikely that they’d complete an interview and a hiring with a new candidate in only a matter of days (assuming the Tuesday press conference is accurate).
While Arizona has yet to hire a head coach, they have made one addition to the coaching staff. According to Jurecki (on Twitter), the organization is expected to hire Brant Boyer. The 51-year-old coach has spent the past seven years as the Jets’ special teams coordinator, and he’d presumably be taking on the same role in Arizona. Jeff Rodgers has served as the Cardinals’ special teams coordinator since 2019.
Texans To Hire Matt Burke As DC
The Texans will give Matt Burke a second chance on the coordinator level. Shortly after interviewing the Cardinals’ defensive line coach, the AFC South team plans to hire him as its next defensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
While DeMeco Ryans will head up Houston’s defense, Burke will step in as the young HC’s right-hand man here. Burke previously oversaw the Dolphins’ defense from 2017-18 but has been with three teams since. Burke, 46, spent the 2022 season with the Cardinals, worked with the Eagles from 2019-20 and was with the Jets in 2021.
Ryans obviously earned the Houston HC job on the strength of his defensive acumen, but it is not a certainty he will call plays. He and Burke have not determined that key component of the Texans’ 2023 blueprint, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who suggests Burke has a legitimate chance to step into this role (Twitter link).
This process did not double as a wide-ranging search. Beyond Burke, it is believed only Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel interviewed for the position. Manuel interviewed for the gig twice, per KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, but the Texans were unable to secure meetings with Chris Harris or 49ers D-line coach Kris Kocurek. Harris interviewed for San Francisco’s DC position and received a Texans interview request; he ended up sticking with his initial offseason pledge — a Titans staff gig. Harris is now Tennessee’s cornerbacks coach.
Kocurek is expected to stay with the 49ers, with Wilson noting a title bump may be on tap. Manuel interviewed for both the Texans and Panthers’ DC posts. Unable to bring Kocurek to Houston, Ryans is also interested in former San Francisco coworker Cory Undlin. Undlin’s 49ers contract has expired, per Wilson; that could well lead the team’s passing-game coordinator/DBs coach to the Texans. Undlin, 51, spent the 2020 season as the Lions’ DC but was one of Ryans’ top assistants over the past two years.
An NFL staffer since 2004, Burke has spent much of his career coaching linebackers. He served in that role with the Lions, Bengals and Dolphins. Miami promoted Burke to DC in 2017, and he worked as Adam Gase‘s DC during the latter’s final two seasons running the Dolphins. Success proved elusive. The Dolphins ranked 28th and 25th in defensive DVOA, respectively, during Burke’s two years in charge. The Dolphins ousted both Gase and Burke in 2019, pivoting to an aggressive rebuild.
Burke just finished overseeing J.J. Watt‘s final season. The former Texans superstar rebounded from an injury-plagued 2021 to exit the NFL on a high note, producing 12.5 sacks — including two in his final game, against Ryans’ 49ers — and seven pass deflections. Perhaps more indicative of Burke’s Arizona work: Zach Allen‘s contract-year ascent. Working alongside Watt, Allen produced eight pass batdowns — a total that tied for the league lead among D-linemen last season — and registered a career-best 5.5 sacks and 20 QB hits.
The Cardinals stayed with Vance Joseph‘s 3-4 scheme in 2022, but Ryans and Burke used 4-3 looks during their seasons running defenses. It should be expected the Texans will pivot to that alignment in 2023. Houston does not have much in the way of cornerstone defensive pieces; it will be on Burke to spearhead a young group. The Texans ranked 27th in scoring defense and allowed the third-most yards last season.
Sean Payton Addresses Russell Wilson, Decision To Pass On Cardinals
Terry Bradshaw made a bit of noise during Super Bowl week, saying ex-FOX coworker Sean Payton was leery of working with either Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray.
Payton interviewed with two teams that roster returning quarterbacks — the Broncos and Cardinals — and two teams without settled starters (Panthers, Texans). He ended up choosing Denver, but Bradshaw said (via Newsday’s Tom Rock, on Twitter) he accepted the Broncos’ offer in spite of Wilson and did not want to work with Murray. Noting when Bradshaw is interviewed, “you hold your breath, because you don’t know what’s going to come out,” Payton addressed why he chose the Broncos — a job that will feature a Wilson cleanup task in 2023.
“For me, the first thing was ownership and general manager. That triangle needed to be strong,” Payton told Kay Adams on her Up & Adams show Thursday. “… With Russell, we’ve got someone who’s won a lot of games, who’s been successful. And then it’s really looking at, ‘Hey, what are the things he does well?’ I think anytime you have a season where it’s 5-12 or whatever their record was, my experience from afar is, generally speaking, there are a lot of people with dirt on their hands — not just Russ. That falls on other players; that falls on the coaching staff. I think those things we can clean up and correct.
“More importantly, [the decision centered on] going to the place where ownership is in place and supportive and has a clear vision and the general manager’s in place, those are the key, critical factors.”
Payton has spoken highly of both new Broncos CEO Greg Penner and third-year GM George Paton. Although Payton has been connected to bringing in former GM and longtime Saints staffer Jeff Ireland, Payton compared Denver’s GM to Mickey Loomis. For the time being, it looks like the Payton-Paton setup is not in jeopardy of splintering.
Paton’s headline 2022 acquisition encountered quick turbulence. Wilson struggled for most of the season acclimating to Nathaniel Hackett‘s offense and flashed concerning form in his age-34 campaign. But he angled for Payton, reaching out to the longtime Saints HC and Drew Brees about the fit. Payton will now be in charge of salvaging the Broncos’ big-ticket quarterback get.
“We spoke briefly,” Payton said of a pre-hire conversation with Wilson. “Latavius Murray is one of my former players, and he’s played with a number of teams. He’s one of those guys you like being around. We had a great experience with him in New Orleans. I got a text right at the end of the season. He said, ‘Man, we have to find a way to get you here — me and backfield teammate.’ When I heard that, I thought of running back. Then I thought of who else is in his backfield? I texted and said, ‘Who is your backfield teammate?’ He sent the number three. It was Christmas time and I said, ‘Be careful what you’re asking Santa for.’ That was my response. We kind of went from there.”
The Broncos fired Hackett on Dec. 26, and Payton became the team’s top target soon after. He made the Broncos his first meeting and said that was not due simply to logistics. While Payton offered praise for Kyler Murray, he said his “instincts were pushing me in a direction with Denver.”
This promises to be an eventful period for a Broncos team that has followed up its Super Bowl 50 win with seven straight playoff absences. The team gave Wilson and his team considerable privileges upon acquiring the longtime Seahawk, allowing him input into the offense and permitting his camp access to the facility. This involved a private office for the quarterback and access for his personal coach, Jake Heaps. Payton will be making some changes on that front. While Payton said he was unfamiliar with the previous arrangement, he confirmed (video link via SI.com’s Albert Breer) Wilson would not be working with his personal coach while at the facility.
The Cardinals have yet to hire a head coach; it appears likely no decision is coming until after Super Bowl LVII. Shortly after the team’s Payton meeting, new candidates Lou Anarumo and Mike Kafka entered the mix. Those two may well be the Arizona finalists. Anarumo’s second interview is set for Friday.
“I think [Murray] is extremely talented, and I think they have the same challenges there that we have in Denver,” Payton said, via Adams (Twitter link). “They are very similar challenges. Culture in the building has to be better. It just does.”
Texans To Interview Cardinals’ Matt Burke For DC Job
Vance Joseph‘s defensive staff in Arizona has been in limbo for a bit, with the team still on the hunt for its next head coach. Though, Joseph’s group largely should not be expected to return. One of Joseph’s lieutenants will have an opportunity to move up soon.
The Texans are preparing to interview Cardinals defensive line coach Matt Burke for their defensive coordinator position, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Burke has DC experience — a two-year Dolphins stint in the 2010s — but has been off that tier for a bit now. The interview will occur this week.
Burke, 46, has spent the past three seasons with three teams. He landed in Philadelphia following his Miami exit, which came after a two-year DC stint under Adam Gase (2017-18), and coached the Eagles’ defensive line in Doug Pederson‘s final Philly season. Burke was on Robert Saleh‘s Jets staff in 2021, as a game management assistant, and wound up in Arizona in Kliff Kingsbury‘s final year as Cardinals HC.
In an NFL career that dates back to 2004, Burke has spent time coaching linebackers and D-linemen. This season, he oversaw J.J. Watt‘s resurgence and a quality contract year from Zach Allen. The fourth-year D-lineman batted down eight passes and tallied a career-high 19 quarterback hits, complementing Watt effectively despite the Cardinals skidding well off course as a team. Burke’s Dolphins units did not impress, however. Miami ranked 29th and 27th in scoring defense in 2017 and ’18, leading to the team’s aggressive rebuild the following offseason.
Two of DeMeco Ryans‘ DC candidates has passed on the opportunity. Chris Harris‘ busy offseason included Texans DC interest and a 49ers interview, but he agreed to keep his initial 2023 commitment — a Titans assistant post. Ryans also eyed 49ers D-line coach Kris Kocurek, but the well-regarded D-line coach is expected to stay in San Francisco. The Texans have interviewed Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel, a Burke coworker last season, for the position as well.
Brian Flores Informed Cardinals He Was Withdrawing From HC Search
Brian Flores is set for a Twin Cities relocation, taking over as the next Vikings defensive coordinator. The former Dolphins head coach’s quick decision here was somewhat surprising, considering he had a second interview for the Cardinals’ HC job lined up.
It is not believed Flores had been eliminated from the Cardinals’ search just yet. He instead informed the Cards he was not going to meet with them a second time and would accept the Vikings’ DC offer, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Flores’ second Arizona interview had been scheduled for Wednesday, but the Cards are now onto other options. Arizona and Indianapolis remain on the hunt for head coaches, though the Colts’ search is more open-ended than the Cardinals’.
[RELATED: Kyler Murray Return May Be Delayed Until Midseason?]
Bigger-picture plans factored into Flores’ withdrawal. Next year’s lot of potential job openings represented part of the reason, per KPRC’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter), Flores backed out of the Cards’ search. Higher-profile jobs might be available in 2024. The Chargers and Cowboys come to mind. While this was believed to be a factor for Sean Payton, next year’s coaching carousel also appears to be impacting other candidates’ decisions.
The team’s search may come down to two of its late additions. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is meeting with the Cardinals today, while Bengals DC Lou Anarumo‘s meeting is scheduled for Friday. Both are already on their second interviews, despite each having been added to the pool Jan. 30. Vance Joseph, Bengals OC Brian Callahan and Lions DC Aaron Glenn were not among the finalists for the job, though Flores taking a coordinator gig despite being included as a finalist came after other options passed.
Dan Quinn also backed out of multiple searches to stay with the Cowboys, and after interviewing with the Cardinals, Frank Reich accepted the Panthers’ HC offer. Then again, it is unknown how serious the Cardinals were on Reich, who was not a candidate in Denver or Houston. Payton was the biggest fish this offseason, but not much smoke emerged connecting the former Super Bowl-winning HC to Arizona’s vacancy. The Cards added Anarumo and Kafka to their mix days after Payton’s interview and just before he accepted the Broncos’ HC offer.
Despite his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and a few teams, Flores interviewed for four HC jobs last year following his surprise Dolphins ouster. The longtime Patriots assistant spent this season as the Steelers’ linebackers coach. He was on the Cards’ radar both before and after the team hired ex-Pats executive Monti Ossenfort as GM. A Flores-Ossenfort connection loomed for weeks; no other teams interviewed him for their HC jobs this year. He was among a host of Payton backup plans. Anarumo and Kafka were not even part of the search at that stage.
Brian Flores Joins Finalists For Cardinals HC Job
9:45pm: In the newest update, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that “the Cardinals have informed several head coaching candidates that they are out of the running.” The three candidates who have been announced to be involved in the second round of interviews (Flores, Anarumo, and Kafka) are reportedly the team’s finalists for the position.
The three candidates who have not been included in the second round of interviews yet (Joseph, Glenn, and Callahan) are among those who have been informed that they are no longer being considered.
5:49pm: The Cardinals made it known that they had at least two candidates who would be advancing to a second round of interviews for their vacant head coaching position yesterday. Now Steelers defensive assistant and linebackers coach Brian Flores will join Lou Anarumo and Mike Kafka as a finalist in Arizona, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
This is the first name we’ve seen that lines up with an earlier report from last weekend. That report implied that, if the Cardinals were unable to bring in Sean Payton, whose rights were traded to the Broncos this past week, the team would be moving forward with Flores, Aaron Glenn, and Ejiro Evero for a second round of interviews. After yesterday’s announcement for Anarumo and Kafka, Flores’s inclusion is the first name that doesn’t come as a surprise.
Arizona is moving relatively slowly compared to the other franchises who have been working to hire a new head coach this offseason and, as a result, have missed out on a few promising candidates. Of the 10 candidates interviewed by the Cardinals, four are no longer available. Besides Payton, Dan Quinn made the decision to remain in Dallas as defensive coordinator, Evero has been hired as the defensive coordinator in Carolina, Frank Reich has been hired as the Panthers’ head coach, and DeMeco Ryans, who actually cancelled his interview, has taken the head coaching position in Houston.
That leaves Arizona with its three finalists (Flores, Anarumo, and Kafka), the rumored finalist who has not been announced as a candidate for a second interview (Glenn), Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who interviewed this week, and their own defensive coordinator for the last four seasons, Vance Joseph. Anarumo is set to meet virtually with general manager Monti Ossenfort on Friday, while Kafka’s virtual interview is expected to take place on Tuesday.
Flores is expected to interview for the Cardinals’ job on Wednesday. The day before, Flores is expected to interview for the Broncos defensive coordinator position under Payton. He is also a top candidate for the Vikings defensive coordinator job.
With three finalists named for the position so far, here is the updated breakdown of the Cardinals’ interview process:
- Lou Anarumo, defensive coordinator (Bengals): To conduct second interview 2/10
- Brian Callahan, offensive coordinator (Bengals): Interviewed 2/2; no longer being considered
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed; potential finalist; hired as Panthers DC
- Brian Flores, linebackers coach (Steelers): Interviewed 1/23; favorite?; To conduct second interview 2/8
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/21; potential finalist; no longer being considered
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed 1/18; no longer being considered
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): To conduct second interview 2/7
- Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator (Cowboys): Conducted second interview 1/25; to stay with Cowboys
- Sean Payton, former head coach (Saints): Interviewed 1/26
- Frank Reich, former head coach (Colts): Interviewed 1/17
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interview cancelled, prefers Texans’ job
NFC West Rumors: 49ers QBs, Bullen, Benton, Hopkins
If the 49ers are familiar with one thing, it’s injured quarterbacks. When season starter Trey Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury only two games into the season, San Francisco reverted back to Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo would start the next 10 games before suffering a foot injury that would require season-ending surgery. This led the team to start rookie Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Purdy responded to being forced into the spotlight with five straight wins in his starts to end the season. He would then help the 49ers win their first two playoff games before ultimately falling to the Eagles in the NFC Championship after suffering an elbow injury that is expected to take six months to recover.
With the emergence of Purdy this season, San Francisco seems renewed in their desires to move Garoppolo, something they attempted to no avail last offseason. Even with Garoppolo out of the picture, what happens when both Lance and Purdy return to full health? That question was posed to Matt Barrows of The Athletic this week in a Q&A with 49ers fans.
Barrows seems to believe that there will be no controversy when both players are healthy. Purdy presumably won’t be healthy until maybe the start of training camp. Until then, Lance will perform as the team’s lead quarterback in the spring. Once Purdy is back in the picture, though, Barrows asserts that he will be the 49ers’ first-team quarterback. Purdy showed an ability to operate within the 49ers offense and play winning football. Lance, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to prove that he can stay on the football field, unfortunately. Dating back to his final collegiate season at North Dakota State, in the past three years, out of a possible 44 games, Lance has appeared in nine.
Throughout the spring, Lance will be under center earning some much needed snaps with the 49ers offense. Once Purdy is healthy, Barrows is under the impression that he will man the starting quarterback position over Lance.
Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC West, starting with a couple of coaching changes:
- After 11 years coaching in the NFL and four years in Arizona, former Cardinals outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen will be leaving the league to become the outside linebackers coach/pass rush coordinator at the University of Illinois, according to the school’s official Twitter account. Bullen has experience in the Big Ten as a University of Iowa alumnus and will be returning to the state in which he grew up.
- The Rams are looking to replace offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, whom they dismissed alongside several other coaching assistants following the 2022 season. One candidate they will be considering is former Jets offensive line coach John Benton, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Benton has seen a rough 12 months, being arrested and charged with DUI in March 2022 and being dismissed by head coach Robert Saleh after his second year with the team. Benton still provides plenty of experience having served in the position for five franchises, including the Rams back when they resided in St. Louis. If he were hired to coach in Los Angeles, he would be reunited with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who joined Sean McVay‘s staff a little over a week ago.
- Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been rumored to be available in the trade market this offseason. For what it’s worth, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported this weekend that Hopkins was in the team facility on Friday and met with the team’s new general manager Monti Ossenfort.
Lou Anarumo, Mike Kafka Set For Second Cardinals HC Interviews
The first known finalists for Arizona’s head coaching vacancy have emerged. The Cardinals are set to meet for a second time with Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka (Twitter links via Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). 
Anarumo, 56, has been in Cincinnati since 2019, a spot which gave him his second career DC opportunity. His role in helping the Bengals emerge as AFC heavyweights over the past two seasons has increasingly been brought to the attention of the NFL community, as the 2023 coaching cycle continues. Anarumo’s unit surrendered the sixth-fewest points in the regular season in 2022, earning him and Bengals OC Brian Callahan interviews with the Cardinals this past week.
Most of the candidates named in Arizona’s search to date have a background on the defensive side of the ball. The Cardinals fielded the league’s second-worst scoring defense in 2022, and its roster turnover this offseason will include future Hall of Fame edge rusher J.J. Watt not returning. Immediately following the announcement of Kliff Kingsbury‘s firing, DC Vance Joseph was mentioned as a serious candidate to replace him. Several external candidates have been interviewed since, however, including Anarumo. The latter will meet virtually with new general manager Monti Ossenfort on Friday, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer (Twitter link).
No timetable is yet known for Kafka’s interview, though it too will take place via Zoom. The 35-year-old took on an OC position for the first time in 2022, when he joined Brian Daboll‘s first Giants staff. His work as a QBs coach in Kansas City put him on the coordinator radar, though it still came as a surprise when he was given play-calling duties. That move paid dividends for Big Blue, as the Giants shattered expectations en route to a run to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Kafka has interviewed with four of the five teams which entered this offseason in need of a new coach, underscoring his perceived value around the league. He met with the Texans for a second time last month, though Houston has since made the expected move of hiring DeMeco Ryans as their new bench boss. With a second interview now on tap with Arizona, though, the possibility remains that he could land a HC job to cap off his noteworthy rise.
With the second round of their HC search set to begin soon, here is the updated breakdown of the Cardinals’ interview process:
- Lou Anarumo, defensive coordinator (Bengals): To conduct second interview 2/10
- Brian Callahan, offensive coordinator (Bengals): Interviewed 2/2
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed; potential finalist
- Brian Flores, linebackers coach (Steelers): Interviewed 1/23; favorite?
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/21; potential finalist
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed 1/18
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): To conduct second interview
- Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator (Cowboys): Conducted second interview 1/25; to stay with Cowboys
- Sean Payton, former head coach (Saints): Interviewed 1/26
- Frank Reich, former head coach (Colts): Interviewed 1/17
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interview cancelled, prefers Texans’ job