Coach Rumors: Bengals, Titans, Philbin, Colts
The Browns struck a deal today to bring Hue Jackson aboard as their new coach, leaving five teams with active head coaching searches. Additionally, plenty more clubs are looking to hire assistants to fill out their staffs, so we’ve got plenty of coaching-related notes and rumors to round up this afternoon. Let’s dive in….
- According to Michael Silver of NFL Media (via Twitter), before Jackson agreed to join the Browns, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis approached his offensive coordinator with a last-ditch attempt to keep Jackson in Cincinnati. Silver notes that the proposal included a succession plan, which would mean Jackson eventually replacing Lewis as the Bengals’ coach, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from moving on.
- The Titans‘ interview with Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will take place on Friday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the club will interview Doug Marrone one day earlier, on Thursday.
- The Colts have reached out to former Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin to see if he’s interested in the team’s offensive line coach job, a source tells Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
- Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel had a good meeting with Gus Bradley regarding the Jaguars‘ defensive coordinator opening, but Jacksonville has yet to make a decision on the position, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports has several updates on assistant jobs around the NFL. Here’s the breakdown:
- The Colts have agreed to a deal with former Giants linebackers coach Jim Herrmann for the same position in Indianapolis (Twitter link).
- Former Dolphins head coach and current 49ers assistant Tony Sparano is interviewing today for the Vikings‘ offensive line coach opening and is a strong candidate to get the job (Twitter links).
- Former Vikings offensive line coach Jeff Davidson is interviewing for the same role with the Chargers (Twitter link).
- Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is expected to replace Vance Joseph as the Bengals‘ defensive backs coach (Twitter link).
Coach Rumors: Coughlin, Eagles, Giants
The latest coaching news from around the NFL:
- The Eagles have confirmed (via Twitter) that their interview with former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has concluded. Coughlin becomes the sixth candidate to sit down with Philadelphia, though one of those six – Adam Gase – has since been hired by another team. Be sure to check out our head coaching search tracker for the full breakdown.
- Meanwhile, Coughlin’s old team in New York conducted a head coaching interview of its own today. The Giants announced in a press release that their meeting with ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith has been completed. An interview with Bengals OC Hue Jackson will likely be next up for Big Blue.
- The Browns are using Monday to take a step back and regroup on their head coaching search, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. There are plenty of options on the table for Cleveland, with the club having interviewed seven candidates to date and having been linked to others.
- Veteran wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson is expected to interview for a wide receivers coaching job with the Rams and Dolphins, a source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Coaching Notes: Falcons, Patriots, Titans
Some assorted coaching notes from around the NFL…
- The Falcons aren’t expected to let Keith Armstrong join the Jets as the organization’s special teams coordinator, writes Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday.com. The coach has a strong relationship with Todd Bowles, but since Armstrong has two years left on his contract, it’s unlikely Atlanta would let him leave for a lateral move.
- Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will interview for the Browns head coaching gig today, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that despite the amount of interest, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels isn’t expected to interview for any head coaching jobs this week.
- The Titans have requested permission to interview Jaguars assistant Doug Marrone, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team has also asked to interview Vikings assistant general manager George Paton, but that request was denied.
- Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is in the running for both the Eagles and Giants head coaching jobs, tweets ESPN’s Bill Williamson. The writer also passes along that Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is the favorite for his team’s head coaching gig.
Coach Rumors: Giants, L. Smith, Bucs, Dolphins
Asked today on The Michael Kay Show if the Giants will consider Lovie Smith for their head coaching opening, team co-owner John Mara said he’s “certainly aware” the former Buccaneers head coach is available. According to Mara, he’ll talk to his fellow decision-makers about Smith, but he isn’t sure yet whether the club will try to bring him in (Twitter links via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
For now, New York is targeting highly-regarded assistants, having interviewed their own coordinators, as well as Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
Here are a few more coaching-related updates from around the NFL:
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that he would be “very surprised” if former Falcons head coach Mike Smith doesn’t emerge as a strong candidate for the Buccaneers‘ vacancy. Smith interviewed with the Dolphins this week and has been mentioned as possible candidate for the Titans as well.
- According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), the Dolphins would’ve been one of the teams – along with the Eagles – that had interest in John Harbaugh if he became available, but Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere. The Dolphins continued their head coaching search today by interviewing Dan Campbell and, per a team release, Doug Marrone.
- The Jaguars will interview Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel for their defensive coordinator job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). ESPN’s Vaughn McClure tweets that the meeting will take place on Tuesday.
- As first reported by Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links), linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald was fired by the Colts today. Indianapolis hired a new defensive coordinator this week, bringing in former Ravens linebackers coach Ted Monachino, so it looks like he has already started making changes to the unit.
- Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, the Colts are interviewing John Benton (Dolphins), Pat Flaherty (Giants), and Chris Foerster (49ers) for their offensive line coach position, tweets Marvez.
Falcons To Retain GM Thomas Dimitroff
Despite some December speculation that his grip on the Falcons’ general manager job was growing somewhat tenuous, Thomas Dimitroff will remain in his current role going forward, owner Arthur Blank announced today. Blank issued a statement expressing confidence in Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn going forward.
“Over the last week, we have conducted an exhaustive review of every area of our team,” Blank said. “Through this process it has become very clear to me that Coach Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff have built a productive working relationship over the last 11 months. There is very good alignment between Dan and Thomas on the direction we need to go to improve our team and I believe maintaining the continuity of that relationship, with Scott Pioli continuing to assist Thomas, is the right way forward.”
While Dimitroff and Pioli appear poised to remain in their current positions, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some changes made within the front office. In his statement, the Falcons owner went on to say that the team will likely make some moves in the next few weeks that will affect football operations.
“We are going to make a number of changes to our pro personnel and college scouting departments and that process began this week,” Blank said. “It will take some time, but we will be adding talent on the pro personnel side and re-organizing both of these groups to best align with the shared vision of Coach Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff. I expect these changes will produce positive results for our team.”
After making the playoffs in four of Dimitroff’s first five seasons as GM, the Falcons have struggled in recent years, going a combined 18-30 over the last three seasons, with no postseason berths. The team has had some trouble during that stretch adding offensive playmakers to complement Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, though Devonta Freeman‘s breakout season in 2015 was a positive sign. There has also been a lack of difference-making talent on defense in Atlanta lately, but the hiring of Quinn and this year’s selection of Vic Beasley represented steps in the right direction on that side of the ball.
South Notes: Jaguars, Babineaux, Colts
The Jaguars became the first NFL team of the offseason to officially part ways with its defensive coordinator today, announcing that Bob Babich won’t return in 2016. With Babich no longer in the picture, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has seven suggestions for potential replacements, including former head coaches Jim Schwartz and Mike Smith.
As we wait to see which direction Jacksonville goes for its DC opening, let’s check in on a few more items out of the NFL’s South divisions….
- An elite free safety would be a welcome addition to the Jaguars‘ defense, but GM David Caldwell suggested today that finding one could be even harder than finding a franchise quarterback, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.
- Falcons veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who just completed his eleventh season, says that he still has more football left in him, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. “Maybe one to two [years left]. My goal always was to get to 12 and decide if I wanted to continue or retire then. I know I have a few more years left in me,” he said. Babineaux is signed through next season.
- The Colts have late-season additions Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley signed through the 2016 season, so they plan on bringing back both quarterbacks in the offseason and evaluating them, tweets Mike Chappell of CBS4.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Roddy White Not Interested In Taking Pay Cut
Veteran receiver Roddy White may have seen his role reduced in Atlanta this year, but he’s not interested in seeing his salary reduced as well. Speaking to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, and later to 680 The Fan in Atlanta, White said on Monday that he’s not interested in taking a pay cut for 2016.
White, 34, played all 16 games for the Falcons in 2015, but was targeted just 70 times and caught only 43 balls for 506 yards and a single touchdown. All of those totals are his lowest marks since 2006, his second NFL season.
While White expressed some dissatisfaction with his usage earlier in the season, he repeatedly stressed that he wants to remain in Atlanta, indicating in October that he intends to be a “Falcon for life,” then doubling down on that stance in December when he said he plans on being a Falcon “forever.”
Still, it’s not clear if White will be given the opportunity to play out the final two years of his contract with the Falcons without accepting a pay cut or a restructuring of some sort. His salaries for 2016 and 2017 are relatively modest – $2.75MM and $3MM, respectively – but he can earn $1.5MM in bonuses each season as well — $1MM for making the 53-man roster, then up to an additional $500K in per-game roster bonuses.
Throw in $1.888MM in annual prorated signing bonus money and White’s cap numbers for the next two seasons exceed $6MM, making him the sixth-most expensive player on the roster. In order for those cap charge to be viable, the Falcons would have to count on White bouncing back and exceeding his 2015 numbers, but it’s not clear that sort of rebound is in the cards for the veteran wideout.
We’re still at least a few weeks away from the Falcons having to make any real cap decisions for 2016, but this will be a situation worth monitoring this winter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/4/16
Now that the 2015 regular season is in the books, teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts, adding those players to their 90-man offseason rosters. Generally, these players finished the season on a team’s practice squad, though some were free agents at season’s end.
Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:
Atlanta Falcons signed four players (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)
- Matt Simms, QB
- C.J. Goodwin, WR
- Gus Johnson, RB
- Collin Rahrig, G
Baltimore Ravens signed seven players (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun):
- Brennen Beyer, LB
- Leon Brown, G
- Nordly Capi, DE
- Blaine Clausell, T
- Chuck Jacobs, WR
- Nick Perry, S
- Harold Spears, TE
Buffalo Bills signed seven players (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
- Cyril Richardson, G
- Phillip Thomas, S
- Blake Annen, TE
- Jacob Maxwell, TE
- Cedric Reed, DE
- Jonathan Dowling, S
- Ronald Patrick, C
Chicago Bears signed nine players (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune):
- De’Vante Bausby, CB
- Matt Blanchard, QB
- Cornelius Edison, C
- Paul Lasike, RB
- Marcus Lucas, WR/TE
- Danny Mason, LB
- Nathan Palmer, WR
- Gannon Sinclair, TE
- Martin Wallace, G/T
Cleveland Browns signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Sean Baker, DB
- Dan France, OT
- Garth Gerhart, C
- Connor Hamlett, TE
- Tim Scott, DB
- Dylan Wynn, DE
Dallas Cowboys signed eight players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Donte Foster, WR
- Mike McAdoo, DE
- Brandon McGee, DB
- Derek Akunne, LB
- Buddy Jackson, DB
- Ben Malena, RB
- Efe Obada, DE
- Keith Smith, LB
Denver Broncos signed four players (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS)
- Cyrus Gray, RB
- Jace Davis, WR
- B.J. Lowery, DB
- DeVier Posey, WR
Detroit Lions signed five players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Khaseem Greene, LB
- Casey Pierce, TE
- Ryan Spadola, WR
- Corey Washington, WR
- Tyrus Thompson, OT
Jacksonville Jaguars signed nine players (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union):
- Rasheed Bailey, WR
- Kadeem Edwards, OL
- Shaq Evans, WRt
- Ben Koyack, TE
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Sean Porter, LB
- Chris Reed, G
- Rashaad Reynolds, CB
- Earl Wolff, S
Miami Dolphins signed one player (link)
- Tyler Davis, WR
New Orleans Saints signed five players (link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune):
- Reggie Bell, WR
- Alden Darby, S
- Brandon Dixon, CB
- Cyril Lemon, G
- Bryan Witzmann, T
New York Giants signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Tavarres King, WR
- G.J. Kinne, QB
- Shane McDermott, C
- Leon McFadden, CB
- Tom Obarski, K
- Jake Rodgers, OT
Philadelphia Eagles signed seven players (Twitter link via team):
- Brett Boyko, G
- Malcolm Bunche, G
- Brandon Hepburn, LB
- Freddie Martino, WR
- Kevin Monangai, RB
- Travis Raciti, DE
- Deontae Skinner, LB
San Diego Chargers signed six players (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)
- Richard Crawford, DB
- Brad Sorensen, QB
- Tim Semisch, TE
- Chuka Ndulue, DT
- Isaiah Burse, WR
- Ben Gardner, DE
Seattle Seahawks signed three players (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Andrew East, LS
- Ronnie Shields, TE
- Phillip Sims, QB
Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed nine players (link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times):
- Josh Allen, G
- Andre Davis, WR
- Antoine Everett, G
- Ben Gottschalk, C
- Gerod Holliman, S
- Martin Ifedi, DE
- Derrick Lott, DT
- C.J. Roberts, CB
- Joel Ross, CB
Tennessee Titans signed five players (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com):
- David Fluellen, RB
- Kevin Greene, TE
- Nick Harwell, WR
- Josue Matias, G
- Will Poehls, T
Washington signs three players (link via team):
- Christo Bilukidi, DL
- Desmond Bishop, LB
- Jerrell Powe, DL
2016 Home And Away Opponents Named For All 32 NFL Teams
Top 20 Teams Set For 2016 NFL Draft
With the 2015 NFL regular season now complete, the 2016 draft order has been set for the teams that didn’t earn playoff berths this year.
The order for the top 20 is determined first by record — the teams with the worst records get the highest picks. The tiebreaker for teams that finish with identical records is strength of schedules. The easier the team’s schedule, the higher its pick. The thinking there is that if two teams finished with the same record, the team that played the easier schedule is likely the “worst” of the two teams, earning that club the higher pick.
Via NFL.com, here’s how the top 20 breaks down for the 2016 NFL draft, with each team’s record and opponents’ winning percentage noted in parentheses:
- Tennessee Titans (3-13, .492)
- Cleveland Browns (3-13, .531)
- San Diego Chargers (4-12, .527)
- Dallas Cowboys (4-12, .531)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11, .473)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-11, .508)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-11, .539)
- Miami Dolphins (6-10, .469)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10, .484)
- New York Giants (6-10, .500)
- Chicago Bears (6-10, .547)
- New Orleans Saints (7-9, .504)
- Philadelphia Eagles (7-9, .508)
- Oakland Raiders (7-9, .512)
- St. Louis Rams (7-9, .527)
- Detroit Lions (7-9, .535)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-8, .481)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-8, .500)
- Buffalo Bills (8-8, .508)
- New York Jets (10-6, .441)
While teams that played weaker schedules will get the higher draft picks – via tiebreaker – in the first round, that’s not the case for every round. Teams that finished with identical records will rotate order throughout the draft, so the Browns, for instance, will pick ahead of the Titans in round two.
As for the remaining 12 spots, those will be determined based on which teams are eliminated from the playoffs first. The four teams knocked out in the Wild Card round will pick 21st through 24th, for example — the clubs with the weaker records will get the higher picks. The full order will be determined after the Super Bowl, with this year’s champion getting the last pick of the first round — unless, of course, that’s the Patriots, who won’t have a first-rounder in 2016.