Wade Phillips, Rod Woodson, Hines Ward Among XFL HCs
Out of the NFL since the 2019 season, Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will resurface in the latest XFL iteration. The longtime NFL coach will be one of XFL 3.0’s eight HCs, the rebooting league announced Wednesday.
Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, former Pro Bowler Hines Ward, and ex-Oklahoma national championship HC Bob Stoops will join Phillips. Former Saints and Rams HC Jim Haslett will also lead an XFL team. The league’s third round of HCs also includes former NFLers Terrell Buckley, Anthony Becht and Reggie Barlow.
“Our head coaches are a diverse group of leaders, champions and hall of famers with experience competing and coaching at the highest level in football. Not only will they be mentors to our players, but they are also ambassadors of the XFL as we work together to build tomorrow’s league,” said Dany Garcia, Co-Owner and Chairwoman of the XFL. “What is most exciting about our talented coaches is that they all share our vision for the XFL and are committed to advancing the game of football for players and making it into a must-watch program for fans. The XFL is anchored in the belief of opportunity, and, just like our players, these football legends will drive the future of the game.”
Head coach or interim HC for four teams, Phillips was on the sideline for the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 win and coached in Super Bowls XXIV and LIII as Denver and Los Angeles DC. The veteran coach also had a long career as a defensive coordinator, with his most recent gig coming with the Rams between 2017 and 2019. The last we heard from Phillips, he was discussing a potential role on the Browns staff in 2020. Phillips will be 75 when he takes the field in February.
Haslett, the 2000 AP NFL Coach of the Year, served as the Titans inside linebackers coach over the past two seasons, but he wasn’t retained following the 2021 campaign. He last served as a HC in 2008, going 2-10 as the interim head coach with the Rams. In six seasons with the Saints, the team went 45-51 with only one playoff appearance.
Woodson has some experience coaching in the NFL. He had two stints as the Raiders cornerbacks coach, and he also had coaching jobs with the Bengals and Broncos. Similarly, Ward had a two-year coaching stint with the Jets before spending the 2021 campaign as Florida Atlantic’s wide receivers coach.
Chargers WR Jalen Guyton, TE Donald Parham Sign ERFA Tenders
A pair of offensive skill players signed their tenders with the Chargers today. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), wide receiver Jalen Guyton and tight end Donald Parham officially inked their exclusive rights free agent tenders.
Guyton, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of North Texas, has spent the majority of his three-year career with the Chargers. He basically redshirted his rookie campaign before turning into a serviceable target for Justin Herbert over the past two seasons. In 32 games (11 starts) between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Guyton has hauled in 59 receptions for 959 yards and six touchdowns.
After bouncing around the NFL and XFL to begin his professional career, Parham caught on with the Chargers in 2020. He’s seen time in 27 games (14 starts) over the past two years, hauling in 30 receptions for 349 yards and six touchdowns. His 2021 season ended on IR after he suffered a scary concussion in December.
The Chargers also officially announced the signing of linebacker Troy Reeder today. We learned that Reeder was inking a one-year deal with the team this past weekend.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/22
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Brandon King
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed ERFA tender: C J.C. Hassenauer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: DL Patrick O’Connor
Latest On Jaguars RB Travis Etienne
After having to sit out his entire rookie season with a foot injury, Travis Etienne believes he’s just about back to full health. According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, the Jaguars running back expects to be fully cleared by the time training camp comes around.
Etienne is already participating in his team’s voluntary offseason conditioning program with new head coach Doug Pederson. The running back estimated that he’s 85-90% recovered from his Lisfranc injury, and while he’s still limited “in some of his weight-room work,” he’s been able to take part in most of the on-field drills.
“If I didn’t know I had a screw in my foot, I couldn’t tell,” Etienne said of his recovery (via DiRocco). “I feel like that’s a testament to where I’m at in my transition and how I’m healing.
“The screw is there. I think I will take it out. I could leave it there forever. I know most guys say leave it there, it never bothers them, but I just don’t want to be 40 years old with a screw in my foot, really.”
Considered a top prospect in the 2020 class, the Clemson product surprised many by returning for his senior season. His yards-per-carry figure dropped from 7.8 to 5.4, which probably helped the Jaguars secure him towards the end of the first round at No. 25. Despite the dropoff, he still had two 1,600-yard seasons and 70 career rushing TDs to his credit. As DiRocco writes, former head coach Urban Meyer was expected to use the rookie in “a Percy Harvin-type role,” but the preseason foot injury ended up knocking out the running back for the entire season. Of course, the injury also meant Etienne didn’t have to really deal with the turmoil surround Meyer’s brief tenure in Jacksonville, providing him with a clean slate heading into the 2022 campaign.
“Just seeing the results, you’re definitely like, ‘Whew, if there was any year to miss, I missed a great one,'” he told DiRocco.
With a new coaching staff in place, it will be interesting to see how Etienne is utilized during his first NFL season. Fellow RB James Robinson suffered an Achilles injury in December, so Etienne could find himself getting the bulk of the carries early in the season.
Rams Have Been In Contact With CB Stephon Gilmore
The Rams are seemingly connected to every big name, and it sounds like they’ve kicked the tires on a former Defensive Player of the Year. According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, the Rams “have been in contact” with cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Of course, while the Rams may have interest in a player of Gilmore’s caliber, it’s uncertain if they’ll be able to afford the defensive back. As Rodrigue notes, the organization “couldn’t pay anywhere near” what the cornerback was expecting heading into the offseason. Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a player has taken a significant pay cut in pursuit of a ring, and if Gilmore’s market isn’t what he anticipated, it’d make some sense if he settled for a one-year, prove-it deal with a contender.
In Los Angeles, Gilmore would be a natural fit opposite Jalen Ramsey. Plus, as Rodrigue writes, Gilmore’s presence on the outside would allow Ramsey to also serve in the “star” position. In that situation, Gilmore and someone like Robert Rochell or David Long Jr. would occupy the outside spots.
Gilmore, 31, being patient is unsurprising here, given his quest to see a pay raise during the second half of his Patriots tenure. Gilmore voiced frustration about his Pats contract — a five-year, $65MM deal that became wildly team-friendly as the market moved — in 2020 and 2021, leading to a pay bump for the ’20 season and a trade to the Panthers the following year. Leading up to free agency, Carolina had not closed the door on a Gilmore re-signing. He’s since received interest from the Raiders and Chiefs, but a deal hasn’t materialized.
The veteran was limited to only nine games this past season, but he still managed to earn his fourth-straight Pro Bowl nod after finishing with a pair of interceptions.
Jaguars Waive LB Dylan Moses
Dylan Moses will have to revive his football career elsewhere. The Jaguars have waived the linebacker, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter).
Moses was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, and he quickly lived up to the hype during his time at Alabama. He had a standout 2018 campaign, but that was cut short by a foot injury. He missed the entire 2019 season with a knee injury, but he managed to earn third-team All-American honors when he returned to the field in 2020.
Still, thanks to the lack of track record and a torn meniscus suffered during that 2020 campaign, Moses went undrafted in the 2021 draft, and he ended up catching on with the Jaguars. He went under the knife last February, so he ended up spending his entire rookie season on the non-football injury list. He was expected to be healthy enough to compete for a roster spot this year.
The Jaguars have already seen some turnover at linebacker this offseason. The team added Foyesade Oluokun on a three-year deal, and they also moved on from Myles Jack.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/11/22
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: T Cody Conway
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DE Tashawn Bower
- Released, NFI: OT Kamaal Seymour
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 4/11/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
RFAs
Signed:
- Broncos: LB Malik Reed
- Jaguars: S Andrew Wingard
ERFAs
Signed:
- Cardinals: RB Jonathan Ward
- Broncos: S P.J. Locke, QB Brett Rypien
- Chargers: TE Donald Parham
- Jaguars: LB Jamir Jones
- Lions: P Jack Fox
- Raiders: TE Nick Bowers, S Roderic Teamer
49ers Release, Re-Sign DL Maurice Hurst
For a brief moment today, Maurice Hurst was a free agent. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter), the 49ers released the defensive tackle before re-signing him to a one-year contract.
Clearly, this was a procedural move that surely saved the team a small chunk of cap, but we won’t know how much the 49ers saved until terms are announced. Hurst re-signed with the 49ers in March, inking a veteran salary exception worth a bit more than $1MM. While the veteran presumably signed the same deal this time around, the front office could have pushed some money down the road (per David Lombardi of The Athletic on Twitter).
Hurst was a fifth-round pick by the Raiders in 2018, and he ended up spending three seasons with the team. After collecting 31 tackles and four sacks in 13 games (10 starts) as a rookie, Hurst only started seven games and compiled four more sacks in his final two seasons with the organization.
The 26-year-old caught on with San Francisco last offseason, and after starting the season on injured reserve, he ended up getting into only a pair of games for his new squad.
Latest On Bengals S Jessie Bates
After the Bengals slapped safety Jessie Bates with the franchise tag, there was optimism that the two sides would eventually agree to an extension. However, USA Today’s Tyler Dragon reports (on Twitter) that the Bengals and Bates have not engaged in extension talks.
After working towards a contract extension over the past two years, Bates was ultimately tagged by the Bengals in March, locking the defensive back into a $12.911MM salary for the 2022 campaign. Bengals executive VP Katie Blackburn acknowledged that the two sides had gotten close to an extension, and she hinted that the front office could eventually reengage with Bates’ camp. The Bengals have until July 15 to sign the 25-year-old to a new deal.
“We obviously tried to get him re-signed last year,” Blackburn said.“Thought we had a good chance of getting that done but it didn’t quite get there. I think they wanted to see where the market went in free agency and at some point, we’ll circle back with him and see where we are.”
Bates had previously expressed dissatisfaction about the franchise tag, stating that the process is “tough; you only get one shot at this.” Had Bates reached free agency, he could have commanded one of the top safety salaries in the NFL. Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard, Marcus Williams, and Harrison Smith were previously thrown around as relevant comparisons to Bates; that quartet currently averages $14.8MM per season.
The 2018 second-round pick has spent his entire career in Cincinnati, including a 2020 campaign where he earned second-team All-Pro honors after finishing with 109 tackles and 15 passes defended. His numbers took a bit of a step back in 2021; Bates finished with career-lows in tackles (88), interceptions (one), and passes defended (four) in 15 starts. However, he showed up in four postseason games, collecting 20 tackles, six passes defended, and two picks.