Ravens Won’t Re-Sign LS Morgan Cox
Following 11 years with the organization, it sounds like Morgan Cox won’t be a member of the Ravens next season. General manager Eric DeCosta informed the impending free agent that the organization won’t be extending him an offer, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
“Obviously, I’m certainly disappointed that I won’t be back with the Ravens next year,” Cox said. “Regardless of the other stuff, the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro stuff, I just felt like I had been playing really well and I’ve been healthy. Contract-wise, we hadn’t gotten to that point yet. I felt pretty good about it, but you know, just disappointment in the near term obviously. At the same time I really fought those feelings.
“I take a lot of pride in what we’ve accomplished there. All of that to say, rather than be frustrated or disappointed on this end, which would be easy to fall into, I’m really just thankful that it happened. I am sad that it’s over, but I’m also eternally happy that it happened.”
Cox joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2010, and he proceeded to spend the next decade-plus with the organization. During his stint in Baltimore, Cox earned four Pro Bowl nods, All-Pro recognition (during the position’s first year of eligibility in 2020), and a Super Bowl ring. He’s played the seventh-most games in franchise history.
As Zrebiec notes, Cox helped form one of the best long snapper/kicker/punter trios in the NFL. The Cox/Sam Koch/Justin Tucker grouping has been together for nine seasons, with Tucker previously referring to his teammate as the “best long snapper in the NFL.” Next season, the Ravens are expected to roll with Nick Moore, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of Georgia.
Coaching Notes: Chargers, Steelers, Ravens, Taylor, Marrone
After adding Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator and Renaldo Hill as defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley has found the coach who will lead his special teams unit. The Chargers announced this evening that they’ve hired Derius Swinton as their special teams coordinator.
The 35-year-old has made his way up the coaching ranks over the past decade-plus, spending time with the Rams, Chiefs, Broncos, Bears, 49ers, Lions, and Cardinals. He served as San Francisco’s special teams coordinator in 2016, and he helped the 49ers improve their kickoff return average by nearly six yards that season.
We’ve already heard of some other additions to the Chargers’ coaching staff. The team added Joe Barry as their defensive passing game coordinator, and they’ve hired Frank Smith to be their new offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Let’s check out some more coaching notes…
- Today, the Steelers officially announced the promotion of Matt Canada to offensive coordinator. Canada served as quarterbacks coach during the 2020 season, and Ben Roethlisberger finished with one of the lowest interception rates (1.6) and sack totals (13) of his career. As Teresa Varley of Steelers.com points out, Canada helped implement jet sweeps and pre-snap motions to the Steelers’ offense.
- The Ravens have added D’Anton Lynn as their new defensive backs coach, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (via Twitter). The 31-year-old previously spent time on the Jets, Bills, Chargers, and Texans coaching staff, and he earned a promotion to Houston’s defensive backs coach for the 2020 campaign.
- Press Taylor won’t be back in Philly next season. Mike Kaye of NJ.com reports (via Twitter) that the Eagles won’t be retaining their quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator. The 33-year-old had been with the organization since the 2013 season, and after serving as QBs coach in 2018 and 2019, he took on the additional role of passing game coordinator in 2020. The Eagles passing game was dreadful this past season, ranking either 31st or 32nd in the NFL in passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt, and interceptions.
- Doug Marrone is joining the Alabama coaching staff as offensive line coach, per a team announcement. Marrone, of course, spent the past four seasons as the Jaguars head coach, including a 2017 campaign that saw him make the AFC Championship. The 56-year-old has plenty of familiarity with new Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, as the two coaches worked alongside each other during their stints with Georgia Tech back in the 1990s.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/25/21
A day after they secured their trip to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have made a change to their practice squad:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: OT Prince Tega Wanogho
The former Auburn standout was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in this past year’s draft, and he spent the majority of the 2020 campaign on Philly’s practice squad. He caught on with Kansas City’s practice squad last week, providing the organization with some extra depth along the offensive line.
That depth will be tested during the Super Bowl, as we learned earlier today that left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game. The team is also expected to be without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz during the championship game. Perhaps the team will look to sign a veteran offensive lineman to their practice squad with Wanogho’s former spot.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/25/21
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Buffalo Bills
- WR Tanner Gentry, WR Jake Kumerow, RB Antonio Williams
Green Bay Packers
- OLB Tipa Galeai, LB Scoota Harris, OG Zack Johnson, TE Isaac Nauta, DL Willington Previlon, DL Anthony Rush, CB Stanford Samuels, RB Mike Weber, RB Dexter Williams, P Ryan Winslow
Los Angeles Rams
- S Jake Gervase, QB Devlin Hodges
As a reminder, these are all non-guaranteed deals, usually for practice-squad-type players, to help teams flesh out their 90-man offseason rosters.
This Date In Transactions History: Eagles Sign TE Zach Ertz To Extension
With Zach Ertz coming off a career year and about to enter the final year of his rookie contract, the Eagles decided to back up the Brinks truck on this date five years ago. On January 25th, 2016, Philly signed their star tight end to a five-year extension (including an option for the final year).
The 35th-overall pick in the 2013 draft built off strong rookie and sophomore years and put together a breakout campaign in 2015. Ertz established himself as quarterback Sam Bradford‘s favorite target, hauling in 75 receptions for 853 yards and two touchdowns. As a result of his continued improvement, the Eagles committed to the then-25-year-old through the 2021 season.
Ertz ended up inking a five-year, $42.5MM deal that included $20MM in guaranteed money. At the time, his new $8.5MM AAV ranked fourth in the NFL among tight ends (behind Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski; the deal still ranked seventh this season behind George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Kyle Rudolph, and Gronk in 2020). The deal officially kicked in during the 2017 season, following the completion of Ertz’s rookie contract.
“Nothing could make me happier than knowing I’m going to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for years to come,” Ertz wrote at the time (on his blog).
The Eagles were also happy with the extension, at least temporarily. Ertz made a Pro Bowl in each of the first three years of his extension, including a 2018 campaign where he set the record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (116, which went along with career-highs in receiving yards (1,163) and touchdowns (eight, tie)).
Following another Pro Bowl appearance in 2019, the Eagles predictably picked up Ertz’s option for the 2021 campaign, and it was assumed that the two sides would work on an extension throughout the 2020 campaign. However, following months of inaction, Philly’s extension offer came in lower than expected, putting an “abrupt halt” to the negotiations.
Things went a bit downhill after that; Ertz expressed doubt that the Eagles wanted to keep him long-term, and the tight end reportedly engaged in a shouting match with general manager Howie Roseman following a September practice. To add insult to injury (pun wasn’t really intended), Ertz landed on IR in late October. In total, Ertz finished the 2020 campaign having hauled in 36 receptions for 335 yards and one touchdown, all career-lows. At the end of the season, the veteran indicated that he’d still be open to sticking around Philly.
Ertz’s extension, signed five years ago, is looking like it won’t have the desired ending that both sides had hoped for back in 2016. Still, considering Ertz’s production between 2017-2019 and his continued standing as one of the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends, you could easily say the deal worked out for both sides.
Browns Sign WR Ryan Switzer To Reserve/Futures Contract
Ryan Switzer should have a chance to compete for a role on the Browns in 2021. The team announced today that they’ve signed the receiver/special teamer to a reserve/futures contract.
The former fourth-round pick earned All-Rookie Team honors in 2017, but he’s had trouble finding a steady home since then, spending time with the Cowboys, Raiders, Steelers, and Browns. His best offensive season came in 2018 with Pittsburgh, when he hauled in 36 receptions for 253 yards and one score. He was limited to only nine games in 2019, and he was eventually waived by the Steelers at the beginning of the 2020 season. He later caught on with the Browns practice squad, and besides a stint on the practice squad IR, that’s where he spent the majority of the 2020 campaign.
While Switzer has shown some ability on offense, he’s made a name for himself as a returner. The 26-year-old has returned 63 kickoffs for 1,373 yards (21.8 yards per return) in his career, and he’s returned 67 punts for 537 yards (eight yards per return) and one touchdown. Switzer was also a prolific returnman during his time at North Carolina, as he led the NCAA in punt return yards in 2013 and earned All-American honors in both 2013 and 2015.
Switzer won’t be the only Browns wideout heading into the offseason with a reserve/futures contract; the team previously inked WR Ja’Marcus Bradley and WR Derrick Willies to deals. Switzer (along with Bradley, Willies, and all other reserve/futures contracts) will sit on the Browns’ 90-man offseason roster with a non-guaranteed deal, and the pact guarantees that he won’t be scooped up by another squad. Teams are only allowed to use reserve/futures deals on players who weren’t on an active roster at the end of the 2020 regular season.
Chiefs CB Bashaud Breeland Clears Concussion Protocol
When the Chiefs take the field tomorrow for the AFC Championship Game, they’ll be joined by Bashaud Breeland. The team announced today (via Twitter) that the cornerback has cleared concussion protocol and “will no longer have a game status designation” heading into tomorrow’s contest.
This is obviously great news for the Chiefs, their fans, and (as ESPN’s Field Yates points out on Twitter) Breeland’s wallet. If the cornerback plays more than 50-percent of his team’s snaps tomorrow and the Chiefs win, Breeland will earn a $300K incentive.
Breeland was previously listed as questionable with a shoulder injury and a concussion, with the latter ailment presumably popping up during last week’s win over the Browns. Breeland finished the game with six tackles and one pass defended, but he only appeared in 86 percent of his team’s defensive snaps, his lowest total since Week 1.
Following a 2019 campaign that saw him start 15 games en route to a Super Bowl ring, Breeland started all 11 of his games in 2020. The 28-year-old ultimately finished the season having compiled 38 tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
The Chiefs are still dealing with injuries elsewhere on their cornerbacks depth chart. Rashad Fenton is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game with ankle and foot injuries.
Colts GM Chris Ballard Discusses Draft, Doubts That He’ll Select QB In First Round
With Philip Rivers retiring and Jacoby Brissett hitting free agency, the Colts will surely be looking for a quarterback this offseason. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the organization will take a signal-caller with their first-round pick. Speaking to reporters this week, general manager Chris Ballard said he doubts a worthy quarterback will fall to the Colts No. 21.
“It’s a good class,” Ballard said (via Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star). “It’s a good class. I’ll say that. They all get pushed up now. We’re seeing it. They all get pushed up. A little bit of luck has to come into play.”
Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, or Justin Fields are expected to be top-10 picks, meaning Ballard would have to pull off a significant trade to acquire any of those top-tier quarterback prospects. The general manager also made it clear that the organization wouldn’t select a quarterback for the sake of selecting a quarterback, perhaps taking them out of the running for second-tier QBs like Trey Lance and Mac Jones.
“Go back and look at first-round quarterbacks drafted over the past 10 years. Everyone just thinks you take one, and you’re going to fix the problem,” Ballard said. “Look, taking one will get y’all off my (butt) for a little bit, but the second that guy doesn’t play well, I’m gonna be the first one run out the building.
“Go back and look at first-round quarterbacks drafted over the past 10 years. Everyone just thinks you take one, and you’re going to fix the problem. Look, taking one will get y’all off my (butt) for a little bit, but the second that guy doesn’t play well, I’m gonna be the first one run out the building.”
The Colts currently have one quarterback on their active roster: 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason. The Washington product didn’t get into a game during his rookie season, and the team will surely provide him with some competition for the starting gig. However, that competition may not end up coming via the draft.
Jaguars Expected To Hire Brian Schneider As ST Coordinator
After adding a new offensive and defensive coordinator to his staff, Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has found his special teams coordinator. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that long-time Seahawks coach Brian Schneider is expected to be hired as Jacksonville’s new special teams coordinator.
Pelissero adds (via Twitter) that Larry Izzo will be taking Schneider‘s place in Seattle, as the former player has been promoted to full-time special teams coordinator.
Schneider had been with the Seahawks since 2010. He was apart of nine playoff runs in Seattle, including a 2013 Super Bowl win that saw Percy Harvin return an 87-yard kickoff for a score. During his stint with the Seahawks, the special teams unit consistently ranked toward the top of the league in takeaways, blocked kicks, and touchdowns/safeties scored.
Schneider stepped away from his role early last season for personal reasons, and Izzo was named interim special teams coordinator. When Schneider returned in November, Izzo retained the gig, and he’ll now have some job security heading into the 2021 season. Izzo earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods and three Super Bowl rings during his eight years playing with the Patriots, and he jumped right into coaching following his retirement. The 46-year-old served as the Texans special teams coordinator in 2016 and 2017.
Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich To Call Defensive Plays
While Robert Saleh earned some rightful praise for his defensive schemes in San Francisco, he won’t be calling defensive plays as head coach of the New York Jets. Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com writes that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be handling defensive play-calling duties in 2021.
Saleh explained his logic during his introductory press conference (via Simmons):
“I’ve got the utmost respect and confidence in Jeff Ulbrich to be able to do that,” Saleh said. “This is an organization that has to work locked in arms and work together. And to ensure that the messaging and the way that we want things done all the way across the board is there and maintaining that connection throughout — whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, business of football — somehow, some way, everyone’s got to find their connection to the player with the mindset that we’re going to get these guys better every single day. And to be able to have that focus and ensure that the entire organization is moving in the direction that we want, I won’t be calling plays.”
Saleh could have certainly given himself those duties considering the success of the 49ers defense in recent years. After finishing with the NFL’s second-best DVOA in 2019, the coach played a big role in keeping the 49ers’ injury-ravaged defense afloat in 2020. San Francisco still finished the season fifth in total yards, seventh in rushing yards, and fourth in passing yards allowed.
While Saleh is clearly a defensive maestro, he’ll be putting his trust in Ulbrich to call defensive plays. Ulbrich started 2020 as the Falcons’ assistant head coach and linebackers coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator following Dan Quinn‘s firing, and the Falcons showed improvement during the later stages of the season.