Bills OC Brian Daboll Is “Favorite” For Chargers HC Job
Brian Daboll could soon be heading to the west coast. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Bills offensive coordinator “has emerged as a favorite” for the Chargers head-coaching gig.
Predictably, the Chargers organization is waiting to see how tonight’s Bills game goes before making any moves. If Buffalo loses, Los Angeles can offer Daboll the job as soon as possible. If the Bills win, then the organization has to wait until Buffalo is eliminated before they can negotiate a contract with their new head coach.
As Schefter notes, there are two logical reasons why Daboll has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacancy. For starters, Daboll received a lot of credit for Josh Allen‘s emergence this season, and the Chargers are hoping the coach can help Justin Herbert take the next step. Daboll also went to high school and played football with Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, so there’s an obvious connection there.
Daboll, 45, started his NFL coaching career back in 2000 with the Patriots. He got his first coordinator gig with the Browns in 2009, and he’s since held the same role with the Dolphins, Chiefs, and the Bills (along with Alabama). Daboll was mentioned as a candidate for the Jets vacancy, and he was one of the nine reported candidates for the Chargers job. As our 2021 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, that list includes:
- Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator: Interview requested
- Joe Brady, Panthers offensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/7
- Matt Eberflus, Colts defensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/12
- Jason Garrett, Giants offensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/8
- Urban Meyer, former Ohio State head coach: Contacted
- Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/9
- Arthur Smith, Titans offensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/11
- Brandon Staley, Rams defensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/10
Saints WR Tre’Quan Smith Returns To Practice
The Saints’ receiving corps could be at full health this weekend against the Buccaneers. The team designated wideout Tre’Quan Smith to return to practice, per the league’s transactions report.
Smith had spent the past three weeks on the injured reserve as he nursed an ankle injury. When he last appeared in Week 15, the Saints were welcoming back quarterback Drew Brees, although they were missing wideouts Michael Thomas, Marquez Callaway, and Deonte Harris. Assuming Smith is good to go for this weekend, New Orleans should have their full arsenal of wideouts (a grouping that also includes Emmanuel Sanders) on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
Smith, a former third-round pick, was having a career year before he was sidelined by his injury. In 14 games (10 starts), the 25-year-old hauled in 34 receptions for 448 yards and four scores.
While the Saints seem to be getting healthy at receiver, they may be dealing with some issues at running back. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that running back Latavius Murray is considered day-to-day with a quad injury. While the veteran is hoping to play this weekend, Rapoport describes his status as “up in the air.” If the 30-year-old can’t go this weekend, the team will likely turn to Dwayne Washington or Ty Montgomery as Alvin Kamara‘s backups.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/13/21
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Christian Kirk
- Released from IR: DE Josh Mauro
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: C Alex Mack
Cleveland Browns
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Kevin Johnson, DB Denzel Ward
Houston Texans
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Hjalte Froholdt, LB Whitney Mercilus, DB Eric Murray
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/21
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Antonio Callaway, QB Jordan Ta’amu
New York Jets
- WR Manasseh Bailey
Philadelphia Eagles
- P Arryn Siposs, WR Khalil Tate
Seattle Seahawks
- WR John Ursua
Tennessee Titans
Washington Football Team
Cowboys To Hire Dan Quinn As DC
The Cowboys have found their new defensive coordinator. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Dallas has agreed to a deal with former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports (via Twitter) that it’s a three-year deal for the 50-year-old.
Quinn made a name for himself when he served as the Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014. He played a major role during the ‘Legion of Boom’ era, making a pair of Super Bowl appearances (winning one). He was hired as Falcons head coach in 2015, and he collected 29 wins during his first three years at the helm, including an NFC-winning campaign in 2016. He didn’t finish above. 500 during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and he was let go by Atlanta following an 0-5 start to the 2020 campaign.
Since his firing, there have been rumblings that Quinn should be a popular name for defensive coordinator openings. There were whispers that he could head back to Seattle to help the Seahawks’ struggling defense, and there was speculation he could head to the 49ers if Robert Saleh gets a head coaching job.
Instead, he’ll be heading to Dallas on Mike McCarthy‘s staff. Following a disappointing 2020 campaign where the defense ranked 28th in scoring, the Cowboys let go of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan last week. We learned of Dallas’s interest in Quinn earlier today, with Falcons secondary coach Joe Whitt and Panthers defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons also mentioned as candidates for the vacancy.
OL Jared Veldheer To Sign With Packers
Offensive lineman Jared Veldheer is set to make NFL history this weekend. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the veteran is signing with the Packers.
Per Schefter, this signing will make Veldheer the first player in NFL history to play at least one postseason game for two different organizations in the same year; Veldheer started for the Colts in their playoff loss to the Bills this past weekend. Thanks in part to Indy’s loss and Veldheer‘s initial placement on the practice squad, Green Bay was able to swoop in and sign him.
Schefter notes (on Twitter) that COVID-19 practice-squad rules allowed this to happen, meaning it will likely be the only time in league history that we see a player appear in postseason games for different teams in the same year. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that Veldheer must be signed to Green Bay’s 53-man roster.
This won’t be the 33-year-old’s first stint with Green Bay; he joined the Packers late last season and ended up starting a playoff game. It’s uncertain if Veldheer will be starting this time around, but at the very least, he sounds like he’ll serve as insurance for offensive tackle Ricky Wagner, who’s currently dealing with a knee injury.
Veldheer, a 2010 third-round pick out of Hillsdale, has put together a 12-year career, appearing in 121 career regular season games. He joined the Colts in late December, and he ended up playing 100-percent of his team’s offensive snaps in Week 17 and the Wild Card Round.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/21
A long list of reserve/futures contracts to pass along:
Chicago Bears
- WR Rodney Adams, DB Marqui Christian, DB Xavier Crawford, OL Dieter Eiselen, TE Jesper Horsted, WR Thomas Ives, DT LaCale London, OLB Ledarius Mack, DB Teez Tabor, OL Badara Traore
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Darius Anderson, S Ibraheim Campbell, CB Andre Chachere, DT Kameron Cline, WR Quartney Davis, G Jake Eldrenkamp, TE Farrod Green, G Sam Jones, T Carter O’Donnell, RB Paul Perkins, P Austin Rehkow, CB Will Sunderland, CB Roderic Teamer, TE Andrew Vollert, DT Chris Williams, DT Rob Windsor
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
- OT Tommy Champion, QB Danny Etling, WR Aaron Fuller, WR Penny Hart, DB Gavin Heslop, DT Cedrick Lattimore, C Brad Lundblade, TE Tyler Mabry, QB Alex McGough, DB Jordan Miller, WR Cody Thompson
Tennessee Titans
- OT Paul Adams, WR Rashard Davis, TE Parker Hesse, WR Cody Hollister, TE Tommy Hudson, LB Jan Johnson, T Brandon Kemp, QB DeShone Kizer, K Tucker McCann, OL Daniel Munyer, OLB Nate Orchard, LS Matt Orzech, WR Chester Rogers, OLB Tuzar Skipper
Washington Football Team
- DT David Bada, WR Jeff Badet, DB Jordan Brown, WR Tony Brown, TE Dylan Cantrel, WR Trevor Davis, DE Jalen Jelks, DT Devaroe Lawrence, RB Javon Leake, T Rick Leonard, TE Tyrone Swoopes, K Kaare Vedvik, RB Jonathan Williams
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/21
Today’s minor transactions:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to one-year extensions: WR Ashton Dulin, DT Taylor Stallworth
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers (from Buccaneers): LB Chapelle Russell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Mike Danna, LB Anthony Hitchens
- Waived: WR Gehrig Dieter
New Orleans Saints
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: S D.J. Swearinger
- Waived: WR Austin Carr
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: NT Steve McLendon, LB Devin White
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Kevin Minter
Washington Football Team
- Waived: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
Jets Interview Joe Brady For HC Opening
Add another name to the list of Jets head coach candidates. The team announced today that they’ve completed their interview with Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Brady, 31, made a name for himself in 2019 when he served as LSU’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, helping guide quarterback Joe Burrows, wideout Justin Jefferson, and the Tigers to a record-breaking offensive campaign. That coaching performance led to him becoming a popular name among NFL teams, and he was ultimately hired as the Panthers offensive coordinator last January.
Despite inconsistent quarterback play from Teddy Bridgewater and only three appearances from star running back Christian McCaffrey, Brady still earned praise during his first year in Carolina. Four offensive players ultimately eclipsed 1,000 yards during the 2020 campaign (D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Curtis Samuel, and Mike Davis).
After proving that he belonged in the NFL, Brady has become a hot name on the head coaching circuit. The Texans, Falcons, and Chargers have interviewed or will interview Brady for their HC vacancies.
A number of names have emerged in New York as potential replacements for former Jets head coach Adam Gase. The team recently interviewed former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and former Jets cornerback Aaron Glenn. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith are also among those on the organization’s radar.
Lions, Falcons Expected To Interview Todd Bowles For HC Vacancies
Todd Bowles will apparently be a popular name on the head-coach circuit. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Lions requested an interview with the Buccaneers defensive coordinator. The interview hasn’t been scheduled as the two sides await the outcome of Tampa Bay’s playoff game tonight. Garafolo notes that Bowles is also expected to meet with the Falcons about their head coach opening.
Following his stint as HC of the NYJ, Bowles caught on as the defensive coordinator down in Tampa Bay in 2019. His first season in the role saw the unit rank sixth in defensive efficiency, and the team improved to fifth in the same metric in 2020. This year’s squad also ranked top-1o in takeaways, sacks, points allowed per game, and yards allowed per game (all despite having only one Pro Bowl defender in Jason Pierre-Paul). Of course, Bowles defensive prowess isn’t in question; he previously led stellar units in Arizona, and his Jets defenses weren’t all that bad. What was bad was his record as head coach; in four years with the Jets, Bowles had only 24 wins (and that included a 10-win campaign in 2015).
Both the Lions and Falcons are searching for new head coaches following in-season firings to Matt Patricia and Dan Quinn (respectively). Both teams have interviewed Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy and Titans OC Arthur Smith, and they’re both considering their interim coaches (Darrell Bevell and Raheem Morris, respectively). Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald has also emerged as a candidate for both jobs.
For Tampa Bay, it’s sounding like the coaching staff could be seeking a new defensive coordinator once their season has come to an end. Greg Auman of The Athletic opines (on Twitter) that defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers or linebackers coach Larry Foote could take over in Bowles’ stead, although Auman also cautions that either of those coaches could join Bowles’ staff if he’s hired elsewhere.