Coaching Rumors: Pats, Chargers, Texans
The Patriots are currently the only club without a defensive coordinator in place, and New England could follow in the footsteps of the Eagles — who may not hire an OC — and not officially name a new coordinator, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com speculates (via Twitter). Incumbent linebackers coach Brian Flores is viewed as the favorite to succeed Matt Patricia on the Patriots’ staff, but as Breer notes, Bill Belichick has given former assistants time to grow before placing them in coordinator roles. Patricia, for one, called New England’s defensive plays for two seasons before being given the DC title. Additionally, current offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called plays for the Patriots in 2005 despite not having the official coordinator moniker.
Here’s more from the 2018 coaching carousel:
- Jerry Schuplinski had been expected to follow McDaniels to Indianapolis, but now that that ship has sailed, Schuplinski will return to the Patriots‘ staff as assistant quarterbacks coach, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Reports earlier this offseason indicated Schuplinski had an “outside chance” to succeed McDaniels as New England’s offensive play-caller, but a path to the Colts had seemed more likely as of last week. Now, Schuplinski — who has been with the Patriots since 2013 — will work with Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, and possibly another signal-caller if New England selects a passer in the upcoming draft.
- The Chargers have announced several new hires, including the addition of former Bills wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan in the same role. McGeoghan, who spent only one season in Buffalo, will replace Nick Sirianni, who is now the Colts’ offensive coordinator. He’ll get to work with a receiving corps that includes Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Travis Benjamin. Additionally, Los Angeles has hired Keith Burns (assistant special teams) and Addison Lynch (defensive quality control).
- Two AFC South clubs — the Titans and Texans — have finalized their 2018 coaching staffs and announced a few hires that hadn’t been previously reported. Tennessee has retained Luke Steckel (offensive assistant) and hired Matt Edwards (assistant special teams), Scott Booker (defensive assistant), Ryan Crow (defensive assistant) , while Houston had added Will Lawning (offensive assistant/offensive line) and Matt O’Donnell (defensive quality control).
- The Cardinals have hired former University of Findlay offensive coordinator Troy Rothenbuhler as an offensive quality control coach, reports Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rothenbuhler had spent his entire coaching career in the collegiate ranks, and spent the past seven years as Findlay’s play-caller.
Cowboys Could Move Byron Jones To Corner
The Cowboys could choose to move defensive back Byron Jones from safety to cornerback this offseason, sources tell Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
While a position change (especially one within the secondary) may not seem all that critical, a move to cornerback could prove financially beneficial for Jones over the long-term. Dallas has until May to exercise or decline its 2019 fifth-year option for Jones, and that figure will be decided by what position the former first-round pick plays during the upcoming season.
If the Cowboys were to use the franchise tag on Jones at some point, his position would again come into play. For example, the franchise tag is for cornerbacks in 2018 is expected to be worth $14.877MM, while the same tender for safeties will be valued at roughly $11.081MM. Those numbers, in turn, would be used as the basis for extension negotiations, and Jones would want talks to begin at the highest possible figure.
Of course, Jones’ fit within Dallas’ defense is also a consideration when discussing a possible position change. By the end of the 2017 campaign, the Cowboys were using three rookies — Jourdan Lewis, Chidobe Awuzie, and Xavier Woods — as starters, while the club will also return Anthony Brown and veteran Orlando Scandrick next season. Scandrick, however, could be released or traded, meaning Dallas’ secondary may not be as deep as it appears.
Jones, the 27th overall selection in the 2015 draft, has appeared in all 48 games (43 starts) since entering the NFL. He played cornerback at UConn and during the early portion of his rookie season, but has since settled in at safety. As Archer details, Jones was forced to play near the line of scrimmage in 2017 (as opposed to the center field role he handled earlier in his career), and the role change could have led to his decrease in production.
PFR Originals: 2/4/18 – 2/11/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective NFL roster. We covered three organizations last week:
Latest On Pats RB Dion Lewis’ Asking Price
Patriots running back Dion Lewis is expected to request a three-year contract in the range of $18MM with $10MM guaranteed in order to pass up free agency, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Lewis isn’t interested in offering a hometown discount to New England, and the “early vibe” is Lewis won’t re-sign with the Patriots, as Howe reports in a separate piece.
A pact that comes with a $6MM annual value would place Lewis comfortably within the top-10 running back deals, while a $10MM guarantee would tie Lewis for sixth among runners (discounting rookie contracts). The Patriots typically don’t land in that range for running backs, and have usually resided in the $3MM per year scope. Still, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com expects New England to keep a dialogue open with Lewis before the free agent period opens on March 14.
The Patriots have a cavalcade of running backs on their roster, but Lewis was the best of the bunch last year. The 27-year-old Lewis posted the most outstanding season of his career in 2017, toting the ball 180 times for 896 yards (both team highs), managing 214 yards on 32 receptions, and scoring 10 total touchdowns (including one in the return game). Lewis ranked first in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR metric, sixth in broken tackles, and sixth in Pro Football Focus‘ pass-blocking grades.
Aside from Lewis, other New England backs scheduled to hit free agency include Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden. At present, the Patriots only have ~$13MM in salary cap space, so retaining any of their free agents may be tough. However, the club can easily increase their cap room to more than $30MM by cutting player such as Martellus Bennett, Dwayne Allen, Mike Gillislee, David Harris, and Alan Branch.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/11/18
Today’s minor moves
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Kacy Rodgers II
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Billy Brown
Colts Hire Frank Reich As Head Coach
The Colts have hired Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich as their new head coach, the club announced today. It will be a five-year deal for Reich, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link), who first reported Reich had agreed to terms with Indianapolis. Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com indicated earlier today that Reich was the favorite for the Colts’ vacancy.
Indianapolis, of course, was forced to restart its head coaching search last week after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — who’d already been announced as the club’s choice — rejected the Colts’ offer. Reich was one of three candidates interviewed by general manager Chris Ballard, who also met with Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub was expected to be a candidate for the Colts, but was never interviewed.
Reich will reportedly utilize several of McDaniels’ staff choices as his assistants, as the Colts are expected to honor their contracts for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, and defensive line coach Matt Phair, all of whom inked deals with Indy before McDaniels spurned the club. On the offensive side of the ball, the Colts are high on ex-Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell, but it’s unclear if Reich will hire the free agent play-caller.
After helping lead a Philadelphia offense which ranked third in scoring, seventh in yards, and eighth in DVOA, Reich was expected to garner head coaching interest this offseason, but he didn’t receive a single interview request until the Colts called. It was a similar story last year, when Reich was thought to have a meeting lined up regarding the Bills open HC job, but never formally spoke with the club. Reich last interviewed for head coaching vacancies in 2015 when he met with both Buffalo and New York.
The 56-year-old Reich, who is perhaps best known for leading the Bills offense back from a 32-point deficit in a 1993 playoff game, has worked as an NFL coach since 2008. After spending time with the Colts and Cardinals, Reich was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator from 2014-15 before joining the Eagles the following year.
Philadelphia has now lost its top two offensive assistants from its Super Bowl-winning staff, as quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo is now the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. Running backs coach Duce Staley could be the favorite to take over as the Eagles’ OC, as Philadelphia is not expected to allow the division-rival Giants interview Staley for the same role on their staff.
5 Key NFL Stories: 2/4/18 – 2/11/18
Eagles win Super Bowl LII. Philadelphia won its first Super Bowl title on Sunday, defeating the Patriots by a score of 41-33 in a classic contest. With the game in the books, both the Eagles and Patriots have several questions to answer this offseason. Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman needs to decide what to do with backup quarterback — and Super Bowl MVP — Nick Foles, while New England seems incredibly unlikely to re-sign cornerback Malcolm Butler, who was benched for the entirety of Sunday’s defeat.
Colts scramble to find a head coach. The Super Bowl was expected to be Josh McDaniels‘ final game on the Patriots’ staff, but the longtime offensive play-caller stunned the NFL world by rejecting the Colts’ head coaching offer last week — after Indy had already announced him as their new leader. McDaniels reportedly had concerns about moving his family away from the New England area, and while he hasn’t been assured of succeeding current HC Bill Belichick, McDaniels will be more involved with personnel decisions going forward. The Colts, meanwhile, were forced to restart their head coaching search, and Eagles OC Frank Reich has emerged as the frontrunner for the position.
49ers ink their franchise quarterback. After trading a second-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo last year (in a deal that they accepted in “10 minutes”), the 49ers have locked up the 26-year-old signal-caller to a five-year, $137.5MM contract that makes him the league’s highest-paid player in history on an annual basis. San Francisco structured Garoppolo’s deal in way to take advantage of its mountain of 2018 space, and Garoppolo will count for $37MM against the club’s salary cap next season. Overall, Garoppolo will take home $48.7MM in full guarantees, and $74.1MM in injury guarantees.
Panthers still looking for a GM. Nearly seven months after firing Dave Gettleman, the Panthers still don’t have a long-term general manger in place. Interim GM Marty Hurney was viewed as the favorite for the job, but a harassment complaint — albeit one that has been withdrawn — from his ex-wife could reduce his chances. Titans executive Lake Dawson has now garnered two interviews for the role, while other candidates include Jimmy Raye III (Texans) and Martin Mayhew (49ers).
The coordinator carousel. The Eagles lost well-regarded quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to the Vikings — with whom he’ll become the team’s new offensive coordinator — and could also see Reich leave the staff if he’s hired by the Colts. The Giants, meanwhile, had been looking at Minnesota’s Kevin Stefanski and Philadelphia’s Duce Staley for their OC role, but the Vikings have already denied Big Blue permission to interview Stefanski while the Eagles are expected to do the same with Staley if Reich goes to Indy.
AFC North Notes: Ravens, Steelers, Ben, Bell
As the Ravens seek to repair their offense in 2018, they should target free agent tight end Jimmy Graham, opines Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco has always displayed a proclivity for throwing to tight ends, and Graham could give the Ravens a valuable weapon in the red zone (each of Graham’s 10 touchdowns all came from inside the 20). While he did score often, Graham is entering his age-32 campaign and only managed 520 receiving yards on the season. Football Outsiders‘ DVOA metric, which records value on a per-play basis, wasn’t fond of Graham either, as he ranked just 28th out of 51 qualified tight ends. However, that was a higher finish than any of Baltimore’s tight ends from a year ago. The Ravens only have $10.5MM in available 2018 cap space, so adding any free agents might be tough unless general manager Ozzie Newsome & Co. release a few veterans or restructure contracts.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Dean Pees quickly accepted an offer to become the Titans’ defensive coordinator under new head coach Mike Vrabel shortly after “retiring” as the Ravens‘ DC, leading to questions about whether Pees was forced out of Baltimore. However, Pees said today that wasn’t the case, per Hensley (Twitter link). Pees helped the Ravens to the No. 3 defensive DVOA ranking a season ago, so it would have been surprising if head coach John Harbaugh removed Pees from his staff. Although Tennessee now employs a defensive head coach in Vrabel, Pees is expected to call the plays for the Titans.
- With a solid core in place, the Steelers‘ personnel plan involves inking quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a multi-year extension and signing running back Le’Veon Bell in the short-term, argues Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Roethlisberger wants to play for at least three more seasons, so Pittsburgh can reduce his 2018 cap charge by giving him a new signing bonus, the cap hit of which would be spread across multiple seasons. Bell, meanwhile, has a “conviction to set a healthier market for running backs,” but has indicated he’d accept the franchise tag next season.
- Keeping stability among their most talented players is essential for the Steelers, but so is ensuring continuity on a staff that parted ways with offensive coordinator Todd Haley earlier this year. Head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t going anywhere, but as for the reports indicating a Steelers minority ownership group had pushed for Tomlin’s firing? “I didn’t get that letter yet,” Steelers majority owner Art Rooney II sad, per Fowler (Twitter link). “I don’t know if it got lost in the mail or it’s coming by Pony Express.”
- The Steelers‘ one-year extension for punter Jordan Berry is worth $1.887MM, per salary cap guru Ian Whetstone (Twitter links). Berry had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and his new contract will pay him roughly the same as an original round tender. RFA tenders must increase by at least 5% each year, and given that last year’s low tender was worth $1.797MM, Berry’s salary is now equal to the 2017 original round tender plus that 5%. As such, it’s possible the Steelers have added a mechanism to Berry’s contract that will increase his pay when the tender amount is officially announced by the NFL, per Whetstone. For what it’s worth, Over the Cap projects the 2018 original round tender to come in at $1.908MM.
- Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake will not return to team in 2018, as he indicated in a statement released by Pittsburgh that he’ll move home to California as his son finishes high school. Lake is longtime Steelers fixture, as he earned multiple Pro Bowl nods and was named to one All-Pro team during his decade-long career in the Steel City. He was hired to serve as Pittsburgh’s secondary coach in 2011, and that role comprises the sum of his coaching experience. Lake is only 50 years old, so there’s a chance he returns to the coaching ranks down the road.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/7/18
Today’s minor moves:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Rashard Davis, G Darrell Greene, CB D.J. Killings, S Tre Sullivan, WR Bryce Treggs, WR Greg Ward
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Jeff Knox
Cards Want To Re-Sign CB Tramon Williams
The Cardinals aren’t expected to spend at the top of the cornerback market in order to bring in a defender such as Malcolm Butler or Trumaine Johnson, and will instead attempt to re-sign veteran defensive back Tramon Williams while drafting a corner, tweets Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com.
Arizona has long struggled to find a corner to play opposite Patrick Peterson, but Williams filled that void in 2017, posting arguably the best season of his lengthy career while ranking as the NFL’s No. 9 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. He also finished 23rd in Football Outsiders’ success rate and 18th in yards per pass allowed, while the Cardinals as a team ranked sixth in DVOA against opposing No. 2 wide receivers.
However, Williams will be 35 years old when the 2018 campaign gets underway, so it’s unclear if he’ll be able to land anything more than the one year, $2MM deal he inked with the Cardinals last summer. Coming off a far less productive campaign, Williams didn’t sign until the end of July in 2017. While he almost certainly won’t have to wait that long to find a new contract this offseason, his age will prevent him from truly cashing in.
If Williams signs elsewhere, Arizona will need to draft a cornerback early or add another free agent defensive back. Williams, Peterson, and Justin Bethel were the only Cardinals corners to play more than 7% of the club’s defensive snaps a season ago, and Bethel is now a free agent, as well. Other Arizona defenders such as Harlan Miller and C.J. Goodwin can’t be counted on to start, while 2016 third-round pick Brandon Williams was asked to play only a single defensive snap in 2017.