NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/9/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Dieugot Joseph, DT Caushaud Lyons
- Placed on injured list: DT Dylan Bradley
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Harold Jones-Quartey
- Waived: DT Winston Craig
Raiders To Interview Packers Exec Eliot Wolf
The Raiders have an interview scheduled for this week with Packers executive Eliot Wolf, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported earlier today that Oakland has an offer on the table for Wolf, who’s also being courted by the Browns.
Wolf is now being torn between Green Bay and two organizations where Packers ties run deep. Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was a long-time Green Bay executive before coming to Oakland, while Browns GM John Dorsey also worked with the Packers and has already poached personnel man Alonzo Highsmith from Green Bay. McKenzie, who said he hopes to bring in Wolf Wednesday or Thursday, seemingly acknowledged Wolf’s leverage to Gehlken.
“I know him,” McKenzie said. “Ain’t got to interview much. I want him to see what’s happening and see if he wants to be a part of what we’re doing.”
Wolf, 35, has a contract with Green Bay, meaning the club could technically block him from taking another job. But new Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said yesterday that he has no intention of doing so, even though he’d like to retain Wolf as his “right-hand man.” “We have a great relationship, Gutekunst said. “I’m very fond of the person, and the scout is excellent. I’ve told him that. I really want him to be here. But I also know he has other opportunities, and I wouldn’t hold him back from that because I care about him.”
It’s unclear exactly how much power either Wolf or McKenzie will have in Oakland in the near future. At his introductory press conference earlier today, new Raiders head coach Jon Gruden indicated he and McKenzie will share control of the club’s roster.
Bears Expected To Retain DC Vic Fangio
The Bears are now expected to retain defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to serve under new head coach Matt Nagy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Chicago had reportedly to preferred to keep the 59-year-old Fangio (who is 20 years Nagy’s senior) in the fold, but Fangio — who also interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching position earlier this month — drew interest from several clubs around the league. The Bears put on a “full court press” to retain Fangio, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel, hinting that Green Bay’s decision to hire Mike Pettine may have been a result of Fangio’s reported $2MM price tag.
If he does indeed return to the Bears, Fangio will once again lead a defensive unit that ranked just 24th in points allowed but 14th in defensive DVOA, an indication the club was better on a play-by-play basis than overall. Defenders such as defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Kyle Fuller, and safety Adrian Amos posted excellent seasons under Fangio’s leadership, and Chicago could use some its $42MM in cap space and/or the eighth overall selection to bolster the defensive personnel even further.
As PFR’s 2018 NFL Coordinator Tracker indicates, every team that had a defensive coordinator vacancy at the conclusion of the regular season has now either retained its incumbent DC or hired an external candidate.
Chargers Retain DC Gus Bradley
The Chargers have re-signed defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to a three-year contract, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier tonight (via Twitter) that Los Angeles was expected to be able to retain its defensive play-caller, whose contract expired after the 2017 season.
[RELATED: 2018 Coordinator Tracker]
Bradley is the second defensive coordinator to be hired in the NFL tonight, joining new Packers defensive play-caller Mike Pettine. Both Bradley and Pettine were candidates for the Green Bay coaching position, so Bradley may have decided to re-sign in Los Angeles after being passed over by the Packers.
Bradley inked a one-year deal with the Chargers after spending three-plus seasons as the Jaguars’ head coach. Los Angeles ranked 12th in DVOA under Bradley’s leadership, while the defensive unit featured starring performances from edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and cornerback Casey Hayward.
“We’d like to keep this together if we can,” Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said of Bradley earlier this month. “I know some guys, the contracts are up. We’re working on that right now. We’re trying to keep this staff together, this nucleus together, because I think we got better as a coaching staff as the season went on.”
With Bradley, Pettine, Paul Guenther, Teryl Austin now placed in Los Angeles, Green Bay, Oakland, and Cincinnati, respectively, Vic Fangio is the primary free agent defensive coordinator still on the board. Speculatively, the Bears could now be set to retain Fangio under new head coach Matt Nagy, a solution that Chicago prefers.
Packers To Hire Mike Pettine As DC
The Packers will hire former Browns head coach Mike Pettine as their next defensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Pettine interviewed to replace Dom Capers earlier today, and head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t let the ex-Jets/Bills defensive coordinator leave the building. A long-time Rex Ryan disciple who — like Capers — runs primarily a 3-4 scheme, Pettine will now head to Green Bay after not coaching in the NFL in 2017.
The Packers’ decision to hire Pettine could have effects for not only the rest of the Green Bay defensive staff, but the coordinator market as a while. As PFR’s 2018 Coordinator Tracker shows, the Packers had considered three internal candidates — Winston Moss, Darren Perry, and Joe Whitt — as DC options, and reports have indicated some or all of that trio could now leave Green Bay after being passed over for a promotion.
McCarthy & Co. had expressed interest in external candidates, as well, and were thought to have considered Bears DC Vic Fangio their top target. Fangio, who’s drawn interest from multiple clubs, now remains on the coaching market, as does Chargers DC Gus Bradley, another Green Bay candidate. Speculatively, Fangio’s reported price tag of $2MM+ could have played a factor in the Packers taking a pass.
Pettine, 51, was a star high school coach who rose the coordinator ranks to become head coach of the Browns in 2014. After posting a surprising 7-9 record in his debut campaign, Pettine’s Cleveland squad fell to 3-13 the following season, and Pettine wasn fired. He interviewed for the Redskins’ defensive play-calling job last January but lost out to Greg Manusky.
Now that he’s under contract, Pettine could act quickly to form the remainder of his staff, especially if Moss, Perry, or Whitt leave. Former Browns and 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil should be expected to land a role on Pettine’s new coaching unit, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Coaching Rumors: Fangio, Rams, Broncos
Free agent coach Vic Fangio is an extremely popular man at the moment — as PFR’s 2018 Coordinator Tracker indicates, Fangio is a candidate to return to the Bears or join the division rival Packers, and he could certainly be linked to more jobs as other head coaching vacancies are filled. But hiring Fangio won’t come cheap, as he was reportedly among the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinators last season with a salary in excess of $2MM, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The average DC, per Biggs, earns closer to $1.5MM annually, so any club that wants to add Fangio will likely need to pony up.
Here’s more from the coaching front:
- The Rams have promoted assistant wide receivers coach Zac Taylor to quarterbacks coach, the club announced today. Taylor will replace Greg Olson, who left Los Angeles to become the Raiders’ next offensive coordinator under new head coach Jon Gruden. Taylor has previous play-calling experience, having served as the OC for both the University of Cincinnati and the Dolphins. But he won’t be leading the offense with the Rams, who also employ head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. Instead, Taylor will help guide former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff as he enters his third NFL campaign.
- The Broncos have a new special teams coordinator in Tom McMahon, tweets former NFL punter Pat McAfee. McMahon, who’s coached in the NFL for more than a decade, comes to Denver from Indianapolis, where he helped the Colts rank eighth in special teams DVOA. The Broncos, on the other hand, ranked 30th in ST DVOA under former coordinator Brock Olivo.
- Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin has set up assistant coaching interviews with multiple AFC teams, reports Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (Twitter link). While Arizona defensive coordinator James Bettcher was given a head coaching interview after Bruce Arians retired, Goodwin wasn’t afforded the same opportunity. Goodwin has interviewed for four head coaching positions over the past two seasons.
- While the final decision to fire former offensive coordinator Mike Shula was ultimately left to Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, Rivera “kept the lines of communication” open with interim general manager Marty Hurney during the process, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
Bengals Interview Jon Kitna
The Bengals have interviewed former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna for a position on their staff, according to Alex Marvez of the Sporting News.
At present, it’s unclear for which position Kitna interviewed, but Cincinnati does have a vacancy at quarterbacks coach. Bill Lazor formerly held that title, but he’s now the full-time offensive coordinator following the firing of Ken Zampese. Kitna, who spent five seasons with the Bengals during his playing career, doesn’t have any NFL coaching experience, but he has served as a high school head coach since 2012.
Kitna, 45, played under Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis for three years, and was Lewis’ first starting quarterback when the latter took over in Cincinnati in 2003. Lewis recently inked a two-year extension to remain in the Queen City, and hiring Kitna would add another level of familiarity to the Bengals’ staff.
Kitna’s potential addition won’t be the only staff change in Cincinnati, as the club is parting ways with secondary coach Kevin Coyle, per Marvez. Additionally, the Bengals are considering both pro and college coaches as they seek to replace offensive line coach Paul Alexander, and one scenario could involve promoting longtime consultant Jim McNally to OL coach, reports Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Utah assistant head coach/offensive line Jim Harding has also interviewed for the position, tweets Marvez.
Panthers To Interview Norv Turner For OC
The Panthers will interview longtime NFL coach Norv Turner for their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes Turner is the club’s “top choice.”
Carolina’s interest in Turner comes as no surprise, as Rapoport indicated earlier today that the 65-year-old was Panthers head coach Ron Rivera‘s No. 1 contender for the OC position. Additionally, Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) reported the Panthers would likely hire a “veteran” coach to replace the fired Mike Shula, and Turner would certainly fit that bill.
Turner offers a wealth of experience, as he’s coordinated offenses for six clubs while serving as head coach for three other teams. He also enjoys a working relationship with Rivera — not only did Rivera coach under Turner with the Chargers, but Turner recommended Rivera for the top job in Carolina.
If Turner is hired, he could potentially bring his son Scott along as the Panthers’ next quarterbacks coach to replace Ken Dorsey, per Rapoport (video link). However, Carolina could have competition for Turner, as Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks could hire Turner (or Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo) as his OC if he’s hired as a head coach, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Carolina Panthers
- TE Evan Baylis
- LB Richie Brown
- WR Austin Duke
- WR Jamaal Jones
- DE Efe Obada
- S Damian Parms
- CB Zack Sanchez
- S Dezmen Southward
- TE Kent Taylor
Cleveland Browns
- DL Collin Bevins
Kansas City Chiefs
- TE Jace Amaro
- RB George Atkinson
- WR Daniel Braverman
- WR Gehrig Dieter
- TE Anthony Firkser
- LB Tyrone Holmes
- G Kaleb Johnson
- T Dillon Gordon
- DT Mike Purcell
- CB Will Redmond
- T Andrew Wylie
New Orleans Saints
Oakland Raiders
- DB Shaquille Richardson
Philadelphia Eagles
- C Jon Toth
Washington Redskins
- DB Kenny Ladler
Nick Saban Not Interested In Giants’ Job
Former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians caused a stir today by hinting Alabama head coach Nick Saban — fresh off a National Championship — could be interested in the Giants’ head coaching vacancy. However, those rumors can be quickly stamped out, as Saban does not have any interest in coming to New York, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (Twitter link). 
“It would not surprise me,” Arians said, when asked by FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd if Saban would take the Giants’ position (Twitter link) . “And there’s a job he covets. It just happens to be open. But he’s got a dynasty right now, another dynamite recruiting class. Why he would do it, I don’t know, but it wouldn’t shock me if he did.”
Saban, of course, has spent time in the NFL both as a head coach and defensive coordinator, and memorably posted a 15-17 record with the Dolphins from 2006-07 before abruptly leaving to head back to the college game. Since then, he’s been remarkably successful, managing five titles with the Crimson Tide while sending a bevy of first-round picks to the pros.
Thus far, the Giants have interviewed six candidates in their bid to replace Ben McAdoo. Here’s where things stand:
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed on 1/5
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed on 1/5
- Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Eagles): Interview put on hold
- Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed on 1/6
- Steve Spagnuolo, interim head coach/DC (Giants): Interviewed on 1/3
- Eric Studesville, former assistant head coach/RBs (Broncos): To be interviewed on 1/10
- Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interviewed on 1/9