Lions Interview OC Jim Bob Cooter For Head Coach
The Lions have interviewed incumbent offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for their head coaching vacancy, the club announced today.
Now that Detroit has met with Cooter, general manager Bob Quinn has now interviewed both of his coordinators as he seeks to replace fired head coach Jim Caldwell. Defensive play-caller Teryl Austin was also interviewed on Tuesday, but no reports had indicated the Lions were also considering Cooter for the top job.
That’s not to say that Cooter hasn’t done an excellent job coordinating Detroit’s offense, but he does lack in experience. The 33-year-old Cooter has only led a unit for two-plus seasons, and was an offensive assistant as recently as 2013. But in his two full years as the Lions’ OC, Cooter’s scheme and his players’ execution finished 17th and 15th in DVOA.
By default, the remainder of the Lions’ head coaching candidates will be external. At present, Detroit has been linked to Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Packers assistant head coach Winston Moss, and Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel.
Colts, Giants, Bears To Interview Josh McDaniels This Week
The Colts, Giants, and Bears will each interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for their head coaching vacancies this week, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter links). Indianapolis will meet with McDaniels on Thursday, while New York and Chicago will interview him on Friday.
It’s not difficult to process why the Colts, Giants, or Bears — or any NFL club with a coaching vacancy — would express interest in McDaniels, as he’s fresh off leading New England to the No. 1 overall ranking in offensive DVOA. The Patriots also finished first in yards, second in scoring, and could soon see quarterback Tom Brady earn his third MVP award. Additionally, McDaniels is still only 41 years old, has prior head coaching experience, and offers the Bill Belichick-pedigree.
The Colts and Bears have thus far been linked to four candidates as they seek to replace Chuck Pagano and John Fox, respectively. Indianapolis will meet with McDaniels, Steve Wilks (Panthers), Kris Richard (Seahawks), and Mike Vrabel (Texans), while Chicago will interview McDaniels, Wilks, Pat Shurmur (Vikings), and John DeFilippo (Eagles). New York’s search, meanwhile, is six deep thus far: McDaniels, Wilks, Shurmur, Matt Patricia (Patriots), Jim Schwartz (Eagles), and Eric Studesville (ex-Broncos).
Bears Request To Interview Panthers DC Steve Wilks
The Bears have requested permission to interview Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for their head coaching vacancy, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
Wilks, 48, has quickly emerged as one of the top head coaching candidates around the league despite offering just one year of coordinating experience. In his first season as Sean McDermott‘s replacement in Carolina, Wilks lead the Panthers to a No. 7 rating in defensive DVOA, while his unit also finished seventh in yards and 11th in scoring. That performance has to led to several other interview requests, as the Colts, Giants, and Lions have all sought to meet with Wilks.
The Bears have cast a wide net after firing head coach John Fox earlier this week, as Wilks will join Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as candidates for the Chicago job. Whomever lands the Bears head coaching gig will presumably ink a four-year contract in order to line up with general manager Ryan Pace, who was recently extended through the 2021 campaign.
Ravens Interested In Chuck Pagano For DC
The Ravens are interested in hiring former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano as their new defensive coordinator, according to Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). While Baltimore has other options to replace the recently-retired Dean Pees, Pagano appears to the club’s primary option, per Preston.
Pagano, 57, spent the 2008-11 campaigns in Baltimore and served as the club’s defensive coordinator during his final season. That year, the Ravens ranked third in total defense and first in defensive DVOA. While Indianapolis’ defenses struggled under Pagano’s tutelage, he would offer a sense of familiarity for Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and the rest of Baltimore’s defensive staff.
While Pagano may hope to generate head coaching interest around the league, such a scenario is likely a pipe dream given the Colts’ lack of success in recent years. As such, Pagano’s best hope of rebounding as a head coach down the line could be accepting Baltimore’s DC offer to work with a defense that ranked third in DVOA a season ago.
DC Paul Guenther To Leave Bengals
Although Marvin Lewis has signed an extension to remain as Bengals head coach, he’ll return in 2018 without his defensive coordinator. Paul Guenther will leave Cincinnati after 13 seasons to explore other opportunities, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Guenther, whose contract has expired, has enjoyed a long working relationship with Lewis, as the two overlapped for one year with the Redskins before Guenther was hired by the Bengals in 2005. After serving as a defensive staffer for nine seasons, Guenther took over as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator after Mike Zimmer left to become the Vikings’ head coach. The Bengals have finished 14th, 10, 17th, and 14th in defensive DVOA in four full seasons under Guenther.
While he wasn’t promoted to head coach in Cincinnati given Lewis’ continued presence, Guenther should quickly resurface as a defensive play-caller elsewhere in the league. The Raiders, who will presumably hire Jon Gruden in the coming days, are reportedly interested in Guenther, as are the Redskins, who employ Guenther’s former coworker Jay Gruden as head coach.
Although unlikely, Guenther could also generate head coaching interest now that he’s on the open market. Guenther was linked to the Browns and Eagles head coaching vacancies in 2016, but never actually interviewed for either position.
Antonio Brown Expected To Be Available For Divisional Round
December 31, 11:45am: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that Brown was still limping at the start of this week but has shown progress since, and the Steelers believe he will be ready for the team’s first playoff game two weeks from now. Brown probably could not have returned for the wildcard round if Pittsburgh had not secured a first-round bye, but since it did lock in one of the AFC’s top two seeds, Brown will get an extra week to recover.
December 24, 1:49pm: If the Steelers don’t secure a first-round playoff bye, they’ll probably be without star wideout Antonio Brown for their first postseason game. Brown is considered unlikely to be available for a potential Wild Card round contest as he recovers from a partially torn calf muscle, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
While Pittsburgh’s chances of advancing would certainly be reduced without Brown, the Steelers are nearly a lock to get a bye in the first round of the postseason. In fact, a Jaguars loss to the 49ers on Sunday and a Steelers victory over the Texans on Monday would give Pittsburgh a bye. Overall, FiveThirtyEight gives Pittsburgh a 89% chance of locking down a bye for Wild Card weekend.
Brown, 29, leads the NFL in both receptions (101) and yards (1,533) and has scored nine touchdowns on the season. Without him on the field for at least the next two weeks, the Steelers will turn to a bevy of other pass-catching options including JuJu Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant, Eli Rogers, and Jesse James.
La Canfora’s Latest: Jets, Panthers, Steelers
While Josh McCown hasn’t yet announced whether he’ll continue his career in 2018, those close to him believe the veteran quarterback will return for another season, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. McCown, who is currently on injured reserve after breaking his hand, posted arguably the best campaign of his career while starting 13 games for the Jets this year. Given that he’ll be entering his age-39 season, McCown won’t command a long-term contract, and could theoretically make sense as a bridge quarterback for a number of clubs. When he does hang up his cleats, McCown is expected to generate interest as a coach.
Here’s more from La Canfora as Week 16 comes to a close:
- Speaking of the Jets, it would qualify as “shocking” if Gang Green doesn’t release defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson prior to next season, per La Canfora. Wilkerson has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks, and he isn’t expected to play for New York again this season despite being fully healthy. Missed meetings and other off-field offenses have led the Jets’ coaching staff to become “fed up” with Wilkerson, and there’s almost no chance the club will opt to pay him $17MM in 2018. Still, Wilkerson is expected to generate interest if he hits the free agent market next spring.
- Although reports of a $2.5 billion price for the Panthers may have been exaggerated, sources still expect the Carolina franchise to garner at least $2 billion, as La Canfora writes. Although the NFL will require full cooperation as the league investigates claims of harassment against owner Jerry Richardson, the league won’t be able to tell Richardson to whom he can sell his team. Because Richardson isn’t keeping the club in his family, he has the right to sell to whomever he chooses.
- The relationship between Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley has become strained, per La Canfora, who adds Roethlisberger has asked for a “buffer” between him and Haley during games. As such, quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner has begun coaching from the sidelines (instead of the press box) in order to act as that go-between. While reports of complications between Roethlisberger and Haley may have no affect, the relationship could potentially affect offseason staff plans for Pittsburgh.
- The Patriots, Eagles, and Vikings are all expected to lose members of their staff this offseason as coaches leave for promotions with other clubs, according to La Canfora. New England, Philadelphia, and Minnesota are three of the most successful teams in the league in 2017, and coordinators such as Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Jim Schwartz, Frank Reich, John DeFilippo, Pat Shurmur, and George Edwards could all be on the move.
Trent Cole Announces Retirement
Edge rusher Trent Cole, who spent time with the Eagles and Colts during a 12-year NFL career, has announced his retirement from the league, per a press release from Philadelphia.
“As a person playing ball, I’ll never be satisfied,” said Cole. “I’m going to move on to the next thing. It was a great career, but it just doesn’t stop there. Being successful is never going to stop me. I’m not going to stop being successful. I’m going to go on to the next thing and try to be successful.”
A fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati in 2005, Cole started seven games as a rookie and never looked back, proceeding to make 147 more starts and appear in 176 total games over the course of his career. Cole, who recently turned 35 years old, earned a Pro Bowl nod in both 2007 and 2009, and topped 10 sacks four times. While he was the 146th player chosen back in 2005, Cole produced the ninth-most approximate value (Pro Football Reference’s catch-all metric) of any player in that draft.
Cole left the Eagles prior to the 2015 season, inking a two-year deal to join the Colts. While he initially planned to continue playing once that contract expired, Cole never generated any known interest this offseason. He’ll now enter the next phase of his life, which includes co-hosting an outdoor television program titled Blitz TV. PFR extends its best wishes to Cole in retirement.
NFC North Notes: Vikings, Keenum, Packers
The Vikings still have not opened extension talks with pending free agent quarterback Case Keenum, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Previous reports have indicated general manager Rick Spielman & Co. won’t discuss contracts with any of their free agent signal-callers until the season concludes, and that stance has not changed, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Indeed, Keenum may require a franchise or transition tag in order to not hit the open market, several executives tell La Canfora. Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, and Sam Bradford are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next spring, meaning the Vikings will have several decisions to make over the coming months.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- While the Packers have certainly struggled without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the club isn’t expected to make wholesale changes during the offseason, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. However, defensive coordinator Dom Capers could take the fall after leading a defense that ranks just 19th in DVOA. If Capers is fired, one candidate to take over Green Bay’s defense may be current Bears DC Vic Fangio, per Pelissero. Fangio, whose contract expires after the 2017 season, has Chicago’s defense at 14th in DVOA (with arguably less talent than the Packers possess).
- Capers isn’t the only Packers staffer who could leave the team this offseason, as director of football operations Eliot Wolf is once again drawing general manager interest. While Wolf has long been viewed as an in-house replacement for current GM Ted Thompson, Wolf is reportedly growing impatient and is ready to “branch out,” sources tell Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. Wolf, who was tied to the 49ers and Colts general manager vacancies a year ago, was most recently linked to the Giants GM gig.
- Although Vikings long snapper Kevin McDermott‘s dislocated shoulder is likely to sideline him for the final game of the regular season, he’s expected to be available for the playoffs, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter links). McDermott, who will not require surgery, had his shoulder popped back in place last night. Meanwhile, Minnesota will need a long snapper for their Week 17 contest against the Bears, and the club plans to audition free agent Justin Drescher on Tuesday, per Tomasson. Drescher has appeared in 110 career games, including eight with the Cardinals earlier this year.
Browns Clinch 2018 No. 1 Overall Pick
As a result of their loss to the Bears today, the Browns have officially clinched the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft.
While Cleveland’s recent rebuilding strategy has certainly focused on future assets instead of current results, the Browns likely didn’t envision collecting the first overall pick in consecutive seasons. The Browns, who have the opportunity to conclude a winless campaign with a loss to Steelers in Week 17, have already made changes to their front office by replacing general manager Sashi Brown with John Dorsey. But alterations could also come to the club’s coaching staff, as Hue Jackson isn’t necessarily guaranteed to return.
The Browns, who will also secure another top-10 pick thanks to a 2017 trade with the Texans, seem overwhelmingly likely to draft a quarterback early in 2018. Dorsey has already spoken positively about Oklahoma signal-caller Baker Mayfield, while other first-round options include UCLA’s Josh Rosen — who reportedly prefers to land in New York — and (if he declares) USC’s Sam Darnold.