Commanders Updates: Tapp, Lynn, Toub
The Commanders‘ new coaching staff under head coach Dan Quinn is starting to take shape as he and his coordinators continue to hire new assistant coaches. The most recent of which sees yet another former 49ers staffer in assistant defensive line coach Darryl Tapp find his way to the nation’s capital to serve as Quinn’s new defensive line coach, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Following a long playing career that saw him travel the NFC in places like Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay, Tapp went straight into coaching, taking a defensive quality control coaching job at Central Michigan. He followed that up with two more year-long stints as a special teams quality control coach at Vanderbilt and a co-defensive line coach at Virginia Tech.
Tapp got his first NFL coaching opportunity when offered his current position of assistant defensive line coach in San Francisco. He’s held the position for the past three years, helping Kris Kocurek coach up some of the best defensive linemen in the game of football. It didn’t take long for Tapp to get his first opportunity to coach the position on his own.
Washington traded away two of their better defensive linemen this past season in Chase Young and Montez Sweat, but the team still has some extremely talented pieces in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Tapp got to work a bit with Young after the former second-overall pick was traded, so he may have a bit of insight on how to connect with the Commanders defensive line.
Here are a few other staff updates coming out of Washington:
- Speaking of former 49ers staffers, we already saw today that Washington has hired San Francisco’s assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn to their new run-game coordinator position. Well, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Lynn’s title will also include running backs coach. Lynn leaves Christian McCaffrey in California and will now coach a group that includes Brian Robinson, Chris Rodriguez, and Derrick Gore. Veteran back Antonio Gibson is currently bound for free agency.
- Finally, on the coaching staff, Jhabvala also reports that offensive quality control coach Shane Toub will remain on staff for the Commanders. Toub just finished his first year on staff in Washington but has four prior years of experience on the Bears’ coaching staff. He will continue to work in Washington, now under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
- Outside of the coaching staff, Jhabvala also informs that, in the front office, senior vice president of football administration Rob Rogers is set to remain in place “at least through the draft.” It’s unclear if the team has plans to switch things up in the front office after this April, but for now, Rogers’ job is safe.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/14/24
Here are Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Kansas City Chiefs
- S Trey Dean, DT Matt Dickerson, TE Izaiah Gathings, RB Keaontay Ingram, DE Truman Jones, RB Deneric Prince, CB Keith Taylor, WR Montrell Washington
San Francisco 49ers
- DT Alex Barrett, DE Austin Bryant, OL Corey Luciano, DT T.Y. McGill
Colts QB Anthony Richardson Starting To Throw Again
Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s first NFL season came to an unceremonious end when he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery just over a month into the year. Four months later, Richardson is continuing on the road to recovery, progressing to the point that he is now once again throwing a football, per Mike Chappell of FOX59 News. 
Soon after returning from an early concussion, Richardson was once again forced out of a game in Week 5 of the season, this time with an injury to his throwing shoulder. After some deliberation, both Richardson and the team made the decision to go under the knife, putting an end to his rookie year. Two weeks after undergoing surgery, team owner Jim Irsay relayed that no new issues had emerged during his procedure, negating any need for a potential second surgery to repair his AC joint injury.
This newest update continues to demonstrate positive momentum for the 21-year-old passer. Richardson will continue inching his way back to a full recovery as the team will likely take every precaution with their investment at the quarterback position. If he continues at this pace, the hope is that Richardson will be ready to throw competitively by organized team activities and, eventually, be full-go by training camp. For now, the young quarterback has been going back and forth between Indianapolis, where he continues to learn under the coaching staff, and Jacksonville, where his rehab is taking place.
The Colts were surprisingly able to stay competitive after losing their starting passer this year. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew even made a Pro Bowl after winning seven of his 13 starts in replacement duty. Minshew, though, is set to test free agency, so the return of Richardson in time for the season becomes that much more important.
While there still is no timeline for Richardson’s return, the progress seen by the team’s quarterback is encouraging so far. He’ll continue to rehab throughout the offseason, and the team will likely reassess around OTAs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/14/24
Today’s only minor move:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released: QB A.J. McCarron
McCarron’s release today is the result of a request that the team has decided to honor. McCarron returned to Cincinnati this season for the first time since his rookie contract expired in 2017. With starter Joe Burrow dealing with his injury early on in the season, the veteran backup was added as extra insurance on the practice squad. According to Howard Balzer of PHNX, McCarron requested his release in order to sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. McCarron had a successful season starting for the Battlehawks when the team was a part of the XFL. With the fusion of the XFL and USFL, McCarron and the Battlehawks will be playing in the XFL Conference of the UFL.
Chiefs Win Super Bowl LVIII In OT Classic
The 2023 NFL season has officially come to a close. The Kansas City Chiefs are your Super Bowl LVIII champions. It took nearly every second of the NFL’s second-ever overtime period in a Super Bowl, but the Chiefs have established themselves as a dynasty under head coach Andy Reid and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In five quarters, Kansas City outdueled the NFC’s No. 1-seeded 49ers two weeks after dispatching the AFC’s top-seeded Ravens. 
Defense featured heavily early in this year’s season finale, with two drives ending in fumbles in the first half and the second half opening with Mahomes’ first postseason interception since the team’s 2021 AFC championship game loss to the Bengals. Both teams were able to shrug off the slow start of a 13-point first half by turning it on for a back-and-forth 25-point second half.
In Super Bowl LVIII, we got to witness the league’s shiny new playoff overtime rules for the very first time. Following the efforts of Frank Reich and Jon Ferrari, among several others, the NFL changed its longstanding sudden-death overtime rules following a shootout playoff game between the Chiefs and Bills. After a back-and-forth divisional-round matchup in 2021, the Chiefs drove down the field on the first overtime possession, scoring a touchdown and ending the game to prevent the Bills from touching the ball. The new rules allow for each team to possess the ball once, regardless of whether or not the first team scores a touchdown. The Chiefs would not need the benefit of that rule tonight, though, stopping the 49ers on the 5-yard line and forcing a field goal before driving down the field for the game-winning touchdown.
Despite the seeming dominance of the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, this was a year of overcoming in Kansas City. Earning the AFC’s No. 3 seed after finishing with an 11-6 record, the Chiefs sputtered through an uneven regular season — one that started with star defensive tackle Chris Jones staging a holdout in search of a new contract. The veteran defender went as far as to sit out the team’s season opener, a loss to the Lions. Less than a week later, the Chiefs rewarded Jones with a reworked deal, keeping him in place for the 2023 season. The team also had to overcome what seemed to be a drop off in receiving talent as the Chiefs led the league with 44 total dropped passes.
Kansas City also saw a number of key contributors from their previous Super Bowl run depart in the offseason. Starting tackles Andrew Wylie and Orlando Brown Jr.. would depart in free agency, as would key wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. New tackles Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith would hit some bumps early on in the road but would eventually become the anchors of a Super Bowl-winning offensive line that faced off against one of the NFL’s most talent-laden defensive lines. Key rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice filled some holes in the offense nicely en route to earning a few Offensive Rookie of the Year votes, and Hardman found his way back to Missouri via trade.
Hardman’s return to the Chiefs did not produce much of consequence during the regular season, but it proved crucial tonight. While star tight end Travis Kelce did his usual lion’s share of the work, catching nine of 10 targets for 93 yards, Hardman came up with two of the biggest catches of the game: a 52-yard bomb that would go for naught due to an Isiah Pacheco fumble and the game-winning 3-yard overtime grab in the end zone.
The 49ers played their game plan, utilizing quarterback Brock Purdy to spread the ball out to their best playmakers. Star running back Christian McCaffrey accounted for 160 yards and a touchdown while wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel drew a healthy share of targets, as well. Jauan Jennings, usually playing in the shadow of Aiyuk and Samuel, got to steal to spotlight for a stretch, catching Purdy’s only touchdown pass and throwing one of his own in a trick play to McCaffrey.
Special teams played a crucial role in the NFL’s biggest of game of the year, showcasing how important it is to be efficient in all three phases of the game. Tonight saw the same record broken twice as rookie 49ers kicker Jake Moody opened up the scoring with a 55-yard field goal, the longest ever in a Super Bowl. He would hold that claim for only a short time, though, as Harrison Butker broke Moody’s record with a 57-yarder with five minutes to go in the third quarter. In addition to those big legs, the 49ers saw former Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley make two big plays on punt coverage, pinning his former team on the two-yard line once and making a big tackle on another. The Chiefs would get their own big plays, recovering a punt that would hit the leg of a 49ers blocker for a turnover and blocking an extra point that would ultimately help them to tie the game and win in overtime.
In the end, we saw a game for the record books. By the game clock, Super LVIII was the longest in NFL history, using all but three seconds of the first overtime period. We saw Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo become the NFL’s first ever offensive or defensive coordinator to win four Super Bowls. We also saw the Chiefs become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots did it in the ’03 and ’04 seasons. And, we saw Kansas City appear in its fourth Super Bowl in five seasons and win its third of those four. Those accomplishments, paired with eight straight AFC West titles and six straight appearances in the AFC Championship Game, have solidified this era of Chiefs football as a dynasty. 
Though little doubt existed, Mahomes earned Super Bowl LVIII MVP honors — his third such achivement. Despite a slow start and early struggles, Mahomes would complete 74 percent of his pass attempts for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He also led his team in rushing with 66 yards on nine dashes. After losing Tyreek Hill, Smith-Schuster and other trusty targets, Mahomes has continued to lead his team to the league’s greatest heights. Make no mistake, football is a team sport, and the Chiefs have many great players, but it almost always takes a top-tier quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Mahomes has made it clear: he is that man.
There’s plenty to look forward to as we turn the page to the 2024 NFL season. A number of key Chiefs players — cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, safety Mike Edwards, linebacker Willie Gay Jr., Smith, and Jones — will all be heading toward free agency. While the Chiefs want to re-sign both Jones and Sneed, GM Brett Veach acknowledged that will be difficult. Jones, one of the best defenders in Chiefs history, could command a $30MM-per-year contract on the open market; Kansas City was hesitant to authorize that last year. Many have questioned a potential Reid retirement, as well. Also, the Chiefs will have the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft coming up this April.
For now, though, NFL fans can take a breath and relax. The Chiefs will bask in the glory of the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title and get to work on earning the elusive threepeat. The rest of the league will get back to work in trying to figure out how to topple the king of the mountain.
From everyone at Pro Football Rumors, thanks for a memorable 2023 NFL season, and we’ll see you tomorrow with all the latest on news and transactions throughout the NFL.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Falcons, Saints
With their offensive and defensive coordinators in place, the Panthers shored up their final coordinator position under new head coach Dave Canales by hiring Seahawks assistant special teams coach Tracy Smith as their new special teams coordinator, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt.
Like new offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, who coached with Canales in Tampa Bay and Seattle, Smith was on a staff with Canales and Idzik when the three were all coaching for the Seahawks. In his time with Seattle, Smith has been a part of a special teams group that has been among the league’s best in each of the last three seasons.
With Idzik and Smith taking over units that will play with a top-four defense led by Ejiro Evero, the Panthers are hoping their new coaching staff under Canales will deliver the desired results in 2024.
Here are a few more staff updates coming out of the NFC South:
- The Panthers were also able to add a new mentor for second-year quarterback Bryce Young today. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Will Harriger has been hired as Carolina’s new quarterbacks coach. Harriger, who comes out of Dallas as a quality control coach and offensive assistant, has experience with Canales from their time in Seattle.
- Carolina wasn’t the only NFC South team to add a new quarterbacks coach recently as both the Saints and Falcons found new passing mentors, as well. Atlanta is bringing in Saints offensive assistant D.J. Williams to coach their passers as assistant quarterback coach, per Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune. Williams is the son of former NFL quarterback and current Commanders personnel senior advisor Doug Williams. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tells us that New Orleans will hire Andrew Janocko as quarterbacks coach. Janocko most recently served the same role in Chicago and has worked with the Vikings, as well.
- Finally, the Panthers will part ways with senior director of football strategy and analytics Taylor Rajack, according to Seth Walder of ESPN. A former Eagles staffer, Rajack has been with Carolina since 2019.
Raiders Rumors: Adams, Robinson, Jones
The Raiders have new leadership in general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce. While that amount of change has a tendency to lead to a rebuild, all signs are pointing towards Las Vegas doing everything it can to compete moving forward. That includes retaining great players like wide receiver Davante Adams, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
We knew that Adams’ former teammate Aaron Rodgers was making efforts to recruit the three-time All-Pro wide receiver to New York. It appears, though, that the Raiders have no intention of allowing any of their best players to walk and have every desire to retain Adams in 2024.
In other news for Adams, the NFL has informed the star wideout that they will not be levying disciplinary action against him for the postgame incident in 2022 that saw him shove a photographer in Kansas City, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Originally, Adams faced an assault charge for his actions, but the charges would eventually be dropped. Now, having avoided any legal action, Adams is safe from league disciplinary action, as well.
Here are a couple other rumors coming out of Vegas:
- Raiders practice squad defensive end Janarius Robinson may have seen the end of his tenure in Las Vegas. The third-year player out of Florida State was arrested on the Strip earlier this week under suspicion of DUI, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. After being drafted in the fourth round in 2021 by the Vikings, Robinson found himself on their practice squad before eventually joining the Eagles in his second year. After not seeing the field in his first two years due to injury, Robinson finally debuted in 2023 for the Raiders. He appeared in six games, making two starts, and earned his first NFL sack this year. After finally working his way on to the field, though, he faces an uphill battle to find his way back after this week’s arrest.
- Hill’s associate at the Review-Journal, Vincent Bonsignore, delivered a report about a week ago that Raiders vice president of football operations and assistant to the head coach Tom Jones is no longer with the organization. Jones has been with the franchise for 25 years but is now expected to go to Tennessee to join the staff of new Titans head coach Brian Callahan.
Ravens Updates: Urban, Departures, Hewitt
After leading the league in scoring defense and finishing sixth in yards allowed this season, the Ravens saw their defensive staff get dismantled as several other teams around the league decided to provide opportunities for upward mobility to several assistants. Now begins the process of hiring replacements on new defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s staff.
The first two new additions we see in Baltimore come from the college football ranks. First, University of Michigan defensive analyst Doug Mallory makes the move from one Harbaugh to another, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. After working with Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor, Mallory heads to Charm City to work with his former coach’s older brother, John Harbaugh. Mallory will be taking the defensive backs coaching job, a role he previously held at the NFL level with the Falcons. He replaces Dennard Wilson, who now holds the defensive coordinator position in Tennessee.
Orr’s former position of inside linebackers coach will be filled by another former college staffer. Former University of Kansas defensive analyst Mark DeLeone is expected to fill his new boss’s former job coaching inside linebackers, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. DeLeone has coached the same position group with the Chiefs, Bears, and Lions over the years.
With those two positions filled, and Chuck Smith perhaps staying as outside linebackers coach, the sole vacant position remaining to fill would be the defensive line coaching gig vacated by new Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Here are a few other coaching updates for the AFC runner ups:
- We already knew of the departures of Wilson, Weaver, and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec provided an update on a few other staffers who aren’t expected to return in 2024. On the offensive side of the ball assistant quarterbacks coach Kerry Dickson and assistant offensive line coach Mike Devlin will not be back next season. Devlin is set to serve as the Chargers‘ new offensive line coach. On special teams, assistant T.J. Weist is also not expected to return. Additionally, senior analysts James Urban and Craig Ver Steeg and director of football research Scott Cohen will not retain their roles in 2024.
- With all the loss and new additions, longtime staffer Chris Hewitt has been rewarded once again for his longevity. A Ravens coaching assistant since 2012, Hewitt has moved through the ranks from assistant special teams coach to assistant secondary coach to defensive backs coach to pass defense coordinator to pass game coordinator and secondary coach. While Hewitt will remain the team’s pass game coordinator on defense in 2024, he will do so with the additional moniker of assistant head coach, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The title was previously held by Weaver.
Bill Belichick Expected To Return To NFL In 2025
We’ve written plenty about former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick over the last few months following his departure from his long-time post in New England, and after the extensive recent coverage, it seems that we shouldn’t expect to hear from him for quite a few months. After missing out on the Falcons’ open head coaching position, Belichick is expected to take the 2024 NFL season off in anticipation of jobs that could open up in 2025, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Rapoport reports that, once the Falcons made their decision to hire Raheem Morris, several team owners reached out to Belichick in order to gauge his interest in returning for the 2025 NFL season. This seems questionable, as every team in the NFL currently has a head coach in place, but with a few coaches’ contracts set to expire after next year, those owners are set to make sure they have their bases covered. That’s not to mention owners who may be anticipating a hot seat for their current team leaders.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tells us that, while Belichick was certainly interested in the Atlanta job, a number of factors kept him from being too crestfallen about missing out. The future of general manager Terry Fontenot and the power structure with chief executive officer Rich McKay were both concerns of Belichick’s. Moving forward, next year, those types of factors will be a part of his decision-making process.
Fowler also tells us that Belichick’s reputation as a history buff could factor into his decision-making, offering that the 71-year-old could prioritize historic franchises when picking out his next destination. This lines up with rumors we’ve heard about the Cowboys and Eagles, whose head coaches could be on hot seats after disappointing ends to their 2023 campaigns. This also throws in a franchise like the Bears, who have had four different head coaches since 2012.
We’ll have plenty of time to speculate over the next several months. For now, suffice it to say that Belichick is widely expected to return. He is 15 wins shy of breaking Don Shula‘s all-time wins record (including playoffs) and is reportedly motivated to pass that mark. He’ll just have to wait another year to do so.
Final Transactions Before Super Bowl LVIII
FEBRUARY 11: McKinnon is a game time decision, but NFL Network’s James Palmer reports he is expected to play. Sunday’s contest would represent his first action since Week 14, but it would also mark an impressive recovery in relatively short order from his core muscle surgery. McKinnon is a pending free agent, and a strong performance would help his market on another Chiefs deal or one with a new team.
FEBRUARY 10: With the NFL’s season finale taking place tomorrow night, both participants have made their roster moves in anticipation of the biggest game of the year. The 49ers‘ moves are simple as they choose to promote defensive tackles Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill as standard gameday elevations, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The Chiefs will make an elevation, as well, while also choosing to swap out an active roster player for a player off of injured reserve. 
[Poll: Who Will Win Super Bowl LVIII?]
The Chiefs standard gameday practice squad elevation will once again be nose tackle Mike Pennel, who has been activated for each of Kansas City’s three playoff victories thus far. In the past, Pennel has been joined by practice squad cornerback Keith Taylor or defensive tackle Matt Dickerson, but it appears Pennel will be the lone practice squad defender activated for tomorrow.
As for the active roster addition, the Chiefs have made the move to officially activate running back Jerick McKinnon off of IR. The veteran rusher has mostly been a non-factor in the Chiefs offense this year but has served a role as the team’s backup pass-catching back. Despite the activation, McKinnon is still listed as questionable going into Sunday night’s game. In order to make room for McKinnon on the active roster, the Chiefs placed All-Pro guard Joe Thuney on IR. Thuney’s status was already known, so clearing him from the active roster should have little consequence at this point.
For San Francisco, Barrett and McGill are expected to be among the seven players listed as inactive for the big game. While this may make the elevations seem trivial, it’s the 49ers way of rewarding the reserve defenders. Elevating Barrett and McGill will provide the two with an additional playoff paycheck before the season ends.