Rams CB Jalen Ramsey Likely To Be Traded
A day after finding out that Los Angeles will be parting ways with linebacker Bobby Wagner, news broke that the Rams may be parting with another key defensive piece. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, sources believe it is very likely that star cornerback Jalen Ramsey gets dealt in the coming weeks. 
Ramsey came to Los Angeles initially via trade back in 2019 after a bit of turbulence in Jacksonville. The former No. 5 overall pick in 2016 saw success every year during his time with the Jaguars. After finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting (behind Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa), Ramsey was a first-team All-Pro in his sophomore season and made the Pro Bowl in every year after his rookie year. Despite his stellar play in the defensive backfield, as a team, the Jaguars only made the playoffs once, reaching the AFC Championship in 2017.
Early in 2019, a verbal altercation took place between Ramsey and then-Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone following a Week 2 loss to the Texans with reports leaking that the two had to be physically restrained. Soon after, reports surfaced that Ramsey had requested a trade. Ramsey would play a few days later but would miss the next three weeks with reasons ranging from injury to the birth of his daughter. It would be his last game with the Jaguars before getting traded to Los Angeles for two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick.
The Rams knew they were in a position where they needed to go all-in on the near future and showed that by making Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. They signed Ramsey to a five-year, $105MM extension, vaulting him past Tre’Davious White, who had nabbed the highest-paid cornerback title days before averaging only $17.5MM per year. Ramsey responded to the new deal with one of his least flashy seasons, statistically, but rewarded the Rams with his second first-team All-Pro selection. A year later, Ramsey would return to his usual statistical flash, earning his third first-team All-Pro selection and helping the Rams to their first Super Bowl victory since 1999.
Now, Ramsey is 28 years old, still in his prime and faces the trade market once again. Ramsey is due to have a base salary of $17MM this year, the largest year in the contract’s term, with a $25.2MM cap hit. The Rams built a potential out in the contract that would allow them to release Ramsey at the end of next season with a dead cap hit of only $11.4MM, as opposed to the $32.1MM of dead cap they would be left with if they cut him today. The moves Los Angeles has made lately point to cost-cutting, cap-clearing behavior. If they continue in this manner, it stands to reason that Ramsey, who holds the third-largest cap hit in 2023 for the Rams, should be on the trade block.
As for a trade destination, there are plenty of teams in the NFL in need of cornerback help. It will be interesting to see how much the Rams choose to accommodate Ramsey in any trade deals. Ramsey will likely want to go to a team with winning potential. The Rams may honor that, or they may take the deal that best sets them up for future success.
For teams with winning potential, the Ravens could see Marcus Peters walk in free agency and haven’t had the best luck with their cornerback depth behind him and Marlon Humphrey. Baltimore loves investing in the cornerback position and pairing Ramsey up with Humphrey, Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton, and (maybe) Chuck Clark would give the Ravens a lockdown secondary. The Bills have some talent at cornerback, but injuries really hurt their depth throughout 2022. The Bengals are a team that endeavors to become an AFC power, but up-and-down play in the secondary has hurt them in the recent past.
As for teams with top draft capital, the Cardinals could use some veteran leadership at the position and currently hold the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2023. The Raiders lack standout talent at the position and also hold a top-10 draft pick. There are plenty of other teams that meet halfway on the scale of winning potential and draft capital and could use Ramsey’s talent. Teams like the Patriots, Steelers, Lions, Dolphins, and Chargers fit this category.
As mentioned above, the Rams went all-in in the early 2020s. It paid off with a victory in Super Bowl LVI, but they are now facing the consequences. They need to build for the future but have all their assets tied up in current, massive contracts. Releasing Wagner and trading Ramsey could help alleviate some of that financial stress.
Another implication of this situation is in the contract details. It has become commonplace for teams to sign star players to massive contracts that put off larger salaries to later years to delay cap hits, allowing them to eventually renegotiate contracts and avoid the cap trouble entirely. This has led to multiple situations like Ramsey’s where a team no longer wants to fulfill their financial obligations to the player based on the contract they drafted. This is why contracts recently have seen an increase in guaranteed money. It provides an example for why a player like Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is pushing for a contract that not only rewards him with a high salary but also guarantees he will receive that money.
We’ll closely monitor the situation with Ramsey moving forward. Luckily for both parties, it appears that this trade situation for Ramsey is much less fraught than that of years past with Jacksonville. The hope is that the two parties will find a way to move Ramsey in a way that truly benefits both player and team.
NFC Coaching Updates: Commanders, Vikings, Giants
Confirming early rumors from this week that Stanford quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard could be finding his way onto Eric Bieniemy‘s new offensive staff in Washington, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has reported that the Commanders are working toward an agreement to likely make Pritchard the team’s new quarterbacks coach. The quarterbacks coaching position is currently occupied by last year’s position coach, Ken Zampese, but Fowler speculates that Zampese may stay on with the Commanders in a different role.
On the other hand, the team is parting ways with senior offensive assistant Jim Hostler, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Hostler has been in Washington for the past three years and has an extensive history as a position coach in the NFL for several franchises, even serving as offensive coordinator for the 49ers back in 2007. Also expected to leave is wide receivers coach Drew Terrell. Terrell was a candidate for the Cardinals offensive coordinator position that was awarded to Drew Petzing, but after missing out, is still a strong candidate in Arizona for the role of pass-game coordinator.
Here are a few other coaching updates from around the NFC:
- The Vikings announced three staff updates today, according to Vikings staff writer Craig Peters. Minnesota hired two defensive staffers with past ties to new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Mike Siravo was hired as the team’s new inside linebackers coach. Siravo worked as a graduate assistant at Boston College when Flores was there as a linebacker. Since then, Siravo has been a longtime follower of former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, working with him at Temple, Baylor, and Carolina. He most recently held the position of defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach for the Panthers. Lance Bennett has been hired as a defensive quality control coach for the Vikings. Bennett previously worked under Flores in Miami as an assistant to the head coach. Lastly, on the offensive side of the ball, Grant Udinski has been promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach. Udinski spent last season in the role of assistant to the head coach/special projects.
- The Giants are expected to make an addition to their coaching staff, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. Former Panthers assistant head coach on offense Jeff Nixon is expected to be hired in the role of running backs coach in New York. If true, Nixon would be taking the role over from DeAndre Smith, who departed for the same position in Indianapolis today. Nixon likely hopes the Giants will find a way to bring back star running back Saquon Barkley, who is set to hit free agency this offseason.
Cowboys Announce Remaining Coaching Staff Moves
In an offseason that threatened to take away both coordinators, the Cowboys have finalized their coaching staff for the 2023 season. We’ve reported on every staff change up to this point, but a few final updates were declared along with the final announcement.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn chose to remain in his current role with the Cowboys, withdrawing his name from consideration for multiple head coaching jobs around the NFL. With the departure of Kellen Moore to Los Angeles, the Cowboys promoted Brian Schottenheimer to offensive coordinator and made a few resulting staff changes.
The biggest announcement came for Jeff Blasko, who served last season for the Cowboys as assistant offensive line coach. Blasko will be taking over for Skip Peete, who was not renewed after last season, as the Cowboys running backs coach. Although running back Tony Pollard faces free agency and Ezekiel Elliott remains under contract, it is widely believed that Blasko will definitely be coaching Pollard and only possibly Elliott next season. Blasko has a history coaching offensive lines and has plenty of experience under head coach Mike McCarthy. This will be Blasko’s first opportunity working with running backs as a position coach in the NFL.
Another staffer from last year is receiving a promotion to position coach. Last year’s coaching assistant Scott Tolzien has been promoted to quarterbacks coach. The former NFL passer has moved quickly up the ranks of coaching. His first coaching role was in 2019 at Wisconsin, where he served as an analyst for the Badgers. He spent the next three years in his previous role with the Cowboys before receiving this new opportunity.
A defensive quality control coach last year for the Cowboys, Cannon Matthews is the next coaching assistant to receive a promotion, earning the assistant defensive backs coach job. Additionally, Ryan Feder switched sides of the coaching staff this offseason. After working with the defensive staff last year as a quality control and analytics coach, Feder will work in the position of game management and offensive assistant coach.
Finally, the addition of two other assistants rounds out the staff. Evan Harrington has joined the staff as an offensive assistant. Lastly, Pete Ohnegian has been hired in the role of quality control and defensive assistant. After an offseason that threatened much more change, the Cowboys have rounded out their staff with plenty of time to prepare for the 2023 season.
Commanders Sign LB David Mayo, RB Jonathan Williams To Extensions
The Commanders announced today that they have prevented two players from hitting free agency after signing linebacker David Mayo and running back Jonathan Williams to one-year extensions. Both players will return for their third season in Washington.
Mayo was originally a fifth-round draft pick for the Panthers in 2015 out of Texas State. He played out his rookie contract mainly as a special teamer, earning the first defensive snaps of his career near the end of his sophomore season. He would slowly earn more playing time in Carolina over the next two years but would only play more than half the defensive snaps in a game for the Panthers three times in four years.
After playing out his contract, Mayo signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in 2019 but failed to make it through the 53-man roster cuts to start the season. He would sign with the Giants just prior to the season beginning and, despite the lack of practice time with the team, would quickly emerge as a starting linebacker in New York. In his strongest NFL season to date, Mayo started 13 games, recorded 82 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks. After signing a three-year extension to stay in New York, Mayo would start the next year on injured reserve and see his role drastically diminished. He was released after the 2020 season and signed with Washington two weeks later.
During his time in Washington, Mayo has returned to a role mostly on special teams but gets quite a few opportunities on the field with the defense. In his two seasons with the team, he has gotten starting opportunities for a few games to end each season.
Williams is another player that’s bounced around quite a bit before landing with the Commanders. Another fifth-round selection, Williams started his career with the Bills in 2016 backing up LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee. Following his rookie season, Williams was cut just prior to the 2017 season, which he would end up spending on the practice squads of Denver and New Orleans. Williams would spend parts of the next three seasons with the Saints, Colts, and Lions, struggling to find any consistent playing time.
Williams’s roster spot in Washington has been tenuous over the years as he’s spent time on the practice squad and been released a couple of times. His best year came when he was with the Colts, but during his two years in Washington, Williams has carried the ball 54 times for 231 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Mayo should have an opportunity to start in his return to the Commanders next season. Williams’s role on the team is a bit less clear. The team is set to return Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson, and J.D. McKissic to the running backs room, all of whom sit ahead of Williams on the depth chart when healthy. If Jaret Patterson also avoids free agency and returns to Washington, that would likely put Williams at fifth on the depth chart. Injuries last year provided Williams with his opportunities to play, and he may serve as an insurance option in 2023.
Ravens Rumors: Taggart, Martin, Lynn
The Ravens announced a flurry of moves today as they continue to remake their staff this offseason. The biggest new name in Baltimore is former college head coach Willie Taggart, who will take over as the Ravens new running backs coach.
This will be Taggart’s first NFL job. To start his extensive college coaching career, Taggart coached quarterbacks, wide receivers, and served as a co-offensive coordinator over eight years with the Hilltoppers. After a three-year stint as Jim Harbaugh‘s running backs coach at Stanford, Taggart returned to Western Kentucky for his first head coaching gig.
He quickly elevated through college head coaching jobs. After three years at Western Kentucky, Taggart accepted a head coaching position at South Florida. Four years with the Bulls and Taggart was offered the head coach job at Oregon. After only one year with the Ducks, Taggart left Eugene to become head coach at Florida State. After a rough first season and disappointing start to his second year at the helm, Taggart was fired mid-season and replaced Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic the following year. Taggart was let go last November after an overtime loss to his alma mater and former team, Western Kentucky. While the results were ultimately mixed, Taggart is notable for being the first African-American head coach at all five universities.
Taggart played for Jack Harbaugh when he was a quarterback at Western Kentucky in the late 1990s, he coached under Jim in the late 2000’s at Stanford, and he will now have an opportunity to play under John Harbaugh in Baltimore. Running back Gus Edwards may be in danger as a potential cap casualty next season, but if he’s still around in 2023, Taggart will have a strong 1-2 punch in J.K. Dobbins and Edwards to work with. He’ll have four-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard in the room, as well.
Here is a breakdown of the other moves made to the Ravens’ staff today:
- With former quarterbacks coach James Urban reportedly not returning in the same role, the Ravens have elected to move wide receivers coach Tee Martin to quarterbacks coach. The former college offensive and passing game coordinator will now be in charge of the continued development of MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Martin’s extensive experience coaching the passing game should help as the Ravens move on from former offensive coordinator Greg Roman‘s run-heavy attack.
- The Ravens will be losing a position coach in all the commotion. According to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports, safeties coach D’Anton Lynn will be leaving Baltimore for the defensive coordinator position at UCLA. Lynn was in his second year on the job with the Ravens after earning his first position coaching gig in Houston. The coordinator job is an enticing opportunity as Lynn continues to climb the coaching ladder.
- Lastly, Harbaugh announced that the organization is parting ways with head strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders. Saunders was previously suspended back in 2020 due to his role in a brutal COVID-19 outbreak within the team midseason. Saunders will be replaced by Scott Elliott who has been with the team for four seasons. Along with Elliott, strength and conditioning coaches Anthony Watson, Ron Shrift, and Kaelyn Buskey will all be retained.
Cardinals To Hire QBs Coach, Several Others
New Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has already announced his dedication to quarterback Kyler Murray and hired a new mentor for the young passer in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Petzing will be bringing along another former Browns’ assistant to Arizona.
Browns diversity coaching fellow Israel Woolfork has reportedly been informed by Cleveland that he has been granted leave to join the Cardinals staff. While not yet official, Woolfork is expected to be hired as Arizona’s next quarterbacks coach. Petzing coached passers in Cleveland and will likely continue to work with the group in Arizona, as well, giving Woolfork some nice support in his first position coaching job. The two will work together in continuing the development of one of the league’s promising young quarterbacks.
Here are a few other updates to Gannon’s new staff in Arizona as it continues to come together:
- Gannon has reportedly filled another position coaching job, hiring former Broncos assistant offensive line coach Ben Steele as his new tight ends coach, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The veteran coaching assistant has worked on four other teams’ staffs since first entering the NFL coaching ranks in 2014. Tight ends Stephen Anderson and Maxx Williams are facing free agency this offseason, but Steele should have Zach Ertz and Trey McBride to work with next year.
- The Cardinals will be going to the college ranks to fill out their coaching staff, as well, hiring Northwestern cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith to coach the same group in Arizona, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Smith inherits a talented young cornerbacks group led by Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson.
- Gannon will be adding two other former college coaches from the University of Florida, according to Matt Zenitz of On3. Former Gators co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney is expected to join the Cardinals as the new safeties coach. Although the specific position has yet to be announced, Gators tight ends coach William Peagler is expected to join Toney in Arizona. With Steele’s announcement as tight ends coach, that position is filled, so Peagler will have to find another role on Gannon’s staff.
Matt Patricia A New DC Candidate In Denver
As new Broncos head coach Sean Payton has continued building his new staff in Denver, two names have emerged as top candidates for the defensive coordinator position. Joining Rex Ryan and Vance Joseph as top options for the job, Patriots senior football advisor Matt Patricia spent today in Denver as a new candidate for the role, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Despite his successful tenure in New England as a defensive coordinator, which led to a head coaching job, Patricia found himself on the offensive side of the coaching staff this past year for the Patriots. The move to pair Patricia with offensive assistant Joe Judge to effectively serve as de facto offensive coordinator puzzled many and didn’t exactly deliver the desired results the Patriots were hoping for. Patricia garnered much of the criticism in his first return to the offensive side of coaching since he served as assistant offensive line coach in 2005.
With the recent addition of Bill O’Brien, back as offensive coordinator in New England for the first time in 12 years, questions immediately arose surrounding the future of both Patricia and Judge. Obviously no longer needed to call offensive plays, it’s widely been believed that both coaches would still be able to carve some role out to remain in New England. With the new update in Denver, it appears Patricia is trying his hand at other jobs in the NFL, as well.
Patricia is an intriguing candidate for the position. His tenure as defensive coordinator for the Patriots was largely successful. As defensive coordinator from 2012-17, Patricia’s defenses never finished worse than 10th in the league in points allowed, finishing first in the category in 2016. Despite the success keeping opponents out of the end zone, the defenses under Patricia finished in the bottom eight for yards allowed three times, including a 29th-ranked finish in his final season as defensive coordinator in 2017.
Besides Patricia, the Broncos have had seven other potential names mentioned for the position. Former defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was released from his contract and allowed to accept the same position in Carolina. Brian Flores cancelled his interview and accepted the defensive coordinator position in Minnesota. Former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was mentioned as a candidate, and Seahawks defensive assistant Sean Desai and Saints former co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard were both interviewed for the job, but to this point, Joseph and Ryan are considered the favorites with Ryan even undergoing a second interview last week.
It will be interesting to see how much Patricia factors into the decision as such a late addition to the search. For updates on the job, be sure to follow our 2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker.
NFC Coaching Updates: Bieniemy, Rams, Panthers
The Commanders have their new play caller in former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and they are wasting no time in allowing the new assistant head coach and offensive coordinator to explore some options for his new staff. Stanford quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis both visited Washington today for potential roles on Bieniemy’s new offensive coaching staff, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.
Pritchard has been a longtime Cardinal staffer since finishing his college playing career as a quarterback at Stanford. The year after his final season as a player, Pritchard joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. He slowly worked his way up the staff from GA to defensive assistant to running backs coach to quarterbacks and wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He had spent the past five years in that last role after the departure of Mike Bloomgren to become head coach at Rice. Pritchard was retained by new head coach Troy Taylor following David Shaw‘s resignation but, reportedly, will only serve as quarterbacks coach, no longer holding the title of offensive coordinator.
Lewis is a former NFL wide receiver who has been coaching football since 2012. Following the conclusion of his eight-year career as a player, Lewis coached wide receivers at a couple of different universities before getting his first NFL opportunity as an offensive assistant with the Saints in 2015. The next year saw Lewis get his first NFL position coaching job over wide receivers with the Eagles. In 2017, Lewis joined the Chiefs’ staff in the same position, moving to running backs coach in 2021. He is reportedly highly regarded in league circles and has interest from several suitors this offseason, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. Lewis’s extended tenure under Bieniemy bodes well for the 43-year-old coach to find a top role in Washington.
Here are a couple other coaching updates from around the NFC:
- The Rams have a new special teams coordinator after hiring the former Panthers coach of the same position, Chase Blackburn, according to Rams staff writer Stu Jackson. Blackburn began his coaching career in the city where he ended his tenure as a player as the assistant special teams coach for the Panthers. After two years, Blackburn was promoted to special teams coordinator in Carolina, where he remained until being fired by former head coach Matt Rhule following the 2021 season. He will return to his role as a coordinator after spending the 2022 season as the Titans assistant special teams coach.
- New Panthers head coach Frank Reich is bringing along a lesser known assistant with him to Carolina, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Reich told the media yesterday that he has hired George Li as his game management coach. Li served a similar role under Reich in Indianapolis with the title of senior football strategy analyst and game management coach.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/23
Here are some minor transactions from around the league today:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: LS Liam McCullough
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: G Dieter Eiselen
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: LS Cal Adomitis
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: K Tristan Vizcaino
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Kevin Toliver II
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: G Calvin Throckmorton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LS Christian Kuntz
Coaching Updates: Eagles, Cards, Broncos
Following an impressive 2022 campaign that led to a Super Bowl appearance, the Eagles have watched their coaching staff be picked apart as both former coordinators have accepted positions as head coaches elsewhere. It looks like two of the assistants that they’ve held onto so far may be leading candidates to replace their former coordinators, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Breer claims that it’s looking more and more like quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson will be staying in Philadelphia. The lauded assistant recently turned down an opportunity to join Frank Reich‘s new staff in Carolina, which Breer believes sets him up to succeed Shane Steichen as the Eagles’ next offensive coordinator.
Similarly, Philadelphia may be looking internally to replace Jonathan Gannon, as well. Originally, the team considered Vic Fangio and Jerod Mayo as top candidates, but with Fangio taking the coordinator job in Miami and Mayo looking more and more like Bill Belichick‘s protege in New England, they were forced to keep looking. Breer posits that passing-game coordinator Dennard Wilson should be considered a top candidate for the defensive coordinator job in Philadelphia.
Here are a few other updates to coaching staffs currently in flux amidst regime changes:
- The Cardinals have started piecing their coaching staff together under Gannon. The team has hired Klayton Adams to serve as their offensive line coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Adams has history coaching multiple offensive positions in the college ranks and last served as the tight ends coach for the Colts after two years as the assistant offensive line coach. He had recently accepted the offensive line coaching position at Stanford but will spurn the Cardinal to coach for the Cardinals. Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers is reportedly being retained by Gannon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. No word on if Rodgers will retain both titles or solely serve as special teams coordinator. Lastly, the Cardinals had interviewed Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell for their offensive coordinator position before hiring Drew Petzing to the position, but the team reportedly may still hire Terrell in a different role. According to Jeremy Folwer of ESPN, Terrell is considered a strong candidate to be hired as the pass-game coordinator in Arizona.
- Yet another former Saints staffer will be joining Sean Payton in Denver. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Dan Dalrymple will be joining the Broncos‘ staff. Dalrymple previously served as the Saints head strength and conditioning coach for the past 16 years. On the other side of things, a former Broncos staffer is on the way out, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Following recent suspicions that Payton had his own person in mind for the job, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has opted to join Nathaniel Hackett in New York under the same title.