Eagles Part Ways With Chip Kelly
6:52pm: While the Eagles didn’t announce it publicly, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) believes Roseman will return to the head of the team’s personnel department.
6:19pm: With one week left in the regular season, the Eagles have announced in a press release that they’re parting ways with head coach Chip Kelly. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will serve as the club’s interim head coach in Week 17.
“I have made a decision to release Chip Kelly this evening,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. “I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change. As we move forward, the search for a new head coach will begin and will be led by myself, Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman. To the extent that we are able, we will try to keep you informed as we go through this process.”
The move comes as a surprise, particularly given the timing, since teams making head coaching changes typically wait until after their season ends to announce them. Since Kelly also served as Philadelphia’s de facto general manager, overseeing the construction of the 90-man roster in the offseason, the team figures to be making several new hires in the coming weeks.
One executive that has already been replaced is vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, who has been let go along with Kelly. When the club re-assigned Roseman earlier this year, Kelly was tasked with picking a new personnel executive, and ultimately decided on Marynowitz, who received a promotion within the organization. Former NFL GM Tom Donahoe, who had been serving as a senior football advisor for the Eagles since 2012, will take over Marynowitz’s old role, at least for now.
In addition to the changes coming to the Eagles’ front office and coaching staff, the roster figures to be retooled this offseason, after Kelly’s overhauled it and brought in his own players. It was Kelly, of course, who orchestrated this year’s trade for Sam Bradford, so with the former first overall pick eligible for free agency this winter, it’ll be interesting to see if Philadelphia’s new decision-makers attempt to lock up Bradford, via the franchise tag or a longer-term deal.
During his three seasons as Eagles head coach, Kelly had a solid 26-21 record. However, after consecutive 10-6 seasons, the wheels came off a little this year, as the new-look roster, which was supposedly tailored to Kelly’s vision, struggled to produce on the field.
Although Kelly only took over final say of Philadelphia’s roster moves from Roseman a year ago, he influenced the team’s moves before then as well, and many talented players left town after not always seeing eye to eye with the head coach. DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, and Evan Mathis are a few of the players that have departed within the last couple years.
As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets, Kelly still had two years and at least $12MM left on his contract, so he doesn’t necessarily have to rush into any decisions on a new job this offseason. But it’s worth keeping an eye on the Titans, who will be in the market for a new head coach, and have Kelly’s old Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota on the roster. With Mariota and possibly the No. 1 overall pick this spring in play, the Tennessee position could definitely be of interest to Kelly, though it’s not clear yet if the Titans would reciprocate that interest.
The Eagles, meanwhile, join the Dolphins and Titans as teams that will definitely be hunting for a new head coach this offseason, with the Lions, Giants, Saints, Browns, 49ers, and Rams among the teams that could potentially join them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons Place Paul Soliai On IR
The Falcons have placed a starting defensive lineman on the injured reserve list, announcing today that they’ve moved nose tackle Paul Soliai to IR and promoted tight end D.J. Tialavea from their practice squad (Twitter link).
Soliai, who is in the second season of a five-year, $32MM contract with the Falcons, played in 14 games this year for the team, starting 10. His numbers, including 22 tackles and a fumble recovery, were modest, and Pro Football Focus viewed him as a middle-of-the-pack interior defender, ranking him 55th out of 127 qualified players.
Beginning in 2016, Soliai’s cap hit increases significantly – from $4.4MM to $6.9MM – and his salary is no longer guaranteed, so it’ll be interesting to see if Atlanta addresses his contract at all. A $7MM signing bonus ensures that he still has plenty of dead money left on his deal, so the Falcons wouldn’t create a ton of cap savings in 2016 by trading or releasing him, unless they designated him as a post-June 1 cut.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/15
Tuesdays are generally the busiest day of the week during the NFL regular season for transactions, and on the last Tuesday of the 2015 campaign, that’s especially true. After rounding up several minor moves from around the league earlier today, we’ve got plenty more to pass along now. Here’s the latest:
AFC:
- After re-signing him three weeks ago, the Chargers confirmed today that they have released wide receiver Vincent Brown. The 26-year-old was active for just one game and caught only one pass, for 22 yards.
- The Ravens have placed wide receiver Marlon Brown on season-ending injured reserve due to a back injury, replacing him on the roster with defensive back Sheldon Price, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brown, the 20th player Baltimore has placed on IR this year, is eligible for restricted free agency, and he may not be tendered a contract this winter, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Broncos have cut safety Shaun Prater, who was inactive on Monday, the team announced in a press release. Prater was signed as insurance after David Bruton was placed on IR, but with T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart back in action, his services weren’t required.
- The Patriots have filled their roster by signing linebacker and special-teamer Dekoda Watson, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s the third contract signed with New England this year by Watson, who has been off and on the Pats’ roster.
- The Texans have officially confirmed the previously-reported transaction that sent cornerback Charles James to IR, elevating safety Corey Moore to the active roster from the practice squad to replace James, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Raiders have signed safety Dewey McDonald from off their practice squad, according to the team. McDonald has also spent time with the Colts and Patriots this season.
NFC:
- The Buccaneers are ending Major Wright‘s season, placing the safety on injured reserve prior to Week 17, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL Network. In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay is elevating tight end Tevin Westbrook from its practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
- Washington has made a change at the back of its 53-man roster, announcing that tight end Je’Ron Hamm has been waived to make room for cornerback Jeremy Harris, who received a promotion from the practice squad.
- The Lions have once again waived cornerback Bill Bentley, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Bentley, a third-round pick by Detroit in 2012, was cut by the team in the summer before re-signing last month.
- The Saints are promoting tight end Rashaun Allen to their 53-man roster from the practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson. As Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link) observes, a corresponding move will be required to make the signing official, which could mean moving tight end Josh Hill to IR.
- Wilson also passes along details on a couple players who have been cut from their respective teams’ injured reserve lists, reporting (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have cut defensive back Cariel Brooks with an injury settlement, while the Packers have released defensive end Jermauria Rasco from their IR.
Colts Sign Josh Freeman, Ryan Lindley
4:07pm: The Colts have gotten back up to the 53-man roster limit by signing another quarterback, Ryan Lindley, the team announced in a press release. The move gives Indianapolis five signal-callers in total on its roster, including three healthy QBs, and gives the team another option for this Sunday.
2:39pm: The Colts have filled two openings on their 53-man roster, announcing today that they’ve signed quarterback Josh Freeman and promoted inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera from their practice squad. The team created two open spots on Monday by placing quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and guard Hugh Thornton on the injured reserve list, and created one more today by also sending linebacker Josh McNary to IR.
Since starting his career with the Buccaneers and then spending a little time in 2013 in Minnesota, Freeman has not appeared in a regular season game or even spent any real time on a club’s in-season roster. Most recently, he played for the Dolphins this summer and then joined the FXFL’s Brooklyn Bolts in the fall.
After working out for the Colts on Monday, Freeman becomes the second healthy quarterback on the roster, joining Stephen Morris. Assuming Andrew Luck and Matt Hasselbeck are unable to play this weekend, as is expected, either Freeman or Morris – who was signed off the Eagles’ practice squad last Thursday – will have to start for Indianapolis in its regular season finale.
We’ll have to wait and see whether Freeman gets a shot to play in Week 17, and if he’s a part of the Colts’ plans for 2016 at all.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Holmgren, Freeney
For the second consecutive year, veteran NFL coach Mike Holmgren has expressed interest in the 49ers‘ head coaching job, a source tells Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Holmgren said back in July that when he reached out to the Niners last winter, the team conveyed to him that it wanted someone younger. For Holmgren to get an opportunity in San Francisco, the club would have to change that stance, and would also have to part ways with current coach Jim Tomsula.
Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFC West…
- Nose tackle Ian Williams likely ranks as the 49ers‘ top priority in free agency, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. When asked if he wants to re-sign with the 49ers, Williams said, “I would love to. This is where I’ve been. This is where I know guys on the team. This is where I’m comfortable at. I’d love to be back.”
- Veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney has been a terrific addition to the Cardinals‘ defense, but he said on Monday that he has “no clue” whether he’ll continue playing in 2016, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Freeney intends to re-evaluate his future a month after his season ends.
- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll suggested on Monday that running back Marshawn Lynch could be cleared to return to practice by Wednesday, which might put him in position to return to the field for Week 17 and the postseason (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Jags Owner: Gus Bradley To Return For 2016
Head coach Gus Bradley will continue coaching the Jaguars in 2016, team owner Shad Khan confirmed today in a statement. The announcement confirms what was already suspected, since a report back in October indicated that Bradley would be safe through 2016.
Here’s a portion of Khan’s statement, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:
“I spoke to Gus Bradley today to confirm to him that he will continue as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. It’s evident to see how far we’ve come in many aspects of our game, and Gus deserves a lot of credit for that progress. It’s also evident the considerable work that remains to be done to be where we expect to be at this time next season, which is well above where we stand today. And Gus understands that. [General manager] Dave Caldwell and I also spoke today and we are both confident that Gus will make 2016 the best year of his career.”
There have been encouraging signs for the Jaguars this year, as the team was in contention for a division title in the weak AFC South up until a week or two ago. The development of Blake Bortles, in particular, has been a bright spot in Jacksonville this season, with the second-year QB throwing for 35 touchdowns after tossing just 11 in his rookie campaign.
Still, the Jags are headed for yet another losing season under Bradley, and even if the club prevails in its regular-season finale, it won’t have won more than six games in any of Bradley’s three seasons. Overall, he’s just 12-35 during his stint with Jacksonville. If the team doesn’t continue to show tangible progress in 2016, perhaps contending for a playoff spot or at least finishing with a .500 record, it’s hard to imagine Bradley continuing to coach the Jags in 2017.
Latest On Eric Weddle, Chargers
When we noted earlier today that the Chargers were placing Eric Weddle on injured reserve – a move the team has since confirmed – I wrote that the veteran safety may have played his last game with the team. That now looks like a near certainty, with agent David Canter opening up about the fractured relationship between his client and the Chargers.
As Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, the club informed Weddle last Tuesday that he was being fined $10K for remaining on the field during halftime to watch his daughter perform during a dance ceremony. While Weddle and Canter declined to go public with the fine at the time, the agent confirmed it today after the Chargers placed the safety on IR against his wishes. Per Canter, the team also informed Weddle that there would be no room for him to travel on the team plane to the regular season finale in Denver.
According to Acee, Weddle previously hadn’t closed the door on the possibility of returning to the Chargers next season. With his contract set to expire, the 30-year-old said earlier this month that he wouldn’t rule out re-signing with the club. However, after this latest sequence of events, it certainly looks like a lock that he’ll be moving on.
For his part, Canter replied to Acee’s story on Twitter, referring to the headline – “Weddle, Chargers relationship not ‘fine'” – as the “understatement of the decade.” So while Weddle may not publicly say he plans to leave San Diego, it sounds like his agent is looking forward to getting him to the open market in March.
Colts Place Whitehurst, Thornton On IR
The Colts have removed two key players from their 53-man roster, announcing today in a press release that quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and guard Hugh Thornton have been placed on the injured reserve list. The moves end their seasons, and create two openings on the Colts’ roster.
The Colts’ decision to move Whitehurst to IR after he sustained a groin injury is an interesting one. Matt Hasselbeck isn’t expected to be healthy enough to play in Week 17, which means the club currently has two options for its final game of the season — the starter will likely be either Andrew Luck, who hasn’t played since Week 9 and may not yet be cleared to return, or Stephen Morris, the only healthy QB on the roster, who was signed off the Eagles’ practice squad just four days ago.
The Colts are said to be working out free agent signal-caller Josh Freeman, but it’s highly unlikely that anyone from outside the organization would be signed to start right away. If Luck is unable to play in the club’s regular-season finale though, I’d expect Indianapolis to sign at least one more QB to the roster, whether it’s Freeman or someone else.
Thornton, 24, matched a career high with 12 starts this season for the Colts, but his season will come to an end a little early due to an ankle injury. Khaled Holmes took over for him on Sunday and is the favorite to start in his place in Week 17.
Browns Cut Daryl Richardson, De’Ante Saunders
The Browns have made a pair of changes to their 53-man roster, releasing running back Daryl Richardson from the squad and promoting linebacker Cam Johnson to fill the newly-created opening, according to a team release.
In addition to cutting Richardson and elevating Johnson to the active roster, the Browns have also waived defensive back De’Ante Saunders from their practice squad. Saunders was arrested last week along with Cleveland linebacker Armonty Bryant, and has pleaded not guilty after being charged with suspicion of drunken driving, writes Evan MacDonald of Cleveland.com.
Saunders may eventually face discipline from the NFL if the league determines he violated the personal conduct policy, but if he does have to serve a suspension, it seems it won’t be with the Browns. As for Richardson, he signed with Cleveland earlier this month, but didn’t see the field during his brief stint with the team — he was inactive for the two games he was on the 53-man roster, and will now return to waivers.
Panthers Waive Wes Horton
A little over a month after he was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, defensive end Wes Horton has been waived by the Panthers, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
After he sat out for four games, Horton received a roster exemption this past week that was set to expire today. The exemption allowed Carolina to carry the defensive end as a 54th man, without activating him to the club’s 53-man roster. The Panthers then had to decide by today whether to activate him or cut the 25-year-old, and have chosen to part ways with him.
Horton, an undrafted rookie in 2013, made 15 starts for the Panthers last season in place of suspended teammate Greg Hardy. Following a rookie campaign that saw him compile eight tackles and two sacks, the former USC standout finished 2014 with 26 tackles and three sacks. In 2015, Horton compiled just seven total tackles and one sack in eight games (two starts) prior to his suspension.
Horton will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers.