Coach Rumors: Payton, Browns, Colts, Jags
With six NFL teams currently in the market for a head coach, the future of Sean Payton has been one of the biggest questions marks around the league this week. We may soon have an answer on what 2016 has in store for the Saints head coach, though perhaps not as soon as initially expected. According to Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (Twitter link), Payton’s Wednesday afternoon press conference has been postponed by an hour, to 2:00pm CT.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Saints are hoping GM Mickey Loomis can convince the longtime head coach to remain in New Orleans. However, if Payton decides he wants to pursue another job, the Saints will shift their focus to playing interested teams off one another in order to drive up his price, per Rapoport.
As we wait on Payton’s presser, let’s round up several more coaching-related notes…
- It looks like the Browns will be the first team to get a shot at interviewing the Bengals‘ coordinators. With Cincinnati scheduled to play on Saturday night, Cleveland plans on interviewing Bengals OC Hue Jackson on Sunday, tweets Rapoport. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com adds (via Twitter) that Bengals DC Paul Guenther is scheduled to meet with the Browns on Sunday as well.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that Ravens linebacker coach Ted Monachino, who has a history with Chuck Pagano, will be a strong candidate for the Colts‘ defensive coordinator vacancy.
- Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley indicated today that he’s prepared to cast a wide net for the team’s newly-opened defensive coordinator position — while there may be in-house candidates in Jacksonville, Bradley intends to do due diligence (Twitter link via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com).
- It sounds like 49ers linebackers coach Clancy Pendergast may be headed back to college. Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that Pendergast has been offered USC’s defensive coordinator job – a position he held in 2013 – and has received interest from Oregon too.
Lions To Interview Kevin Abrams For GM Job
The Lions have identified another potential candidate for their general manager job, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Detroit will interview Giants executive Kevin Abrams. La Canfora notes that Abrams is well regarded by Ernie Accorsi, who is consulting for the Lions during their GM search.
Abrams, the longtime assistant general manager in New York, is the second Giants executive to draw interest from a team with a GM opening this week. The Titans have reportedly lined up an interview with Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross, targeting him as a potential replacement for Ruston Webster.
The Lions have now increased their list of general manager candidates to at least four men. Besides Abrams and interim GM Sheldon White, who will get an opportunity to make his case for the permanent position, Detroit has also asked for and received permission to interview Patriots director of pro scouting Bob Quinn and Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner.
The Lions are also said to have put in a request to interview Bengals personnel chief Duke Tobin. However, Tobin intends to remain with Cincinnati for the long term.
With Detroit’s general manager hunt moving forward, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press looked at the 10 most pressing issues that the team’s next GM will have to address.
Draft Updates: Conklin, Ogbah, Neal, Aguayo
All-American offensive tackle Jack Conklin will forgo his senior season at Michigan State and enter the 2016 NFL draft, according to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the offensive line prospect will be represented by Sean Howard and Vanguard Sports.
As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets, Conklin has a realistic chance of coming off the board within the top 20 picks of this year’s draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay is particularly bullish on the Spartans’ tackle, ranking him as the third-best offensive lineman in this year’s draft class, and placing him 13th overall in his first mock draft (both Insider-only links).
Conklin isn’t the only college player whose intentions to declare early have been reported or announced today. Here’s the latest:
- Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who was reportedly having preliminary meetings with agents over a month ago, will forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility to enter this year’s draft, he announced in a statement on Twitter. Miller tweets that he has an early second-round grade on Ogbah for the time being.
- Florida safety Keanu Neal announced on Instagram that he will be heading to the NFL, rather than playing out his senior year with the Gators.
- Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo announced (via Twitter) that he will enter this year’s draft. As Joe Reedy of The Associated Press notes (via Twitter), Aguayo graduated from school early last month.
- North Carolina State has announced that tight end David Grinnage will skip his senior season and will enter the 2016 draft, according to Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press (Twitter link).
Browns To Interview Cowboys’ DBs Coach
After having lined up interviews with several of this year’s “hot” head coaching candidates, the Browns have scheduled a meeting with a lesser-known coach. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Cleveland will interview Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for its head coaching job. Josina Anderson of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that the meeting will take place on Friday.
Teryl Austin, Adam Gase, Sean McDermott, Doug Marrone, Paul Guenther, and Matt Patricia, who are all either coming off successful years as coordinators or are former NFL head coaches, reportedly have interviews on tap with the Browns in the coming days. And while one of those assistants, or another well-known candidate, could ultimately land the Cleveland job, the team’s interview with Henderson is another sign that the franchise is thinking outside the box this offseason.
The Browns’ unorthodox approach to putting together a staff was on display on Tuesday, when the club announced it had hired Paul DePodesta away from baseball’s New York Mets to play a key role in the Cleveland front office.
In a piece discussing the DePodesta hiring, Tom Verducci of SI.com suggested that the former MLB executive and the Browns will be targeting a head coach who “may not have much experience but who is comfortable implementing the business practices and systems endorsed if not create by the front office” — perhaps Henderson fits that bill.
Henderson, a former NFL defensive back himself, has coached the Cowboys’ secondary since 2012, when he was hired away from the Browns. While 2015 was a dismal all-around year in Dallas, Henderson’s group wasn’t a disaster – per Football Outsiders, the team ranked 17th in terms of passing defense DVOA.
Be sure to check out our head coaching search tracker for the latest details on the Browns’ hunt for Mike Pettine‘s replacement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles To Interview Ben McAdoo
After interviewing for the Giants’ head coaching job on Tuesday, New York offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo will meet with another NFC East team later this week. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (Twitter link), McAdoo is scheduled to interview with the Eagles on Thursday.
[RELATED: Ben McAdoo interviews for Giants’ head coaching job]
In the wake of Chip Kelly‘s dismissal, McAdoo was mentioned earlier this week as a potential candidate for the Eagles’ head coaching job, given team owner Jeffrey Lurie‘s general preference for offensive-minded coaches.
McAdoo, who was hired as the Giants’ offensive coordinator in 2014, has helped Eli Manning enjoy perhaps the most productive two-year stretch of his NFL career. Although the club has posted a 6-10 record in consecutive seasons, Manning has thrived, averaging 4,423 yards and about 33 touchdowns per season over the last two years, to go along with a 92.9 rating. The Giants finished in the top eight in the NFL in terms of both yards per game (372.3) and points per game (26.3) in 2015.
While McAdoo will get an opportunity to vie for the Eagles’ job, it sounds like the team’s top target might be Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase. A report earlier this morning indicated that Philadelphia is planning on bringing back Gase for a second interview this weekend, after meeting with him for eight hours on Tuesday.
If McAdoo doesn’t land the Giants’ or Eagles’ head coaching jobs, it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up in 2016. Manning has expressed a strong desire to see his offensive coordinator return to the Giants in some capacity, but if the team brings in an outside candidate as its new head coach, it’s not clear if that new coach would keep McAdoo in his current role.
Meanwhile, as McAdoo meets with the Eagles on Thursday, the Giants will interview another one of their assistants, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, confirms Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Plan To Interview Adam Gase Again
The Eagles were the first team to meet with Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, sitting down with him on Tuesday for what was reportedly an eight-hour interview. Despite having spoken to him for eight hours yesterday, the Eagles apparently want to hear more from Gase. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the team plans to bring him back for a second interview this weekend.
Neither the Eagles nor Gase have a shortage of options. Philadelphia has already spoken to two in-house candidates – Pat Shurmur and Duce Staley – and reportedly intends to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, having been linked to several other options as well. Meanwhile, Gase has a full schedule this week, with interviews with the Browns and Dolphins on tap for today and tomorrow.
According to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Gase has added another meeting to his timetable for later this week — he’ll interview for the Giants’ head coaching job on Friday. So if the Eagles interview the Bears’ OC for a second time on the weekend, the club could be competing with an NFC East rival to land him.
After working with Peyton Manning in Denver as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Gase joined John Fox in Chicago in 2015, and contributed to a strong bounce-back season for Jay Cutler. A year after leading the league with 18 interceptions, Cutler threw just 11 in 2015, the lowest full-season mark of his career. The Bears also ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in offensive DVOA under Gase.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coach Notes: Dolphins, Gase, Raiders, 49ers
The Dolphins announced on Tuesday evening that they have completed head coaching interviews with former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
The Dolphins have several more candidates lined up this week, including Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, former Bills head coach Doug Marrone, and their own interim head coach Dan Campbell. However, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald hears that, at the start of the search, team owner Stephen Ross‘s favorite candidate is Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who is scheduled to meet with Miami on Thursday.
Having seen multiple coaches with previous head coaching experience fail in Miami over the last decade or so, Salguero is unconvinced that Gase is the right man for the job, suggesting that the Dolphins need a more seasoned NFL coach for the role. As we wait to see if the team agrees with that assessment and passes on Gase in favor of someone with more experience, let’s round up a few more Wednesday morning coaching notes…
- Speaking of Gase, the Eagles confirmed that they interviewed the Bears offensive coordinator for their head coaching position on Tuesday. Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Tuesday’s marathon meeting lasted for about eight hours.
- A year after Jack Del Rio took over as the team’s head coach, the Raiders don’t plan to make any changes to his coaching staff, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- There’s a good chance that the 49ers‘ new head coach will be a quarterback-friendly, offensive-minded candidate, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. A few of the candidates already linked to the Niners, including Sean Payton, Hue Jackson, and Mike Shanahan, definitely fit that bill.
- After firing defensive coordinator Greg Manusky on Tuesday, the Colts also parted ways with tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts and secondary coaches Mike Gillhamer and Roy Anderson, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Earlier today, we recapped the latest updates on the Giants‘ head coaching search.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Latest On Giants’ Head Coaching Search
With the Giants having formally said goodbye to head coach Tom Coughlin at a Tuesday press conference, the team is now moving on to identifying his replacement. Let’s round up the known candidates so far for Big Blue, including the latest updates on each of them….
Ben McAdoo / Steve Spagnuolo (Giants):
The two Giants’ coordinators were the first two candidates confirmed to have interviews scheduled for the team’s newly-opened head coaching position, and according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, McAdoo’s interview took place on Tuesday, the same day as Coughlin’s farewell presser. While the offensive coordinator has already sat down with the Giants, the defensive coordinator has not done so yet — Raanan says Spagnuolo’s interview will take place later this week.
Sean McDermott (Panthers):
The Carolina defensive coordinator is free to interview for head coaching jobs during the Panthers’ bye week, and it seems he’ll do so. A report on Tuesday night indicated that the Giants intend to meet with him, though Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets that, as of about 10 hours ago, nothing had been formally set up yet. The two sides will have until Sunday to have their meeting, since McDermott won’t be eligible to interview next week.
Doug Marrone (Jaguars):
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on Tuesday that the Giants had requested an interview with the Jaguars’ offensive line coach, and he tweets today that permission has been granted — according to Rapoport (Twitter link), Marrone will meet with the Giants on Saturday, a day after he interviews with the Dolphins and two days after his sit-down with the Browns.
Hue Jackson (Bengals):
The Cincinnati offensive coordinator isn’t eligible to interview with teams this week, but he has received multiple requests for next week. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Jackson is believed to be among the Giants’ targets, though as of Tuesday night, New York wasn’t among the teams to request a meeting.
Sean Payton (Saints):
A report on Monday indicated that the New Orleans head coach would be monitoring the Giants’ situation closely, and John Mara suggested on Tuesday that he wouldn’t rule out the idea of New York trading a draft pick for a coach. A source tells Vacchiano that the Giants would “absolutely” be interested in Payton as a candidate, but according to that source, the team also believes the price to land him may be too high.
Adam Gase (Bears):
The Giants requested an interview with Gase and it appears to be in the plans, but there doesn’t appear to be a date set yet. It’s a busy week for the Bears’ offensive coordinator, who met with Philadelphia yesterday and also has meetings lined up with the Browns and Dolphins before Friday.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/5/16
Only the 12 teams in the playoffs can still make changes to their practice squads, so there were a handful of made by Wild Card clubs today. Here’s are today’s PS signings and cuts:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Jayson DiManche (Twitter link via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DT William Campbell (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Placed on PS-IR: DE B.J. McBryde
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Reid Fragel (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Abou Toure (Twitter link via team)
Washington
- Signed: CB Al Louis-Jean (press release via team)
- Cut: LB Derrick Mathews
Washington Activates C Kory Lichtensteiger
Washington’s decision to use the designation to return when it placed center Kory Lichtensteiger on injured reserve earlier this year has paid off. The team announced today that it has activated Lichtensteiger from IR-DTR, waiving center Brian De La Puente in a corresponding move.
Nearly two months ago, Washington placed Lichtensteiger, Washington’s regular starting center since 2014, on IR with the designation to return due to a neck injury. The move meant that he wouldn’t be eligible to return until after Week 17, and at that point in the season, Jay Gruden‘s club trailed the Giants by a game and a half in the NFC East, so it seemed like a long shot that Lichtensteiger would get the opportunity to play in the postseason.
Assuming he returns to the starting lineup for Washington’s Wild Card game, Lichtensteiger will reclaim the starting center job from Josh LeRibeus, who has played there for the team’s last 11 games. If the club prefers not to change what has worked in the second half, Lichtensteiger would step into De La Puente’s old role, providing veteran depth on the interior offensive line.
To make room for cornerback Cary Williams, whose deal was previously reported, the club also placed defensive back Kyshoen Jarrett on IR.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.