Cowboys Hire Scott McCurley As LBs Coach
The new Cowboys full coaching staff under Mike McCarthy was announced earlier this week. While our Pro Football Rumors reported the majority of the hirings earlier this week, we realized we had forgotten to mention that Scott McCurley had become the teams new linebackers coach, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
McCurley worked under McCarthy during his Green Bay tenure, serving as a defensive quality control coach from 2009-2014, then as the assistant linebackers coach from 2014-2017, and as a defensive assistant from 2017-2019.
The Cowboys roster will likely take a significantly different form given the impending free agencies of Dak Prescott, Byron Jones, and Amari Cooper. McCurley fills out a very experienced coaching staff assigned with bringing a Dallas roster full of elite talent, especially on the offensive end, to the next level. While McCurley will get to work with a group headlined by the talented duo of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch and veteran Sean Lee.
Packers Activate S Raven Greene From IR
The Packers made one final transaction before Sunday’s NFC Championship matchup against the 49ers. Green Bay activated safety Raven Greene from the injured reserve, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. Greene was placed on injured reserve after hurting his ankle in a Week 2 matchup against the Vikings. The Packers had one open spot remaining on their 53-man roster so no corresponding move was necessary.
It is unclear whether Greene will play a prominent role in his first game since Week 2, but he will give defensive coordinator Mike Pettine another option to deploy against the 49ers potent offense. Prior to the injury, Greene had played a hybrid safety/linebacker and had received starter’s reps. In fact, he did start in Green Bay’s first game of the season before coming off the bench in Week 2.
In just his second professional season, Greene has appeared in 10 games amassing 12 tackles, one for loss, two passes defended, one sack, one quarterback hit, and one forced fumble.
Fine Updates: Simmons, Fisher, Williams, Bosa
The NFL will not fine Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons for conduct during Tennessee’s 28-12 victory in the divisional playoff round, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. After the contest, Ravens offensive guard Marshal Yanda accused Simmons of spitting on him during the contest. Per Hensley, the NFL found no evidence to substantiate those claims.
For what it’s worth, Simmons did not deny spitting on Yanda when he was asked about it on Wednesday. Had the NFL prooved that Simmons had indeed spit in his opponent’s face, he would have been subject to an unsportsmanlike conduct fine of $14,037.
A few other players were unable to avoid hits to their checkbooks:
- Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Fisher went viral online after he celebrated by pouring beer over himself during Kansas City’s divisional round victory over the Texans. While the NFL shared Fisher’s celebration on its official Twitter account, it appears the NFL’s marketers and executors of the codes of conduct are not on the same page. Fisher was fined $14,037 by the league on Saturday, when the league announced this week’s round of fines, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
- Fisher was not the lone Chiefs player to receive a fine for a celebration, running back Damien Williams received a $10,527 fine for taunting, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. After he scored his third touchdown in last week’s game, he placed the ball directly in front of a Texan defensive lineman, which cost the team a fifteen-yard penalty and now will cost Williams more than ten thousand dollars.
- Defensive end Nick Bosa was fined $28,025 for an illegal blindside block in the 49ers 27-10 victory over the Vikings in last week’s divisional round, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Normally a defensive player would not be subject to such a fine, but after his defensive teammate, Richard Sherman, intercepted one of Kirk Cousins passes, Bosa got overzealous in a block on offensive tackle Brian O’Neill that forced O’Neill to leave the game for a couple of series.
Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons Declares For NFL Draft
Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons has officially declared for the NFL Draft, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While the move will not come as a shock to anyone familiar with this year’s draft class, the news confirms that Simmons will indeed be available to teams in just a few months.
Simmons is considered a consensus top-ten, potentially top-five, prospect in this year’s draft class. An incredible combination of size, strength, athleticism, and football IQ, Simmons has been one of the most lethal switch-army knives in college football over the past three years.
While his size, 6’4”-230lbs, makes him an obvious fit at linebacker, many have opined that he has the speed and coverage abilities of an NFL safety. Earlier this year, a video of Simmons racing Clemson running back Travis Etienne in a 40-yard dash led many to speculate that Simmons should produce times below 4.45 and maybe even 4.4 at the NFL Scouting Combine. Both would rank among the best performances by a linebacker in the events history.
Simmons completes his collegiate career with 238 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 20 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions. While Clemson was unable to win back-to-back National Titles, Simmons had his most productive season this year, recording 104 tackles, 16.5 for loss, 8 sacks, 8 passes defended, and 3 interceptions.
Injury Notes: Fuller, Jackson, Addae, Akins
By now it’s no secret that the Texans offense is a different animal when wide receiver Will Fuller is on the field. Without their deep threat, Houston managed to squeak by the Bills in the Wild Card Round, but going up against the Chiefs on Sunday, the team is very happy to expect Fuller to return from his groin injury, according to James Palmer of the NFL Network. Fuller missed time during the regular season with a hamstring injury and only appeared in 11 of the teams games. In those 11 contests, Fuller amassed 49 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns.
Here are a couple other injury notes for Sunday’s games:
- The Packers have added cornerback Josh Jackson to the injury report with an illness, according to Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network. While it is not expected to prevent Jackson from taking the field, it very well could limit him from playing to the top of his talents.
- Texans safety Jahleel Addae and tight end Jordan Akins did not travel with the team to Kansas City and will not play Sunday against the Chiefs, according to James Palmer of the NFL Network. Neither Addae nor Akins are massive contributors for Houston, but both have been solid role players for the team. Addae compiled 41 tackles and two interceptions, while Akins started 9 games and caught 36 passes for 418 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Browns Interested In GM Interview With Bills Joe Schoen
The Browns are the lone organization remaining without a head coach. After restructuring the front office, Cleveland is also searching for a new general manager. After years of internal turmoil, a primary aim of the search appears to be finding a general manager and head coach who have experience working together to keep the organization on the same page.
Earlier reports suggested Bills offensive coordinator Brian Dabol impressed the team in his interview for the head coaching job and now, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Browns have expressed interest in interviewing Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen for their general manager position.
Cleveland entered this season with some of the organization’s highest expectations in recent history. After finishing 2018 strong under interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, the organization doubled down on Kitchens, hiring him as the team’s head coach. Rather than taking the next step towards contention though, the team fell apart. Sophomore quarterback Baker Mayfield took a huge step back and the Browns proved to be one of the most undisciplined teams in football.
While Cleveland shares a division with the Ravens, questions surrounding the future for the Bengals and Steelers leave the rest of the division wide open. The next regime’s early success will likely rest on Mayfield’s shoulders, but with talented players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Myles Garrett there’s reason to believe a new contender could be built soon.
Bill Cowher Elected To Pro Football Hall of Fame
During the pregame show for Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round matchup between the Titans and Ravens on CBS Sports, 
president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, David Baker, showed up on set to surprise Bill Cowher with the news that he had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2020. Cowher is the first selection of the class, which will have twenty members.
Cowher, of course, built his Hall of Fame pedigree as the head coach of the Steelers from 1992-2006. Following in the footsteps of another Hall of Fame coach, Chuck Noll, Cowher led Pittsburgh to 11 playoff appearances, 6 AFC Championship games, 2 Super Bowls, and a Super Bowl victory in his penultimate season with the team.
Prior to Cowher’s arrival in Pittsburgh, the team had failed to make the playoffs in five of their previous six campaigns. After Cowher’s arrival, the team reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, including Super Bowl XXX (where they lost to the Cowboys). At that time, Cowher was the youngest head coach to reach the Super Bowl. Still, it would take him another ten years to reach the Super Bowl again. When he did, the Steelers defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, giving him his only Super Bowl ring.
After just one more season, Cowher stepped down to spend more time with his family. Since he has served as an analyst with CBS Sports. While many teams have been rumored to make runs to get Cowher back on the field, it appears he is content with what he has accomplished.
In the end, Cowher finished his career with a 149-90-1 regular season record and a 12-9 postseason record.
Position Coaches: Gilbride, Flaherty, Lupoi, Tolbert
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is beginning to fill out the position coaching spots in Carolina. Kevin M. Gilbride will be in charge of the team’s tight ends and Pat Flaherty is expected to be named the team’s offensive line coach, per Alex Marvez of Fox Sports. Gilbride has extensive experience as a tight ends coach, serving in the position with the Giants from 2014-17 and with the Bears from 2018 until he was fired last month.
The Panthers will be the fifth NFL organization to hire Flaherty as an offensive line coach. Flaherty worked as the offensive line coach from 2004-2015 with the Giants followed by a one-year stint with the 49ers, a two-year stint with the Jaguars, and a a short period with the Dolphins in 2019. While Flaherty brings a long line of experience, he was fired in Miami prior to the end of training camp after struggling to implement the team’s scheme.
- The Falcons have named Browns defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi as the team’s defensive line coach and run game coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Lupoi was a collegiate defensive lineman at Cal, where he began his coaching career in 2008. After a stint with the University of Washington as the defensive line coach, he joined the staff at Alabama, eventually becoming the team’s defensive coordinator in 2018. Lupoi moved to the professional coaching ranks for the first time when he joined Freddie Kitchens‘ staff prior to this season.
- Giants new head coach Joe Judge will not be making changes to the entire coaching staff. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, reports that Judge is expected to retain wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. While New York struggled in many areas this season, the receiving corp showed impressive depth. Tolbert was credited with helping late-round pick, Darius Slayton, become a legitimate receiving option.
Giants Request Permission To Interview Dolphins DC
New Giants head coach Joe Judge continues working to fill out his staff. New York has requested permission to interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the same position, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Garafolo adds that the request is expected to be granted.
Generally, teams are hesitant to allow their coaches to interview with other teams unless it is for a clear promotion. However, Judge worked with Graham and current Dolphins head coach Brian Flores with the Patriots, which may make Miami more willing to make an exception. Graham not only shares a history with Judge, but also worked with the Giants from 2016-17, serving as the team’s defensive line coach from 2016-17.
On the surface, it would seem like a surprise for a coach on a 5-11 team to be receiving outside interest, but entering the season many wondered if the Dolphins would manage to win any games. Miami clearly entered the season with a tank in mind, making minimal free agent additions last offseason and trading the team’s best offensive lineman (Laremy Tunsil), defensive back (Minkah Fitzpatrick), and wide receiver (Kenny Stills) early in the season. While the Dolphins are by no means a legitimate contender, they finished the season winning three of their final five games, including wins against the Eagles and Patriots.
Since Judge was relatively unknown before the Giants announced his hiring this week, little is known about the people he might target to fill out his staff. At least to start, it appears he will continue to look to the Bill Belichick coaching tree.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/20
Here’s a couple transactions we missed from earlier in the week:
San Francisco 49ers
Signed to practice squad: DL Ray Smith
Seattle Seahawks
Signed to practice squad: WR Brendan Langley