Steelers Planning Scott Tolzien OC Interview, Hire James Campen
While Mike McCarthy spent five years as the Cowboys’ head coach, the early makeup of his Steelers staff reminds more of his Packers setup. After hiring one-year Green Bay assistant Patrick Graham as DC, McCarthy has one of his former players in the running for Pittsburgh’s OC post.
The Steelers are planning to interview Saints assistant Scott Tolzien for their OC vacancy, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Tolzien is New Orleans’ QBs coach, but prior to that, he both played and coached under McCarthy.
Tolzien was one of Aaron Rodgers‘ backups in Green Bay from 2013-15. He then spent two years with the Colts and retired from playing in 2018. He went back to Wisconsin to start his coaching career as an analyst, which quickly led to a job on Mike McCarthy’s staff in Dallas in 2020. Tolzien was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2023 and oversaw a career-best performance from Dak Prescott, who finished in second place in MVP voting. The Cowboys struggled after Prescott’s season-ending injury in 2024, though Tolzien helped backup quarterback Cooper Rush compile a 4-4 record as a starter to close out the year.
McCarthy was fired after the season, and Tolzien reunited with former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in New Orleans. Tolzien took the quarterbacks coach job on Moore’s staff and worked with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough this past season. Shough took over the starting job midway through the year, worked through some first-year bumps, and led the Saints to a 4-1 record in their last five games.
The Steelers are still working through their list of offensive coordinator candidates, but they have made one key hire on that side of the ball. Longtime offensive line coach James Campen will be joining McCarthy’s staff, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Campen spent 15 years under McCarthy in Green Bay, including 12 years as the Packers’ offensive line coach. He also developed a close relationship with Aaron Rodgers during that time, which could be another factor in the veteran quarterback’s return to Pittsburgh in 2026.
Bills QB Josh Allen Undergoes Procedure On Foot
JANUARY 29: When speaking to the media today, Allen revealed (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic) his fifth metatarsal had been broken. Surgery did indeed take place on Monday of this week, Beane noted. A recovery timeline between eight and 10 weeks is now in store, per Wolfe’s colleague Ian Rapoport. As such, Allen should be fully recovered in time for all offseason activities.
JANUARY 22: The Bills’ press conference with owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane drew a lot of headlines on Wednesday, but one piece of information seems to have slipped under the radar.
Beane revealed (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe) that star quarterback Josh Allen may undergo a procedure on his foot this offseason. It is not expected to affect his availability for OTAs.
Allen’s foot injury popped up in Week 17 and sidelined him for multiple practices in Week 18. The issue continued to hamper Allen for the rest of the season, though he did not appear to be playing with any limitations in the playoffs.
The 2024 MVP has not missed a game due to injury since his rookie year. His only absences have been games at the end of the season with the Bills’ playoff qualification and seeding already set.
Allen’s procedure should not alarm anyone in Buffalo. Even if he were to miss any offseason training time as he recovers, it seems extremely unlikely to affect his availability beyond mandatory minicamp.
LSU OC Charlie Weis Jr. On Giants’ Radar
After missing out on Todd Monken, John Harbaugh may consider dipping into the college coaching ranks to fill his offensive coordinator vacancy.
LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is “garnering a lot of attention” for the job, per SNY’s Connor Hughes. The 32-year-old spent the last four seasons in the same role at Ole Miss and is currently set to follow Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge for the 2026 season. Weis already turned down the Eagles’ interest in hiring him as their offensive coordinator, but the Giants may make a push of their own.
Weis is the son of former Notre Dame and Kansas coach Charlie Weis, who also held a number of assistant roles with the Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Chiefs. Weis worked under his father for the first four years of his coaching career before landing a job under Nick Saban in 2015. It was at Alabama that Weis began working under Kiffin, his longtime mentor. Weis spent the 2017 season with the Falcons before joining Kiffin as Florida Atlantic’s offensive coordinator. The duo continued to South Florida and Ole Miss before landing their latest jobs with LSU.
If Weis is willing to hear an offer from the Giants, they might want to make it a good one. Over the last four years, he has helped build the Rebels’ offense into one of the best in the country. In 2024, the unit ranked third in points and second in yards in the FBS, and despite losing quarterback Jaxson Dart it remained one of the NCAA’s best en route to a college Football Playoff appearance this past season.
Weis should not necessarily be considered a frontrunner at this point, Hughes notes. Nevertheless, his name continues to be mentioned as a logical fit with Dart and Co. in New York. It will be interesting to see if the Giants make a concerted effort in this case with Monken no longer on the market.
Via PFR’s Coordinator Search Tracker, here is an updated look at the team’s situation:
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Hire expected
- Robert Prince, wide receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/23
- Willie Taggart, running backs coach (Ravens): Joining staff in different capacity
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Interview requested
- Charlie Weis Jr., offensive coordinator (LSU): Mentioned as candidate
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Chargers Hire Chris O’Leary As DC
The Chargers have found their replacement for Jesse Minter. Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary has accepted the same position on Jim Harbaugh‘s staff, per a team announcement.
O’Leary, 34, previously worked under Harbaugh and Minter as the Chargers’ safeties coach in 2024. As Western Michigan’s defensive coordinator, he took the nation’s 107th-ranked defense and built them into a top-10 unit in just one season. After a year of play-calling experience, O’Leary will return to Los Angeles hoping to fill Minter’s shoes after he took a head coaching job with the Ravens.
O’Leary’s recent experience with the Chargers should make for an easy transition into his new role. He will run a similar scheme to Minter and is already familiar with the roster and coaching staff. The latter may not require much turnover with such a plug-and-play hire, though the team’s defensive assistants who did not get this promotion may get defensive coordinator offers from other teams.
Though O’Leary will be working under Harbaugh, his coaching lineage is closer to his predecessor’s. Minter and O’Leary have a long history together, starting at Indiana State. The two overlapped for three years (2010-2012) with Minter serving as the Sycamores’ defensive coordinator and O’Leary playing wide receiver. Minter became Georgia State’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and, two years later, gave O’Leary his first coaching job as a graduate assistant.
They parted ways in 2017 with Minter heading to Baltimore for his first stint with the Ravens and O’Leary joining Brian Kelly‘s staff at Notre Dame. After Marcus Freeman took over as the Fighting Irish’s defensive coordinator, O’Leary was promoted to safeties coach, where he worked closely with pass game coordinator Mike Mickens. (Mickens recently agreed to join Minter’s staff in Baltimore in the same role.)
Minter then brought O’Leary to Los Angeles. He worked closely with Derwin James, taking the already-versatile safety and moving him around the field more than ever before. The 2024 season represented somewhat of a resurgence for five-time Pro Bowler after a down year in 2023, at least by his usual standards. With more time closer to the line of scrimmage, James led all defensive backs with 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss, both career-highs. He also broke up seven passes and allowed just 5.2 yards per target. James stayed in a similar role in 2025 and had another strong season, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro recognition for the second year in a row.
O’Leary will be looking to uphold the standard he helped established in 2024. The Chargers have been one of the best defenses in the league in the last two years, allowing just under 19 points and just over 300 yards per game. They have a number of key pending free agents and may not have enough cap room to retain them all, especially if they invest in their offensive line as expected. Minter had a knack for getting the most out of his players – youngsters and veterans alike – and O’Leary’s impressive year at Western Michigan suggests that he may have similar talents.
The only potential knock on O’Leary is his inexperience. 2024 was his first year in the NFL, and 2025 was his first as a play-caller, making 2026 a big leap for a third year in a row. He passed the first two tests with flying colors, so he certainly seems capable of running the Chargers’ defense, but there may still be some first-year jitters as O’Leary settles into the role.
Titans To Hire QBs Coach Shea Tierney, OL Coach Carmen Bricillo
New Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has started filling his staff, with multiple of his former Giants assistants set to join him in Tennessee.
Shea Tierney will be the Titans’ next quarterbacks coach, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He held the same role in New York and spent the previous four years working under Daboll in Buffalo. Tierney was a Bills offensive assistant in 2018 and 2019 before a promotion to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. He worked closely with Josh Allen during that time and later coached several different passers in New York, including Jaxson Dart and Daniel Jones.
Tierney will be tasked with developing 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward, who had a rough rookie year with little talent around him. He led the league in sacks, sack yardage, and fumbles, and the Titans were a bottom-three team in nearly every offensive category.
Daboll will also be bringing former Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo to Tennessee, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. After rising through the college coaching ranks, he joined the Patriots as an offensive assistant in 2019. He was promoted to co-offensive line coach in 2020 and held the position on his own the following season. Bricillo then followed Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas and served as the Raiders’ offensive line coach for two years before joining Daboll in New York.
Bricillo is a well-respected coach around the league. John Harbaugh‘s decision not to retain him drew some criticism, especially with Harbaugh’s original target for his offensive line coach, George Warhop, set to join Todd Monken in Cleveland. In Tennessee, he will work with recent first-round picks Peter Skoronski and JC Latham, as well as veteran left tackle Dan Moore Jr.
For his new wide receivers coach, Daboll is making an outside hire. Greg Lewis will be leaving Baltimore for Tennesseee after three years on Todd Monken’s offensive staff in the same role, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Lewis played a key role in the development of Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers and also oversaw Rashod Bateman‘s breakout 2024 campaign. Before that, he spent six years in Kansas City, working with their running backs and receivers and earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. The Titans will be hoping Lewis can quickly develop young wide receivers Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo into more reliable targets for Ward.
With Tierney, Bricillo, and Lewis in hand, Daboll seems to building a strong foundation for the Titans’ offense as the franchise enters the Robert Saleh era.
Chargers To Hire OL Coach Butch Barry
The Chargers are starting to fill out Mike McDaniel‘s offensive staff, starting with his offensive line coach.
Butch Barry, who spent the last three years as the Dolphins’ offensive line coach, will take up the same position in Los Angeles, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. Barry previously worked with McDaniel as the 49ers’ assistant offensive line coach during McDaniel’s final season in San Francisco
In Miami, Barry worked closely with left tackle Patrick Paul and center Aaron Brewer in Miami, with both making noticeable improvements from 2024 to 2025, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Before that, he served as the Broncos’ offensive line coach in 2023 after a two-year stint in San Francisco.
Barry is replacing veteran offensive line coach Mike Devlin, who worked with the Jets’, Texans’ and Ravens’ offensive lines. Devlin worked under Greg Roman in Baltimore in 2022 and joined his staff in Los Angeles in 2024. The Chargers had one of the best tackle duos in the NFL in 2024, but when both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt suffered season-ending injuries this past season, the rest of the O-line was badly exposed. The interior spots – primarily held by Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, and Mekhi Becton – were already shaky, and losing the best bookends in the league proved too much to recover from. The Chargers allowed 60 sacks, the second-most of any team in 2025, and Justin Herbert suffered a few injuries as a result.
Barry will be tasked with improving the unit, which may prove difficult right away. The Chargers have not provided a timeline for Slater’s return, but the severity of his injury – a torn patellar tendon – could put his availability for 2026 in doubt. Alt’s timeline is similarly unclear, but his recovery from surgery to repair a high ankle sprain should not take as long. Alt can hold down the blind side until Slater gets back on the field, but Los Angeles will still need a right tackle during that period. They could also change out multiple interior offensive linemen – potentially all three – which will require Barry to identify and coach up replacements who fit in McDaniel’s scheme.
Jim Schwartz ‘Gaining Momentum’ For Browns’ HC Job
JANUARY 27: Shortly after Stefanski’s firing, Schwartz is believed to have spoken with some Browns defenders in an effort to land the HC job. The veteran DC told multiple players to “talk him up” as a head coaching candidate, Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes. Schwartz completed his second interview for the job more than a week ago.
Schwartz, who has not been a head coach since the 2013 season, has received ownership backing to at least remain DC. This component may or may not be impacting some of the candidates’ exits from this search. But it remains clear Schwartz is a key presence in the Cleveland HC derby three-plus weeks after Stefanski’s ouster.
JANUARY 26: By completing an in-person interview with Nate Scheelhaase on Monday, the Browns have satisfied their Rooney Rule requirements and are now free to hire their next head coach.
Their decision, however, is not expected to come until at least Tuesday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. And despite Scheelhaase’s star seemingly rising in recent days, incumbent defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is “gaining momentum” to get the job, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Several coaches have withdrawn from consideration for the Browns’ head coaching job in the last week, including Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski on Monday morning. That effectively narrowed the list down to three finalists who have all interviewed with the team twice: Scheelhaase, Schwartz, and outgoing Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
If the Browns want to follow other teams’ recent trend of hiring young Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay assistants as head coaches, Scheelhaase is their man. He may, however, be wary of a job that multiple respected coaches passed on. Udinski joined Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter in bowing out of this HC search.
Between a meddlesome owner, a roster lacking many pieces on the offensive side of the ball, and what seems to be a cumbersome hiring process (as described by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on the Rich Eisen Show), Scheelhaase may follow other young coaches’ recent trend of waiting to land a preferred head coaching job, rather than the first one they are offered. He may even have a chance at a better opportunity this year after interviewing with the Bills on Monday as well.
Cold feet from Scheelhaase could be one reason that Schwartz’s name is making a late surge. But the longtime defensive coach was an obvious candidate for a promotion from the moment Kevin Stefanski was fired. Schwartz’s defenses have been the team’s stronger side of the ball for all three of his seasons as the team’s DC.
The Browns made no secret of their desire to keep him in Cleveland, and bumping him into the top job is the only way to guarantee that. The team would prefer to retain Schwartz as their defensive coordinator if they go in another direction for their head coach, but he could bristle at being passed over for a relatively inexperienced candidate. Scheelhaase has just two years of NFL experience with only one year as a coordinator at the college level; Schwartz has been coaching football as long as the young Rams coach has been alive.
Steelers To Interview Jake Simmons, Patrick Graham For DC Job
The Steelers have officially hired Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. Now, he will have to build his new coaching staff, starting with his coordinators.
Commanders pass game coordinator Jason Simmons and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are Pittsburgh’s first two candidates for their DC job, per Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show.
Simmons, 49, has multiple connections with the Steelers. The 1998 fifth-round pick spent the first three years of his playing career in Pittsburgh. After he retired, his first coaching job was under McCarthy in Green Bay. Simmons worked for the Packers for nine years, primarily coaching the secondary with a two-year stint as an assistant special teams coach. He then took on defensive pass game coordinator roles with the Panthers and Raiders before joining Dan Quinn’s staff in Washington.
Graham, 47, has been the Raiders’ defensive coordinator since 2022. He started his coaching career in college before landing his first NFL job with the Patriots. After seven years in New England, he spent two years as the Giants’ defensive line coach before joining the Packers in 2018, McCarthy’s last year in Green Bay. Since then, Graham has held defensive coordinator jobs with the Dolphins and Giants. He was then hired by former colleague and then-Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels
Hiring Simmons would continue the Steelers’ pattern of investing in players and coaches that have a history with Pittsburgh – the franchise or the city. Outgoing defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, for example, grew up 60 miles outside of Pittsburgh and played college football at Pitt. McCarthy grew up in the city, which appeared to be a factor in his hiring, and current starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is the son of legendary Steelers linebacker Joey Porter. That is not to say Simmons is not a worthy candidate; he quickly reformed the Commanders pass defense after arriving in Washington, though the unit regressed significantly this past season.
Graham brings no direct connections to the Steelers outside of his one year under McCarthy in Green Bay. In the last three years, the Raiders’ defense has been their stronger side of the ball by far with three middle-of-the-pack finishes in yards allowed. The offense, by contrast, has been a bottom-10 unit.
Mike McCarthy Wants Aaron Rodgers Reunion, Will Call Offensive Plays
As soon as the Steelers decided on Mike McCarthy as their next head coach, talk about an Aaron Rodgers reunion began to swirl.
Rodgers signed with the Steelers largely due to Mike Tomlin, so the longtime coach’s resignation seemed to signal the end of the veteran quarterback’s time in Pittsburgh. Hiring McCarthy, who coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay, has changed all that.
During his introductory press conerence on Tuesday, McCarthy said that he was “definitely” interested in bringing Rodgers back to Pittsburgh for another year.
“I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” he added (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). The two have already spoken about the possibility, but Rodgers will likely spend another offseason courting attention about his next career move.
If Rodgers does not run it back in Pittsburgh, the Steelers do not have a clear starter for the 2026 season. Currently rostered are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, neither of whom profile as a starting quarterback for a team that, presumably, plans to compete next year. McCarthy said (via Pelissero) that he was “really excited” about working with Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick who did not see a single regular-season snap as a rookie.
Regardless of the Steelers’ QB (or offensive coordinator), McCarthy plans to call the team’s offensive plays. He held that role in Green Bay and later in Dallas (after Kellen Moore‘s departure in 2022). That could affect McCarthy’s search for an offensive coordinator who may be seeking play-calling duties to boost their own resume.
John Harbaugh Retains Two Giants Coaches, Hires Two From Ravens Staff
John Harbaugh is about to complete his first week as the Giants’ new head coach, and as promised, he is making some changes in New York.
Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen and tight ends coach Tim Kelly are the only two members of Brian Daboll‘s staff that will retain their jobs under Harbaugh, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Bullen was hired before the 2024 season and served as the team’s interim defensive coordinator for the last four games of the 2025 season. His position group has arguably been the best part of the Giants’ defense over the last two years.
Brian Burns, Azeez Ojulari, and Kayvon Thibodeaux combined for 20 sacks and 32 tackles for loss in 2024; Burns put up 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss on his own this past season. Bullen also put together a decent defensive showing to end the season. His debut was a rough 33-15 loss to the Patriots, but after a Week 14 bye, the Giants allowed only 72 points and forced eight turnovers in their last four games.
Kelly also arrived in New York in 2024. He has not gotten much out of the Giants’ tight ends, though both Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger both took a step forward this past season. Kelly’s pre-Giants coaching career is not especially encouraging, either. Harbaugh may have preferred to hire George Godsey, his former tight ends coach in Baltimore, but Godsey already took a job as Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator.
Harbaugh will be bringing other members of his previous staff to New York. The Ravens initially blocked a lateral move for special teams coordinator Chris Horton, but reversed course after hiring Jesse Minter. They are also letting running backs coach Willie Taggart follow Harbaugh, per Ian O’Connor of The Athletic.
Taggart’s role with the Giants is not yet known. He interviewed for the offensive coordinator job, but that is still expected to go to Harbaugh’s most recent OC in Baltimore, Todd Monken. Monken is still a candidate for the Browns’ head coaching job, but if he does not get it, he will immediately join Harbaugh’s staff in New York, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.
Monken completing the expected Maryland-to-New York trek would only leave Taggart available for a lateral move, which the Ravens would have to permit. Given that Taggart’s hiring was reported before the Giants made their OC hire – and after Minter was hired – Baltimore seems to have allowed him to leave.
The same appears to be true of defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, who is also among Harbaugh’s initial hires, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. He spent the last two years in Baltimore and played a key role in developing Travis Jones, though he could not get enough out of the rest of the unit in 2025 after Nnamdi Madubuike‘s season-ending injury. News of Johnson’s move to New York also came after the Ravens officially brought Minter aboard, indicating that he wanted to go in a different direction at the position.
Harbaugh could also be considering a much bigger reunion with a former Ravens coach: Rex Ryan.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” Harbaugh said on WFAN after being asked about hiring his former defensive coordinator (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “A guy like Rex, he’s around the game, he knows the game. He’s going to have to get updated a little bit with some of the scheme stuff, but I’ll tell you, no one calls a better game than Rex Ryan.”
Bringing the former Jets and Bills head coach back to the NFL would be a major swing on Harbaugh’s part, especially if he hired him as the Giants’ defensive coordinator. That job would come with play-calling duties, a tall task after a decade away from coaching.
Still, Ryan has interviewed for jobs in each of the last three hiring cycles. He was a finalist for the Broncos’ DC gig in 2023, interviewed for the same job with the Cowboys in 2024, and managed to insert himself in the Jets’ head coach search last offseason. He no doubt would jump at the opportunity to return to the league, especially under a former longtime colleague like Harbaugh.