Latest On Colts HC Frank Reich, GM Chris Ballard
An owner-imposed quarterback change is generally not a good omen for a head coach or general manager, and Colts owner Jim Irsay‘s recent mandate that Indianapolis bench offseason trade acquisition Matt Ryan for 2021 sixth-rounder Sam Ehlinger has led to speculation that HC Frank Reich and GM Chris Ballard could be on the hot seat. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears from multiple sources that Reich is safe and that his job is not at all in jeopardy.
It seems Reich has done enough to merit additional time as the club’s sideline general. The Colts hastily pivoted to Reich after being jilted by Josh McDaniels during the 2018 coaching cycle, and under Reich’s watch, Indy has compiled a 40-30-1 regular season record. The only year in which the team did not post an above-.500 record was in 2019, when Andrew Luck unexpectedly retired weeks before the regular season got underway.
On the other hand, the Colts’ collapse in the final two weeks of the 2021 campaign — which featured a Week 18 loss to the 2-14 Jaguars to eliminate the team from the postseason field — is a black mark on Reich’s resume (though former QB Carson Wentz has shouldered plenty of blame for that disappointment as well). The fact that Indianapolis has not won a eminently-winnable division during Reich’s tenure is also working against him.
Of course, the team has been slapping duct tape on its quarterback situation since Luck’s retirement, and while 2020 signal-caller Philip Rivers led the Colts to a playoff berth, the subsequent additions of Wentz and Ryan did not go as well. It would hardly be fair to blame Reich for QB development when the QBs he has had to work with have been near the ends of their careers or otherwise became expendable in the eyes of their prior clubs. Instead, the growth of Ehlinger over the remainder of the season may be more reflective of Reich’s acumen.
It may not even be fair to lay the blame for the QB carousel at Ballard’s feet, as Irsay is more involved when it comes to his franchise’s signal- callers than he is with other aspects of roster construction. Indeed, Ryan’s health and injury guarantees for 2023 may have been a factor in his Irsay-led demotion, and Irsay spearheaded this offseason’s Wentz trade as well.
Nonetheless, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports believes the seats are warming for Reich and Ballard, and he spoke with one AFC executive who said, “I’m concerned for them. They’re already being questioned about how they evaluate quarterbacks, and if [Ehlinger] comes in there and doesn’t play well, it’ll reflect poorly.”
Irsay himself has responded to the speculation in an emphatic way. He said he has given no thought to moving on from either his head coach or GM, and he added, “I’m in a great spot with Chris and Frank. We’re all re-energized with the move to Sam Ehlinger. Nothing is easy but [I] feel really good” (Twitter link via ESPN’s Chris Mortensen).
Chiefs, Rams Expected To Pursue Pass Rushing Help
The Chiefs and Rams are involved in the Brandin Cooks market, and both clubs are also seeking upgrades to their pass rushing contingent. Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Kansas City and Los Angeles would like to add a pass rusher prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The most notable pass rusher that has the best chance of being moved within the next several days appears to be Denver’s Bradley Chubb. Indeed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com classifies the 2-5 Broncos as the most likely team to make a trade, and he further reports that one club has offered Denver a package headlined by a first-round pick in exchange for Chubb. Even though two of Chubb’s first four professional seasons were marred by injury, his fifth season has proven that, when healthy, he is one of the game’s better edge defenders. Through seven games in 2022, he has posted 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
As Jones points out, Denver would almost certainly not trade Chubb to the division-rival Chiefs, though the Rams would be a viable trade partner. LA, however, lacks a 2023 first-round pick due to last year’s Matthew Stafford trade, so it remains to be seen if it would be able to present Broncos GM George Paton with a winning offer. Jones says the Rams, as is their custom, are willing to trade future first-rounders.
Since Chubb is in the final year of his rookie contract, any acquiring club would want to work out a contract extension with him, according to Schefter. Of course, if Paton holds onto Chubb, he would want to come to terms on a multi-year pact as well (as Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post writes, Chubb is amenable to a contract that keeps him in the Mile High City for the long haul). Regardless of where he ends up, Chubb’s next deal is expected to pay him more than $20MM on an annual basis.
Other pass rushers that could be available for the Chiefs and Rams include players like the Panthers’ Brian Burns and the Jaguars’ Josh Allen. Jones echoes recent reports that Carolina seems unwilling to move Burns, and the NFL.com trio of Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo report that Jacksonville wants to retain Allen, whom it views as a foundational piece.
While Chubb could be dealt, Schefter says the Broncos do not plan to trade wideouts Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, meanwhile, is still likely to be traded, per Troy Renck of Denver 7 (via Twitter). The asking price on Okwuegbunam is “minimal.”
Chargers CB J.C. Jackson Out For Season
OCTOBER 24: Staley confirmed the high-priced corner will miss the rest of the season. The second-year Bolts HC said Jackson suffered a patellar tendon rupture. This can be one of the toughest injuries to surmount. Needless to say, it will require significant recovery time. This adds to another brutal season for Chargers injuries. Jackson is signed through the 2026 season on a contract that includes $40MM in guarantees.
OCTOBER 23: The Chargers lost their Week 7 contest to the Seahawks on Sunday, and they may have lost a high-profile defender as well. Cornerback J.C. Jackson, who was carted off the field in an air cast, suffered a dislocated kneecap, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Jackson will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage, but head coach Brandon Staley called the injury “significant” (Twitter link via James Palmer of the NFL Network).
Jackson signed a massive five-year, $82.5MM contract with the Bolts this offseason, and the early returns have not been promising. The soon-to-be 27-year-old was forced to undergo ankle surgery in August, which kept him out of Los Angeles’ Week 1 victory over the Raiders, and he also missed the club’s Week 3 drubbing against the Jaguars. In the four games he had appeared in before Sunday, he surrendered a 149.3 QB rating on passes thrown in his direction, according to Pro Football Reference. Pro Football Focus was even less friendly, charging him with a 155.3 rating and assigning him a dismal 28.9 coverage grade.
Still, it’s easy enough to chalk those numbers up to small sample size volatility and the learning curve that can be expected when a player is adjusting to a new system. The Chargers authorized the Jackson deal for a reason, and losing him for an extended period of time would be a difficult pill to swallow. That is especially true given that the club is already without star pass rusher Joey Bosa, who was placed on IR last month and who is not expected back until the end of November at the earliest. Even when he does return, it is not believed that he will perform at his usual elite level.
Making matters worse is the fact that Los Angeles also lost WR Mike Williams in the fourth quarter of the Seattle game, with Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reporting that Williams sustained a right ankle injury. Ironically, fellow receiver Keenan Allen, who had been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1, finally returned to game action on Sunday. Allen and Williams have yet to finish a game together in 2022.
Meanwhile, LT Rashawn Slater joined Bosa on injured reserve at the end of September, and if he returns at all this year, it will not be until the end of the regular season or the beginning of the playoffs, if the Chargers should qualify. The 4-3 outfit is still in the thick of the postseason picture, but the mounting injuries are obviously cause for alarm. Initial reporting seems to suggest that Williams’ prognosis is not as worrisome as Jackson’s, though we are awaiting confirmation on that front.
In Jackson’s absence, Michael Davis stands to see an increase in snaps. Davis has started the two games that Jackson missed this year, and he started 49 games for the Chargers from 2018-21. Jackson was benched in favor of Davis during halftime of LA’s Week 6 win against the Broncos.
Jets RB Breece Hall Sustains ACL Tear
OCTOBER 24: An MRI has confirmed the Jets’ fears. Hall did, in fact, tear his ACL, Rapoport tweets. The rookie RB also has a meniscus injury, adding further to the lengthy recovery process he now faces to be able to return in 2023.
OCTOBER 23: The 5-2 Jets are one of the league’s biggest surprises through the first seven weeks of the 2022 season, but the club may have been dealt a brutal blow in Sunday’s victory over the Broncos. Rookie running back Breece Hall was carted off the field during the game, and head coach Robert Saleh said in his postgame presser that early tests indicate a serious knee injury (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the team fears that Hall tore his ACL, which would obviously end his season.
Gang Green’s record is largely a product of its defense, which is a top-10 unit in terms of both yards allowed and points allowed per game. One of the bright spots on offense, though, has been Hall, the No. 36 overall pick of this year’s draft. The Iowa State product received single-digit rushing attempts in each of the Jets’ first three games of the season, and he showed enough to earn more playing time in recent weeks. From Weeks 4 to 6, Hall carried the ball 55 times for 279 yards (good for a 5.07 YPC rate) and three touchdowns. In Week 5, he added two receptions for 100 yards.
Hall was enjoying a similarly productive outing against Denver, ripping off a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Unfortunately, he suffered the knee injury shortly thereafter, and it appears that one of the most exciting rookies in the league may be sidelined until 2023.
2021 fourth-rounder Michael Carter posted a respectable 4.3 YPC average in his first professional season, though his presence was clearly not enough to deter the Jets from selecting Hall this year. Carter is simply not as explosive as his younger counterpart, and his 3.8 YPC rate in 2022 is suboptimal. Nonetheless, he will be asked to pick up the slack in Hall’s absence, with Ty Johnson also likely to see an increase in playing time. Johnson, a sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2019, has yet to get a carry this season and has just one catch for four yards. New York also has Zonovan Knight on its practice squad.
Cimini points out that versatile O-lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, who is now playing right tackle, and wide receiver Corey Davis also exited the Broncos game early. Vera-Tucker sustained an elbow injury, while Davis went down with a knee ailment. Both players will undergo further testing on Monday, though Davis may have dodged a bullet; he was cleared to return to the game, but the coaching staff exercised caution by keeping him off the field.
Lions Rumors: Oruwariye, Brockers, R. Okwara
Just a few months ago, Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye was reportedly in line for a lucrative contract extension, or perhaps a notable free agent contract next offseason. To say that Oruwariye’s stock has dropped since those reports surfaced would be an understatement.
Oruwariye has struggled mightily in 2022, and he was benched for Detroit’s Week 5 loss to the Patriots. He returned to the field for the team’s Week 7 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday — the Lions had a Week 6 bye — but a player that entered the season looking like a potential defensive cornerstone is now a trade candidate, as Justin Rogers of the Detroit News opines.
For what it’s worth, head coach Dan Campbell does not believe that Oruwariye’s uncertain contract situation has impacted his performance (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press), though the return of Jerry Jacobs — who was activated from the PUP list this week and who made his 2022 debut against Dallas — could make Oruwariye more expendable. Rogers believes the Lions would look for a fourth- or fifth-round pick if they seek to trade the Penn State product.
Here are a few more Detroit-related items:
- Like Oruwariye in Week 5, Michael Brockers was a healthy scratch for the Lions’ Week 7 contest against the Cowboys, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com notes. The 31-year-old D-lineman had started each of the club’s previous five games, but he appeared in just 11 snaps in the New England matchup several weeks ago, and he has a grand total of two quarterback hits in 21 starts for Detroit over the past two years. Brockers is under club control through 2023, though the team can save $10MM against the cap if it releases him at year’s end. At this point, a release appears inevitable.
- Edge rusher Romeo Okwara suffered a torn Achilles last October, which ended his 2021 season after just four games, and he has been parked on the PUP list since July. He has been eligible to return for several weeks now, but Rogers says the Lions have given no indication that Okwara is ready to practice. Even if Okwara gets back on the field this year and performs as he did during his 10-sack 2020 campaign, Rogers believes the team may not retain him after the season is over. A release would create $7.5MM in cap room, and the team’s draft position and the development of players like second-round rookie Josh Paschal will factor into GM Brad Holmes‘ decision-making process.
- The Lions continue to be without first-round rookie Jameson Williams, and fellow wideout DJ Chark was recently placed on IR. Detroit’s WR group was further depleted on Sunday, as second-year pro Amon-Ra St. Brown took a hit to the head in the Dallas game and was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the contest pursuant to the new concussion protocol provisions (Twitter link via Rogers). His status for the Lions’ Week 8 game against the Dolphins will obviously be up in the air.
- In addition to Oruwariye, Rogers names DL Austin Bryant, C Evan Brown, and LB Chris Board as potential trade candidates. The 1-5 Lions profile as sellers as we approach the November 1 trade deadline.
Jameis Winston Eyeing Week 8 Return
Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, who has been dealing with serious ankle and back injuries this year, is hoping to return to the field for New Orleans’ Week 8 matchup against the Raiders next Sunday, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Winston has been active and in uniform for both of the team’s past two games, but Andy Dalton has been operating as the starting QB since Week 4.
Last Sunday, we heard that Dalton could remain the Saints’ QB1 regardless of Winston’s injury status. Since then, however, the club has dropped two straight games, and Dalton has not played well in either of them. In a Week 6 loss to the Bengals, Dalton completed 17 of 32 passes for 162 yards and a score — good for a QB rating of 77.9 — and in a Week 7 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday, the Red Rifle threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
In fairness, top receiver Michael Thomas has not played in any game that Dalton has started, and in the Cincinnati contest, Dalton was without Thomas, Chris Olave, and Jarvis Landry. Still, a passer that was praised for being a “calming influence” on the offense was anything but in the Arizona game, and while head coach Dennis Allen has not made a definitive announcement, it’s fair to expect Winston to be reinserted into the starting lineup in Week 8 if he is healthy enough.
After all, Winston guided the Saints to a 5-2 record through seven games in 2021 before an ACL tear ended his season prematurely, and he was re-signed this offseason to a two-year, $28MM contract to reprise his role as the club’s QB1. And, despite Winston’s health concerns — which include multiple spine fractures — and his struggles in a Week 3 defeat at the hands of the Panthers, Allen said he was not considering a permanent switch under center,
Had Dalton performed better in the past two contests, Allen may have a tougher decision on his hands. But Dalton’s play has underscored the fact that a healthy Winston is the best option for a team that, despite its 2-5 record, has a legitimate chance to win its division.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones: “I Don’t Expect A Trade”
The Cowboys defeated the Lions 24-6 on Sunday to improve their record to 5-2. That mark is only good for third place in the improved NFC East, but Dallas is clearly in the mix to win the division for the second consecutive year, and it is firmly entrenched as a potential buyer in advance of the November 1 trade deadline.
Owner Jerry Jones, though, is not expecting his club to swing a deal. “I don’t see that,” Jones said on Sunday (via Jon Machota of The Athletic on Twitter). “I don’t expect a trade.” Jones said he would be “all in” if the Cowboys could acquire a player of Deion Sanders‘ caliber, which is just a tongue-in-cheek way of saying he does not foresee a trade coming together in the next week.
Jones is doubtlessly encouraged by the fact that four of the Cowboys’ five wins have come with backup signal-caller Cooper Rush under center. QB1 Dak Prescott returned for the victory over Detroit after suffering a hand injury in a Week 1 loss to the Bucs, and he eventually found a rhythm in his first game action in six weeks. The star of the game, though, was the Dallas defense, which forced five turnovers in yet another strong performance.
Coming into Sunday’s matchup, the Cowboys ranked eighth in the NFL in total defense and third in points allowed per game, and the five takeaways against the Lions will put them near the top of the league in that category as well. The picture has not been as rosy on the offensive side of the ball, but it would be fair to expect a noticeable improvement with Prescott back in the fold.
However, even the deepest NFL rosters have one or two positions that could use a boost, and the Cowboys are no exception. The team’s running back tandem of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard has been strong, but an addition to a WR corps that lost Amari Cooper in the offseason may be worth exploring, and there are plenty of wideouts who profile as potential trade candidates. A tight end reinforcement may also be appropriate in light of the knee issues that have been plaguing Dalton Schultz, issues that cropped up again on Sunday (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki, like Schultz, is playing the 2022 season under the franchise tag, and he may be available if Miami receives an offer to its liking.
As far as the defense is concerned, an already strong unit would clearly benefit from a middle linebacker and/or interior defensive lineman to shore up its weakness against runs between the tackles. Adding a player like Bears LB Roquan Smith may have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the front seven and could further strengthen a pass rush that has been performing at an elite level.
Jones’ comments notwithstanding, the Cowboys will clearly do their due diligence and will pull the trigger if the right player becomes available for the right price. At the moment, though, the most recognizable owner in the league does not believe that will happen.
Andy Dalton Could Remain Saints’ QB1
8:40pm: Dealing with a severely depleted receiving corps, Dalton put up lesser numbers than his first two starts (17-of-32 passing, 162 yards, one touchdown) in a 30-26 loss. The Saints’ effectiveness in the running game had them either leading or tied until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, though, which could convince the coaching staff to stick with Dalton.
When asked about his plans at QB for Thursday’s game, Allen did not name a starter. He explained that Winston has still not fully recovered, adding, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, “Let’s get in the study on that and we’ll see where he’s at and then we’ll go from there.”
11:08am: Saints quarterback Andy Dalton has started each of the past two games for New Orleans in place of Jameis Winston, who continues to deal with back and ankle injuries. Winston will be active and in uniform for the team’s Week 6 matchup with the Bengals today, but only because the club needed roster space for positions other than backup QB.
That suggests that Winston is at least healthy enough to play on an emergency basis, which would seem to indicate that he will be back under center sooner rather than later. However, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that, regardless of Winston’s injury status, Dalton could become the Saints’ full-time starter if he continues to acquit himself well (video link).
Rapoport says Dalton has been a “calming influence” on the team’s offense. New Orleans is 1-1 in his two starts, including a narrow 28-25 loss to the Vikings in Week 4 and a 39-32 victory over the Seahawks in Week 5. In those games, Dalton — who served as Cincinnati’s starting quarterback for nine years before joining the Cowboys, Bears, and Saints as a presumptive backup/bridge starter in the last three offseasons — has completed 69.2% of his passes, throwing for 423 yards and two TDs against once interception, good for a QB rating of 98.5
Winston, meanwhile, struggled to a 79.5 QB rating in his three games at the helm this year, leading the Saints to a 1-2 mark in those contests. On the other hand, the two losses came after he suffered multiple fractures in his spine, which certainly had a significant impact on his performance.
The Saints re-signed Winston this offseason on a two-year, $28MM deal ($15.2MM guaranteed), and added Dalton on a one-year, $3MM accord. Winston spent the offseason rehabbing the ACL tear that ended his 2021 campaign prematurely, but the contracts that the two players received from New Orleans made it clear that Winston was viewed as the undisputed starter. Indeed, even after Winston’s injury and his struggles in a Week 3 defeat at the hands of the Panthers, head coach Dennis Allen said he was not considering a permanent QB switch.
Dalton’s efforts may have changed his HC’s mind, and if he plays well against his former club on Sunday, he could buy himself at least one more start, especially since the Saints have a short week in advance of their Thursday night bout against the Cardinals in Week 7.
Seahawks View Geno Smith As Long-Term QB?
The Seahawks traded longtime QB and franchise icon Russell Wilson to the Broncos this offseason, and part of the Wilson return was fellow signal-caller Drew Lock. Seattle was said to think highly of Lock, who appeared to have a real chance to open the season as the team’s QB1. Geno Smith, who served as Wilson’s backup over the past three seasons and who played well in Wilson’s absence in 2021, was re-signed to a modest deal in April.
Smith and Lock battled for the starting job throughout the spring and summer, and Smith emerged as the winner of that competition (he also survived the possibility of additional acquisitions like Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo). And although the ‘Hawks are sporting a 2-3 record through the first five games of the 2022 campaign, Smith is more than holding up his end of the bargain. He leads the league in completion percentage (75.2%) and QB rating (113.2), and he has thrown nine TDs against just two interceptions. He has also rushed 20 times for 77 yards and a score.
Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the Seahawks are beginning to see Smith as a long-term option (video link). That is not just because of the above-referenced surface-level stats, but also because of how Smith is managing the offense, including recent audibles from pass plays to run plays that have resulted in long touchdowns. Though he had not been a full-time starter since 2014, his experience in the league and his poise have been evident, and Garafolo says the club is “absolutely thrilled” with what it has seen thus far.
Of course, there are 12 more regular season games and plenty of time for the thrill to go away. Plus, even if Smith continues to perform at his current level, he is now 32 years old, and the 2023 crop of collegiate passers should be much more appealing than the 2022 class. So if Seattle is in position to take a top QB with one of its two first-round picks — or trade up to select such a player — it would be hard to turn down that opportunity based on one productive season from a player on the wrong side of 30.
Smith, though, should not be particularly expensive to re-sign, at least relative to other QBs. He will earn $3.5MM this year (with a chance to hit $7MM via incentives), and a short-term, $15MM-$20MM/year deal would seem to be a fair price for him even if he finishes the season as strong as he has started it. That type of contract would not preclude the team from drafting a signal-caller to groom behind Smith while letting the West Virginia product try to continue his belated coming-out party.
Like Smith, Lock is out of contract at season’s end, and as of right now, his last game tape features him throwing three picks in this year’s preseason finale. Barring injury or a collapse from Smith, Lock could be looking for backup gigs as a free agent in 2023.
AFC West Rumors: Payton, Munchak, Nagy
With a young, top-flight QB in Justin Herbert and a talented roster surrounding him, the Chargers would appeal to almost any head coaching candidate. The team has once again dealt with major injury problems this year, but the decision-making of second-year HC Brandon Staley and the defense’s poor performance under Staley, a former defensive coach and coordinator, has led some to question his job security.
While it would be highly surprising to see Staley dismissed in-season — after all, as of the time of this writing, the club is 3-2 — Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post suggests that the Bolts could be willing to move on if the 2022 season does not “provide an acceptable outcome” (for a team like Los Angeles, an acceptable outcome presumably means at least a postseason berth). If Staley is indeed ousted, one longtime NFL personnel exec who has worked with former Saints head coach Sean Payton says the Chargers job is the one that Payton really wants.
Payton, 58, surprisingly stepped away from the Saints in January after having served as New Orleans’ head coach since 2006. He has left the door open for a return to the sidelines, and in July, it was reported that the Chargers would be one of his preferred teams, along with the Dolphins and Cowboys. Payton is said to be looking for a club that plays its home games in a warm weather city and that boasts a strong QB situation and roster, and the Chargers check all of those boxes. Plus, since the team is in the AFC, the Saints — who still hold Payton’s rights — may be willing to trade their Super Bowl-winning coach to LA.
However, Payton is also seeking control over personnel decisions, and Chargers GM Tom Telesco has been with the club since 2013. It would be interesting to see if team ownership would ask Telesco to cede at least some of his authority if a Payton acquisition becomes a possibility, and if Telesco would be willing to do so.
Now for more from the AFC West:
- The surprising performance of rookie Jamaree Salyer means that the Chargers have a viable solution at LT in the absence of Rashawn Slater, as Daniel Popper of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Originally drafted as a guard, Salyer was appointed as Herbert’s blindside protector in Week 4 after Slater was placed on IR, and he played quite well in the team’s victory over the Texans. Then, in a Week 5 win over the Browns, Salyer held his own against Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, so Los Angeles should not have to make a move for a left tackle while it waits for Slater to return (which could happen at the end of the season).
- Speaking of left tackles, Broncos LT Garett Bolles went under the knife on Wednesday to repair his broken right fibula, per Mike Klis of 9News.com. Bolles suffered the injury during Denver’s Week 5 loss to the Colts, and he will miss the remainder of the season. As Klis notes, Bolles’ $2MM injury guarantee for 2023 will be triggered, but given that the 2017 first-rounder is due to earn $14MM in salary in 2023 — a modest sum for a top left tackle — that presumably won’t matter too much.
- Broncos rookie HC Nathaniel Hackett is under plenty of heat at the moment, and there are rumors that he may not even make it through his first season as a head coach. In light of his early difficulties, pundits are revisiting Hackett’s construction of his coaching staff, which included the decision to part ways with Denver’s former O-line coach, Mike Munchak, and replace him with Butch Barry (who had never worked as a lead OL coach in the NFL). Hackett made the move for schematic reasons, but as Peter King wrote in his weekly FMIA column on Monday, Munchak wanted to stay in Denver, and in addition to his reputation as one of the game’s best OL coaches, he is also a respected leader who has HC experience of his own. In hindsight, retaining a veteran influence like Munchak might have been the better decision.
- The Bears relieved Matt Nagy of his head coaching duties at the end of the 2021 season, and he subsequently rejoined the Chiefs as quarterbacks coach/senior offensive assistant. Nagy put himself on the HC radar as the QBs coach and offensive coordinator for Kansas City from 2013-17, and he also worked under Chiefs head coach Andy Reid when both men where with the Eagles. It’s clear that Reid thinks highly of Nagy’s abilities, and a league source tells Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network that Nagy could eventually succeed his mentor as head coach of the Chiefs. Reid, 64, is under contract through 2025, and though he has said he is open to coaching into his 70s, it is feasible that he could end his Hall of Fame career before then. By the end of Reid’s current contract, Nagy will have had time to distance himself from the disappointing end to his Chicago tenure, and he may even find himself back as Kansas City’s OC if Eric Bieniemy ever lands his own head coaching post.
- Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. is set to serve the final game of his four-game suspension on Sunday, and as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, the league initially pushed for the maximum six-game ban. The union advocated a two-game suspension, and the two sides met in the middle at four games before the matter reached the jointly-appointed disciplinary officer, Judge Sue L. Robinson. Gay missed time due to injury in 2021 but finished the season as a top-25 ‘backer in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, and his return should provide a boost to KC’s defense.