Bills To Interview Sean McDermott
Many assume that interim head coach Anthony Lynn is a shoo-in for the Bills job, though that might not be the case anymore. Even if Lynn does want the role, the Bills are insistent that they are going to explore multiple options before reaching a decision. One of those options, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, will interview with the Bills on Wednesday, reports Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
McDermott’s name came up with a few different coaching searches last season. The Browns and Buccaneers both interviewed McDermott last season before going with Hue Jackson and Dirk Koetter, respectively. The Eagles had an “informal” chat with McDermott, though they did not formally interview him before selecting Doug Pederson as their guy. The Giants internally discussed McDermott, but they neglected to ask during the Panthers first-round bye week.
Although he did not land a head coaching job last year, it was widely reported that he interviewed well. After the Panthers led the NFL in sacks this year, McDermott figures to get a few different looks again this season. Whether the Bills job is truly available, however, remains to be seen.
Raiders Sign Garrett Gilbert To Practice Squad
In advance of their first playoff game in 14 years, the banged-up Raiders have announced the signing of quarterback Garrett Gilbert to their practice squad.
In December, the Raiders watched star Derek Carr go down with a season-ending leg injury. Then, on Sunday, Matt McGloin suffered an injury to his left shoulder. Connor Cook, the Raiders’ fourth-round draft pick out of Michigan State, took over from there. If McGloin cannot go Saturday against Houston, Cook will get the start. In that event, it could be Gilbert holding the clipboard.
Gilbert, a product of SMU, was a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2014. When he didn’t hook on there, he made the NFL rounds including practice squad stops with the Raiders, Lions, and Patriots. He has never appeared in an NFL game.
If McGloin can’t play on Saturday, Cook will be the first quarterback to start a playoff game without starting a regular season game in the modern era.
Cowboys Audition Jonathan Cooper
The Cowboys have worked out former first-round pick Jonathan Cooper, according to multiple sources who spoke with ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). The team is currently discussing whether to add the guard to the active roster. 
Cooper, the No. 7 overall pick in 2013, was released last week by the Browns. It’s not immediately clear how he would fit in the roster with the Cowboys looking to bring La’el Collins back from injured reserve.
The Browns didn’t feel like Cooper was worth holding on to for Week 17, but the advanced metrics painted him as an above-average interior lineman over the past ten weeks or so. Football Focus has assigned Cooper a 73.2 overall grade in his 183 snaps, a score that would have put him in the middle of the pack amongst guards if he had enough playing time to qualify.
In other Cowboys news, Randy Gregory may have bought himself some more time before his appeal hearing, which could allow him to play in the postseason while things get sorted out.
Coaching Rumors: Rams, Chargers, Patricia
We have six head coaching vacancies and it’s not easy to keep track of every candidate and development in each search. That’s why Pro Football Rumors rolled out the 2017 NFL Head Coaching Tracker this week. Bookmark the page and keep up with every bit of news out of Los Angeles, Buffalo, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, and Jacksonville.
Here’s the latest coaching news from around the league:
- The Rams‘ interview with Panthers assistant head coach Steve Wilks will take place today (Tuesday), a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks the Rams’ first coach interview of this cycle.
- The Chargers have requested to interview Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Broncos, he adds, are expected to do the same. Special teams coordinators are not often considered for head coaching jobs, but we have seen a few serve as interim head coaches. In the past, Toub has been an advocate for special teams coaches to get a chance at running the show.
- Matt Patricia‘s interviews with the Rams and Chargers will go down this weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Patricia, the defensive coordinator for the Patriots, must get his interviews out of the way before the Pats’ first playoff game.
Extra Points: Giants, JPP, Raiders, McGloin
Let’s go coast-to-coast for some news from around the NFL:
- Despite a report that Jason Pierre-Paul could return for the divisional round and possibly even Wild Card weekend, the timeline has not changed for the Giants star, a source tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. That means JPP is still looking at a conference round return as his best-case scenario. The defensive end is still just one month removed from sports hernia/groin surgery.
- The Raiders are going forward with the expectation that quarterback Connor Cook starts against the Texans, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Matt McGloin is not believed to be ready for this weekend’s playoff game. If McGloin cannot go, it sounds like Oakland will have quarterback Garrett Gilbert on the active roster as the backup.
- The Raiders worked out seven players Monday including running back LaMichael James, but no quarterbacks (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com). defensive end Alex Bazzie, linebacker Brandon Hepburn, safety Dion Bailey, and cornerback Greg Ducre also auditioned, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Jets OC Chan Gailey Retires
The Jets announced that offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has retired. The Jets also announced that five coaches will not return: quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, running backs coach Marcel Shipp, defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, outside linebackers coach Mark Collins, and defensive backs coach Joe Danna. Defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers, apparently, will be retained. 
“I’m grateful to Chan for joining our coaching staff and enjoyed working with him,” coach Todd Bowles said in the statement. “The respect that I have for him as a person and a coach only increased during our time together.”
It seems possible that Gailey would have been forced out even if he did not retire this offseason. The soon-t0-be 65-year-old oversaw an offense that had the second-worst offensive DVOA in the NFL this year. However, in 2015, Gailey’s offense that amassed a franchise-record 5,925 yards and scored 387 points, the most in a Jets season since 1998. There was lots of frustration over Gailey’s play-calling this year, but the team’s shortcomings under center probably played a bigger role.
The Jets are expected to target Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and former Chargers coach Mike McCoy as OC options, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com and Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter links).
Brock Osweiler To Start For Texans
Brock Osweiler will start at quarterback for the Texans in Saturday’s playoff game against the Raiders, coach Bill O’Brien announced. If Tom Savage clears concussion protocol, he’ll serve as the team’s backup. It was widely expected that Osweiler would get the start after Savage suffered a significant blow to the head. 
[RELATED: A.J. Bouye Generating Buzz As Looming UFA]
Signed to a $72MM deal this offseason, Osweiler was expected to flourish as a full-time starter. Instead, he was inconsistent at best and putrid at his worst, leading the team to make a quarterback change late in the season. Savage might not be a superstar, but he was playing much better than Osweiler in his limited sample. After suffering a concussion, the Texans really had no choice but to revert to Osweiler this weekend.
After taking over in the regular season finale, Osweiler completed 21-of-40 passes for 253 yards and a passing touchdown with no interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown from one yard out.
Latest On Cowboys’ Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory is changing agents, a family member tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), and that process could help him stay on the field for the postseason. Gregory was scheduled for an appeal hearing today (Tuesday), but his lack of representation could result in a postponement. If the hearing is delayed, that could drag out the process and leave us even further from a resolution to his case. And, if he continues to stay in limbo, that could mean that he is free to suit up in the playoffs. 
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The agent dropped Gregory and not the other way around, a source tells Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). However, it went down, the net effect is likely the same: Gregory has a right to a representative in an appeal hearing and it sounds like he can effectively stall until a new rep is in place.
The Cowboys, of course, have a first-round bye. Gregory hopes to be in uniform for Dallas when the divisional round gets underway.
Chip Kelly Eyeing Offensive Coordinator Job
Chip Kelly is out in San Francisco and he already knows what he wants to do next. The former 49ers head coach says that he would like to be an offensive coordinator, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Glazer did not specify whether Kelly was referring to an NFL or college opportunity, but our educated guess is that Kelly is looking to stay in the professional ranks. 
[RELATED: Trent Baalke Blocked 49ers From Drafting Dak Prescott]
Kelly also says that former GM Trent Baalke was working to get him fired for several weeks. Ultimately, Baalke got his way, but both men were shown out the door together. This isn’t the first time that Baalke has swayed ownership to make a coaching change. Glazer says that Baalke was the reason the 49ers elected not to hire Adam Gase in 2015, and instead went with Jim Tomsula. Apparenty, the Niners were set to announce Gase as their new coach before Baalke went to Jed York and undercut the decision. Gase’s Dolphins are getting ready for Wild Card weekend while the 49ers are blowing things up (again) after a two-win season.
This has been a bad week of PR for Baalke. On Monday, it was reported that Kelly and others in the organization were pushing for the team to draft Dak Prescott but Baalke did not pull the trigger on taking him.
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Bills Rumors: Woods, Whaley, Ryan, Watkins
While speaking to reporters, Bills wide receiver Robert Woods heavily indicated that he will be testing the open market this spring, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. Woods has been a solid WR2 for Buffalo and he has had some monster games in instances where Sammy Watkins was unable to go or was playing at half strength. Coming off of a career-high 67.1% catch percentage, Woods should draw plenty of attention in March. It also helps that the USC product does not turn 25 until April.
Here’s more out of Buffalo:
- During Monday’s disastrous press conference, Bills GM Doug Whaley says he is “open to anything” regarding the team’s coaching search, including giving up control of the 53-man roster, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. That contradicts reports from the last week which have indicated that Whaley is not interested in hiring any coach who would want to have authority over roster construction. Whaley also said that he was “not privy to the conversation” in which Rex Ryan‘s fate was decided. If Whaley is to be believed, that means he was not involved in dismissing the last coach, yet he is in charge of hiring the next coach. All in all, the presser from yesterday left many questioning the power structure and chain of command in Buffalo.
- Watkins will have another foot surgery this week, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News tweets. We don’t have much in the way of details, but there is no indication that the surgery will cost Watkins time in 2017.
- Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander says his agent has had preliminary discussions with the Bills about a new deal, Sal Capaccio of MSG tweets. Alexander joined Buffalo last year on a one-year deal worth $885K with just $75K guaranteed. Initially viewed as a special teams signing, Alexander had a career year in 2016, totaling 64 tackles and 12.5 sacks.