Saints To Hire Darren Rizzi
One of the league’s most respected special teams coaches is headed to New Orleans. The Saints have hired former Dolphins ST coordinator Darren Rizzi, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). New Orleans has officially announced Rizzi’s hiring.
This week, the Saints chose to move on from their previous special teams staff, which was headed by veteran guru Mike Westhoff. Rizzi will now step in after courting interest from multiple clubs around the league, including the the Bills, Jets, Lions, Packers, and Vikings.
In addition to serving as the Dolphins’ ST coordinator, Rizzi also carried the title of Assistant Head Coach. After the firing of Adam Gase, the Dolphins interviewed Rizzi for the job. When Rizzi didn’t get the gig, he resolved to move on.
The Saints’ dismissal of Westhoff was surprising to many, including Westhoff himself. In 2017, Westhoff’s first year with the team, the Saints’ ST unit improved from 25th in the league to 14th, per Rick Gosselin’s annual rankings. In 2018, they ranked second overall.
Colts Waive QB Brad Kaaya
The Colts waived quarterback Brad Kaaya, according to a team announcement. He’ll now be free to sign with any team of his choosing. 
Kaaya, 24 in September, was once viewed as the potential first overall pick in the 2017 draft, but ended up falling to the sixth round after an inconsistent final season at Miami. Since being selected by the Lions, Kaaya has bounced around the NFL via waiver claims and free agent deals, spending time with the Panthers, the Lions (again), and — most recently — the Colts. He’s yet to appear in an NFL game.
Last year, the Colts waived/injured Kaaya prior to the start of the season. When he went unclaimed, he reverted back to the Colts’ IR.
For now, the Colts will focus on a QB depth chart headlined by Andrew Luck and trade candidate Jacoby Brissett.
Dolphins Hire Jim Caldwell
The Dolphins have officially announced Jim Caldwell as their assistant head coach/QBs coach. Interestingly, their press release did not mention the hiring of Dom Capers as defensive coordinator, a move that has been expected over the last week. 
Caldwell, the former Colts and Lions head coach, interviewed with the Browns, Cardinals, and Jets this offseason for their head coaching vacancies. The Lions made the postseason twice during Caldwell’s tenure in Detroit. And, with the Colts, his teams went 26-22 with one AFC title and two divisional championships.
New Dolphins head coach Brian Flores does not have previous head coaching experience, but Caldwell can provide valuable counsel for him in his first year at the helm.
Capers, 68, recently turned down the Bengals’ DC job, leading many to believe that he would be sign on for the same role in Miami. As of this moment, that has not happened.
Jets Hire Jim Bob Cooter
The Jets’ new coaching staff will feature former Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, according to a team press release. Cooter will serve as the Jets’ running backs coach in 2019. 
Cooter has been on the market since Jan. 1 when the Lions informed him that his contract would not be renewed. In recent weeks, he interviewed for the Browns’ offensive coordinator position and the Cardinals’ OC job.
Under Cooter, the Lions had the NFL’s No. 7 scoring offense in 2017. This past season, however, Matthew Stafford regressed. That might explain why Cooter was unable to make a lateral move in the latest cycle, but his new job with Gang Green could put him back in the OC mix.
The Jets’ running game has been lacking in recent years, but they’ll be armed with $100MM+ in cap room. It’s safe to say that some of that cash will go towards fortifying the run-blocking of the offensive line, as well as finding a new primary ballcarrier. Le’Veon Bell‘s name has come up frequently, but the Jets reportedly won’t break the bank to sign him.
Dolphins’ Reshad Jones Has Surgery
Dolphins safety Reshad Jones had surgery on his partially torn right labrum, as Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets. Jones played most of 2018 with the injury and the operation, hopefully, will enable him to play without pain or setbacks in 2019. 
Jones’ timetable for recovery is currently unknown, however, so its possible that his rehab will interfere with offseason preparation and possibly the beginning of the season. The 30-year-old avoided missing significant time due to the shoulder in 2018, but he did see his tackles per game average drop – he had 6.7 stops per contest from 2015-2017, but had only 5.1 tackles per game last year.
Last year proved to be bumpy between Jones and the Dolphins for non-injury reasons. In November, he yanked himself out of a game after just ten plays. Jones was angry at then-defensive coordinator Matt Burke and head coach Adam Gase for having him split time at safety, but the new regime led by Brian Flores may handle him differently.
Jones finished out 2018 with 72 tackles and three interceptions across 14 games. He graded out as the 33rd best safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Dolphins Re-Sign LS John Denney
The Dolphins have re-signed long snapper John Denney, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Denney has been with the ‘Fins since 2005 and is the club’s longest-tenured player. 
Denney, 40, hooked on with Miami as an undrafted free agent out of BYU and has not missed a game in his entire career. His perfect attendance record and steady hands have kept him employed in sunny Miami for 14 seasons, and he’ll be back for a 15th year in 2019.
Along the way, Denney picked up Pro Bowl nods in 2010 and 2012 for his special teams work. He’s also shown to have a nose for the football – he has two fumble recoveries to his credit, one in 2013 and one in 2014.
Denney also boasts a streak of playing in 224 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. He’s tied for the longest streak ever for a long snapper and he’ll own that record outright if he plays in Week 1.
Ravens Notes: Jackson, Brown, Mosley
The Ravens need offensive playmakers this offseason and they believe that their best playmaker, quarterback Lamar Jackson, will help lure dynamic players to Baltimore.
“I think players respect talent,” GM Eric DeCosta said (via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley). “I think players respect athletes and competitors. Anyone can watch Lamar Jackson and see how talented he is and what kind of a competitor he is. Players also want to win, and I think that’s something that drives every professional athlete — winning games. I think they’ll recognize that about us. When they watch us play, they’ll want to play here.”
Last year, the Ravens produced only 57 plays of 20+ yards, which was the ninth-fewest in the NFL. Eight of those plays came off of big runs from Jackson, who only started in seven of the team’s 16 games. In essence, the Ravens are looking to make up for missed opportunities in past drafts. As Hensley notes, the Ravens have only selected a wide receiver or running back three times in the first three rounds of the last three drafts (Torrey Smith in 2011, Bernard Pierce in 2012 and Breshad Perriman in 2015), and none of those players are on the roster today.
Here’s more out of Baltimore:
- The Ravens have some cap flexibility, thanks in part to having Jackson on his rookie contract, bu that doesn’t mean their free-agent strategy will change, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes. The Ravens will have more cap room than they’ve had in years, but they’re still far from the top of the leaderboard which is headlined by the Jets and Colts with $100MM+. The Ravens also must focus on keeping their current free-agent class, which features wide receiver John Brown, top blocking tight ends Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams, linebacker C.J. Mosley, sack leader Za’Darius Smith, and all-time sack leader Terrell Suggs.
- Recently, we learned that the decision on whether to trade or cut QB Joe Flacco likely won’t come until March. More than 70% of PFR readers believe that the Ravens will be able to find a suitable trade for the one-time Super Bowl winner.
Poll: Will Antonio Brown Stay With Steelers?
The Antonio Brown seems to get messier by the week. Throughout the year, Brown squabbled with coach Mike Tomlin and franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, resulting in a Week 17 meltdown and a trade demand. 
Obviously, from a talent perspective, there are 31 teams that would love to deal for Brown. However, his hefty contract complicates matters and the Steelers are not eager to trade one of the best wide receivers of all-time while taking on an astronomical cap hit. If the Steelers cut or trade Brown before June 1, the Steelers will incur more than $21MM in dead money on their salary cap and gain just over $1MM in new space. If he’s designated as a post-June 1 cut or traded after that date, Pittsburgh will take on roughly $7MM in dead money in 2019 and ~$14MM in 2020, which isn’t very palatable either.
Other teams may have reservations about Brown’s character as well. His well-publicized friction with Pittsburgh may be a red flag and, earlier this week, we learned that Brown was involved in a domestic dispute in January. The league is planning to investigate the incident and a suspension seems possible – that event will likely be taken into account along with other allegations, including an incident in Florida in which Brown was accused of throwing furniture off of a balcony.
Brown due a $2.5MM roster bonus on March 17, so the Steelers could look to deal him before that date. However, there are serious complications all around and the Steelers’ best bet may be to mend fences with the perennial Pro Bowler.
How do you see things playing out? Will Brown be a member of the Steelers in Week 1 of the 2019 season? Click below to cast your vote and let us know your thoughts in the comment section (link for app users):
Will Antonio Brown Stay With The Steelers?
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No 72% (1,400)
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Yes 28% (538)
Total votes: 1,938
Rams Re-Sign QB Brandon Allen
The Rams re-signed the practice squad quarterback Brandon Allen, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. In a related move, the club also re-signed offensive tackle Darrell Williams. 
Allen spent the year on the Rams’ practice squad but was with the club for the bulk of the 2017 season on their main roster. Like many QBs on the fringe, Allen has yet to throw a pass in a real NFL game.
Depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out, Allen may have an opportunity to stick on the 53-man roster. As of this writing, he’s the only other QB on the roster outside of starter Jared Goff. Sean Mannion, last year’s No. 2 QB, will be a free agent in March.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/7/19
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Reggie Davis
New York Jets
- Signed: G Jordan Morgan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: K Phillip Andersen
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu