Cardinals, Jaguars Interview John DeFilippo
The Jaguars interviewed former Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo for their OC position, according to Mike Kaye of NJ.com (on Twitter). DeFilippo also met with the Cardinals regarding their OC vacancy, per 98.7 FM’s John Gambadoro. 
DeFilippo was a hot name in coaching circles after helping to guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory last year, but things fell apart for him in Minnesota. As the offense sputtered, the Vikings canned DeFilippo in December, bringing his tenure to a close after less than one season.
Apparently, the brief run in Minnesota has not damaged DeFilippo’s reputation around the league. He didn’t click with Kirk Cousins, but he did get great performances out of Carson Wentz and late season fill-in Nick Foles in 2017. Both the Cardinals and Jaguars could use a quarterback whisperer, and that was likely the basis for DeFilippo’s pitch in both interviews.
In his 13 games as the Vikings’ OC, the club went just 6-6-1. Before his dismissal, the Vikings went five straight games without topping 24 points.
Jaguars To Interview Gary Kubiak
Gary Kubiak will not be joining the Broncos, but he’s still after offensive coordinator positions. With that in mind, he’ll interview with the Jaguars on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Kubiak is still technically under contract as the Broncos’ senior personnel advisor, but GM John Elway appears wiling to let Kubiak out of his contract for a coaching job, Rapoport hears. This is a slight departure from Elway’s position a few weeks ago, when he was warding off interested suitors such as the the Bengals and Falcons. At the time, Kubiak was in line for Denver’s OC gig, but the two men had some disagreements when it came time for Kubiak to formally sign up as a lieutenant to new head coach Vic Fangio.
As a head coach, Kubiak has a career 82-75 mark, including a 21-11 record across his two seasons with the Broncos. In his first year as the Broncos’ HC, Denver won Super Bowl 50 with a memorable win over the Panthers.
Browns Hire Todd Monken, Steve Wilks
The Browns’ coaching staff is officially set. On Monday, the Browns officially announced the hiring of Todd Monken as the new offensive coordinator and Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator. In addition to those hires, the club appointed Mike Priefer as special teams coordinator, Stump Mitchell as the running backs coach/run game coordinator, James Campen as offensive line coach/associate head coach, and Ryan Lindley as quarterbacks coach.
Monken has a reputation for savvy play calling, even though Buccaneers’ offense was inconsistent in 2018. The Bucs didn’t consider him as a potential replacement for head coach Dirk Koetter, but other clubs were eager to talk with him. The Bengals, Packers, and Jets all interviewed him for their head coaching vacancies and several clubs showed keen interest in bringing him on as their new OC. Ultimately, Monken chose the Browns, who offer tremendous potential and a potential star quarterback in Baker Mayfield.
Wilks was one-and-done as the Cardinals’ head coach after the team limped to a 3-13 record. His defense did not perform up to par in Arizona, but he built a reputation for himself as a smart defensive mind in Carolina. In his six seasons with the Panthers (five as defensive backs coach, one as DC), the club finished with a top 10 defense five times.
Cowboys To Keep OC Scott Linehan
Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will return for the 2019 season, according to head coach Jason Garrett (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas News). Furthermore, Garrett said he doesn’t expect any significant changes to the coaching staff. 
The Cowboys gave serious though to firing Linehan after the 2017 season and mulled a change during the team’s bye week in October. Ultimately, they stuck with him, and the Cowboys’ playoff run in January may have saved his job. The Cowboys won their divisional round game against the Seahawks before being forced out on Saturday by the Rams.
When Linehan refused to meet with reporters after the loss to L.A., many assumed he was done with the Cowboys. However, that’s not the case. Garrett is opting for consistency over change, perhaps with a belief that the return of Travis Frederick will restore order to the offense.
The Cowboys averaged 343.8 yards per game in 2018, good for just 22nd in the NFL. They also finished tenth in rushing yards, which probably fell below expectations given the presence of Ezekiel Elliott and the team’s reputation for having one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
49ers Deny Broncos Request To Interview Rich Scangarello
It was reported the Broncos were set to interview 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello for their offensive coordinator job on Monday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, the team had its request for an interview denied by San Francisco, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
Scangarello has been a key assistant under Kyle Shanahan since their days together in Atlanta, and the 49ers head coach appears to value him immensely by denying the request.
As Pelissero notes, Scangarello had a big role getting Nick Mullens ready for action in 2018. Mullens was promoted to the active roster right after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with his season-ending injury in September and wound up starting on November 1. His debut was stellar – he completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 262 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, as the 49ers blew out the Raiders 34–3 on Thursday Night Football. There were still roadblocks for Mullens and the Niners (particularly due to their injuries), but the team went 3-5 during his second half stretch.
The Broncos thought they had their OC in Gary Kubiak, but that deal went south on Friday. With Scangarello now also out of the picture, the team will continue its search. Mike Munchak may be a candidate for the post.
Dolphins Likely To Hire Brian Flores
The Dolphins have narrowed the focus of their head coaching search to Patriots defensive assistant Brian Flores, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. There’s no deal yet and nothing official, but Flores is “their target,” according to Rapoport. 
Because the Patriots are still in the playoffs, they cannot formally hire Flores until the Pats are finished. In theory, that could be dicey for the Dolphins, especially after the Colts got gypped by another Patriots assistant in last year’s cycle. However, given McDaniels’ inability to gain real traction for head coaching jobs this year, it seems unlikely that Flores would risk his reputation with a flip-flop.
Flores has become a far more attractive candidate than he was a year ago, when the Cardinals met with him about their HC opening. The 37-year-old de facto defensive coordinator has been considered a leading candidate in Miami ever since the New Year began, and he’s now primed to take over Adam Gase‘s old post.
The Patriots turned to Flores as their top defensive assistant following Matt Patricia‘s defection to Detroit, but he was not awarded the DC title right away. Presumably, he’d get that title by staying put for 2019, but the allure of a head coaching job will probably pull him away from the nest.
In 2018, the Patriots ranked 21st in yards allowed but seventh in scoring. The Pats have only had one non-top-10 scoring defense in the past 13 seasons and Flores has been a part of their past eight defensive coaching staffs.
Broncos To Meet With Mike Munchak
The Broncos’ agreement with Gary Kubiak went bust, but they’re still intent on adding experience to Vic Fangio‘s staff. The Broncos notified the Steelers of their intention to speak with Mike Munchak, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Munchak’s contract with the Steelers has (or will soon) expire, so the Steelers wouldn’t truly have the means to block him from taking a clear promotion elsewhere. Munchak’s possible role in Denver is unknown, but he would fit as a logical OC candidate to fill the role that was set aside for Kubiak.
Just days ago, Munchak was interviewing with the Broncos in their head coaching search. He did not get the nod, but he did impress and he wound up as a finalist alongside Fangio.
Munchak is widely regarded as one of the league’s best offensive line coaches in the NFL. Under his command, the Steelers’ front five helped transform Le’Veon Bell into a star and also made backup James Conner
Munchak served as the Titans’ coach from 2011-13 and has overseen one of the NFL’s best offensive lines in recent years. Pittsburgh’s front helped turn Le’Veon Bell into a star and James Conner into a quickly capable replacement while also aiding Ben Roethlisberger to four straight Pro Bowls and a 2018 5,000-yard season.
Steelers OL coach Mike Munchak is among the best at what he does, and Denver had him in the final 2 for their HC interviews. Possibly adding both Munchak and Vic Fangio would be quite a coup for the #Broncos… and clearly a rough loss for Pittsburgh.
Gary Kubiak Will Not Join Broncos As OC
Gary Kubiak is not returning to Denver’s sidelines after all. The veteran coach was not able to reach agreement on a deal with the Broncos to become their new offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Kubiak and the Broncos “had different ideas on staffing and offensive philosophies,” Schefter writes, and both sides are now going in a different direction. Kubiak will have no shortage of suitors and could very well land another OC gig elsewhere.
Initially, the idea was to bring Kubiak on board to counterbalance Vic Fangio‘s lack of head coaching experience and overall offensive acumen. Fangio has been a DC with five different teams, but never a head coach in his 40-ish years of coaching.
Earlier this month, the Broncos blocked other teams from interviewing Kubiak for OC jobs and Kubiak’s preference was reportedly to stay in Denver under any circumstances. Somewhere along the way, things changes. The Bengals and Falcons both requested interviews with Kubiak, so those could be two potential landing spots for the 57-year-old.
Following his brief but successful stint in Baltimore, Kubiak returned to Denver to accept his “dream job” as the Broncos’ head coach. But, after two years as sideline general, health issues forced Kubiak into an executive role. He was also rumored to be a viable OC candidate last offseason, but GM John Elway expanded Kubiak’s front office responsibilities in order to keep him in the fold.
Steelers Hire Teryl Austin
The Steelers hired former Bengals’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to serve as a senior defensive assistant, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In Pittsburgh, Austin’s focus will be on the secondary. 
After the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Austin was in the mix for head coaching jobs around the league. In 2018, he pushed for the Lions to promote him from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jim Caldwell was fired, but the team was dead set on hiring Matt Patricia. When that became apparent to Austin, he hooked on with the Bengals to serve under Lewis.
Unfortunately, things did not work out with the Bengals. He was canned in November after the Bengals suffered a brutal one-sided loss to the Saints.
In other Steelers news, the club seems open to trading star wide receiver Antonio Brown. It’s a big departure from their stance just a couple of weeks ago when Brown blew up at teammates and coaches in practice.
Nathaniel Hackett Meeting With Packers
Former Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is in Green Bay interviewing for a top offensive job on the Packers‘ staff, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He previously interviewed with the Lions for their OC job, Rapoport adds.
It’s not immediately clear whether Hackett is up for Green Bay’s OC job, but he’s presumably in the mix to be Matt LaFleur‘s top offensive lieutenant. The Lions job is still open, meanwhile, so Hackett could land on his feet after his November dismissal from Jacksonville.
Hackett joined the Jaguars as their quarterbacks coach in 2015 and took over as offensive coordinator midway through the 2016 season. The Jaguars finished sixth in total offense and first in rushing offense last year, but they were unable to reprise that performance in 2018 under Hackett.