Latest On LeSean McCoy Investigation
When police investigators turned over the nightclub assault case involving LeSean McCoy to Philadelphia’s District Attorney last week, it sounded like arrest warrants would be issued within the next day or two. However, the District Attorney’s office has been very deliberate in going over the case, and John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com hears from law enforcement officials that the D.A.’s office is “pushing back” against issuing a warrant for McCoy’s arrest.
According to Gonzalez, there has been some tension during the last few days between the District Attorney’s office and the Philadelphia Police Department due to the delay in charging McCoy and his three companions who were allegedly involved in a nightclub fight with off-duty police officers. Sources tell Gonzalez that the D.A.’s office is hesitant to issue warrants because it has questions about the conduct of those off-duty officers, including the fact that they didn’t call 9-1-1, as well as whether they were drinking to excess.
As the D.A.’s office decides how to proceed, Dennis Cogan, one of McCoy’s attorneys, suggests to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News that his client doesn’t deserve to face charges.
“We’re awaiting a decision by the DA’s office,” said Dennis Cogan, one of two criminal defense attorneys representing McCoy. “We trust that they are really taking time to consider all the surrounding circumstances. But I’m here to say and I’m telling you that McCoy did nothing wrong, nothing wrong. And he was sober. The questions will have to be asked about the conditions of other people.”
A source close to the investigation tells Carucci that the Philadelphia D.A.’s office will likely hold a news conference on either Thursday or Friday to share its findings, though it’s not clear if that means warrants will be issued.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Flacco, A. Mack, Bills, Titans
The Raiders need to find a running back to complement Latavius Murray, opines Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Bair lists Chris Johnson, Tim Hightower, Matt Forte, James Starks and Ronnie Hillman as potential fits through free agency.
Earlier tonight, PFR’s Rory Parks previewed the Raiders’ offseason in depth and, like Bair, named RB as a position the club could address. Click here for the rest.
More from the AFC:
- Reworking quarterback Joe Flacco‘s deal and cutting $9MM off his $28MM-plus cap hit for this year would go a long way toward helping the Ravens make improvements, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. As of Wednesday morning, the Ravens and Flacco haven’t discussed a restructuring.
- The notion that Browns center Alex Mack has a clause in his contract preventing the team from placing the franchise or transition tag on him is untrue, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Corry notes (via Twitter) that Mack does have a no-trade clause, though. The 30-year-old is expected to opt out of his current deal in the coming weeks and become a free agent.
- A pair of escalators affecting the Bills‘ salary cap have been triggered, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets (Twitter links). Tyrod Taylor‘s cap number this season has increased from $1.3MM to $3.3MM based on an escalator and how his ’16 playtime incentive is treated. Bills center Eric Wood also hit an escalator that increases his 2016 cap number by $650K.
- Out of their pending free agents, the Titans are prioritizing nose tackle Al Woods and tight end Craig Stevens, Terry McCormick of Cover32.com reports. Woods made a career-high nine starts last season. Stevens has been a Titan since 2008 and is discussing a new deal with the team, per McCormick.
- Chiefs backup quarterback Chase Daniel is scheduled for free agency, but the club has too many other needs to worry about investing a decent chunk of money in a reserve signal caller, writes Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Teicher believes it’s time for either Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray to step up and take over for Daniel as Alex Smith‘s top understudy. Although the two have been Chiefs for a combined seven years, neither has appeared in a regular-season game.
- In a Monday roundup of Ravens news and notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun discusses the possibility of the team trading down from the No. 6 pick, and reexamines the likelihood of cornerback Kyle Arrington being released.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Bills, Pats
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross created a bit of a stir on Monday when he said, per Jeff Ostrowski of the Palm Beach Post, “After three years, if we haven’t made the playoffs, we’re looking for a new coach. That’s just the way it is. The fans want it.” However, Ross associates tell Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald that the owner was referring to general NFL trends, not specifically addressing Adam Gase’s situation in Miami.
Here’s more out of the AFC East:
- The Bills could use their franchise tag on left tackle Cordy Glenn at some point during the next two weeks, but if they do, it will essentially cancel out the cap space they’d save by releasing Mario Williams, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details. Buffalo could make that swap work, but the team would need to make additional moves to clear cap room for other offseason business.
- The Patriots re-hired Dante Scarnecchia as offensive line coach, a source confirmed to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Scarnecchia retired after the 2013 season but he has remained around the Pats, particularly to help with evaluating offensive line prospects in the draft. Scarnecchia had retired after 32 seasons in the NFL, 30 of which came in New England.
- Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo does not currently have plans to coach, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Instead, Mayo will focus on some business interests. On Tuesday, Mayo announced his retirement from the NFL.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
2016 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
On Tuesday, February 16th, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags opens at that point, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.
As our list of important dates for the 2016 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those franchise and transition tags comes two weeks later, on Tuesday, March 1st. Generally when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will likely wait until closer to that March deadline to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.
Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2016’s franchise tag period. We don’t know yet what the exact salary amounts for franchise tags will be, since the NFL has yet to announce the salary cap figure for the coming year. But back in November, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com projected the 2016 franchise tag salaries, based on a presumed cap of $154MM. Here are the non-exclusive franchise tag amounts projected by Corry:
- Quarterback: $19.748MM
- Running back: $11.871MM
- Wide receiver: $14.527MM
- Tight end: $9.053MM
- Offensive line: $13.678MM
- Defensive end: $15.494MM
- Defensive tackle: $13.368MM
- Linebacker: $14.131MM
- Cornerback: $13.838MM
- Safety: $10.717MM
- Punter/kicker: $4.534MM
Those numbers are unlikely to be 100% accurate, but the actual figures won’t be drastically different, so we can use them as points of reference when considering which players are candidates to be franchised in 2016.
For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject. Once you’re up to speed, let’s dive in and take a look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities….
Virtual locks:
Broncos pass rusher Von Miller was viewed as the top player in this year’s group of potential free agents even before he terrorized Cam Newton in Santa Clara and earned Super Bowl MVP honors. Now, there’s no doubt that Denver will do all it can to retain the former second overall pick. The only questions for Miller are whether he’ll reach a long-term deal with the Broncos before the club needs to franchise him, and whether he’d get the exclusive or non-exclusive tag.
Panthers cornerback Josh Norman didn’t make the same impact in Super Bowl 50 that Miller did, but Carolina still seems likely to franchise him to avoid letting him hit the open market. The franchise tag for cornerbacks is projected to be worth nearly $14MM, but the Panthers are in better cap shape than they have been in recent years, and can afford to take the hit.
Meanwhile, it has been a few years since a quarterback was franchised, but Washington signal-caller Kirk Cousins is a strong candidate. Reports have indicated the team won’t let him get away, but the two sides apparently aren’t close to a multiyear agreement, which makes the franchise tag the most logical option at this point.
Strong candidates:
A year or two ago, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery would have been a no-brainer candidate for the franchise tag. However, 2015 was an up-and-down season for Jeffery, who only played in nine games due to injury issues. When he did play, Jeffery was excellent, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game, and few teams have more projected cap room this offseason than Chicago, so it seems unlikely that the team would let the wideout get away — especially given how weak the market for receivers is this year, outside of Jeffery.
The Jets are facing an interesting predicament on their defensive line with Damon Harrison and Muhammad Wilkerson eligible for free agency this winter. Harrison isn’t a franchise tag candidate, and the Jets could conceivably re-sign him at a reasonable price, then move forward with a defensive line of Harrison, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams. However, letting an asset like Wilkerson get away for nothing isn’t great business, which is why he has been viewed as an intriguing tag-and-trade candidate for New York.
Elsewhere in the AFC East, the Bills and Dolphins don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, which could affect their decisions on offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and defensive end Olivier Vernon, respectively. There are ways for Buffalo and Miami to create the space necessary to tag their free-agents-to-be, but 
both teams already have plenty of highly-paid veterans on their books, so the decisions aren’t no-brainers. I think Glenn, at least, is slightly more likely than not to be tagged, but both players could conceivably reach the open market.
Safety Eric Berry had a tremendous comeback season in 2015, and it would put something of a damper on that story for the Chiefs to allow him to sign elsewhere next month. A $10MM+ price tag for a safety isn’t cheap, but it’s a more affordable tag than most positions, so I think Kansas City will have to strongly consider using it if the team can’t agree on a longer-term contract with Berry. As last year’s negotiations with Justin Houston showed, the Chiefs aren’t afraid to franchise a player, then work out a multiyear pact with him later in the offseason.
One position that’s significantly cheaper than safety is kicker, where Corry projects a salary in the $4.5MM range. The Ravens and Justin Tucker have reportedly been negotiating a potential extension for over a year, but with the franchise deadline approaching, the team isn’t afraid to use a tag on Tucker, if it comes to that.
Long shots:
The Jets want to extend Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Eagles have spoken highly of Sam Bradford, but it appears unlikely that either quarterback will get franchised. At least one report has indicated that the Eagles aren’t expected to use their franchise tag to retain Bradford, and a price tag of nearly $20MM seems too high for Fitzpatrick.
Like Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is a player whose team badly wants to re-sign him, but may view the franchise tag salary as too high. For running backs, the tag could be worth nearly $12MM, which would make Martin the second-highest-paid RB in the NFL – behind Adrian Peterson – by a comfortable margin. For a player who has been as inconsistent as Martin, that seems excessive.
A handful of offensive linemen are possible candidates to be tagged by their respective teams, including Kelechi Osemele (Ravens), Russell Okung (Seahawks), Mitchell Schwartz (Browns), Kelvin Beachum (Steelers), and Andre Smith (Bengals). However, I’d be a little surprised if even one of those five got the franchise tag. Since there’s only one price tag for all offensive linemen, the projected salary ($13.678MM) is left-tackle money, and Osemele, Schwartz, and Smith haven’t seen much – if any – playing time at left tackle. As for Okung and Beachum, I’m skeptical that their teams will want to invest too heavily in them, since they haven’t been consistently healthy and elite in recent years.
If the Broncos strike a long-term deal with Miller soon, it would free up the franchise tag for quarterback Brock Osweiler or defensive end Malik Jackson. Even in the unlikely event that Miller and the Broncos agree to terms quickly though, the franchise salaries for Osweiler and Jackson may be a little too high.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul got the franchise tag last year, but it’ll be pricier this season, and obviously there are more question marks this time around, given the state of his right hand. As such, I don’t think he’s a real candidate to be tagged, despite New York’s significant cap space. Bengals safety Reggie Nelson seems like a similar long-shot — he had another good season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod, but it would be surprising to see a team commit $10MM+ to a 33-year-old safety.
Finally, Tucker isn’t the only kicker or punter who has a shot to be tagged. Jaguars punter Bryan Anger, Raiders punter Marquette King, and Packers kicker Mason Crosby are among the other special teams candidates. They’re all less likely than Tucker to be franchised, but the Jags and Raiders have the most cap room in the NFL, so they could certainly afford it.
East Notes: Bills, Hicks, Cousins
Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News takes an interesting and in-depth look at the Bills‘ coaching dynamics prior to the hiring of Rex Ryan in early 2015. In 2014, the Bills’ defense under Jim Schwartz was terrific. It ranked fourth in yards allowed, first in sacks, and near the top of the league in a number of other statistical categories. Plus, there were no complaints that the system did not fit the players or that the team did not have enough talent to succeed on defense. So when former head coach Doug Marrone surprisingly decided to leave the team after his second year in Buffalo, Schwartz assumed the Bills would hire another offensive-minded head coach.
And then reports began to surface that the Bills were preparing to hire Ryan. Buffalo ownership wanted Schwartz to remain the team’s defensive coordinator, but given the philosophical differences between Schwartz and Ryan, Schwartz had no idea if he would remain the defensive coordinator in title only while someone else actually ran the defense. Ryan himself did not contact Schwartz until the day after he was hired, and that was to advise Schwartz that his services would no longer be required. The Bills defense, of course, took a major step back under Ryan, and there is a palpable sense of discontent among the team’s defensive players. As of right now, it is difficult to see the team making major strides in 2016, which could leave the front office with another tough coaching decision to make next year.
Now let’s round up a few more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- In light of the NFL’s recent race to Los Angeles, there has been a great deal of speculation as to whether the Bills will pursue a new stadium of their own, even though the lease on Ralph Wilson Stadium is not due to expire until 2023. But Carucci, in a separate piece for The Buffalo News, says team ownership has absolutely no desire to move forward with a new stadium, and New York governor Andrew Cuomo is of the same mindset. As Carucci writes, “after investing $130 million in renovations at The Ralph, staying in Orchard Park is a long-term solution that works best for everyone.”
- Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com, along with Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, identify Akiem Hicks as the Patriots‘ top impending free agent. The 26-year-old Hicks was an excellent run-stuffer in 2015, and he showed a reasonable amount of pass rush ability as well. Hicks combined with Malcom Brown and Alan Branch to form a stout defensive front last season, but considering Dominique Easley‘s injury history and the lack of depth behind that core group, Perry and Curran believe re-signing Hicks should be New England’s top priority this offseason. Reiss, however, would be surprised if the team used the franchise tag on Hicks, as the 2016 franchise tag value for defensive tackles is projected to be over $13MM.
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com examines what a new contract for Kirk Cousins might look like and what the odds are that Cousins gets the franchise tag, but Tandler does not envision any scenario in which Cousins will not be playing for Washington next year.
- John Keim of ESPN.com says Washington GM Scot McCloughan will approach free agency this season the same way he addressed it last year: with a number of relatively modest signings designed to add veteran stability to the team’s areas of need, like the defensive line and the secondary.
- Free agent guards Alex Boone and Jahri Evans would be good fits for the Dolphins, who could use some help at both guard positions, but considering Miami’s other needs, James Walker of ESPN.com does not believe the team has enough cap room to sign either player.
East Notes: Barwin, McCoy, RG3, Young
New Eagles DC Jim Schwartz identifies Connor Barwin will fit in well at defensive end in his 4-3 scheme, per Schwartz’s appearance on a podcast with Dave Spadaro (via Chris McPherson and Julie Bacanskas of PhiladelphiaEagles.com).
“I think he fits real well for what we’re going to do in the defensive end standpoint,” Schwartz said. “He’s done that in the past. I think that size-wise, effort-wise, skill set-wise, he fits well there.”
Barwin, who acknowledged his position switch will put him at left end this coming season in Philadelphia, has played outside linebacker each season since signing with the Eagles in 2013.
Here’s more on Barwin, as well as the latest from the rest of the Eastern divisions on the first offseason Saturday of 2016.
- Barwin also identified Brandon Graham as the player who will start opposite him at defensive end during an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic (per Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “It’ll be me and Brandon Graham as defensive ends. Vinny [Curry] and Graham could move inside and play 3-technique from time to time,” Barwin said during the interview. “… I’m excited because in a 3-4, it’s a lot of movement. It’s a lot of disguise. There won’t be as many games anymore. I’m going to line up, pass rush and be able to work a guy over for an entire game.”
- Darrel Young‘s special teams prowess should induce Washington to re-sign him, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Tandler writes. Even though Young averaged only seven snaps per game last season, down from 13.4 in 2014, CSNMidAtlanci’s Tarik El-Bashir would be surprised if the soon-to-be-29-year-old fullback doesn’t discuss an extension in the near future. Said pact wouldn’t have to be for much more than the veteran minimum.
- If LeSean McCoy is eventually charged for aggravated assault in his alleged role in a brawl with off-duty police officers, the Bills running back runs the risk of missing the 2016 season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. McCoy could find himself in the same spot Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson did in 2014, with the latter two spending the bulk of their respective seasons on paid leave. Florio expects McCoy to be charged and writes that an unpaid suspension would void the running back’s 2016 guarantees, totaling $4.8MM after March 9, and would allow Buffalo to recoup some of its recent trade acquisition’s signing bonus. If McCoy lands on paid leave, that doesn’t affect his guaranteed money.
- Robert Griffin III could be a fit with the Bills, but as EJ Manuel‘s replacement instead of Tyrod Taylor‘s, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News writes. In this event, Griffin would come into a Greg Roman-designed scheme that successfully used a running quarterback in 2015 — and did so with Colin Kaepernick with the 49ers in 2012-13 — and one and would do so at a low price as a reclamation project, Carucci offers.
AFC East Notes: McCoy, Forte, Dolphins, Jets
When police investigators turned over the nightclub assault case involving LeSean McCoy to Philadelphia’s District Attorney earlier this week, it sounded like arrest warrants would be issued by Thursday. That estimate was soon pushed back to the end of the week, and then to next week. Now, it looks like it could be next Wednesday before McCoy formally faces any charges.
McCoy’s attorney said today that the running back’s camp had been informed that no charges would be filed until at least next Wednesday, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). ESPN’s John Barr clarifies (via Twitter) that McCoy won’t have to turn himself in until Wednesday at the earliest, but it’s possible charges will be filed prior to then. Either way, the Bills running back figures to remain in limbo for at least a few more days as he waits to see what sort of charges will be filed against him for last weekend’s altercation.
Here are a few more updates from out of the AFC East:
- After word broke today that the Bears will not be re-signing running back Matt Forte, James Walker of ESPN.com made the case for why the Dolphins – led by former Bears OC Adam Gase – would be an ideal fit for Forte.
- Of course, Miami is far from the only potential landing spot for Forte. In a separate piece, ESPN.com’s NFL writers identify 10 more teams that could be fits for the veteran running back, including the Patriots and Jets.
- The linebacker position should be the top priority for the Dolphins‘ this offseason, and ought to be addressed by the team in both free agency and the draft, according to Walker.
- The Dolphins‘ cap situation may look dire at the moment, but there are plenty of ways the club can fix that this winter, according to Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald, who lists 10 moves Miami could make to create a huge chunk of cap room.
- Finding an outside pass rusher should be the Jets‘ focus in the draft this spring, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News in his latest mailbag.
Anquan Boldin, Percy Harvin Contracts To Void
The contracts for wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Percy Harvin are set to void today, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com details. While Boldin’s deal was technically set to run through the 2018 season, and Harvin’s ran through 2017, language in the contracts called for them to void five days after this year’s Super Bowl, so both players will officially become free agents next month.
Both contracts were designed to lessen the charges on the salary cap during the years when Boldin was a Niner and Harvin was a Bill. The void years allowed the 49ers and Bills, respectively, to spread signing bonus money across several years, rather than taking on larger charges in early seasons. San Francisco will carry about $2.73MM in dead money on its cap in 2016 for Boldin, while Buffalo will carry $2MM for Harvin.
In addition to being the date when those two contracts void, Friday also represents the day on which a handful of players will be assured of guaranteed money if they remain on their teams’ rosters. According to Corry, Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will see his $8.5MM base salary for 2017 – which was initially guaranteed for injury only – become fully guaranteed without an offset today.
Two Cardinals players, cornerback Patrick Peterson and quarterback Carson Palmer, also get new guarantees added to their respective deals by remaining on the team’s roster through Friday. Peterson’s $9.75MM base salary for 2016 will become fully guaranteed, while Palmer will get a pair of guarantees — his $7.15MM salary for ’16 and a $6.35MM roster bonus due next month both become fully guaranteed.
The Seahawks will be another team to watch this weekend — Seattle has six players who will be assured of additional guarantees if they remain on the roster through Saturday, including Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, and Earl Thomas.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On LeSean McCoy
4:02pm: Philadelphia’s District Attorney’s office is moving deliberately, not wanting to rush into anything, so a decision on possible arrest warrants for McCoy and his companions isn’t expected to happen until next week, sources tell John Gonzalez of NBC10 and CSNPhilly.com.
THURSDAY, 9:13am: A high-ranking Philadelphia police official tells ESPN’s Mark Schwarz that there may not be a decision or an announcement made on a possible arrest warrant for McCoy today. According to the official, the D.A.’s office wants to be thorough before determining potential charges.
Additionally, Jack McMahon tells ESPN that he has withdrawn as McCoy’s attorney, and that the running back will instead be represented by attorney Larry Krasner.
WEDNESDAY, 2:10pm: Bills running back LeSean McCoy, accused of assaulting off-duty Philadelphia police officers earlier this week, is expected to be charged within the next day or two for his involvement in the incident, according to 6 ABC Action News in Philadelphia. Sources tell Action News that arrest warrants related to the case will likely be issued either Wednesday or Thursday.
According to the Action News report, police investigators have sent the results of their investigation to the District Attorney’s office, and have recommended criminal charges, including aggravated assault. It’s not clear whether McCoy and all three of his companions will face the same charges, but the off-duty officers involved in the altercation are not expected to be charged, per Action News.
Depending on how the case plays out, McCoy could be facing discipline from the NFL, in addition to possible prosecution from the legal system. For the time being though, with the offseason underway, there’s no need for the league or the Bills to place the running back on paid leave, since all players are essentially on unpaid leave at this time of year.
If they want to, the Bills could cut McCoy, but based on how they’ve handled run-ins with the law before – such as the arrest of offensive line coach Aaron Kromer last summer – the team likely won’t rush into any decisions. McCoy’s $4.8MM base salary for 2016 is not yet fully guaranteed, but there’s still enough prorated bonus money left on his contract that his cap charge would increase significantly if the Bills were to release him this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC East Notes: McCoy, Bills, Jets
Bills running back LeSean McCoy has hired noted Philly defensive attorney Jack McMahon to represent him, according to John Barr of ESPN.com (via Twitter link). Over the weekend, McCoy was accused of taking part in a brawl that involved the assault of two off-duty Philadelphia police officers. McCoy has yet to be arrested for the incident, but arrest warrants are expected to be issued in the coming days.
McCoy, 28 in July, was held back by injuries in his first season with the Bills. The tailback ran for 895 yards off of 203 carries, good for 4.4 yards per contest. He also had three rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores. However, he missed one-quarter of the regular season, breaking his two season streak of playing in all 16 regular season games.
Here’s more out of the AFC East:
- The police have completed their investigation into the McCoy case and turned it over to the district attorney’s office, which is reviewing it for potential charges against the Bills tailback, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
- Jets guard Brian Winters, who replaced the injured Willie Colon and wound up starting ten games last season, will get a nice raise in 2016 worth roughly $1MM, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. As part of the NFL’s rookie wage scale, Winters’ base salary (non-guaranteed) jumps to $1.696MM, the final year of his rookie contract. Previously, he was due to make $675K. The pay bump is thanks to the “proven performance escalator,” which allows mid- to late-round draft choices to make more money if they play a great deal. A player gets a raise if he was drafted in rounds three through seven and participated in at least 35% of the offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons.
- Jets coach Todd Bowles filled three coaching vacancies, as Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com writes. Bowles promoted John Scott Jr. from defensive quality control coach to assistant defensive line coach, hired David Diaz-Infante as assistant offensive line coach, and brought in Tim Atkins to fill Scott’s role as defensive quality control coach.
- The Dolphins are adding Wisconsin defensive backs coach Daronte Jones as an assistant defensive backs coach, a source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).