Panthers Interview Tim Kelly, Packers’ Luke Getsy For OC Job
Nearly 10 names have now been connected to the Panthers in their offensive coordinator. Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy and former Texans OC Tim Kelly are now in the mix.
Both Getsy and Kelly interviewed for the Carolina job, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Panthers have not interviewed everyone to whom they have been connected, but the team has met with Colts wide receivers coach Mike Groh, Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery and Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Getsy, 37, has now interviewed for jobs on two coaching tiers this offseason. The Broncos met with the Packers assistant for their HC job last week. Although Getsy also serves as Green Bay’s passing-game coordinator, he is the least experienced candidate to be linked to the Carolina OC gig thus far. Getsy did serve as Mississippi State’s OC during the 2018 season. His NFL experience has come entirely in Green Bay, where he has worked his way up from the quality control level.
In making their widely debated David Culley decision, the Texans also fired Kelly. Culley kept Kelly in place despite the latter’s extensive ties to Bill O’Brien. Kelly served as Houston’s OC for three seasons, taking over play-calling from O’Brien during that span. Deshaun Watson made his second and third Pro Bowls on Kelly’s watch, while Davis Mills showed improvement as this season progressed.
Interestingly, O’Brien (along with Jay Gruden) have been mentioned as candidates for the Panthers job as well. The Jaguars have also met with O’Brien, who spent the season as Alabama’s OC, for their HC job. Texans QBs coach Pep Hamilton has also popped up on the radar for this expansive Panthers OC search.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
With the Wild Card round complete, another six positions in the 2022 NFL Draft have been confirmed.
One of the most interesting developments relates to the Philadelphia Eagles. After losing on Sunday, their own first round pick has been locked in at No. 19, having already known they would also own the 15th and 16th selections. What the team does with that much draft capital will be one of the most interesting storylines of the draft.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4*
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5*
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4*
* = Remaining playoff teams
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/22
Panthers To Interview Colts’ Scottie Montgomery For OC Job
The Panthers’ offensive coordinator search initially centered on former head coaches, with Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden first popping up to succeed Joe Brady. This process has moved to lower-profile coaches.
Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery will interview for the Carolina OC role, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Montgomery will follow former Eagles OC Mike Groh and Vikings OC Klint Kubiak in doing so. The Panthers also reached out to Texans QBs coach Pep Hamilton, a former OC.
Matt Rhule said recently he would like an experienced coordinator, preferably one who has done that job in the NFL. Montgomery is the only member of this group that has not yet risen to the OC level in the league, but the former Broncos wide receiver has extensive experience in college and in North Carolina. Montgomery, 43, served as East Carolina’s head coach from 2016-18 and also worked as Duke’s OC in the mid-2010s. Ahead of his 2021 move to Indianapolis, Montgomery spent two seasons as Maryland’s OC.
At the NFL level, Montgomery may now be best known for being Jonathan Taylor‘s position coach — a position that recently involved HBO screen time. The second-year back rocketed to an All-Pro perch in 2021, winning the rushing title by nearly 600 yards. That certainly stands to help those around him. Montgomery also has prior NFL experience, having coached an acclaimed group of Steelers wide receivers — Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders among them — from 2010-12.
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/12/22
Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Maxx Williams (remains on IR)
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Jonathan Bullard, T Jason Spriggs
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Nick Boyle, FB Patrick Ricard (remains on IR)
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DB Mazzi Wilkins
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Stephon Gilmore, WR Shi Smith
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Francis Bernard, LB Micah Parsons, T Tyron Smith, T Josh Ball (remains on IR/Designated to Return)
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT Josiah Bronson
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Lucas Patrick
Houston Texans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Justin Reid, QB Jeff Driskel (remains on IR)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: TE Mark Vital
New England Patriots
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Yodny Cajuste
San Francisco 49ers
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Tyler Bray
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Ryan Neal, DE Alton Robinson, DT Al Woods, DB Gavin Heslop (remains on IR)
Washington Football Team
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT David Bada
Mike Groh, Pep Hamilton Land On Panthers’ OC Radar
Two AFC South staffers became the latest to emerge in the Panthers’ hunt to fill their offensive coordinator post. Colts wide receivers coach Mike Groh and Texans quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton are the latest to surface on the radar for the job.
The Panthers sent out an interview request for Hamilton and have interviewed Groh, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. These assistants join former HCs Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden, along with Vikings OC Klint Kubiak, in the mix to succeed Joe Brady.
Both Groh and Hamilton have OC experience at the NFL level and at major colleges. Hamilton has bounced around a bit, but the current Houston assistant was a play-calling OC in Indianapolis for three seasons (2013-15) under Chuck Pagano. During those seasons, Andrew Luck helped the Colts to the divisional round and AFC championship game. A former Stanford OC and Michigan passing-game coordinator, Hamilton has been with the Chargers and Texans as QBs coach over the past two years, which respectively saw a dominant debut from Justin Herbert and a quality late-season run from Davis Mills.
A non-play-calling OC with the Eagles from 2018-19, Groh did not retain his duties into 2020 under Doug Pederson. Groh, who has spent the past two years as the Colts’ wideouts coach, was previously the OC at Virginia in the 2000s before finishing his college run at Alabama in 2012. He has been in the NFL since.
Panthers Reworking Staff
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule has had some difficulties making the same immediate impact in Carolina that gained him notoriety in Waco. In two years at the helm, Rhule hasn’t succeeded in improving his team’s win total from the season before he was hired. In an attempt to make some needed improvements, the Panthers announced that they were letting go of offensive line coach Pat Meyer, defensive line coach Frank Okam, and special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.
The team struggled on both sides of the line this year and it looks like any attempts to improve will be made by new position coaches, while the special teams unit saw four different kickers and three punters throughout the year, including the preseason.
Meyer has been with Rhule since the move to Carolina. He’s been coaching in the NFL for 8 years with stops at the Chargers, Bills, and Bears. Meyer entered the NFL with Marc Trestman, moving with the coach from the CFL to Chicago.
Okam joined Rhule at Baylor and followed the notably loyal coach to the Panthers. Rhule had brought much of his staff from Temple with him to Baylor, so it was safe to assume some of the Baylor staff would end up in Carolina, as well. Despite coaching up young draft picks like Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Bravvion Roy and seeing career numbers from Brian Burns, Efe Obada, and Marquis Haynes, it seems Rhule is wanting a bit more from this position group.
Chase Blackburn was a longtime linebacker for the Giants before spending his final two years playing in Carolina. After about a year of retirement from playing, Blackburn became a special teams intern in Ron Rivera‘s staff. When Rhule came in to replace Rivera, Blackburn was one of two holdovers from the staff along with Jake Peetz, who is now the offensive coordinator at LSU.
It’s yet to be seen who will replace them, but Rhule continues to show hints of what made him successful at the college level by attempting to make the necessary changes to succeed. With young talent on both sides of the ball, Rhule may yet turn this team around.
Panthers Plan To Talk With Vikings’ Klint Kubiak About OC Opening
Matt Rhule appears to be staying put, and the Panthers head coach is now searching for an offensive coordinator to complete his revamped staff. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the Panthers are planning to talk with Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak about the OC vacancy.
[RELEASED: Panthers Eyeing Jay Gruden, Bill O’Brien For OC]
The oldest son of former NFL coach Gary Kubiak, Klint got his start in coaching with Texas A&M in 2010. He got his first NFL job with the Vikings in 2013, and following short stints with Kansas and the Broncos, he returned to Minnesota as their quarterbacks coach in 2019. Kirk Cousins made a Pro Bowl during Kubiak’s first season in the role, and the coach was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021 following the retirement of his father.
While Kubiak’s disciplined offense had the fewest giveaways in the NFL, the offense showed inconsistency throughout the 2021 campaign. The Vikings were middle-of-the-road in yardage and points scored.
“It’s something that we could have done a lot better job of this year,” Kubiak said recently (via Andrew Krammer of the Minnesota Star Tribune). “Being more consistent, sustaining drives, being a better third-down team. That’s the most important that sticks out — being better on third downs.”
In Minnesota, there’s no guarantee that Kubiak sticks around following the ousting of head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
The Panthers fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady in early December, with offensive assistant Jeff Nixon taking over in the role. We recently learned that Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden were among the names that Carolina was eyeing, and there were also whispers that the Panthers would reach out to Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/22
A number of players continue to sign reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:
Carolina Panthers
- DE Austin Larkin, OL Austen Pleasants
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Omar Bayless, TE Jordan Franks, WR Gary Jennings, RB Brenden Knox, FB Lorenzo Neal, WR/PR Matthew Sexton, DT Darius Stills
Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Michael Bandy, DL Andrew Brown, LB Cole Christiansen, DB Ben DeLuca, LB Emeke Egbule, WR Maurice Ffrench, G Ryan Hunter, TE Hunter Kampmoyer, DL Forrest Merrill, WR Jason Moore, OT Foster Sarell
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: C Drake Jackson
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
- QB Blake Bortles, C Cohl Cabral, DT Malcolm Roach, CB Bryce Thompson, WR Kevin White, TE Ethan Wolf
New York Giants
- WR Alex Bachman
Tennessee Titans
- LB Kobe Jones, DB Chris Williamson
Washington Football Team
- FB Alex Armah, RB Reggie Bonnafon
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/22
A bunch of teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and these front offices are now starting to prepare for the offseason. Today, a number of players were inked to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:
Baltimore Ravens
- DB Robert Jackson, OT Jaryd Jones-Smith, G/DT Kahlil McKenzie, WR Jaylon Moore, C James Murray, TE Tony Poljan, DB Kevin Toliver, WR Binjimen Victor
Carolina Panthers
- RB Spencer Brown, CB Madre Harper, DL Frank Herron, OL Mike Horton, OL Aaron Monteiro, WR Aaron Parker, FB Giovanni Ricci, WR C.J. Saunders, TE Colin Thompson, QB P.J. Walker
Cleveland Browns
- TE Miller Forristall, G Hjalte Froholdt, TE Nick Guggemos, CB Nate Meadors, G David Moore, FB Johnny Stanton, OT Alex Taylor, DE Curtis Weaver
Denver Broncos
- TE Shaun Beyer, RB Damarea Crockett, WR Travis Fulgham, OT Drew Himmelman, G Zack Johnson, LB Barrington Wade
Detroit Lions
- DE Eric Banks, LB Tavante Beckett, DE Bruce Hector, WR Javon McKinley, QB Steven Montez, CB Parnell Motley, OT Dan Skipper, CB Saivion Smith, TE Shane Zylstra
Houston Texans
- RB Darius Anderson, WR Jalen Camp, G Sam Cooper, DT Michael Dwumfour, OL Jake Eldrenkamp, DB T.J. Green, DE Demone Harris, WR Damon Hazelton, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, FB Paul Quessenberry, OL Jordan Steckler, LB Connor Strachan, LB Josh Watson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Jeff Cotton, RB Nathan Cottrell, OL Coy Cronk, WR Josh Hammond, OL Jared Hocker, WR Tim Jones, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, OL Badara Traore
Minnesota Vikings
- LB Tuf Borland, S Myles Dorn, WR Trishton Jackson, WR Myron Mitchell, CB Parry Nickerson, T Timon Parris, RB A.J. Rose, DT T.J. Smith
New Orleans Saints
- WR Kawaan Baker, LB Sharif Finch, OT Jerald Hawkins, DT Braxton Hoyett, DB Dylan Mabin, DB Jordan Miller, DB KeiVarae Russell, WR Easop Winston
New York Giants
- LB Omari Cobb, OT Devery Hamilton, LB Trent Harris, TE Jake Hausmann, DE Niko Lalos, QB Brian Lewerke, DT David Moamat, WR Travis Toivonen
New York Jets
- K Matt Ammendola, WR Tarik Black, TE Brandon Dillon, OL Grant Hermanns, WR D.J. Montgomery, OL Ross Pierschbacher, DL Hamilcar Rashed, OL Dru Samia, DL Tanzel Smart, OL Isaiah Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Myles Adams, WR Matt Cole, LB Aaron Donkor, T Greg Eiland, WR Aaron Fuller, DT Jarrod Hewitt, CB Michael Jackson, WR Cade Johnson, G Pier-Olivier Lestage, DT Niles Scott, WR Cody Thompson, LB Lakiem Williams
Washington Football Team
- G Zack Bailey, C/G Beau Benzschawel, G Deion Calhoun, DT Tyler Clark, WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR Kelvin Harmon, G Nolan Laufenberg, WR Marken Michel