Panthers Interview Mike McCarthy
The first candidate to replace Ron Rivera as Panthers head coach has surfaced. The Panthers interviewed ex-Packers HC Mike McCarthy after their game against the Colts on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
This marks a step back toward the sideline for the 13-season Packers leader, who interviewed for the Jets’ and Browns’ coaching positions during the 2019 hiring period. McCarthy was mentioned as a possibility for the Panthers’ vacancy, with new owner David Tepper‘s top priority believed to be a coach who is a strong manager of people. Tepper fired Rivera early to hit the ground running on the search for his replacement; the Panthers are unable to meet with active NFL assistants until after the season.
After firing Rivera, Tepper made comments that made it sound like the Panthers would be focusing on an offensive-minded head coach. That is the expectation. While McCarthy does not fit the analytically geared coach the second-year owner seeks, the Panthers have gone all-defense in their 25-season history, moving from Dom Capers to George Seifert to John Fox to Rivera.
McCarthy has taken the 2019 season off, doing so after enduring a similar fate to Rivera in 2018. The Packers fired McCarthy on Dec. 2, 2018. He went 204-125 as Green Bay’s head coach, piloting the Packers to nine playoff berths in that span. While McCarthy did have Hall of Famer Brett Favre and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers calling the signals for nearly the entirety of his tenure, he is a Super Bowl-winning coach who is on the market. This might not be the 56-year-old Pittsburgh native’s only interview of this cycle.
A detailed report surfaced in April indicating McCarthy and Rodgers butted heads about the Packers’ offense, which was often the subject of criticism during the latter years of McCarthy’s Green Bay stay. But McCarthy was there during Rodgers’ developmental tenure and certainly helped the all-time great grow into the player he became.
The Panthers have a high-profile quarterback of their own in Cam Newton, albeit one who is not certain to be on their 2020 roster. Prior to his Packers years, McCarthy served as OC in New Orleans (during most of Aaron Brooks‘ run) and San Francisco.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Matt Kaskey
- Waived: LB Ramik Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Robert McCray
- Waived: Brandin Bryant
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Saints’ practice squad: T John Leglue
- Placed on IR: T Yosh Nijman
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Lester Cotton
- Placed on IR: LB Marquel Lee
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Dalyn Dawkins
- Waived: LB Sharif Finch
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: DB T.J. Green (from Saints)
- Placed on IR: OL Garrett McGhin
New York Jets
- Promoted: WR Josh Malone
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: TE Codey McElroy
Titans To Sign K Greg Joseph Off Panthers’ Practice Squad
Plagued by kicking woes this season, the Titans will add another reinforcement to this embattled position group. They are signing Greg Joseph off the Panthers’ practice squad, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).
Tennessee waived kickoff man Ryan Santoso earlier Tuesday but still has veteran Ryan Succop rostered. Succop is just 1-for-6 on field goals this season. As a team, the Titans are a woeful 8-for-18 on three-point tries, having used Succop, Cairo Santos and Cody Parkey in 14 games.
Joseph last kicked for the 2018 Browns, signing early in the season after Zane Gonzalez‘s rough day in New Orleans. He latched on with Carolina’s practice squad earlier this season. Joseph made 17 of 20 field goal tries last season.
This is Succop’s sixth Titans season. He began the campaign on IR. Since returning, he’s made 24 of 25 extra points but has made just one field goal in six games.
The Titans are on pace to miss more field goals than they’ve made and, per PFT, would become the first team to do so since the 1987 Vikings. Said Vikings team went 14-for-29 during a strike-shortened season that featured unsatisfactory work from both their regular kicker and three-game scab specialist.
Panthers To Bench Kyle Allen, Start Will Grier
It looks like the move that many Panthers fans have been clamoring for might finally happen. The team is expected to bench Kyle Allen and start rookie Will Grier at quarterback in Week 16, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Allen showed well during a Week 17 spot start last year, and did enough in camp to beat out Grier to be Cam Newton‘s backup at the start of the season. Newton was soon sidelined by his foot injury and eventually placed on injured reserve, so Allen has been starting since Week 3. He had some initial success, and the Panthers won each of his first four starts. There was even some talk of Allen potentially starting over a healthy Newton and being Carolina’s quarterback of the future, but after a hot start he faded pretty fast.
He’s been falling apart in recent weeks, throwing ten interceptions over his past five games. Carolina raised some eyebrows by drafting Grier in the third-round back in April, but he’s yet to take a regular season snap. A West Virginia product, there were some analysts during his last year in college who thought he was a first or second round prospect. He slipped a bit as the pre-draft process went on, and ended up going 100th overall.
He’ll now be seeing his first regular season action on the road against the Colts. The Panthers have one of the most interesting offseasons ahead of them of any team, with reports suggesting they might look to move on from Newton this spring. With so much uncertainty at the position, it makes sense why they’d want to take a look at Grier over the final two games.
With this move, Allen’s days as a starter are likely over for the foreseeable future. It was a nice story for a while, and his rapid rise and fall are a good reminder that nothing lasts long in the National Football League. A second-year UDFA from Houston, Allen can be brought back cheaply next year so it’s possible he’ll once again be Carolina’s backup in 2020.
Latest On Texans’, Panthers’ GM Search
We heard several weeks ago from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that the Texans, who tried but failed to hire Patriots exec Nick Caserio as their GM this spring, were planning to operate without a GM in 2020. But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears differently.
La Canfora says the Texans remain interested in Caserio, who is still a desirable GM candidate. Indeed, La Canfora reported back in October that Houston was expected to hire Caserio in 2020, after his contract with New England is up, which is one of the reasons why Rapoport’s report from earlier this month was a bit of a surprise.
But if the Texans do hope to hire Caserio this offseason, they could face some competition from multiple clubs, including the Panthers. Per La Canfora, Panthers owner David Tepper wants to speak with several coaches and executives with ties to New England, and he was among those who reached out to former Patriots executive Jack Easterby last year.
Coincidentally, Easterby ultimately became Houston’s executive vice president of team development, but La Canfora says Tepper could pursue him and/or Caserio in 2020. Of course, the Panthers currently employ Marty Hurney as GM, and Hurney is a part of the team’s head coach search following Ron Rivera‘s recent firing. But Tepper wants to add multiple people to his front office, and Hurney’s role could change as a result.
One way or another, Caserio will almost certainly not return to New England, and he could have a number of options available to him. Indeed, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says that the team’s extension talks with Caserio have gone nowhere, and the Patriots are bracing for a number of defections from their front office (video link).
In related news, Tepper has officially sold his minority interest in the Steelers, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Panthers Place OL Greg Little On IR
Greg Little‘s rookie season has come to an end. ESPN’s David Newton reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers left tackle has landed on the injured reserve. Carolina activated wideout Chris Hogan from the injured reserve to take the open roster spot.
Little had a tough act to follow in college, as he replaced former first-rounder Laremy Tunsil on the Ole Miss offensive line. His performance ended up being plenty impressive, and Little was ultimately selected in the second round of this past year’s draft.
The rookie had started three of his four games this season, but he’s been in and out of the lineup due to concussions. He sat out the past two games with an ankle injury, and that’s presumably the ailment that landed him on the injured reserve.
Hogan underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this season. The former Patriots and Bills wideout will rejoin a receiving corps that has seen D.J. Moore solidify himself as a high-end receiver and Curtis Samuel eclipse his previous career-high receiving total. Hogan caught just three passes for 24 yards before injuring his knee.
Panthers’ Chris Hogan To Return From IR
The Panthers have fallen out of the NFC playoff race but will attempt to see more from one of their free agency additions before the season concludes.
Chris Hogan returned to practice Wednesday and will represent one of the Panthers’ IR-return designations. This move has been in the works for some time now but is finally coming to fruition. Carolina placed Hogan on IR in early October, meaning he can be activated at any time going forward.
The former Bills and Patriots wideout underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this season. Hogan will rejoin a receiving corps that has seen D.J. Moore solidify himself as a high-end receiver and Curtis Samuel eclipse his previous career-high receiving total. Hogan caught just three passes for 24 yards before injuring his knee.
After three Patriots seasons, Hogan signed a one-year, $1.45MM contract with the Panthers this year. With a new coach coming in for the 2020 season, it’s obviously uncertain if the team will attempt to bring back Hogan for what will be his age-33 season.
Panthers, Bradberry Discussing Extension
The Panthers checked off a key offseason task by signing Shaq Thompson to a four-year extension, and they have identified James Bradberry as another homegrown player they would like to retain.
Bradberry’s agent and the Panthers have discussed an extension, but the parties have not agreed on terms yet. The fourth-year cornerback will be a free agent at season’s end. With Thompson locked down, Bradberry rates as the Panthers’ top UFA-to-be.
“When (my agent) told me they had talked and we hadn’t quite reached a point of agreement, I pretty much understood I might be heading to free agency or I might get franchise-tagged,” Bradberry said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic (subscription required). “He just told me, ‘Just be patient.’ We’ve got three games left and you never know what the owner might decide.”
Thompson agreed on a deal that will make him a top-10 wage-earner at his position; it will take such a commitment to keep Bradberry off the market. The Panthers use Bradberry as their top corner, and given the position’s stagnant market, the Division I-FCS success story is understandably being patient for a quality deal here. Ex-Panther Josh Norman‘s $15MM-AAV contract — agreed to in the spring of 2016 — still stands as the league’s second-highest cornerback salary.
Bradberry also confirmed he will not hold out, if the Panthers decide to use the franchise tag on him. The cornerback tag is expected to be worth around $16.5MM, Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes, and a scenario where the Panthers use the tag in this case would not bother Bradberry.
“That’s a lot of money for one year. I understand Le’Veon Bell, why he sat out. I understand why guys don’t wanna sign it,” Bradberry said. “But I don’t think I’m at liberty to sit out. I don’t really want to sit out and then have the (potential) lockout year. That’d be two years I’d have to sit out.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/19
Here are today’s practice squad comings and goings:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Bobo Wilson
New England Patriots
- Signed: K Josh Gable, DE Eric Lee, S Adarius Pickett
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: TE Paul Butler, LB Te’von Coney, C Kyle Kalis
- Released: TE Cole Wick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Jermaine Kelly
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Xavier Turner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Trevion Thompson