Panthers WRs Coach Ricky Proehl Stepping Down
- Panthers wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl is stepping down to spend more time with his family, tweets Jordan Rodrigue of ESPN.com. The former wideout was Carolina’s receivers coach for four years.
Panthers Sign Dezmen Southward To Futures Deal
The Panthers have signed safety Dezmen Southward to a futures deal, according to Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com. Southward becomes the tenth and final player who was on Carolina’s taxi squad at the end of the season to sign a futures contract. The club has signed a total of 15 players to futures deals.
When a player is signed to such a contract, it means that he is being signed for the upcoming season. Only players who are not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign futures contracts, and it allows a club to claim rights to a player before the new league year begins. Typically, players signed to futures contracts–which are generally one- or two-year deals that pay the league minimum–will be cut at some point prior to the regular season, although plenty of notable players have found success after going that route (New England’s latest playoff hero, Dion Lewis, is but one example).
Southward was selected by the Falcons in the third round of the 2014 draft, and he played in all 16 games for the club in his rookie season, notching one interception and one sack in the process. The Wisconsin product was waived midway through the 2015 season, and he spent time on the Colts’ practice squad before being waived by Indianapolis before the 2016 season opener.
Panthers To Retain Defensive Coaching Staff
The Panthers have officially named Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator. Following the loss of former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott earlier this week, it was reported that the team was planning on promoting their assistant head coach/secondary coach to the open position. Wilks joined the Panthers organization in 2012.
Panthers To Name Steve Wilks D-Coordinator
With Sean McDermott having departed Carolina to become Buffalo’s head coach on Wednesday, the Panthers are now without a defensive coordinator. That won’t the case for long, per the Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person, who reports that assistant head coach/secondary coach Steve Wilks could take over for McDermott as early as Thursday.
Wilks is also in the running for the Rams’ head coaching job, but he’s clearly a long shot for that position. Thus, it appears he’ll accept a promotion in Carolina, which would keep him and head coach Ron Rivera together for at least another year.
Before joining Rivera’s staff with the Panthers in 2012, Wilks worked with him in Chicago and San Diego. The two had a years-long understanding that Wilks would become the Panthers’ defensive coordinator in the event of a McDermott departure, sources told Person, and Rivera is now set to make good on that promise.
Handing the 47-year-old Wilks the defensive reins means the Panthers will essentially keep McDermott’s system in place, notes Person. The club’s defense had its fair share of success in six years under McDermott, and while the unit finished just 21st in yardage and 26th in scoring in 2016, it did post an impressive 10th-place DVOA ranking.
Bills To Hire Sean McDermott As Head Coach
It’s a done deal. The Bills are hiring Sean McDermott as their next head coach, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) hears that McDermott will receive a five-year deal.
[RELATED: 2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Initially, interim head coach Anthony Lynn appeared to be a shoo-in for the job, but amidst Lynn’s own reported trepidation about the partnership, the Bills conducted a thorough coaching search. Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin and Seahawks DC Kris Richard interviewed for the job while new Broncos head coach Vance Joseph and Eagles OC Frank Reich were named as candidates.
McDermott, meanwhile, was also a candidate for the Niners and the Chargers were looking to bring him in for a second interview. The Bills are crushing hard on the defensive guru they did not want to risk losing him to another team.
Meanwhile, McDermott has a solid relationship with former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy and Carucci hears hears that he would hire him as his offensive coordinator. McDermott’s likely DC in Buffalo will be Carolina linebackers coach Al Holcomb, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Panthers Eyeing Steve Wilks As DC
It’s looking more and more likely that Sean McDermott will wind up elsewhere. Building off of momentum from the previous coaching cycle, McDermott now finds himself in the mix for three jobs and the Bills could finalize a deal with him today. If McDermott goes, the Panthers will likely ask secondary coach Steve Wilks to serve as their defensive coordinator, ESPN.com’s David Newton tweets.
[RELATED: Bills, Sean McDermott Closing In On Deal?]
It’s not guaranteed that Wilks will be available, however. He has already has interviewed for the Rams’ head coaching position and he has been asked to interview for the Redskins’ DC job. With that said, it would be surprising if the Rams hired the defensive backs coach for their top job and the Panthers aren’t likely to let Wilks skip town for someone else’s DC vacancy.
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says he wants to keep as much of his coaching staff in place as possible.
Bills Close To Hiring Sean McDermott As HC
The Bills are “zeroed in” on Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, who is now the leading contender for Buffalo’s head coaching position, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link). A deal between the two sides could be finalized in the coming days, per Carucci. Meanwhile, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (Twitter link) that while there are “positive talks” between McDermott and the Bills, the parties still have “issues to sort out” before a contract is signed.
[RELATED: 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
From the moment previous head coach Rex Ryan was fired, offensive coordinator/interim head coach Anthony Lynn was viewed as the top candidate to take the reins in Buffalo. However, buzz has been building around McDermott in recent days, and reports earlier today indicated that Bills ownership was especially taken with the Carolina play-caller. Buffalo’s coaching search has been especially concise, as the club has only conducted interviews with Lynn, Harold Goodwin, and Kris Richard in addition to McDermott.
McDermott, meanwhile, has had a full schedule during this offseason’s hiring cycle, as he’s already conducted two interviews with the Chargers and one with the 49ers. McDermott’s name also came up during head coaching searches in 2016, as he met with the Browns, Buccaneers, and Eagles, and was linked to the Giants.
The 42-year-old McDermott has coordinated Carolina’s defense since the 2011 campaign, and helped lead a unit that ranked second in DVOA in 2015 as the Panthers raced through the NFC playoffs en route to a Super Bowl appearance. This year, Carolina’s defense slipped to 10th in DVOA, but did lead the league in sacks. Prior to joining the Panthers, McDermott was the Eagles’ DC from 2009-10, and worked in a variety of roles with Philadelphia for a decade prior.
If the Bills do indeed come to terms with McDermott, four clubs — the Chargers, Rams, Broncos, and 49ers — will still be involved in the head coaching hunt.
Bills Impressed By Panthers DC
Although Anthony Lynn has long been viewed as the favorite to take over as the Bills‘ head coach, team ownership has been extremely impressed by Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Indeed, Buffalo is now in something of a “holding pattern” as Lynn and McDermott interview elsewhere, tweets Vic Carrucci of the Buffalo News. Lynn has been linked to every head coaching job that remains open, while McDermott has drawn interest from the Chargers and 49ers in addition to the Bills, as PFR’s 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker shows.
2017 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker
While at least six NFL teams are making head coaching changes this offseason, the number of clubs replacing offensive and/or defensive coordinators figures to be much higher than that. In addition to all those teams hiring new head coaches, who may want to bring in their own assistants, several clubs also figure to make changes on one side of the ball or the other after getting disappointing results in 2016. And, of course, the teams whose coordinators landed head coaching jobs will need to replace them.
With reports circulating on potential candidates, interview requests, and actual meetings, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the latest updates on teams hiring new offensive and/or defensive coordinators. This post, which will be updated daily, can be found under the “PFR Features” menu on the right-hand side of the site.
Updated 2-13-17 (2:30pm CT)
Offensive Coordinators
Atlanta Falcons (Out: Kyle Shanahan)
- Steve Sarkisian, offensive assistant coach (Alabama): Hired
- Chip Kelly, former head coach (49ers): Falcons have expressed interest
- Matt LaFleur, quarterbacks coach (Falcons): Viewed as candidate
- Mike McDaniel, offensive assistant (Falcons): Viewed as candidate
Buffalo Bills (Out: Anthony Lynn)
- Rick Dennison, former offensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
- Brad Childress, co-offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Viewed as a top candidate; out of running?
- Ken Dorsey, quarterbacks coach (Panthers): Interviewed
- Greg Olson, former offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
- Mike McCoy, former head coach (Chargers): Viewed as likely choice
Denver Broncos (Out: Rick Dennison)
- Mike McCoy, former head coach (Chargers): Hired
- Bill Musgrave, former offensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed; named QBs coach
Houston Texans (HC Bill O’Brien will call plays, replacing George Godsey)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Nathaniel Hackett, interim offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
- Chip Kelly, former head coach (49ers): Interviewed
Los Angeles Rams (Out: Rob Boras)
- Matt LaFleur, quarterbacks coach (Falcons): Hired
- Bill Callahan, offensive line coach (Redskins): Mentioned as possible candidate
- Chris Foerster, offensive line coach (Dolphins): Interview requested, permission denied
New York Jets (Out: Chan Gailey)
- John Morton, wide receivers coach (Saints): Hired
- George Godsey, former offensive coordinator (Texans): Could interview
- Matt Nagy, co-offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Mentioned as possible candidate
- John DeFilippo, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Interview requested, permission denied
- Mike McCoy, former head coach (Chargers): Mentioned as possible candidate
- Eric Studesville, Running backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed, withdrew from consideration
Oakland Raiders (Hired/Promoted: Todd Downing, replacing Bill Musgrave)
Washington Redskins (Hired/Promoted: Matt Cavanaugh, replacing Sean McVay)
Defensive Coordinators
Atlanta Falcons (Out: Richard Smith)
- Marquand Manuel, secondary coach (Falcons): Hired
- Jerome Henderson, pass game coordinator (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate
- Raheem Morris, wide receivers coach (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate
- Jeff Ulbrich, linebackers coach (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate
Buffalo Bills
- Leslie Frazier, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Hired
- Al Holcomb, linebackers coach (Panthers): Viewed as frontrunner
Carolina Panthers (Hired/Promoted Steve Wilks, replacing Sean McDermott)
Cleveland Browns (Hired: Gregg Williams, replacing Ray Horton)
- Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Contacted about job
Denver Broncos (Out: Wade Phillips)
- Joe Woods, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Hired
- Reggie Herring, linebackers coach (Broncos): To be interviewed
Houston Texans (Hired/Promoted Mike Vrabel, replacing Romeo Crennel, who was named assistant head coach)
Los Angeles Chargers (Out: John Pagano)
- Gus Bradley, former head coach (Jaguars): Hired
- Ron Milus, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Would have been hired if Bradley went elsewhere
Los Angeles Rams (Out: Gregg Williams)
- Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
Miami Dolphins (Hired/Promoted: Matt Burke, replacing Vance Joseph)
San Francisco 49ers (Hired: Robert Saleh, Out: Jim O’Neil)
- Robert Saleh, former linebackers coach (Jaguars): Hired
- Brian Flores, linebackers coach (Patriots): Mentioned as candidate
- Jerome Henderson, pass game coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed
- Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator (Bears): Expressed interest, move blocked by Bears
- Gus Bradley, former head coach (Jaguars): Mentioned as candidate
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Signed Mike Smith to extension; Smith withdrew name from Chargers’ HC search)
Washington Redskins (Out: Joe Barry)
- Greg Manusky, outside linebackers coach (Redskins): Hired
- John Pagano, defensive coordinator (Chargers): To be interviewed
- Mike Pettine, former head coach (Browns): Interviewed
- Rob Ryan, former assistant head coach/defense (Bills): Interviewed
- Jason Tarver, linebackers coach (49ers): To be interviewed
- Dennis Thurman, former defensive coordinator (Bills): To be interviewed
- Gus Bradley, former head coach (Jaguars): Hired by Chargers
- Romeo Crennel, assistant head coach (Texans): Denied permission to interview
- Paul Guenther, defensive coordinator (Bengals): Denied permission to interveiew
- Steve Wilks, AHC/DB coach (Panthers): Interview requested, promoted by Panthers
Panthers Do Not Plan Staff Changes
Howe notes the 49ers are hoping to bring Caserio aboard as their GM, writing interview requests will continue to come his way due to the Patriots’ success and his current job title permitting those requests. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, Colts VP of football operations Jimmy Raye III, Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane, Packers director of football operations Elliot Wolf and Vikings assistant GM George Paton represent the other candiates for the 49ers’ GM position. Raye will interview with the team on Sunday.
- The Panthers do not plan to make any coaching changes despite being the latest Super Bowl loser to miss the playoffs the following season. “This is a damn good coaching staff,” Dave Gettleman said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “We went 17-2 last year. We didn’t get stupid overnight.” Carolina could have to deal with at least one change if DC Sean McDermott lands a head coaching job. He’s booked a second interview with the Chargers. Secondary coach Steve Wilks also will interview with the Redskins for their DC job.