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Titans Request Interview With Ravens’ Dennard Wilson For DC Job

January 25th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson continues to receive interest in defensive coordinator positions around the NFL. Once rumored to be the heir apparent for the job in Philadelphia and having already interviewed for a coordinator position in New York this month, Wilson will add the Titans to his list of teams with interest as, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Tennessee is the latest team to request an interview with Wilson for a defensive coordinator job.

A Maryland native, Wilson had a short stint as a player in nearby Washington, D.C., after going undrafted as a defensive back out of Maryland. It didn’t take long for him to turn to the non-playing side of football, taking a job as a pro scout for the Bears in 2008. Wilson found his way to coaching in 2012 when he joined the Rams as a defensive quality control coach, only taking three years to get promoted to defensive backs coach.

Since then, Wilson has widely been regarded as one of the league’s better defensive backs coaches, spending time with the Jets and Eagles before his role in Baltimore. In both previous locations, he even eventually added the role of passing game coordinator to his title. During his time with the Eagles, Wilson’s unit helped lead the league’s top pass defense and second-overall defense in total yards allowed. First-team All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry, Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, and converted safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson all flourished in Wilson’s room, with Gardner-Johnson even leading the league in interceptions following the position change from slot cornerback.

For a time, it was thought that Wilson was the clear choice to take over at defensive coordinator for the Eagles whenever Jonathan Gannon moved on to a head coaching job. Unfortunately, the team ended up hiring Sean Desai instead, a decision that reflects poorly a year later. After getting passed up for the gig, Wilson found his way to Baltimore where he has helped yet another defensive unit reach elite status. This year Wilson has guided the blossoming of second-year safety Kyle Hamilton, watched converted cornerback Brandon Stephens take over as a full-time starter after switching from safety, and coached backup safety Geno Stone as he went toe-to-toe with Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland for the interception title.

Now, Wilson will get a chance to interview for the Titans’ job. He will, in fact, be the first to interview for the Titans’ job, just as he was the first to interview with the Giants. This wasn’t technically a job we knew to be open. Technically, Shane Bowen still resides as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, but with head coach Mike Vrabel no longer employed, Bowen and the rest of his staff have been actively interviewing for open positions elsewhere.

Bowen may still get an opportunity to keep his job under new head coach Brian Callahan, but the fact that Wilson has been invited to interview suggests that the position is open. If Bowen is still a candidate, his first competition will be with the position coach coaching in the AFC Championship game this weekend.

Chargers To Bring In Ravens’ Joe Hortiz For Second GM Interview

January 24th, 2024 at 10:11pm CST by Ely Allen

After landing their desired option at head coach earlier today, the Chargers appear to be moving forward with their hiring process for a new general manager. After hosting Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown today for a second interview, the Chargers are now set to host Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz for a second, in-person interview tomorrow, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Hortiz has worked his way through the ranks in Baltimore’s front office since joining the franchise in 1998. Beginning in the scouting department, he became the team’s director of college scouting and enjoyed considerable success in the role. Hortiz held that position for 10 years before being promoted once again in 2019. He has overseen both pro and college scouting ever since.

The Chargers have been without Tom Telesco at the helm since he was dismissed alongside Brandon Staley midway through the season. The team thus has a vacancy at general manager for the first time since 2013. As is the case for the team’s coaching search, the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert on a long-term deal will likely make the Los Angeles posting an attractive one, but the roster does include a number of veterans on pricey contracts. Plenty of work will need to be done over the short and long term for the new general manager to sustainably set the team up for postseason contention during Herbert’s prime.

Here is an updated look at the Chargers’ GM search:

Falcons Request Second HC Interviews With Ravens’ Mike Macdonald, Anthony Weaver

January 23rd, 2024 at 7:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

TODAY, 7:46pm: As expected, the Falcons also invited back Raheem Morris for a second interview. The team announced this evening that they’ve completed their second talk with the Rams defensive coordinator.

MONDAY, 3:25pm: More finalists for the Falcons’ head coaching position have emerged. Atlanta has requested a second interview with Ravens staffers Mike Macdonald and Anthony Weaver, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

With the Ravens having advanced to the AFC title game, members of their coaching staff cannot take part in interviews this week. When available, however, they will be able to meet in person with the Falcons as their search for an Arthur Smith replacement continues. The leading candidate in that department continues to be Bill Belichick, but nothing is certain as of yet.

Atlanta is poised to conduct a thorough search even though the team has already spoken with Belichick twice. The six-time Super Bowl winner is joined by Jim Harbaugh in receiving an in-person look so far with Atlanta. As coaching free agents, those two are not subject to the rules of staffers currently employed in the NFL. Atlanta must still satisfy the Rooney Rule, however, something which will be the case once the team speaks for a second time with Weaver and another external minority candidate.

While Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the favorite to win a second MVP award, Baltimore’s defense has played a massive role in the team’s success this season. The unit led the league in sacks, takeaways (tied) and points allowed, something which has not been done before in NFL history. That has, to no surprise, led to signficant HC interest for Macdonald in particular.

The 36-year-old returned to the Ravens last year after a single season as Michigan’s DC. His three total years as a play-caller limit his experience compared to a number of other candidates, but the Falcons are joined by the Panthers, Chargers, Seahawks, Titans and Commanders in being at least connected to him. A strong showing in the postseason – the Ravens’ defense allowed three points in their win against the Texans – has no doubt upped Macdonald’s value.

The same is true for Weaver, who interviewed with the Commanders for their head coaching vacancy. His NFL coaching career dates back to 2012, and he has extensive experience as a D-line coach. The 43-year-old has also worked as a coordinator once (with the Texans in 2020), and for the past two seasons he has held the title of associate head coach with the Ravens.

Both Macdonald and Weaver figure to be in demand if they ca replicate their performances this week against the Chiefs. After that contest, they will be free to speak with the Falcons or any other teams taking a serious look at them for a head coaching gig.

Ravens Activate Two From IR, Sign RB Melvin Gordon Back To PS

January 19th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Ravens fans have been sitting on their hands for nearly three weeks now since the team clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC and began resting its starters in anticipation for a playoff run. The wait ends tomorrow with a matchup against the visiting Texans, and the Ravens made a number of roster moves in order to prepare for the divisional-round game.

First, Baltimore brought in some reinforcements from injured reserve. While this move has been expected for some days now, it’s been unclear who exactly would be filling the team’s recent roster vacancies until today. Things became more clear when it was announced that star tight end Mark Andrews, who had been designated for return from IR, would not be available to play against the Texans. With that decision made for them, the Ravens went forward with the activations of wide receiver Devin Duvernay and defensive back Ar’Darius Washington from IR.

Duvernay adds wide receiver depth on the offense but mostly serves as the team’s return specialist. A former All-Pro as a return man, Duvernay was the only Raven returning any kickoffs or punts up until his injury. With his replacement, Tylan Wallace, declared out for Saturday with a knee injury, returning duties will fall directly back on Duvernay’s shoulders.

Washington, a former undrafted safety out of TCU, spent most of his first two years in the NFL as a special teamer and practice squad defender. The team was expecting a big 2023 season out of Washington after he opened the year as the Ravens’ starting nickel cornerback, but a chest injury landed him on IR after only Week 2, and he’s been out ever since. With star cornerback Marlon Humphrey out for tomorrow’s game with a calf injury, the depth Washington adds at cornerback will be welcome.

Additionally, running back Melvin Gordon, one of the players removed from the 53-man roster in order to make room for Duvernay, Washington, and Dalvin Cook, will remain in Baltimore under a new practice squad deal. The veteran rusher played a prominent role in the team’s Week 18 game as the Ravens attempted to rest Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but a lost fumble early in the game forced the team not to take any chances. They’ve now subbed Cook in for Gordon on the active roster, but Gordon will now be available in case of emergency off of the practice squad after clearing waivers.

Lastly, the Ravens announced their standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s game. Wide receiver Dan Chisena and linebacker Josh Ross will suit up with the active roster against the Texans. Houston, on the other hand, made the decision not to elevate any practice squad players for the second week in a row.

Ravens Designate Mark Andrews For Return

January 19th, 2024 at 10:22am CST by Adam La Rose

JANUARY 19: While an initial report indicated the Ravens were planning to activate Andrews for their divisional-round game, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates the team will hold off on that. The No. 1-seeded club will not move Andrews back to its 53-man roster before Saturday’s Texans tilt, with Rapoport adding an AFC championship return — provided Baltimore qualifies for that round for the first time in 11 years — has been the goal.

Andrews logged full practices on Wednesday and Thursday this week, but the Ravens will remain cautious with their top pass catcher.

JANUARY 12: As the Ravens continue with their bye week ahead of the wild-card round, they have received encouraging news on the injury front. Tight end Mark Andrews was designated for return from injured reserve on Friday, and he took part in the day’s practice session.

The move opens Andrews’ 21-day day activation window and marks another signficant step in his recovery process. The All-Pro suffered a cracked fibula as well as ligament damage in his ankle in November, an injury which threatened to end his season. After undergoing surgery, however, it became clear the Ravens were holding out hope that he would manage to return at some point down the road.

Andrews has had a successful recovery process to date, strengthening the belief that he could suit up in the event Baltimore made a deep postseason run. By securing the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens earned an extra week of recovery for the three-time Pro Bowler, who was enjoying another productive campaign prior to the injury. Andrews totaled 544 yards and six touchdowns on 45 catches across 10 games before going down.

The former third-rounder has been quarterback Lamar Jackson‘s preferred target in the passing game throughout his career. Andrews has remained a focal point of Baltimore’s offense since signing a four-year, $56MM extension in 2021, but his absence has opened the door for another key contributor on offense in recent weeks. 2022 fourth-rounder Isaiah Likely has taken on a starting role in Andrews’ absence, and he has impressed with the increased workload so far.

Likely has posted a 30-411-5 statline this season, with much of his production coming after Andrews was sidelined. In general, the Ravens’ offense has managed to hold up better than expected with Andrews (along with running backs J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell, who are out for the year) on the sidelines. Still, his return to the lineup in time for the divisional round would be a major boost to Baltimore’s Super Bowl aspirations.

Andrews now joins wideout/returner Devin Duvernay as well as defensive back Ar’Darius Washington in having his practice window opened. The Ravens have four IR activations remaining, but three of them will be needed to bring each member of the trio back into the fold.

Ravens Waive RB Melvin Gordon, Sign RB Dalvin Cook To Active Roster

January 18th, 2024 at 8:20am CST by Ely Allen

JANUARY 18: To little surprise, Gordon’s roster spot has indeed gone to Cook. The latter has been promoted from the practice squad and he will play in the divisional round on Saturday, per his agency. It will be interesting to see how much usage Cook receives as the third option on the depth chart behind Edwards and Hill in his Baltimore debut. If he clears waivers, meanwhile, Gordon will be eligible to remain with the Ravens via the taxi squad.

JANUARY 17: The Ravens have been clearing plenty of roster space over the past few days in the lead up to their first game in this year’s playoffs. In the most recent roster shift, Baltimore made the decision to waive veteran running back Melvin Gordon from the 53-man roster.

Gordon signed with the Ravens back in the offseason, adding running back depth for a team that had seen two starters in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards go down with season-ending injuries in recent years. He failed to make the 53-man roster but ended up signing to the practice squad as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option. That glass broke fairly early in the season when Dobbins suffered his second-career season-ending injury in Week 1 of the regular season.

As a result, the Ravens called Gordon up from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation twice early in the year. The eventual emergence of undrafted rookie sensation Keaton Mitchell, pairing with Edwards, made Gordon mostly superfluous, but a season-ending ACL tear to Mitchell would continue Baltimore’s rotten luck with running back health.

With Mitchell joining Dobbins on injured reserve, Gordon was officially signed to the active roster for the last two weeks of the season, earning snaps in a blowout win over the Dolphins and a meaningless rest game in Week 18 against the Steelers. His performance against Pittsburgh came shortly after the team’s free agent addition of Dalvin Cook. In a rainy regular season finale, Gordon unfortunately demonstrated one of the biggest issues throughout his career, fumbling the ball in what was likely an audition for the postseason roster.

Whether or not a direct result of that fumble, Gordon will not be on the 53-man roster this weekend. Along with the waiving of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and the placement of cornerback Damarion Williams on IR two days ago, the Ravens now have three open spots on the active roster. Many are speculating that star tight end Mark Andrews will soon be making a return from IR, joining with Isaiah Likely to form one of the league’s deadlier tight end duos. Former All-Pro return man Devin Duvernay has also returned to practice and is eligible to make a return from IR. Lastly, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey not practicing over the last three weeks, the team could opt to activate defensive back Ar’Darius Washington from IR. Originally an undrafted safety out of TCU, Washington opened the season as the team’s starting nickel corner before finding his way to IR.

Another popular thought, especially with Edwards and Justice Hill remaining as the only running backs on the active roster, is that one of the three open roster spots will be used to bring Cook up from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Despite having made the Pro Bowl in four consecutive years as the Vikings’ starting rusher, Cook took a disappointing backseat to Breece Hall for the Jets this year. Cook claimed to be really close to signing with Baltimore in the offseason, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, and he got a second chance after New York decided to move on from him earlier this month.

Whether Andrews or Cook or Duvernay or Washington, the Ravens are set to add some key reinforcements in time for the Divisional Round matchup against the Texans. Baltimore will have until 4pm EST on Friday to make the decision on who will be activated for Saturday’s game.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/17/24

January 17th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The remaining playoff teams continue manipulating their practice squads:

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

As they deal with myriad injuries in their receiving corps, the Texans have made the call to add a veteran pass catcher in Byrd. Tank Dell and Noah Brown are on injured reserve, and Robert Woods (hip) and John Metchie (foot) are both currently questionable with one practice remaining before Saturday’s matchup in Baltimore. It’s been three years since Byrd’s season as a starter in New England when he recorded career-highs in catches (47) and yards (604), but Houston brings him in with the hope that the depth he brings at the position is unnecessary.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/16/24

January 16th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

As playoff teams prepare for the second round of the postseason, they continue to tinker with their practice squads:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers

Leonard Fournette‘s brief stint with the Bills has come to an end. The veteran running back joined Buffalo’s practice squad in October, but it took him until Week 16 to make his season debut. Fournette ended up getting into a pair of games for the Bills, collecting 40 rushing yards on 12 attempts. He wasn’t active for the team’s playoff opener, and after reverting to the practice squad, he now finds himself a free agent.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/15/24

January 15th, 2024 at 7:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Laquon Treadwell, a former first-round pick, will now look to revive his career elsewhere. The wideout got into five games with the Ravens this season, hauling in a single, 16-yard catch. Treadwell has spent time with five different squads over the past five seasons, and as he approaches his age-29 season, it will be interesting to see if any other teams are willing to give him a chance.

With Damarion Williams also landing on IR, the Ravens have opened up a pair of roster spots during their bye week. Naturally, there will be plenty of speculation that these spots are reserved for tight end Mark Andrews, who is returning from IR, and running back Dalvin Cook, who recently joined Baltimore’s practice squad.

Chargers Interview Mike Macdonald For HC Position

January 14th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Rory Parks

Add the Chargers to the ever-growing list of teams interested in Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Los Angeles announced that it has conducted a head coaching interview with the popular DC.

As shown in our head coaching tracker, Macdonald has either been interviewed by, or is expected to be interviewed by, six of the eight teams that have had HC vacancies since the regular season ended. The only teams that have not expressed interest in Macdonald are the Raiders — who have yet to conduct any HC interviews, as they want to finalize their GM position first — and the Patriots, who simply promoted Jerod Mayo to their head coaching position following Bill Belichick‘s departure, pursuant to succession language in Mayo’s contract.

The intrigue surrounding Macdonald is easy enough to understand. The 36-year-old has served as Baltimore’s DC in each of the past two years, and the Ravens’ defense has thrived under his watch. The club finished sixth in total defense in 2023 after finishing 10th in that category in 2022; first in scoring defense in 2023 (third in 2022); first in takeaways in 2023 (10th in 2022); and first in defensive DVOA in 2023 (eighth in 2022). Baltimore also led the league in sacks this season despite not having a premier edge rusher on the roster.

Furthermore, young players like Kyle Hamilton and Justin Madubuike have become stars in Macdonald’s system, while veteran also-rans like Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, and Arthur Maulet have rejuvenated their careers. And while Macdonald is not the young offensive mind that clubs have sought out in recent seasons, the success of DeMeco Ryans in Houston this year has proven that a young, defensive-minded coach works just as well if that person is a strong leader.

Of course, not all job opportunities are created equal, and candidates like Macdonald who may have multiple options could shy away from a team like the Panthers, who have ownership and quarterback concerns. On the other hand, the Chargers’ opening is generally considered one of the most appealing, thanks largely to the presence of QB Justin Herbert. Indeed, current University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, long linked to the Los Angeles gig, has reportedly told his associates that he might leave Ann Arbor for the Chargers.

One factor working against Macdonald’s candidacy for the Chargers’ post is the fact that he would be a first-time HC. The last three head coaches hired by the San Diego/Los Angeles franchise have been first-timers, the latest of whom (Brandon Staley) also had a defensive background. While it is not surprising that owner Dean Spanos wanted to sit down with Macdonald, it would also not be surprising to see Spanos opt for a more experienced, offensive-minded candidate.

Interestingly, Los Angeles has also interviewed Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and has requsted a GM interview with Baltimore’s director of player personnel, Joe Hortiz.

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