Staff Notes: Eagles, Arians, Evero, Panthers
The Eagles officially announced their coaching updates heading into the 2023 NFL season on Twitter today, revealing some updates to their completely made-over staff that we were previously unaware of.
On the offensive side of the ball, pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo received a promotion, adding the moniker of associate head coach to his title. Also, beneath the head coach, the team has hired Tyler Yelk to serve as assistant to the head coach.
On the defensive side of the ball, a couple of others received promotions. Formerly the assistant defensive backs coach, D.K. McDonald has taken over the position room as the new defensive backs coach. Filling McDonald’s previous role of assistant defensive backs coach will be Taver Johnson, who has experience in the NFL but most recently served as defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach at Eastern Michigan. Tyler Scudder has become the team’s assistant linebackers coach after serving as a defensive assistant previously. Lastly, Philadelphia has hired Mike Diangelo in the role of defensive quality control.
Here are a few more updates in the coaching ranks of the NFL:
- The Buccaneers made an addition to their staff this week, as well, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Tampa Bay brought Sarah Evans into the coaches office to serve in the role of senior manager of coaching operations. She’s been with the team since 2020 in roles concerning player relations and community efforts.
- In another update from Tampa Bay, former head coach Bruce Arians will reportedly be taking another step back in 2023, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Last year, he stepped down from head coach to senior advisor to the general manager. This year, he remains in that role, and has reportedly still been helpful leading up the draft but hasn’t been nearly as involved as he was last year.
- Many have drooled over the elite names joining the Panthers‘ coaching staff this offseason, lauding owner David Tepper on his financial commitment to the staff. Thanks to Joe Person of The Athletic, we have some evidence of that. New defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will reportedly move into the top ten highest-paid defensive coordinators in the NFL with a three-year contract worth about $9.3MM.
- In the Carolina front office, the Panthers’ vice president of football operations, Steven Drummond, has resigned after over 17 years with the organization, according to Person.
Bills Extend K Tyler Bass
The Bills will avoid playing kicker Tyler Bass on a contract year in 2024 after reportedly reaching an agreement on a four-year extension worth up to $21MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Bass was three years into his rookie contract after getting drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. 
Bass took over for Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo after Koo graduated from Georgia Southern to the NFL in 2017. After making 54 of 68 field goal attempts and converting 108 of 109 extra point attempts in three years, Bass was selected by the Bills in 2020 to compete with incumbent kicker Stephen Hauschka, who had missed six field goals in each of the previous two seasons and two extra points in 2019. Bass beat out the veteran for kicking duties in training camp.
Since taking over the kicking job for the Bills, Bass has converted 85.6-percent of his field goals attempts, making 83 out of 97 tries. He’s shown he has the big-leg ability that’s required to get paid as a kicker in the NFL these days. He’s also only missed four extra point attempts for a high-powered offense that has forced him to attempt 160.
If the $21MM reported by Rapoport is the face value of the contract, then Bass’s new deal poses him as the fourth-highest paid kicker in the NFL (per year), just under Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, Colts kicker Matt Gay, and Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. The “up to” included in the tweet implies that incentives may be involved, which may rank him slightly lower, but the reported $12.3MM guaranteed is the second-highest guaranteed amount for a current kicker, trailing only Tucker.
It’s a good deal for both sides as Bass gets his payday and the Bills lockdown a reliable, young kicker through the 2027 season. It’s rare to find dependability in a kicker, and the Bills have paid up in order to secure theirs for years to come.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/20/23
Today’s only minor move:
New York Jets
- Signed RFA tender: DE Bryce Huff
Initially an undrafted pass rusher out of Memphis, Huff will have another year in New York to try and establish a role on the Jets defense. Huff made his presence known after making the 53-man roster as a rookie in 2020 and working himself into the rotation at defensive end. He continued to work hard, earning six starts to open 2021 before a back injury landed him on the inactive list for seven weeks. Since the injury, Huff’s role has been scaled back a bit, but he continues to produce, racking up 3.5 sacks in limited time last year. He’ll be back for Gang Green in 2023 to continue to contribute on defense and special teams.
Chiefs Sign QB Blaine Gabbert
APRIL 20: The Chiefs will bring in Gabbert for the league minimum. The 13th-year veteran agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.2MM, Greg Auman of Fox Sports tweets. Kansas City gave Gabbert a $153K bonus. He earned $2.25MM with the Buccaneers last season.
APRIL 18: After 12 seasons bouncing around the league, Blaine Gabbert plans to return to Missouri. The Chiefs are signing the veteran quarterback to be Patrick Mahomes‘ backup, Pat McAfee reports (video link).
Gabbert spent the past three seasons as Tom Brady‘s backup in Tampa, but with the Buccaneers bringing in Baker Mayfield for a competition with Kyle Trask, the team moved in a different direction. The Chiefs had a QB2 opening, with Chad Henne retiring after Super Bowl LVII. This is a one-year deal, per the Kansas City Star’s Herbie Teope (on Twitter).
While Gabbert has played for five NFL teams, he established himself as a top prospect at Mizzou. Chase Daniel‘s successor at the then-Big 12 program, Gabbert has joined Daniel in enjoying a lengthy NFL career. He will be positioned to spend his age-34 season in Kansas City.
Bruce Arians brought Gabbert to both Arizona and Tampa, signing the former first-round pick to be Carson Palmer‘s backup in 2017 and bringing him in as Jameis Winston‘s understudy two years later. Gabbert never started a game for the Bucs, with Winston staying healthy in his 2019 contract year and Brady’s durability run continuing through his final season.
Gabbert has started 48 career games; his experience stands to be important for a Chiefs team that has seen Mahomes’ backups become necessary. Henne filled in for Mahomes during a second-quarter stretch against the Jaguars in the divisional round; that marked the second playoff relief appearance Henne made as a Chief. Mahomes suffered a concussion during the Chiefs’ 2020 divisional-round game against the Browns. Matt Moore started two games in place of Mahomes in 2019 as well. The Chiefs received quality replacement work from Moore and Henne. Moore helped the Chiefs to a win over the playoff-bound Vikings in 2019, helping the eventual Super Bowl champions secure a playoff bye, while Henne aided Kansas City in holding off Cleveland in the Round 2 matchup a year later.
After starting two seasons as Missouri’s starter, Gabbert became the 10th overall pick in 2011. The Jaguars, however, quickly soured on their investment and benched him in 2012. Henne replaced Gabbert in Jacksonville, and the team traded its former top pick to the 49ers in 2014. Gabbert has since enjoyed moments as a starter — leading the Cardinals to two wins over playoff-bound opposition in 2017 and, as a Titan, starting a win over the Deshaun Watson-led Texans in 2018 — but has not been a starter since Colin Kaepernick reacquired his job in 2016.
The Bucs gave Gabbert four one-year deals, allowing for Trask to develop under the radar. The Chiefs have no need for any developmental QB, with Mahomes going into his age-28 season. But Gabbert is in a similar place compared to Henne when he joined the Chiefs ahead of his age-34 season.
Cowboys’ Terence Steele Signs RFA Tender
The Cowboys have Terence Steele back in the fold. More than a month after Steele received a second-round restricted free agent tender, ESPN.com’s Field Yates notes the fourth-year tackle signed it to lock in that second-tier RFA price (Twitter link).
Steele will be tied to a $4.3MM salary as a result of this signing. While Steele has a ways to go before completing rehab from ACL surgery, he is again under contract with the Cowboys. A player not signing his RFA tender would allow teams to rescind the tender and pay the player 120% of his 2022 salary. Steele having made $895K last year made this an easy decision.
This will be an interesting year for Steele. The Cowboys reached an agreement to bring back Tyron Smith on a restructured deal, keeping the All-Pro tackle on the NFL’s longest-running contract. They are planning to use the All-Decade left tackle on the right side, where he finished last season. Steele’s injury led to Smith moving to right tackle, a transition that kept first-round pick Tyler Smith at left tackle. This leaves Steele without a surefire starting spot in 2023.
Dallas is planning to give Steele, 25, a look at guard once he returns, though it will be a while before he receives clearance. He suffered the ACL tear in mid-December, though the Cowboys have said the former UDFA is ahead of schedule on his rehab journey.
While the Cowboys will look at Steele as a guard, the 40-game starter is set to be — assuming both Smiths enter the season healthy — the team’s swing tackle. This would be a significant downgrade for Steele, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2024. The Cowboys lost left guard Connor McGovern in free agency, potentially creating a best-five scenario in which Steele replaces him. But the Texas Tech product has only played tackle as a pro or in college, when he was a four-year Red Raiders starter at either right or left tackle. Pro Football Focus graded Steele as a top-10 run blocker among tackles last season.
PFF graded Steele 23rd overall among tackles in 2022, marking growth from his 2020 and ’21 seasons. The Cowboys turned to Steele to replace La’el Collins in 2020, when he missed the full season due to injury, and in 2021 during the since-departed blocker’s drug suspension. Tyron Smith‘s extensive injury past does swing open a door for Steele to regain his right-side gig, but the younger lineman enters his walk year in an unusual place.
Buccaneers Sign OL Matt Feiler
APRIL 20: After the Bolts passed on the final season of Feiler’s three-year contract, the Bucs added the veteran O-lineman at a low rate. Feiler will be tied to a one-year deal worth $2.5MM, Greg Auman of Fox Sports tweets. Incentives can bump the value to $3.25MM, and Auman notes the Bucs added four void years for cap purposes. That continues a recent Tampa Bay trend.
APRIL 13: The Chargers made Matt Feiler a cap casualty early in free agency. A month later, the veteran offensive lineman found a new team. The Buccaneers and Feiler agreed to terms Thursday, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager reports (on Twitter).
Feiler will join the Bucs on a one-year deal. The former Steelers guard and tackle spent the past two seasons with the Chargers; he has been a regular starter for the past five seasons.
This contract will certainly be worth far less than Feiler’s Bolts deal, a three-year pact worth $21MM, but the Bucs are in need at guard after trading Shaq Mason to the Texans last month. Tampa Bay, which also released longtime left tackle Donovan Smith, struggled up front last season. Injuries affected the team during Tom Brady‘s finale. Feiler, who is going into his age-31 season, should have an opportunity to fill in at one of Tampa Bay’s guard spots.
Feiler started 33 of a possible 34 regular-season games during his two-season Chargers run, providing some stability for an offensive front that encountered injury issues at other spots. The Bolts saved more than $6MM by releasing Feiler. The Bucs will swoop in and provide another chance for the former UDFA. Pro Football Focus graded Feiler just outside the top 60 at guard last season but viewed the experienced blocker as far better in 2021, slotting him 12th overall at the position in his Chargers debut.
The Bucs re-signed Aaron Stinnie, a former swingman who filled in for an injured Alex Cappa in the 2020 playoffs, but the veteran guard missed all of last season with an ACL tear. The team still rosters swingman Robert Hainsey, who saw Ryan Jensen‘s MCL and PCL tears move him into a starting role, and Nick Leverett. Luke Goedeke, a 2022 second-round pick, is going into his second NFL season. But the team’s Shaq Mason trade removed the top guard from the equation. The Bucs traded for Mason in the wake of Ali Marpet‘s retirement and Cappa’s free agency defection to Cincinnati, but he will reunite with ex-Patriots exec Nick Caserio in Houston. A constant on an O-line constantly in flux, Mason started all 18 Bucs games last season.
The Steelers used Feiler at both tackle and guard, but he has settled in as an interior blocker in recent years. The Bucs have a need at left tackle — unless Tristan Wirfs moves over to fill it — but Feiler makes more sense as inside help. Feiler started 39 games for the Steelers from 2018-20, parlaying that run into the Chargers deal. He will attempt to provide another team with guard stability soon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/19/23
Here are the minor moves for today from around the league:
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: WR Tarik Black
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Dee Delaney
Delaney, an undrafted free agent out of Miami (FL) in 2018, has appeared in all but two games for the Buccaneers since signing with the team in 2021, starting three. With Logan Ryan and Sean Murphy-Bunting departing in free agency, bringing Delaney back adds some much-needed experienced depth in the cornerbacks room. Delaney is a strong contributor on special teams, as well.
Eagles To Add WR Olamide Zaccheaus
The Eagles lost one of their auxiliary wideouts in free agency, seeing Zach Pascal join the Cardinals. They will pick up another. Former Falcon Olamide Zaccheaus agreed to terms with the Eagles on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Zaccheaus, 25, spent the past four seasons in Atlanta, playing a regular receiving role despite joining the team as a UDFA. The fifth-year wideout is coming off a season in which he established career-high numbers in both receptions (40) and yards (533). This also represents a homecoming for Zaccheaus, who attended high school in Philadelphia.
As the Falcons changed regimes, they gutted their receiving corps. In 2020, Zaccheaus resided behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage. By 2022, all three were out of the picture. Zaccheaus worked as Drake London‘s top complementary receiver last season, finishing as Atlanta’s second-leading pass catcher. The Virginia alum also topped 400 receiving yards in 2021, stepping up in responsibility after Ridley’s midseason departure.
Barring multiple injuries, no such role will be in the cards for Zaccheaus in Philly. The Eagles return their A.J. Brown–DeVonta Smith–Dallas Goedert trio, and Quez Watkins is going into a contract year. Zaccheaus marks an interesting addition due to limited special teams experience. He has five career returns and has not cleared a 30% special teams usage rate since his rookie season. Of course, Zaccheaus goes 5-foot-8, 193 pounds.
This should establish a fairly clear divide between the Eagles’ top four at receiver and the other players rostered. The team still employs Greg Ward, but he did not play in 2022. Returner Britain Covey and ex-Bronco Tyrie Cleveland are also under contract. The team retained Olympian hurdler Devon Allen via a reserve/futures deal, though it remains to be seen if the former Oregon slot receiver will make a serious push at a roster spot after spending 2022 on Philly’s practice squad.
Titans Sign WR Chris Moore
Following a recent visit, Chris Moore is officially part of the Titans’ offseason roster. The veteran wide receiver agreed to terms with Tennessee on Wednesday.
Moore will change AFC South teams after enjoying his most productive season. With the Texans last year, Moore totaled 48 receptions for 548 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans will give Moore a chance to play an eighth NFL season.
[RELATED: Titans Sign LB Ben Niemann]
Although Moore has spent most of his career as a backup who contributes primarily on special teams, his 2022 yardage total topped all Titans pass catchers. Tennessee can be expected to further upgrade its receiving corps in the draft, particularly with a new GM in charge. But Moore will head east and attempt to carve out a role in Nashville.
This signing will reunite Moore with former Texans OC Tim Kelly, whom the Titans promoted back to the coordinator level this offseason. Kelly coached Moore in 2021. The Texans gave Moore one-year contracts in 2021 and ’22. Under Kelly in 2021, the former Ravens backup caught 21 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ravens employed Moore, 29, for five seasons; he surpassed 200 receiving yards just once (2017) in that span. Moore logged at least a 50% snap rate on special teams from 2016-19 and did so again in 2021. He topped 200 ST plays during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. That stands to give the Titans some options as they assemble their receiver depth chart.
Tennessee’s decision to trade A.J. Brown backfired quickly, and the team’s passing attack cratered. Robert Woods led the Titans in receiving; he is now with the Texans after a release. First-round pick Treylon Burks missed six games and totaled 444 yards, matching Austin Hooper‘s total. Hooper is also off the roster, having signed with the Raiders. The team lost intriguing Day 3 draftee Kyle Philips to an early-season injury. While Nick Westbrook-Ikhine remains on the roster, it is hard to envision the Titans not adding at least one more piece at this position.
Jets Re-Sign T Cedric Ogbuehi
The Jets needed Cedric Ogbuehi to start on five occasions last season, and with George Fant no longer on the roster, the team will keep the former first-round pick in the fold.
Ogbuehi re-signed with the Jets on Tuesday. This agreement will give the journeyman tackle a chance to play a ninth NFL season and gives the AFC East team some depth at a position where questions exist at both starting spots.
After stints with the Jaguars, Seahawks, Ravens and Texans, the former Bengals first-rounder played a regular role for the Jets, who picked him up off Houston’s practice squad in late September. Injuries hamstrung the Jets at tackle last season, leading Ogbuehi from a P-squad slot on a rebuilding team to a Jets starter in a matter of weeks.
Fant, Mekhi Becton, Duane Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell each went down last year. The Jets slid Vera-Tucker to right tackle in an emergency circumstance, but the former first-round guard draftee suffered an ACL tear that brought Ogbuehi into the starting lineup. Ogbuehi, however, did not last too long before going down himself. A groin injury sent the veteran spot starter to IR, but he re-emerged to start in New York’s finale in Miami.
The Jets have Brown under contract, though he underwent offseason surgery ahead of what will be his age-38 season, but Fant is a free agent. Becton, whom the team moved to right tackle last year, is making strides; but the former top prospect has played one game over the past two seasons. Gang Green has been connected to a first-round tackle investment in this year’s draft. With the Jets’ No. 13 overall pick not expected to factor into an Aaron Rodgers trade — should that move even be made by the draft — tackle is an obvious place for the suddenly intriguing team to focus.
Ogbuehi, 31 next week, did not live up to his No. 21 overall draft slot. But the Texas A&M product has managed an eight-year career. He accompanies Mitchell as depth pieces in New York; Mitchell joined Ogbuehi in starting five games last season. But blood clots led to Mitchell’s rookie year ending early.