Bears Interested In Eagles’ Duce Staley
Duce Staley has been an Eagles assistant for 10 seasons, but the franchise’s longtime running backs coach has landed on the Bears’ radar.
The Bears are interested in the former NFL starter-turned-HC candidate, Adam Jahns of The Athletic tweets. While Staley arrived in Philly before Doug Pederson, he worked with Matt Nagy‘s former Chiefs coworker for five seasons.
The Eagles will likely bring in a host of new assistants after hiring Colts OC Nick Sirianni as their Pederson replacement. Staley was on the radar for the job Sirianni landed but did not seem to gain much traction during Philadelphia’s search. He was also passed over for Philly’s OC position when the team promoted Mike Groh in 2018.
Nagy has seen two of his offensive assistants — QBs coach Dave Ragone and running backs coach Charles London — defect to the Falcons this week. London will be Atlanta’s new QBs coach, working under new Falcons OC Ragone. Nagy will need to replace these staffers, and Staley has extensive experience as an offensive staffer.
Philadelphia’s RBs coach since 2013, Staley began his career at the quality control level two years prior. He worked under Pederson, Chip Kelly and Andy Reid. The Eagles tabbed him as their acting head coach during Pederson’s bout with COVID-19 last summer. But with Sirianni coming in, it is unclear if Staley remains in the Eagles’ plans or if he would want to continue working as a position coach with another new Eagles HC.
Bears To Promote Sean Desai To DC
The Bears interviewed a few outside candidates for their defensive coordinator job but will make a promotion instead. They are elevating safeties coach Sean Desai into the DC role, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Desai, 37, has been with Chicago since 2013. He worked at the quality control level for several seasons but coached Bears safeties over the past two. It is believed Desai will become the first person of Indian descent to become an NFL coordinator, Rapoport adds.
Desai joined D-line coach Jay Rodgers as internal candidates to succeed Chuck Pagano. He will take over a defense that has ranked as a top-10 DVOA unit in each of the past three seasons. The Bears interviewed George Edwards, James Bettcher, Colts DBs coach Jonathan Gannon and Mike Singletary for the job. A Hall of Fame Bears linebacker, Singletary re-emerged on the interview circuit after a lengthy absence. But Chicago is going with Desai, who holds a doctorate degree from Temple.
While Desai does not have much experience as a position coach in the NFL, he did serve as a special teams coordinator at Boston College prior to turning 30. He worked in that capacity with the ACC school in 2012, doing so after spending five years at his alma mater as a special teams assistant.
Falcons Hire Dean Pees, Dave Ragone
Previously rumored Falcons plans came to fruition Thursday. Arthur Smith will bring Dave Ragone aboard as his offensive coordinator, and the first-year Falcons coach has a big role planned for the recently retired Dean Pees.
The former Titans defensive coordinator will again come out of retirement, committing to become the Falcons’ DC. The Falcons are also hiring Marquice Williams as their special teams coordinator.
While Pees and Smith served as Titans coordinators together in 2019, this will be Ragone’s first run as OC. Working as Bears QBs coach for the past five years, this will represent a move up for the ex-quarterback — the first known target for this post.
Ragone, 41, will not, however, have an immediate path to a play-calling role. Smith’s play-calling chops helped him draw interest from all seven head coach-seeking teams this year, and he confirmed he will call plays in Atlanta.
For Pees, this marks unretirement No. 2. Mentioned early as a likely to join Atlanta’s staff, Pees will skip any advisory or consulting roles and jump back into the play-calling fire.
Pees left his post as Ravens DC after the 2017 season but re-emerged as the Titans’ defensive boss ahead of the ’18 campaign. Pees, 71, stuck to retirement for a season this time around — which coincided with a Titans defensive regression — but will return to lead a fourth team’s defense. Pees served as Patriots defensive coordinator from 2006-09 and led the Ravens’ defense for six seasons beginning with their Super Bowl-winning 2012 slate. Of Pees’ 12 defenses, only one has ranked outside the top 12 in points allowed.
Williams has worked as assistant special teams coach with the Chargers and Lions, working in that capacity with Detroit for the past two seasons.
Coaching Rumors: 49ers, Chargers, Jaguars, Eagles
The 49ers‘ staff is starting to come together, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic writes. Chris Foerster has been bumped up to primary offensive line coach while Rich Scangarello will return as the quarterbacks coach. Scangarello served as SF’s QBs coach in 2017 and 2018 before the Broncos tapped him as their OC in 2019. After a rough time in Denver and one year in Philly, he’s headed back to the Bay Area.
Here’s a look at the latest coach and coordinator news:
- The Chargers will interview Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon for their defensive coordinator job, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Gannon is also being considered by the Bears for their DC role.
- Meanwhile, new Chargers coach Brandon Staley is bringing Rams assistant Joe Barry along for the ride as his defensive passing game coordinator and linebackers coach (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
- The Jaguars have requested an interview with Colts quarterbacks coach Marcus Brady for their offensive coordinator job, as Pelissero tweets.
- The Eagles are interested in interviewing Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel, according to Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Fassel, the son of ex-Giants head coach Jim Fassel, spent eight years as the Rams’ ST coordinator. He also served as the Rams’ interim head coach for the final three games of 2016.
Bears Interview George Edwards For DC
While the Bears will not top their Mike Singletary defensive coordinator interview for candidate popularity, they reached out to a former NFC North DC this week as well.
The Bears requested an interview with Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards, and the former Vikings DC met with Bears brass, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Edwards worked in Minnesota for six seasons but spent the 2020 campaign on Mike Nolan‘s staff in Dallas.
The Cowboys had one of the worst defensive seasons in franchise history in 2020 but interviewed Edwards to replace Nolan, Hill adds. Dan Quinn, however, ended up landing the Dallas DC gig. Edwards, 53, has been an NFL assistant since 1998 and has held two defensive coordinator posts — in Buffalo and Minnesota — since 2010.
While Mike Zimmer played a major role in the Vikings ranking as a perennially stout defense during Edwards’ tenure, his top lieutenant played a key part in those units’ success as well. Minnesota’s defenses finished in the top 10 in points allowed in each of Edwards’ final five seasons. The Vikings took a considerable step back this season, though their defense lacked the talent of previous years.
Chicago has assembled a growing list of Chuck Pagano replacement options in recent days. Edwards and Singletary join internal candidates Jay Rodgers (D-line) and Sean Desai (safeties), ex-Cardinals and Giants DC James Bettcher and Colts DBs coach Jonathan Gannon.
Bears Interview Mike Singletary For DC Job
The Bears’ defensive coordinator search ratcheted up in stature this week, now involving one of the biggest names in franchise history. Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary met with Bears brass about their DC position this week, Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic report (subscription required).
Singletary has not coached in the NFL since being the Vikings’ linebackers coach during ex-teammate Leslie Frazier‘s Minnesota stay (2011-13), but he brings head coaching experience and quite the legacy with the Bears. The middle linebacker on their storied 1985 Super Bowl squad, Singletary earned first-ballot Hall of Fame status after his 12-year Bears career concluded.
Most recently, the ex-49ers head coach worked with The Spring League last year and as head coach of the Alliance of American Football’s Memphis Express in 2019. Singletary, 62, served as an advisor with the 2016 Rams as well. But the Chicago legend’s most notable coaching work obviously came with San Francisco.
Singletary went 18-22 with the 49ers, rising to their head coaching role in 2008 and staying through the 2010 season. While the overall results were mixed, Singletary did oversee the 2009 squad’s defense to a top-five ranking. Prior to presiding over Patrick Willis‘ early-career work, Singletary coached the Ravens’ linebackers for two seasons. The first of those, 2003, featured Ray Lewis following in Singletary’s footsteps by winning Defensive Player of the Year acclaim for the second time.
Chicago lost two-year DC Chuck Pagano to retirement and has assembled a short list of replacement options in the days since. Singletary joins internal candidates Jay Rodgers (D-line) and Sean Desai (safeties), ex-Cardinals and Giants DC James Bettcher and Colts DBs coach Jonathan Gannon.
Bears Interview James Bettcher For DC Job
After sitting out this season, James Bettcher is drawing interest for a potential third defensive coordinator job. The Bears are interviewing the former Cardinals and Giants DC on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Chicago lost two-year DC Chuck Pagano to retirement and has assembled a short list of replacement options in the days since. Bettcher joins internal candidates Jay Rodgers (D-line) and Sean Desai (safeties) and Colts DBs coach Jonathan Gannon.
The Giants employed Bettcher as their defensive play-caller from 2018-19. His most recent defense ranked 30th in scoring. Bettcher, however, would oversee a more talented unit in Chicago. In Arizona, Bettcher fared better. The veteran assistant was 3-for-3 in helming top-10 total defenses with the Cardinals. Even before Chandler Jones‘ 2016 arrival, the Cards ranked in the top 10 in both yards and points defensively in their 13-3 2015 season. Before his five-year run in Arizona — as a position coach and then the Cards’ DC — Bettcher coached under Pagano with the 2012 Colts.
Bettcher used a 3-4 defense as his base look in both New York and Arizona. The Bears deployed this alignment in base sets under Pagano and Vic Fangio over the past six seasons. Chicago’s defense has ranked as a top-10 DVOA crew since 2017.
Bears To Interview Jonathan Gannon For DC
- The Bears need a new defensive coordinator with Chuck Pagano retiring, and obviously with Matt Nagy being an offensive mind it’s a crucial role for Chicago. They’re starting to sift through candidates, and the team has put in a request to interview Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon for the job, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic tweets. Gannon isn’t the highest profile candidate, as he was a quality control coach as recently as 2017 until he was hired to be DBs coach on Frank Reich’s inaugural Colts staff in 2018. We’ve also heard that current defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai are internal candidates to succeed Pagano.
- New Falcons coach Arthur Smith will surely be running the team’s offense, but it sounds like he’s planning on hiring an offensive coordinator still. We also heard over the weekend that Bears passing game coordinator Dave Ragone was an early favorite for the OC role, but he’s apparently not the only contender. Atlanta has interviewed Panthers receivers coach Frisman Jackson for the job, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Jackson spent five years with the Browns as a player in the early 2000s, and was the Titans’ receivers coach in 2017 when Smith was coaching tight ends there, so he’s got that connection working for him. He then went to Baylor before following Matt Rhule from there to Carolina.
Updated 2021 NFL Draft Order
With the Divisional Round in the books, the 2021 NFL Draft order is mostly complete. The Rams, Browns, Ravens, and Saints now have their draft spots locked in, though the Rams’ first-round pick belongs to Urban Meyer and the Jaguars. The Rams traded those rights to Jacksonville as a part of the Jalen Ramsey blockbuster.
Here’s the updated draft order, through the top 28:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Rams)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints
Bears DL Mario Edwards Suspended Two Games
Mario Edwards will be looking for a new home this spring, but the veteran defensive lineman won’t be able to suit up for the beginning of 2021. Edwards has been suspended for the first two games of next season, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
It’s for a PED violation. It certainly won’t help Edwards, who’s set to be a free agent, find a decent contract. He played a good amount for the Bears this season, notching around 25 percent of the defensive snaps in a rotational role across 15 games. He finished the year with 17 tackles, six for a loss, and four sacks to go with one pass defended.
The Florida State product was drafted 35th overall by the Raiders in 2015, but never lived up to his draft status. He didn’t standout as a rookie, then missed almost the entire 2016 season due to injury. He started 14 games for the Raiders in 2017, but was waived before the 2018 campaign.
After spending one year with the Giants, he signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Saints in March of 2019, and had three sacks with them in a similar rotational role. Cut back in September, he was picked up just a few days later by Chicago. Still only 26 (for another week), he should get picked up by somebody this offseason despite the looming suspension.