Minor Moves: Tuesday
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Bears signed wide receiver John Chiles to a reserve-future deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Chiles previously played for the Saints, Rams, and the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. Chiles auditioned for the Chiefs, Chargers, and Colts this offseason.
- The Steelers signed former Ravens punter Richie Leone to reserve-future deal, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Leone auditioned for Pittsburgh earlier this month alongside fellow punter Tom Hornsey.
- The Jaguars signed punter Kasey Redfern to a reserve-future deal, Wilson tweets. Redfern worked out for the Steelers, Jets, Texans, and Giants over the last couple of months before landing in Jacksonville.
NFC Notes: Packers, Bears, Cruz, Falcons
As 2015’s Super Bowl Media Day rolls on, let’s round up a few Tuesday notes from across the NFC….
- Only four of 11 Packers players who had per-game roster bonuses in their contracts failed to collect all their money, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, breaking down the players who did and didn’t receive their bonuses.
- The Bears announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve reached an agreement with Clint Hurtt to become their outside linebackers coach. The fact that the team is distinguishing between outside and inside linebackers coaches now suggests a transition to a 3-4 defense under new DC Vic Fangio.
- Victor Cruz‘s $8.125MM cap number will be the second-highest on the Giants‘ books in 2015, prompting Dan Graziano of ESPN.com to explore whether the team will need to address Cruz’s contract this offseason.
- A pair of Falcons assistant coaches recently interviewed for other jobs, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who tweets that Glenn Thomas talked to the Browns about their quarterbacks coach position, while Gerald Brown met with the Raiders about their running backs coach job.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Mike Sando takes a detailed look at how the Seahawks built the team that’s looking for its second consecutive Super Bowl win this Sunday.
- Seahawks defensive tackle Kevin Williams is happy with the choice he made in free agency last offseason, but considering he narrowed his options down to Seattle and New England, he admitted this week that he “couldn’t have gone wrong,” writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News expects the Cowboys to target a pass rusher with their first-round pick this April, or at least to nab a defender if there are no ideal pass-rushing fits at No. 27.
Extra Points: Pats, Cutler, Adams, Olsen
With many in the media slamming the Patriots over the Deflategate scandal, owner Robert Kraft stood in front of the media on Monday night to defend his team. “If the Wells investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs,” Kraft said, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun , “I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team, and in particular coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for what they have had to endure this past week.” More from around the NFL..
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com spoke with CSNChicago.com about a number of Bears-centric topics, including quarterback Jay Cutler. At this point, he says, there’s a much better chance of Chicago keeping Cutler than dealing him.
- Mike Wells of ESPN.com feels that the Colts should prioritize re-signing safety Mike Adams. Adams wants to return to Indianapolis, but he also learned last offseason that the business of the NFL doesn’t always allow for a reunion. Adams waited around for the Broncos to re-sign him before finally joining up with the Colts in June. Upon joining the Colts, Adams became a vocal leader in the secondary and their best defensive back not named Vontae Davis this season.
- Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly are both set to hit the open market after the 2015 season and are in line for big pay bumps, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. The Panthers can keep Kuechly, the No. 9 pick in the 2012 draft, by exercising their fifth-year option on him. Meanwhile, Olsen said he and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have yet to have any substantial contract talks with the Panthers, but he hopes something can get done before the start of the season. “We’ll see how the offseason goes. There haven’t been any really major developments on that front,” Olsen said. “Of course, I would love to finish my career there. I’d love to be able to get something done going into this season and know that I’ll be a part of the team for a while.”
- In Monday night’s presser, Belichick expressed gratitude to Patriots owner Robert Kraft for hiring him as head coach many years ago, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. “Mr. Kraft gave up quite a bit in order to work out the trade for me to be part of this organization after I resigned from the Jets,” the coach said.
North Notes: Bears, Tucker, Gordon
Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril experienced the lowest of the lows with the Lions, which makes being at the top that much sweeter. “It’s been amazing, man. It’s been amazing,” Avril said, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “I’ve been blessed to see both ends of the spectrum, you know. From not winning any games to getting to the top the last two years. I appreciate it a lot, just for the simple fact of what I’ve gone through. I probably appreciate it a little more than some of the younger guys.” A look at the North divisions..
- The University of Alabama hired former Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker to serve as its defensive backs coach, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Tucker was let go earlier this offseason in favor of Vic Fangio, who will serve as the new defensive coordinator under new head coach John Fox.
- It’s rather unlikely that the Bears can find a suitable successor to Jay Cutler in the draft, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. No one has stepped forward and said that Cutler will be Chicago’s quarterback in 2015, but his contract and the scarity of outside options available likely means that he’ll be their QB for the immediate future. An informal survey of five scouts at the Senior Bowl indicated that Oregon State’s Sean Mannion was the best QB in attendance, but no one exactly raved about him.
- The Browns should cut Josh Gordon, Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal writes. If GM Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine really want to change the atmosphere in Cleveland, they have to sacrifice the star wide receiver in order to let the rest of the players know they are running a professional operation. If Gordon is found to be in violation of the league’s substance abuse program, his contract would carry over to 2016 as though 2015 did not exist. Still, Schudel feels that the Browns wouldn’t garner respect from anyone on the roster if they let Gordon remain with the team.
NFC Notes: Glennon, Rams, Eagles, Fewell
Assuming the Buccaneers intend to draft a quarterback in April with the first overall pick, that should make Mike Glennon expendable, and this spring could be an ideal time to move him in a trade, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. As Cummings points out, the free agent market for QBs is weak, and there are few viable rookie options besides Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. For teams looking to add a potential starting quarterback, Glennon may actually be one of the best options available, and should only cost a mid-round pick.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Former Buffalo offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has a second interview lined up with the Rams for their offensive coordinator position this week, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Per La Canfora, the Bills would like to bring back Hackett, who is also drawing interest from Washington and the Jaguars as a potential quarterbacks coach.
- In addition to considering Chris Polian for their front office opening, the Eagles have Dolphins scout Chris Grier and internal candidate Ed Marynowitz at or near the top of their list of targets, reports Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. One source tells Mosher that he believes Grier is coming in to interview for a second time with Chip Kelly.
- Ex-Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has an offer from the 49ers to become their defensive backs coach, says John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). However, before he makes a decision on that offer, Fewell is speaking to Washington about a similar role on Jay Gruden‘s staff, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
- CFL receiver Duron Carter is expected to make a decision on his NFL team this week, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities, who tweets that the Vikings and a couple other teams remain well-positioned — one of those other suitors is certainly the Colts, who were reported on the weekend to be the frontrunners. Carter can’t officially sign an NFL contract until February 10 unless the Montreal Alouettes release him from his CFL deal.
- Speaking to reporters in Arizona, Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said it was “very tough” to pass up a free agent offer last year from the Bears, who offered him “way more money.” Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the quotes and the details.
- Locking up linebacker Lavonte David to a long-term deal, perhaps in the neighborhood of $7MM annually, should be a priority for the Buccaneers this season, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com.
Coaching Notes: LeBeau, Bills, Raiders, Bears
Former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is no longer in the running to join the staff of the Cardinals, reports Kent Somers of AZCentral.com. Since he resigned from his long time post with the Steelers, the Cardinals seemed like a logical option for the 77-year old Hall of Fame coach. While it was thought that LeBeau would only be interested in coordinator positions, he was reportedly set to be a senior assistant and serve as the Cardinals linebacker coach.
With the Cardinals out of the mix for his services, the only other organization with which he has been linked is the Titans, where he could also serve as a senior assistant in some capacity.
The Cardinals are expected to promote from within to fill their defensive coordinator role vacated when Todd Bowles was hired as head coach of the Jets.
Here are some other coaching notes from around the NFL, with more recent news added to the top:
- The Bills are expected to hire Chris Palmer to their coaching staff as a senior offensive assistant, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Palmer’s long career most recently brought him to the Titans, where he served as offensive coordinator from 2011-2012.
- The Raiders have also added former Lions assistant offensive line coach Bobby Johnson to their staff, reports Thayer Evans of SI.com (via Twitter). Johnson will be the Raiders tight ends coach.
- The Bears have brought Jay Rodgers onto the staff to coach the defensive line, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Rodgers is the older brother of special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
Earlier Updates:
- The Broncos have not tried to hide the fact that they would like to hire Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph as their defensive coordinator, but they may not get a chance until after the Bengals are able to secure another coach, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. The Bengals reportedly have their eye on former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, and would likely allow Joseph out of his contract if they are able to hire Fewell. The Broncos are willing to wait to see if Fewell is hired by the Bengals before moving on to their next option.
- While there have been no official announcements made, the Raiders have reportedly added Bernie Parmalee as their running backs coach and Rob Moore as their wide receivers coach, reports Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com (via Twitter). He also notes that defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson is the only member of the staff set to return so far.
- The Falcons are planning on hiring Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach after the Super Bowl, and reports have it that Quinn will be targeting former Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris as part of his staff. However, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes that Morris is being considered for an assistant head coach/passing game coordinator position, and not defensive coordinaor (via Twitter). Jones reports that the deal is not finished, but it is close (via Twitter).
Bears Add Three To Coaching Staff
SATURDAY, 5:58pm: In addition to Loggains and Pires, the Bears have now hired Bo Hardegree to their coaching staff, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Hardegree will join Gase and Loggains as an offensive assistant. He formerly coached with Fox on the Broncos staff in 2014 as a quality control coach.
FRIDAY, 9:09pm: John Fox promised he was giving his full energy to filling out his staff, and he seems to be coming through on his word.
The Bears have hired Dowell Loggains as their new quarterbacks coach and Glenn Pires as their new linebackers coach, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
Loggains was the quarterbacks coach with the Browns, and formerly served as the quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator for the Titans under Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator under Mike Munchak.
Pires was the linebackers coach with the Falcons for seven years before coming to the Bears.
Loggains and Pires join Adam Gase and Vic Fangio, who were hired as the offensive and defensive coordinators for the team earlier this week.
NFC Mailbags: Panthers, Suh, Rodgers, Giants
We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now switch focus to the NFC…
- David Newton still believes the Panthers could re-sign Byron Bell, even following the offensive lineman’s subpar season. Even if the 26-year-old proves that he can’t cut it as a starter, the writer believes the former undrafted free agent could still contribute as a depth piece.
- Michael C. Wright would choose a safety in the first round if he was in charge of the Bears. However, the writer notes that general manager Ryan Pace believes in selecting the best player available, regardless of position.
- If Ndamukong Suh ultimately leaves Detroit, Michael Rothstein thinks the Lions have the flexibility to move to a 3-4 defensive scheme. If the team decides to stick with a 4-3, then Rothstein suggests the team could look to sign Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton as Suh’s replacement.
- It’s not necessary for Aaron Rodgers to restructure his contract, writes Rob Demovsky. With more than $18MM in projected cap room, the Packers shouldn’t have an issue retaining free agents such as Randall Cobb.
- Dan Graziano explores potential cap casualties for the Giants. The writer points to defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka as the most likely to be released, while linebacker Jon Beason and center J.D. Walton are also candidates.
Extra Points: NFLPA, Mayo, Van Pelt, Raiders
The NFL Players Association has formally filed a grievance against the league challenging the NFL’s new personal conduct policy, which was adopted in December despite the NFLPA’s objections, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The union contends that it didn’t have an opportunity to collectively bargain many key points of the new policy, arguing that the policy violates the CBA and that it was adopted “without the consent, and over the objections, of the NFLPA.”
While we wait to see what comes of the union’s grievance, let’s round up several items from across the NFL….
- Injured Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has been prioritizing his rehabilitation after a season-ending knee injury, and fully intends to get back on the field in 2015, but he has also developed an interest in coaching during his time spent on injured reserve, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Mayo said. “If I do choose to go down that road, hopefully I can apply some of these principles that I’ve learned from coach [Bill] Belichick in my coaching career.”
- While a previous report revealed the Packers turned down the Rams’ request to speak to Alex Van Pelt about their offensive coordinator job, St. Louis wasn’t the only team rebuffed by Green Bay. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Jaguars and Bears were also denied permission to interview Van Pelt.
- The Raiders have officially confirmed a handful of new additions to Jack Del Rio’s staff, announcing in a press release that they’ve hired Todd Downing (QB coach), Marcus Robertson (DB coach), Sal Sunseri (LB coach), and Mike Tice (OL coach).
- The Jets also announced several new assistants in addition to their new coordinators. According to the team, Mike Caldwell (assistant HC/ILB coach), Mark Collins (OLB coach), Joe Danna (DB/S coach), and Karl Dorrell (WR coach) are among the new arrivals.
- Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey isn’t phased by the fact that 2015 could be a make-or-break season for him and head coach Joe Philbin, suggesting that he approaches every season as if it’s make-or-break, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- The Texans have made some front office changes, promoting Jon Carr to director of college scouting and hiring Matt Jansen to the new position of college scouting coordinator, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).
- We learned yesterday that Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett met with the Dolphins at the Senior Bowl, but Miami is far from the only team to interview Lockett. The wideout, who is generating plenty of buzz in Mobile, tells James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he spoke to 28 NFL teams this week.
Extra Points: Broncos, Titans, 49ers, Bears
The Texans have released defensive line coach Bill Kollar from his contract in order for him to join ex-Houston coach Gary Kubiak and the Broncos, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Kollar had been the Texans’ DL coach since 2009. He has family in the Denver area, and he credited Bill O’Brien for being gracious enough to let him leave. Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Kollar is “considered an elite coach by his peers.” Here’s more from around the league…
- Linebacker Derrick Morgan told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Titans want to re-sign him, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The impending free agent has never lived up to his first-round billing, having posted just 23.5 sacks in five seasons as a pro.
- The Eagles let executive Tom Gamble go earlier this year as part of a reported power struggle, but it appears that he’ll land on his feet. Per John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link), Gamble has discussed taking a role with the 49ers, and is expected to accept it. Gamble previously worked in San Francisco’s front office from 2005-13.
- The Bears have found a new tight ends coach, hiring former Saints offensive assistant Frank Smith, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Former Saints executive Ryan Pace, now the general manager in Chicago, may have had some familiarity with Smith.
- New Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has hired a new front office member, bringing in Rams scout Brian Heimerdinger to serve in a front office role, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Heimerdinger could be installed as the new college scouting director or be given a new title, but he won’t be replacing anyone already on staff, per Cimini.
- The hiring of Adam Gase as offensive coordinator could be good news for Jay Cutler‘s future with the Bears, according to Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report (Twitter links). Per Pompei, Gase’s system has similarities to that of Chargers head coach Mike McCoy, who is known to get the most out of his quarterbacks.