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2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at February 28, 2023 2:45 pm

As the head coaching carousel spun for several weeks, many teams made coordinator changes as well. Teams seeking new head coaches are conducting OC and DC searches, and a handful of other teams that did not make HC changes are also searching for top assistants.

This is a big year for offensive coordinator hires, with nearly half the league making changes. Here are the teams searching for new OCs and DCs. As new searches emerge, they will be added to the list.

Updated 3-1-23 (3:31pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals 

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Greg Roman)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Ben McAdoo)

  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach, (Rams): Hired
  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Brian Angelichio, tight ends coach (Vikings): Interviewed 2/2
  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed
  • Jeff Nixon, running backs coach (Panthers): Interviewed
  • Brian Schottenheimer, offensive consultant (Cowboys): Hired

Denver Broncos (Out: Justin Outten)

Houston Texans (Out: Pep Hamilton)

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Parks Frazier)

  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Tee Martin, wide receivers coach (Ravens): Interview requested

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach (Chiefs): Hired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Joe Lombardi)

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Liam Coen)

New York Jets (Out: Mike LaFleur)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Shane Steichen)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Todd Downing)

Washington Commanders (Out: Scott Turner)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Vance Joseph)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dean Pees)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Leslie Frazier)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Al Holcomb)

  • Ejiro Evero, former defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Marquand Manuel, safeties coach (Jets): Interviewed
  • Kris Richard, co-defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans 

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Renaldo Hill)

  • Derrick Ansley, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Promoted
  • Doug Belk, defensive coordinator (Houston): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Interviewed

Miami Dolphins (Out: Josh Boyer)

Minnesota Vikings (Out: Ed Donatell)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard)

  • Joe Woods, former defensive coordinator (Browns): Hired

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Jonathan Gannon)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: DeMeco Ryans)

  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): On radar
  • Chris Harris, defensive backs coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/31
  • Kris Kocurek, defensive line coach (49ers): On radar
  • Steve Wilks, former interim head coach (Panthers): Hired
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Broncos To Prioritize Re-Signing Dre’Mont Jones, Want To Keep Alex Singleton

By | at February 28, 2023 2:29 pm

FEBRUARY 28: Paton confirmed he has both spoken with Jones and his agent, indicating he has had a number of talks with the free agent-to-be. But the Broncos are unlikely to tag Jones, Klis adds. This is unsurprising, given the team’s cap space and the lofty tag prices for D-linemen. Paton called Jones one of the team’s core players, but with a tag now highly unlikely, the deadline will be March 13 to keep him off the market. Paton also confirmed the Broncos want to bring back Singleton.

FEBRUARY 27: If the Broncos do not use their franchise tag on Dre’Mont Jones and are unable to reach a long-term agreement with the fifth-year defensive lineman by March 13, he would stand to be one of the top free agents available. But the Broncos will try to prevent him from hitting the market.

Long on the Broncos’ extension radar, Jones remains in that position now that Sean Payton and Vance Joseph are in place. GM George Paton will meet with Jones’ agent at the Combine this week, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes, adding the organization is prioritizing a second Jones contract.

Jones did not sound particularly enthused about a second Denver contract when asked back in November, but he changed his tune this offseason. The Ohio State product said he wants to come back. Although the Broncos drafted Jones months after firing Joseph as head coach, their new defensive coordinator runs a 3-4 scheme. Jones has lined up as a 3-4 defensive end starter over the past three seasons and has been one of the league’s steadier interior pass rushers.

A week away from the deadline to apply tags, Renck adds Broncos-Jones talks have not generated much progress (Twitter link). Jones, 26, stacks up as a fringe tag candidate but more likely can be classified as a player the Broncos want to keep but not tag. That said, the Broncos will consider it with Jones, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

The D-end tag checks in at $19.73MM; the D-tackle tag is $18.94MM. While Jones was on pace for a career-best season in 2022, he finished with 6.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. Jones did have the fifth-most pressures among interior D-linemen before his hip injury, per Pro Football Focus. He would be a key player for Joseph to build around up front, alongside D.J. Jones, whose $10MM-per-year contract runs through 2024.

The Broncos have Justin Simmons signed to a top-five safety deal, but their talented defense does not have another player among his position’s top-10 highest-paid players. Patrick Surtain II will qualify for a mega-extension, but the team will likely look to table that until 2025 — ahead of the star cornerback’s fifth-year option season. Denver will need to find a sweet spot with Jones, who would qualify for an upper-echelon interior D-line contract but likely not a top-five accord at the position. A tag represents a last-resort measure, but it would hamstring the Broncos’ free agency budget ahead of a draft in which they lack first- or second-round picks. The Broncos will likely be active in creating cap space in the coming weeks, sitting on just more than $9MM in available funds.

Denver’s other top free agent, Dalton Risner, has long been viewed as behind Jones in the team’s pecking order. The four-year guard starter is likelier to test free agency, Renck writes, but Alex Singleton could be a candidate to stay. Signed to a one-year, $1.15MM deal after the Eagles non-tendered him as a restricted free agent, Singleton broke through for a staggeringly productive season — given his low rate. The former UDFA finished with 163 tackles — including two 20-plus-tackle performances — and slotted 10th among off-ball linebackers, per PFF.

Singleton will be in line for a raise this year, but with a crowded class of off-ball ‘backers set for free agency, it will be a buyer’s market. This and Singleton going into his age-30 season will work against him and potentially make the Montana State alum a reasonable option to stay in Denver.

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Broncos Add Davis Webb, Chris Banjo To Coaching Staff

By | at February 26, 2023 3:52 pm

FEBRUARY 26: Confirming that his playing days are officially over, Banjo tweeted on Sunday that he has retired. He acknowledged that his next NFL chapter is already well known, as was announced when the Broncos unveiled their full coaching staff. Banjo’s 33rd birthday will mark the turning point of his transition to the sidelines, where he will look to help a Denver special teams unit which ranked 29th in the league in DVOA last season.

FEBRUARY 23: On a day in which the Broncos have already made multiple noteworthy hires, the team has added a few more intriguing names to its staff. Denver is hiring a pair of NFLers who played in the 2022 season, allowing them to begin their respective coaching careers.

The Broncos are hiring Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The move represents a significant jump directly from the playing to coaching ranks, but not an unsurprising one, considering the 28-year-old’s stated intention of moving his career to the sidelines.

Webb nearly signed with the Bills as their QBs coach last offseason, one in which offensive coordinator Brian Daboll took the head coaching job with the Giants. Buffalo hired Joe Brady as their coach at that position, leaving Webb to follow Daboll to New York. He spent the 2022 season as a backup to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, getting one start in the season finale.

Webb has made it very clear he intended to immediately transition to coaching once his playing days ended. This posting will allow him to do that, while teaming with head coach Sean Payton and an intriguing signal-caller in Russell Wilson. The nine-time Pro Bowler struggled immensely in his first Broncos season, so his ability to rebound in 2023 will largely depend on Webb’s and Payton’s success coaching him.

In addition, the Broncos are giving veteran special teamer Chris Banjo a first look in the coaching ranks. The safety was released by the Cardinals earlier today, marking an end to his playing career but allowing him to once again work a few familiar faces. The 32-year-old is becoming an assistant special teams coach, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Banjo played in the NFL for 10 seasons, including time spent under Payton in New Orleans from 2016-18. The former UDFA most recently spent the past four seasons with the Cardinals, playing under new Broncos DC Vance Joseph. Overall, he carved out a role for himself as a core special teamer, racking up 143 tackles over 131 total games played. Now, he too will make an immediate jump from playing to coaching as he begins the next chapter of his football career.

In other coaching news out of the Mile High City, Denver has hired Greg Manusky as their new inside linebackers coach, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The 56-year-old was recently let go by the Vikings, but has landed in his next NFL home quite quickly. Manusky has 12 years of defensive coordinator experience across four teams, but this will be his first posting in Denver. He, along with Webb and Banjo, will look to help guide the Broncos to a resurgent season in 2023 as members of Payton’s first staff.

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Broncos Add John Morton To Staff

By | at February 26, 2023 9:59 am

While Ronald Curry ended up staying with the Saints, Sean Payton‘s Broncos staff includes a number of ex-New Orleans assistants — particularly on the offense side of the ball.

The Broncos are giving Joe Lombardi, whom the Chargers fired last month, an immediate bounce-back opportunity. His hire was, in fact, Denver’s OC move. The Broncos also added ex-Saints offensive lineman-turned-assistant Zach Strief as their O-line coach, former New Orleans assistant Declan Doyle as their tight ends coach and Mike Westhoff as an assistant HC. Westhoff, an NFL special teams coach since the 1980s, will help with Denver’s ST units.

Denver also added John Morton to its staff. The team announced the former Jets OC is headed to Denver as passing game coordinator. Morton coming over gives the Broncos another ex-Saints staffer and adds a third former OC to Denver’s staff. Morton served as the Jets’ OC in 2017 but has been on the senior offensive assistant level since that one-and-done stay under Todd Bowles.

Morton, 53, spent last season as a senior offensive assistant in Detroit, after being a Jon Gruden hire in Oakland. Morton spent the 2019-21 seasons with the Raiders and played a role in helping the resurgent Lions assemble one of the NFL’s top offenses. Morton’s Jets season came during a clear bridge campaign on offense, when the team did not make a notable quarterback move and instead entrusted Josh McCown at the controls ahead of a 2018 offseason that featured the Sam Darnold trade-up. The Jets ranked 24th in points scored that year.

Payton made Morton part of his first Saints staff back in 2006, hiring him as New Orleans’ pass-game coordinator that year. Morton moved on to USC under Pete Carroll after one New Orleans season but came back in 2015, staying on for two seasons as the Saints’ wide receivers coach. He will now rejoin Payton and Lombardi, along with QBs coach Davis Webb, as the offensive brain trust for a Broncos team that finished the 2022 season with the league’s fewest points.

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Broncos Hire Joe Lombardi As OC

By | at February 25, 2023 8:35 pm

FEBRUARY 25: The Broncos announced their full staff on Saturday, and it does indeed list Lombardi as offensive coordinator. The move comes as little surprise given reporting on the hire earlier this week, along with the time Payton and Lombardi spent together with the Saints. Their first season in Denver will see the veteran staffers work alongside a mix of experienced and rookie coaches, including Davis Webb in Lombardi’s familiar role of quarterbacks coach.

FEBRUARY 23: Fired from his Chargers offensive coordinator post last month, Joe Lombardi will reunite with his former boss. Sean Payton is adding the veteran assistant to his staff, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Lombardi’s role is not yet known, though the Broncos have not hired an OC. Lombardi filling that role is not out of the equation, per Klis. Lombardi enjoyed two lengthy stints as the Saints’ quarterbacks coach, serving in that role from 2009-13 and 2016-20. He spent the past two seasons as the Bolts’ play-caller. Lombardi, 51, will indeed join the Broncos in a coordinator-type capacity, Klis adds.

While Lombardi drew criticism for his performance guiding Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert-directed offenses, Denver’s OC role will be a non-play-calling position. As it was in New Orleans, Payton will call plays as a head coach. The Broncos’ OC search has not generated as much attention as the DC pursuit that ended with Vance Joseph being hired Thursday. Saints quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry is the only known interviewee thus far, but Curry is staying in New Orleans. That clears a path for Curry’s predecessor, but the Broncos have operated methodically in filling out Payton’s staff.

Be it as Denver’s new OC or its pass-game coordinator, Lombardi will work as one of Payton’s top assistants once again. Both the staffers the Chargers fired in January — Lombardi and Shane Day — have landed gigs elsewhere in the AFC. The Texans hired Day as a senior offensive assistant last week. The Broncos’ top trio on offense from last season — Nathaniel Hackett, OC Justin Outten, QBs coach Klint Kubiak — have all landed elsewhere (Jets, Titans, 49ers) as well.

Dinged for not turning Herbert loose as a downfield passer, Lombardi still oversaw the star Bolts QB becoming the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter in 2021. Herbert threw 38 touchdown passes that season. He dropped to 25 this season, but injuries affected the Bolts steadily. Keenan Allen missed half the year with a hamstring malady, while Mike Williams was down for multiple stretches. This included the team’s playoff game, after Brandon Staley surprisingly played his starters deep into a meaningless Week 18 game in Denver. Herbert also played through a rib injury, one he suffered in Week 2. While Austin Ekeler once again led the NFL in touchdowns (18), the Chargers’ offense underwhelmed in 2022.

An Air Force alum, Lombardi will return to Colorado for a third stint under Payton. Vince Lombardi‘s grandson, Joe caught on with the Saints in 2007 and was Drew Brees‘ primary position coach during his record-setting run in New Orleans. Payton understandably receives most of the credit for Brees becoming a superstar, but the new Denver HC will entrust his longtime lieutenant to help repair Russell Wilson‘s game.

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Russell Wilson Wanted Sean Payton To Replace Pete Carroll With Seahawks?

By | at February 24, 2023 11:02 am

More information emerged regarding Russell Wilson‘s odd 2022 Friday morning. A report from Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic indicates the veteran quarterback made a request that Seahawks ownership fire both Pete Carroll and John Schneider, citing the duo had inhibited his pursuit of Super Bowls and awards.

This alleged request came weeks before the Seahawks decided to trade Wilson to the Broncos. Wilson denied (via Twitter) he asked for the Seattle HC and GM’s firings, and a lawyer for the QB described that assertion as “entirely fabricated.”

Wilson-Carroll disagreements about the direction of the Seahawks took place ahead of the QB’s 2021 trade destination list surfacing, and after the 2022 trade, reports indicating the NFC West team viewed its former franchise passer as declining came out. A shockingly mediocre Wilson season commenced in Denver. His partnership with Nathaniel Hackett proved a poor fit, and Hackett became the third first-year HC since the 1970 merger to be fired before season’s end.

The Broncos have since traded for Sean Payton, nearly two years after Wilson’s trade list included the Saints. Wilson wanted the Seahawks to trade for Payton’s rights after his Saints exit last year, according to The Athletic. Payton announced he was leaving the Saints on Jan. 25, 2022; Schneider and Broncos GM George Paton began discussing a trade ahead of the Feb. 5 Senior Bowl. The trade took place March 8.

The previously referenced Latavius Murray text message to his former coach occurred just before the Broncos’ Christmas blowout loss to the Rams. Payton had said Murray texted him about he and a backfield teammate wanting him in Denver, with the veteran running back confirming Wilson was the teammate. Murray sent the text Dec. 23, per The Athletic. The Broncos fired Hackett on Dec. 26, following a 51-14 loss to the Rams. No accusation is made of Wilson wanting Hackett to go, but that relationship had long trended in that direction. During the Broncos’ coaching search, Wilson reached out to Payton.

Payton soon put the kibosh on Wilson’s team having full access to Denver’s facility, but Paton allowed Wilson’s personal coach (Jake Heaps), a physical therapist and a nutritionist such privileges last year. Heaps had partial access to the Seahawks’ facility, per The Athletic, and Wilson did not have an office there. Wilson agreed to stop using the office and to keep his support staff out of the building over the season’s final two weeks.

Wilson organized weekly meetings for Denver’s offense during the players’ Tuesday off day, and The Athletic notes Heaps was part of those summits, which were aimed around preparing for the next opponent. An anonymous coach also said he did not agree with the evaluations Wilson and Heaps made on scouting reports distributed on Tuesdays. With Hackett also being accused of being too deferential to players, the potentially incongruent scouting reports would provide a partial explanation for the Broncos’ myriad offensive issues. Those came to a head during an ugly Thursday loss to the Colts in October and persisted for much of the season.

The team ended the year with three play-callers. All three (Hackett, QBs coach Klint Kubiak, OC Justin Outten) are elsewhere now. Melvin Gordon, whom the Broncos waived in November after extensive fumbling problems, said Hackett attempting to blend Wilson’s Seattle offense and Hackett’s preferred Green Bay-style blueprint was “a bit much.” The organization fired Vic Fangio in large part due to his team’s struggles offensively, but the Broncos’ Pat Shurmur–Teddy Bridgewater setup ranked 23rd in scoring. The Hackett-Wilson season produced a last-place ranking, and while numerous injuries contributed to this decline, the Broncos’ QB-HC partnership generated most of the attention. Payton, who signed a five-year contract, will be tasked with cleaning up this mess.

Payton will call the Broncos’ plays next season, accepting the team’s offer after DeMeco Ryans had generated some buzz. Ryans may not have been a serious candidate. While he preferred the Texans, The Athletic describes the former 49ers DC’s Broncos interview as “awkward.”

The Seahawks have begun negotiations with Geno Smith, whose surprising season earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. It remains to be seen if the organization will make a true long-term commitment to Wilson’s former backup, but the team that had made some draft missteps late in Wilson’s tenure will be in position to land more starters via the 2023 first- and second-round picks obtained in the Wilson swap. Carroll is signed through the 2025 season; Schneider’s latest extension runs through 2027. Both decision-makers are going into their 14th seasons in Seattle.

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Latest On Broncos’ Coaching Staff; Matt Patricia Still On Radar For Assistant Job?

By | at February 23, 2023 1:13 pm

1:13pm: If Patricia is part of Payton’s plans, it will not be as linebackers coach. The Broncos are hiring Michael Wilhoite for that position, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Recently dismissed by the Chargers, Wilhoite worked with the Saints from 2019-20. The former NFL linebacker was on Payton’s staffs then as a lower-level assistant; this job represents a title bump.

12:20pm: The Broncos’ Vance Joseph defensive coordinator hire removes some of their candidates from the equation, but it might not scrap partnerships will all of them. Matt Patricia may still be on the radar for a role in Denver.

The former Lions HC and longtime Bill Belichick assistant has been connected to joining the Broncos as linebackers coach, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Sean Payton responded to a tweet questioning his methodical pace at filling out Denver’s staff, indicating he had 16 coaches in place. It would appear more names will surface soon. The team is still looking for an offensive coordinator.

Patricia, 48, interviewed Wednesday for the job Joseph just accepted. Although he worked with the Patriots’ offensive line last season — one that became a controversial campaign due to the longtime defensive staffer being the team’s de facto OC — the former head coach and longtime defensive coordinator has not held a position coach title since 2011, when he was the Pats’ safeties coach. Patricia has only worked for the Patriots and Lions during his lengthy NFL stay; the Pats brought him back shortly after his Lions firing.

Patricia is no longer under contract with the Patriots, and while it is believed he should still have a job under Belichick, the Lions no longer paying him a head coach salary would require the Pats to handle the entire compensation going forward. That should not be a major issue, given assistants’ salaries, but it certainly would be interesting if Patricia left New England for a non-coordinator job. His contract expiring would mean the Pats cannot block such a move, however.

The Broncos are also retaining two of their holdover defensive assistants. They will keep both defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and defensive backs coach Christian Parker, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. Parker, 31, interviewed for the DC job, providing an illustration of the team’s view of the young staffer, and will enter his third season with the team. He joined the Broncos during Vic Fangio‘s tenure; Dixon, 38, signed on under Ejiro Evero last year. This is Parker’s first job coaching a position, while Dixon — a former NFL D-lineman — coached on the Rams’ staff in 2021.

Although Mike Zimmer also interviewed for a separate staff position and would make sense in a senior defensive assistant-type role alongside Payton, his Cowboys coworker in the 2000s, the linebackers position is the top box for the Broncos now to check on defense. On offense, the team is replacing five-year wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni with ex-NFLer Keary Colbert, Matt Zenitz of On3Sports.com tweets. Colbert, who played an auxiliary role for the Broncos’ receiving corps from 2008-09, spent last season as Florida’s receivers coach. He also mentored Drake London at USC. Colbert, 40, began coaching immediately after his playing career wrapped. Azzanni joined the Jets as their receivers coach recently.

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Broncos To Hire Vance Joseph As DC

By | at February 23, 2023 10:36 am

Vance Joseph is coming back to Denver. The former Broncos head coach will make a quick return, agreeing to join Sean Payton‘s staff as defensive coordinator, Peter Schrager of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

This hire will come barely four years after the Broncos fired Joseph following a two-year HC run. While unusual, a coach coming back so soon is not unprecedented. Joseph beat out the likes of Rex Ryan, Matt Patricia and Sean Desai for the job. Joseph will again play the lead role in helming Denver’s defense, doing so under Payton this time around.

Joseph, 50, received extensive interest from the Eagles as well. He went through a two-day interview with Philly brass; that wrapped Wednesday. Despite a rocky history with the Broncos, Joseph kept the door open for a return. The University of Colorado alum has not worked with Payton previously, but these two will be the top coaches in the Broncos’ organization going forward. Payton will call plays offensively, and Joseph will now step into Denver’s defensive play-calling role.

The Broncos went 9-7 under Gary Kubiak in 2016; their decline began to hit under Joseph over the next two seasons. Denver went 5-11 and 6-10 in 2017 and ’18, respectively, though quarterback trouble did more to sink those teams than defensive issues. While the Broncos’ defense did dip from its Wade Phillips-overseen apex, Joseph immediately landed the Cardinals’ DC job upon being axed. It is not known if the Eagles offered Joseph their DC position, but the Broncos’ new ownership — as evidenced by the Payton hire — certainly would be in position to win a bidding war for a coach. Joseph left his Eagles interview believing he had a good chance at either that job or the Denver opening, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets.

The Cardinals interviewed Joseph for their HC position early in their lengthy search process but ended up preferring two other DCs — finalists Jonathan Gannon and Lou Anarumo. Gannon and Joseph soon came to an understanding, one that led the Cardinals to replace him with the NFL’s youngest active coordinator — 29-year-old Nick Rallis. The Cardinals took on water from all sides last season, with their defense ranking 24th in DVOA despite J.J. Watt‘s bounce-back finale. But Joseph’s unit played a major role in Arizona’s 2021 playoff voyage; DVOA ranked the 2021 Cardinals’ defense sixth. The metric placed Arizona’s 2020 defense, which did not have Chandler Jones for most of the season, 10th overall.

Joseph is the second former Broncos HC to return to the team as a defensive boss over the past 10 years. Phillips, Denver’s head coach from 1993-94, came back in 2015 and helped steer the Kubiak-led team to a Super Bowl win. This reminds more of the Chiefs rehiring Gunther Cunningham four years after firing him as head coach. Cunningham coached the Chiefs from 1999-2000, being promoted from DC, but he returned to his previous coordinator role under both Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards. Unlike those circumstances, when the same GM was in place (Carl Peterson), the GM who fired Joseph — John Elway — is no longer in a regular role with the team. Payton and George Paton are running the show. New ownership is also in place, with the Rob Walton-led group taking over last year.

“I’m over it. It was never a sore spot,” Joseph said (via Denver7’s Troy Renck) of being fired as Broncos HC in 2019. “That’s a great opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL. It didn’t work out, but I wasn’t the first guy and I won’t be the last. There were never any ill feelings. It was just a job. It didn’t get done and you move on.”

Justin Simmons and Josey Jewell are the only Broncos cogs left from Joseph’s first run with the organization. The Broncos ranked 10th and fifth, respectively, in defensive DVOA under Joseph from 2017-18. His 11-21 HC record aside, Joseph has shown an ability to lead upper-echelon defenses. He will now bring four additional years of experience back to Denver. Joseph’s experience helped sell Payton, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Phillips also reached out to Joseph before his interview with Payton, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com notes.

Ryan obviously brings more experience than Joseph, but the ESPN analyst — reported as the favorite for this job days ago — has also been out of the league since the Bills fired him late in the 2016 season. Desai, who also interviewed for the Eagles’ DC job, has one season of coordinator experience. Joseph has been a head coach or D-coordinator for seven combined seasons. This will be his fourth opportunity to lead a defense.

Defensive backs coach Christian Parker also interviewed for the job, Legwold notes, adding Mike Zimmer interviewed for a separate position on staff. Kris Richard, whom Payton hired with the Saints in 2021, also interviewed for the gig. Parker would appear to be a candidate to stay, while Zimmer — previously mentioned as a candidate to team with Payton again — could be in play for a senior defensive assistant-type position. Joseph should still be expected to have input in how Denver’s defensive staff looks.

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Matt Patricia A New DC Candidate In Denver

By | at February 22, 2023 7:58 pm

As new Broncos head coach Sean Payton has continued building his new staff in Denver, two names have emerged as top candidates for the defensive coordinator position. Joining Rex Ryan and Vance Joseph as top options for the job, Patriots senior football advisor Matt Patricia spent today in Denver as a new candidate for the role, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Despite his successful tenure in New England as a defensive coordinator, which led to a head coaching job, Patricia found himself on the offensive side of the coaching staff this past year for the Patriots. The move to pair Patricia with offensive assistant Joe Judge to effectively serve as de facto offensive coordinator puzzled many and didn’t exactly deliver the desired results the Patriots were hoping for. Patricia garnered much of the criticism in his first return to the offensive side of coaching since he served as assistant offensive line coach in 2005.

With the recent addition of Bill O’Brien, back as offensive coordinator in New England for the first time in 12 years, questions immediately arose surrounding the future of both Patricia and Judge. Obviously no longer needed to call offensive plays, it’s widely been believed that both coaches would still be able to carve some role out to remain in New England. With the new update in Denver, it appears Patricia is trying his hand at other jobs in the NFL, as well.

Patricia is an intriguing candidate for the position. His tenure as defensive coordinator for the Patriots was largely successful. As defensive coordinator from 2012-17, Patricia’s defenses never finished worse than 10th in the league in points allowed, finishing first in the category in 2016. Despite the success keeping opponents out of the end zone, the defenses under Patricia finished in the bottom eight for yards allowed three times, including a 29th-ranked finish in his final season as defensive coordinator in 2017.

Besides Patricia, the Broncos have had seven other potential names mentioned for the position. Former defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was released from his contract and allowed to accept the same position in Carolina. Brian Flores cancelled his interview and accepted the defensive coordinator position in Minnesota. Former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was mentioned as a candidate, and Seahawks defensive assistant Sean Desai and Saints former co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard were both interviewed for the job, but to this point, Joseph and Ryan are considered the favorites with Ryan even undergoing a second interview last week.

It will be interesting to see how much Patricia factors into the decision as such a late addition to the search. For updates on the job, be sure to follow our 2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker.

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AFC Coaching Notes: Ventrone, Browns, Broncos, Joseph, Raiders, Dolphins, Texans

By | at February 22, 2023 2:03 pm

After the Colts changed coaching staffs, Bubba Ventrone will have an opportunity to land on his feet. The Indianapolis special teams coordinator is on track to interview with the Browns, and ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder tweets the Colts are expecting to lose him to the Cleveland job. Ventrone spent five seasons in Indianapolis and is a well-regarded ST coordinator. The Browns are also interviewing Giants assistant special teams coach Anthony Blevins, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets. That meeting is expected to commence via Zoom today, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The Browns fired ST coordinator Mike Preiffer earlier this week. Blevins has been with the Giants for the past five years.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • Prior to the Cardinals making Nick Rallis the NFL’s youngest active coordinator, at 29, the Broncos had him on their radar. Denver showed interest in the former Philadelphia linebackers coach, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Rallis is a cool 31 years younger than the favorite to land the Denver job (Rex Ryan), but the Broncos are still eyeing Vance Joseph. Despite being fired after two seasons as Denver’s HC, Joseph is interested in coming back, Renck adds. The Eagles also have eyes on the ex-Cardinals DC; they are finishing up a two-day interview Wednesday.
  • The Colts are hiring University of Cincinnati offensive coordinator Tom Manning as their tight ends coach, Aaron Wilson of KPRC tweets. This will be a reunion for Manning, who was on Frank Reich‘s first Colts staff as tight ends coach. Manning had recently accepted Cincinnati’s offer to be its OC, coming over after a four-year stay on Matt Campbell‘s Iowa State staff. The ex-Cyclones OC drew interest from multiple NFL teams, per Wilson.
  • The Browns will look to the college ranks as well. They are set to hire Utah State defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda to be their safeties coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel (Twitter links). Prior to his two-year run in Utah, Banda spent the previous two seasons as the University of Miami’s co-DC.
  • To fill their safeties coach post, the Dolphins are adding Eagles assistant Joe Kasper, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com tweets. Kasper joined the Eagles’ staff in Nick Sirianni‘s first year; this will be a move up the ladder, bringing positional responsibilities Kasper’s way for the first time.
  • The Raiders fired defensive line coach Frank Okam, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes. A former NFL D-lineman, Okam came to Las Vegas after two years on Matt Rhule‘s Carolina staff. The Raiders struggled on defense for most of the season, dropping from 14th to 28th in total defense. Rather than can DC Patrick Graham, the team is moving on from one of his lieutenants.
  • In addition to ST coordinator Frank Ross, the Texans are also retaining wide receivers coach Ben McDaniels, Wilson writes. The younger brother of Josh McDaniels, Ben has been with the Texans since Nick Caserio‘s 2021 arrival. While Ben McDaniels has never worked for the Patriots, Caserio has been close with Josh McDaniels for many years. The Texans promoted Ben McDaniels from assistant wideouts coach in 2022.
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