Ike Hilliard

Ken Zampese, Ike Hilliard, Barrett Ruud Join Falcons’ Staff; Team Retains Jerry Gray

February 6th, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

In Zac Robinson and Jimmy Lake, Raheem Morris installed two first-time NFL coordinators as his top lieutenants. The returning Falcons leader will backstop the OC-DC tandem with some experienced staffers in key posts.

The Falcons hired Ken Zampese as a senior offensive assistant, and the team is retaining defensive assistant Jerry Gray. The latter, an Arthur Smith hire, agreed to an extension to stay under Morris, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes. Zampese worked as the Bengals’ OC from 2016-17, while Gray has multiple stints of DC experience. The veteran staffer served as the Bills’ DC in the 2000s and led the Titans’ defense from 2011-13. Gray will continue in an assistant HC/defense capacity.

Gray, 61, came to Atlanta after philosophical differences with then-Green Bay DC Joe Barry keyed a Wisconsin exit. The former decorated DB has been an NFL assistant for the past 27 seasons. A second-generation NFL assistant, Zampese brings 24 years of experience at this level. The 56-year-old staffer is best known for his 15 seasons on Marvin Lewis‘ Bengals staff, most of which coming as the team’s QBs coach. Zampese was in that role for the past four seasons under Ron Rivera in Washington.

Ike Hillard also joined the Falcons as their wide receivers coach. This will mark a return to the league for the former Giants starter. Hilliard, 47, did not coach in 2022 and was last in the NFL as the Steelers’ receivers coach from 2020-21. An NFL receivers coach from 2011-21, Hilliard was at Auburn in 2022. The Falcons also added Kevin Koger as their tight ends coach. Koger was on the radar for OC positions in 2022, interviewing for the Broncos and Packers’ jobs. Koger, 34, spent the past three years as the Chargers’ TEs coach. These appointments will be rather important, given the investments the Falcons made in Drake London and Kyle Pitts.

As Hilliard settles in, the Falcons will shift T.J. Yates from receivers coach to quarterbacks coach. The former NFL QB spent three seasons on Smith’s staff, arriving during the 2021 offseason in which Morris left for Los Angeles. This will be his first season as a team’s top QBs coach, though it is not yet known exactly who Yates will be developing. Morris is also keeping Dwayne Ledford as offensive line coach, adding the role of run-game coordinator to his title. Smith brought Ledford out of the college ranks in 2021. Pro Football Focus ranked the Falcons’ O-line fourth last season. The Falcons retained assistant Steven King but will move him from an offensive staffer to assistant special teams coach.

Multiple Rams staffers will follow Morris as well. Tim Berbenich, a 2023 Rams assistant, signed on as a Falcons pass-game specialist. He will also hold game management responsibilities. Lance Schulters, whose DB career included a stop in Atlanta, joined Morris’ staff as a defensive assistant. He last coached with the Rams in 2022. Nick Jones, a three-year Rams staffer, is signing on with the Falcons as assistant O-line coach. Offensive assistant K.J. Black will also come to Georgia after spending time on McVay’s staff.

Jay Rodgers, whom the Chargers fired shortly after dismissing Brandon Staley, will receive another opportunity as part of this staff. The Falcons hired Rodgers as their D-line coach. Rodgers has been an NFL D-line coach for the past 12 years, serving in that capacity for the Broncos and Bears ahead of his L.A. stay. Justin Hood will move up to DBs coach, after spending 2023 on the quality control level in Green Bay.

Former NFL linebacker Barrett Ruud will also make his coaching debut in the pros, being hired as Atlanta’s ILBs coach. Ruud coached at Nebraska, his alma mater, from 2018-22. The Falcons will keep Michael Pitre as their running backs coach. Helping Tyler Allgeier to a 1,000-yard rookie year, Pitre has held this role for the past two seasons.

Rounding out the staff, the Falcons are hiring the son of longtime Patriots O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia. Steve Scarnecchia is onboard as the Falcons’ chief of staff, coming over from the Jets. Ex-Bolts assistant John Timu is now on Lake’s defensive staff. Chandler Whitmer, in place as a pass-game specialist, will join Rodgers, Timu and Koger incoming from the Chargers’ staff.

Coaching/Front Office Notes: Eagles, Bears, Jets, Browns

January 29th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Clint Hurtt is heading to Philadelphia. After having spent the past two seasons as the Seahawks defensive coordinator, the veteran coach is joining the Eagles as their new defensive line coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Hurtt worked with defensive linemen and linebackers in Chicago before joining the Seahawks as their assistant head coach/defensive line coach in 2017. He earned a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2022 and spent two seasons in that role. Seattle’s defense didn’t fare all that well with Hurtt at the helm, as the defense never finished better than 26th in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed.

Still, Hurtt has earned a reputation as a reliable DL coach. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Hurtt had multiple offers to coach defensive linemen, but he ended up opting for the Eagles opportunity.

Pelissero notes that the Eagles are also expected to hire one of Hurtt’s assistants from Seattle. Karl Scott is joining the Eagles as their new DBs coach. Scott spent the past two seasons as Seattle’s secondary coach/passing game coordinator.

More coaching and front office notes from around the NFL…

The Bears will interview Chargers wide receivers coach Chris Beatty for the same role, according to Pelissero. Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that veteran coach Ike Hilliard will also interview for the Chargers job. After a long college coaching career, Beatty took his first NFL job with the Chargers in 2021 as their WRs coach. Over the past few years, he’s helped guide the likes of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams to 1,000-yard seasons. Hilliard has spent time as the WRs coach with Washington, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, and he was most recently on the coaching staff at Auburn. Hilliard worked alongside offensive coordinator Shane Waldron when the two were in Washington.
The Jets are hiring Tony Dews as their running backs coach, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Dews was Derrick Henry‘s coach in Tennessee between 2018 and 2022, and he spent the 2023 campaign as the Titans tight ends coach. He’ll be replacing Taylor Embree, who was let go after the season. Meanwhile, Connor Hughes of SNYtv reports that the Jets interviewed Rob Moore for their WRs coach job. Moore also recently worked for the Titans, spending the past six years as their receivers coach.
The Browns have hired Jacques Cesaire as their defensive line coach, per Pelissero. After playing his entire career with the Chargers, Cesaire broke into the NFL coaching ranks as the Bills assistant defensive line coach in 2020. He spent the past two seasons with the Texans, serving as the team’s defensive line coach. He’ll be replacing Ben Bloom, although Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes that the coach could still stick in Cleveland in a different role for the 2024 campaign.
Saints college scouting director Cody Rager is heading to the Broncos, according to Nick Underhill of NOF Network. Neil Stratton passes along that Rager will be Denver’s new vice president of player personnel. Rager spent the past nine seasons in New Orleans, including the past three as the assistant college scouting director. Rager got his NFL start with the Dolphins back in 2012.

AFC Staff Notes: McCown, Kelly, Broncos

February 8th, 2022 at 9:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans‘ coaching search meandered from Brian Flores and Josh McCown to the latter’s former head coach. Lovie Smith coached McCown in Chicago and then brought him to Tampa in 2014. McCown interviewed for Houston’s HC job three times over the past year and change but still does not have any NFL coaching experience. While it is clear the Texans’ front office would be on board with having McCown on staff, Smith might not be. At least, not in 2022. The new Texans HC praised McCown as a future coach and added (via Fox 26’s Mark Berman, video link) he would want him on his staff “eventually someday.” Smith already promoted quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton to offensive coordinator. McCown could conceivably fill Hamilton’s old post as QBs coach, however, if the Texans are indeed intent on him eventually becoming their head coach.

Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:

John Pagano spent the past two seasons as the Broncos‘ outside linebackers coach, taking over after Brandon Staley departed for Los Angeles in 2020. During that span, the Broncos saw some new edge contributors — Malik Reed, Stephen Weatherly and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper — help out to the point the team felt OK trading Von Miller. Pagano, however, will not be on Nathaniel Hackett‘s first Denver staff, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). The former Raiders and Chargers DC has now been an NFL staffer for 26 seasons.
Tim Kelly will serve as the Titans’ new passing-game coordinator, per TennesseeTitans.com’s Jim Wyatt. Kelly, the Texans’ OC from 2019-21, will work alongside Titans OC Todd Downing. Tim Kelly, the older brother of ex-Titans right tackle Dennis Kelly, and Mike Vrabel worked together on Houston’s staff ahead of the latter’s move to Tennessee. The Titans also hired Bobby King to be their inside linebackers coach. King also worked in Houston alongside Vrabel in 2017; he finished his Texans tenure as the team’s D-line coach this past season.
Denver interviewed Jason Simmons for its defensive coordinator job — a post expected to go to Rams secondary coach Ejiro Evero — but the Carolina assistant will instead head to Las Vegas. The Raiders are hiring Simmons as their secondary coach, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Simmons worked with new Raider DC Patrick Graham with the Packers in 2018.
The Steelers did not renew Ike Hilliard‘s contract, per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly (on Twitter), and hired Frisman Jackson to coach their wide receivers. Jackson will leave Matt Rhule‘s hub for ex-Temple and Baylor coaches for Pittsburgh. The former NFL wideout, after stints with Rhule at both college programs, coached the Panthers’ receivers in each of Rhule’s first two years. Hilliard served as the Steelers’ receivers coach during that span.
Ex-NFL D-linemen-turned-assistants Brentson Buckner and Phillip Daniels may be vying for the Jaguars‘ D-line coach role, with Wilson adding the team is considering each for the position (Twitter link). Buckner currently serves as the Cardinals’ D-line coach. Daniels has less experience but worked under Doug Pederson in Philadelphia, working with the Eagles’ D-line from 2016-19. The Eagles fired Daniels after the ’19 season.
The Jags are also hiring Louisiana assistant head coach Rory Segrest, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman tweets. Segrest has been in the college ranks for over a decade but was with the Eagles during Pederson’s time working under Andy Reid in the late 2000s.
Circling back to the Broncos, they added a few more assistants early this week. UNLV DC Peter Hansen signed on to be Denver’s linebackers coach, Klis tweets. Hanson and Eviro were on Vic Fangio‘s 49ers staff from 2011-13. The Broncos also named Ben Steele their tight ends coach, Klis notes. Steele was the Vikings’ assistant O-line coach under Klint Kubiak this past season. Mike Mallory also joined Hackett’s Denver staff as assistant special teams coordinator (Twitter links). Mallory spent eight seasons with the Jaguars, as their ST coordinator and assistant ST coordinator (2013-20), working with Hackett for part of that stretch.

Lions To Interview Ike Hilliard For OC Role

January 21st, 2021 at 3:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Veteran NFL wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard will have an opportunity to interview for a coordinator role. The Lions are bringing him in for an OC interview, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).

Hilliard just wrapped up his first season as the Steelers’ wide receivers coach. This will be the former NFL wideout’s first known interview for a coordinator position. Hilliard, 44, joins Ravens QBs coach James Urban as candidates for Detroit’s OC role.

The former Giants first-round wideout played 12 seasons, from 1997-2008 with the Giants and Buccaneers, and has coached receivers since 2011. His most notable role came as Washington’s wideouts coach from 2014-19. Under Hilliard, the Steelers unearthed yet another receiving prospect in Chase Claypool this season. Terry McLaurin also played under Hilliard as a rookie.

With the Lions hiring Dan Campbell as head coach, their next offensive coordinator will be the team’s play-caller. That obviously raises the stakes for the Lions’ interview process. It can be expected more names will join Urban and Hilliard in the franchise’s search.

Steelers Hire Ike Hilliard As WRs Coach

February 18th, 2020 at 9:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some high-profile names emerged during the Steelers’ search for their next wide receivers coach. The franchise interviewed multiple other candidates but tabbed Ike Hilliard for the position Tuesday.

The longtime NFL wideout spent the past six seasons as the Redskins’ receivers coach. He beat out ex-Steelers wideout Jerricho Cotchery and South Carolina receivers coach Bryan McClendon for the post. Those were the known candidates for the position. Darryl Drake‘s tragic death last summer prompted the Steelers to use an interim coach in this role last season, and Hilliard will succeed Ray Sherman in leading Pittsburgh’s wideouts.

Like Cotchery, Hilliard played 12 NFL seasons. The 1997 top-10 pick worked as a starter for the Giants for most of his career, before finishing with four Buccaneers seasons. Hilliard’s first season in Tampa Bay, 2005, doubled as Mike Tomlin‘s last of five seasons on the Bucs’ staff. In his coaching career, the Hilliard worked with the Dolphins, Bills and Redskins (two stints) after beginning his run in the short-lived United Football League.

The Redskins saw four receivers eclipse 800 receiving yards during Hilliard’s tenure, with rookie Terry McLaurin being the most recent. McLaurin, who missed two games, posted 919 yards and came within seven yards of breaking Gary Clark‘s 34-year-old Redskins rookie record. In Pittsburgh, Hilliard will have young players like James Washington and Diontae Johnson to further develop.