Dave Toub Possible Colts Contingency Plan?
Josh McDaniels has been linked as the next Colts coach for two weeks, with the parties — just as the Lions and Matt Patricia have — reaching an unofficial agreement.
But if McDaniels is having second thoughts and ends up backing out of this setup, Chris Ballard may have a contingency option.
Although Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub did not interview, he is viewed by some around the league as a candidate if an in-case-of-emergency situation arises, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. This has been on the radar, to some degree, for over a year.
In January 2017, a report emerged the Colts had a Ballard/Toub partnership in mind. And earlier this year, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk reported Toub was expected to draw interest. However, the franchise zeroed in on McDaniels soon after.
Toub interviewed with the Broncos and Chargers last year but remained with the Chiefs for a fifth season. The 55-year-old Toub was the Bears’ ST coordinator from 2004-12 and has been in the same organization as Ballard twice, with the current Indianapolis GM spending 12 years in Chicago prior to coming to Kansas City.
Josh McDaniels Not Viewed As Lock To Leave Patriots?
Although reports already have the Colts being in line to hire certain coordinators, Josh McDaniels may not be 100 percent committed to leaving New England.
“Increasing” buzz around the league has the possibility the longtime Patriots offensive coordinator staying with the team in play, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offers.
Florio reports McDaniels has not yet told the Patriots he’s leaving, despite numerous reports circulating for weeks he’s heading to Indianapolis. Some around the NFL believe McDaniels would stick around in the event Bill Belichick surprises the franchise and retires after the game, Florio writes. However, if Belichick operates as expected and remains as New England’s HC for 2018, McDaniels would likely require a pay bump and a promise he will be the next Pats head coach when the time comes.
This would certainly qualify as stunning given how long the Colts and McDaniels have had an unofficial agreement in place. And given how poorly McDaniels’ first HC run went, it might be difficult for another team to trust him enough to offer him an HC job again if he spurns the Colts.
Colts LB Edwin Jackson Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver
Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson was killed early Sunday morning after being hit by a suspected drunk driver near Indianapolis, according to Justin L. Mack and Emma Kate Fittes of the Indianapolis Star.
Per the Indiana State Police, Jackson and another man — 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe — were killed while standing on the shoulder of Interstate 70. Monroe had reportedly stopped to help Jackson on the side of the road when both were struck by a pickup truck which had driven into the emergency shoulder. The driver of the pickup attempted to flee the scene but was quickly apprehended, and is suspected to have been intoxicated at the time of the accident.
Jackson, who was only 26 years old, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern in 2015. After a brief stint with the Cardinals, Jackson spent time on Indianapolis’ practice squad before appearing in all 16 games (eight starts) with the Colts in 2016, managing 42 tackles and four sacks during that campaign. He spent the entire 2017 season on injured reserve.
By all indications, Jackson was an exemplary man on and off the field. He originally earned a spot on Georgia Southern’s roster as a walk-on, and was subsequently nominated for both the Danny Wuerfall Trophy and a spot on the AllState Good Works Team for his service in the community. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who penned an excellent profile of Jackson in 2016, tweeted today: “I cannot possibly explain to you how nice a human being Edwin Jackson was.”
PFR extends its sincerest condolences to Jackson’s family, friends, and teammates during this extremely difficult time.
Colts To Target Darrell Bevell For Offensive Coordinator
Several weeks ago, it was reported that Josh McDaniels — who will be named as the Colts’ new head coach after today’s Super Bowl — would hire Raiders quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz as Indianapolis’ next offensive coordinator. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that a new name has emerged as McDaniels’ top target for the position: former Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell (Twitter link).
Bevell, of course, has been in high demand. He has already interviewed for the Vikings’ offensive coordinator vacancy, and he interviewed for the Cardinals’ OC job before Arizona hired Mike McCoy. Bevell was also mentioned as a candidate for several quarterbacks coach positions, and Rapoport adds that the Giants are interested in Bevell for their own OC job.
Seattle fired Bevell on January 10, after the team failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 2011. The Seahawks’ offense was a middle-of-the-road unit in 2017, but Bevell was on the sidelines for some of the club’s best seasons, including its Super Bowl XLVIII victory. However, his call for the Seahawks to pass from the 1-yard line spoiled a would-be victory in Super Bowl XLIX, and he was never really able to salvage his reputation with the fans thereafter.
But he apparently does have a number of supporters around the league. Given McDaniels’ background as an offensive guru, it is unlikely Bevell would have the same level of control over the Colts’ offense that he enjoyed in Seattle, but he would be working with one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Andrew Luck.
Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that he heard Peetz may no longer be in the running for the Colts’ job last week. Peetz did not respond to Holder’s attempts to reach him in the past several days.
Donte Moncrief's Play Frustrated Colts
- Donte Moncrief‘s inconsistency last season frustrated members of the Colts organization, Mike Wells of ESPN.com notes. Moncrief is now an unrestricted free agent and joins several other receivers whose career profiles aren’t beacons of stability — like Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, John Brown and Jordan Matthews. This uncertain market could prompt the Colts, who as of now have Andrew Luck on the right track to return next season, to offer Moncrief a short-team deal to determine his legitimacy. Moncrief has shown a rapport with Luck, catching 14 of his 18 career TDs from the cornerstone Colt, but last season was playing behind Kamar Aiken in Indianapolis’ rotation.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/2/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Rodney Adams
2018 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.908MM in 2018. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2018 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Trent Brown, T; Eli Harold, LB
Bears: Adrian Amos, S
Bengals: Tyler Kroft, TE; Josh Shaw, DB
Bills: John Miller, G
Broncos: Max Garcia, G; Trevor Siemian, QB
Browns: Duke Johnson, RB
Buccaneers: Kwon Alexander, LB
Cardinals: David Johnson, RB; J.J. Nelson, WR
Chargers: Kyle Emanuel, LB
Chiefs: Chris Conley, WR; Steven Nelson, CB
Colts: Henry Anderson, DE; Mark Glowinski, G; Denzelle Good, OL
Dolphins: Bobby McCain, CB
Eagles: Jay Ajayi, RB; Jordan Hicks, LB
Falcons: Grady Jarrett, DT
Jaguars: A.J. Cann, OL
Lions: Quandre Diggs, CB
Packers: Jake Ryan, LB
Panthers: Daryl Williams, T
Patriots: Trey Flowers, DE; Shaq Mason, G
Raiders: Clive Walford, TE
Rams: Jamon Brown, G
Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, LB
Redskins: T.J. Clemmings, OL; Jamison Crowder, WR
Saints: Tyeler Davison, DT
Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, WR
Steelers: Jesse James, TE
Vikings: Stefon Diggs, WR; Danielle Hunter, DE
OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coaching Notes: Lions, Vikings, Colts, Titans
Dean Pees “retired” as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator earlier this year before joining the Titans in the same role on Monday, but Tennessee wasn’t the only club that expressed interest in the veteran coach over the past several weeks. The Lions, who are expected to formally hire Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia following the Super Bowl, also discussed a job offer with Pees, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Pees and Patricia have a working relationship, as they coached together in New England from 2004-09, so the connection makes sense. Detroit, which is expected to revamps its entire defensive staff once Patricia officially comes on board, is reportedly interested in hiring Boston College defensive line Paul Pasqualoni as its new defensive coordinator.
- The Vikings are unlikely to announce their new offensive coordinator until after the Super Bowl, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Former Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell, Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski, Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell, and Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan are the known candidates to have interviewed to replace Pat Shurmur, who recently became the Giants’ head coach. Ben McAdoo has also been linked to Minnesota’s search but hasn’t been interviewed, while the Vikings also reportedly had interest in Mike McCoy before he signed on with the Cardinals.
- Although the Colts don’t officially have a head coach, they do have a new offensive line coach, as the club has agreed to terms with Dave DeGuglielmo to lead their front five, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. DeGuglielmo coached the Patriots’ offensive line (with mixed results) from 2014-15, so he has a familiarity with presumptive Indy head coach Josh McDaniels. Last season, DeGuglielmo was hired as a Dolphins assistant after OL coach Chris Foerster was fired after an inappropriate video was published. DeGuglielmo also has experience with the Jets, Giants, and Chargers.
- In addition to poaching offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, the Titans have also hired assistant special teams coach Tyrone McKenzie away from the Rams, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). McKenzie, 32, will coach inside linebackers for Tennessee. Like new Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, McKenzie is a former Patriots linebacker, although the two never overlapped in New England, as Vrabel was traded prior to 2009, the season McKenzie joined the club. McKenzie, also a former Buccaneer and Viking, has only one season of coaching experience.
Andrew Luck “Very Close” To Throwing Again
Andrew Luck‘s getting some quality airport time in during his extensive recovery period from a January 2017 surgery, but his next trip could be a sign he’s nearly ready to return to action.
The Colts quarterback will trek to the Los Angeles area to work with passing guru Tom House, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report. The duo reports Luck, who spent time in Europe after being placed on IR last year, is “very close” to a return to throwing.
Luck being set to throw again soon would indicate he does not need another surgery, which would gel with his comments in December about his troublesome right shoulder. The 28-year-old passer said then he doesn’t plan to miss any of the Colts’ offseason. While that seems unrealistic, the passer throwing again come February would appear to put him on track for some offseason participation.
Rapoport and Garafolo note Luck is currently working on his strength and motion, a natural precursor to actual passing work.
More than a year removed from labrum surgery, and on the heels of a lost season, Luck throwing again — coupled with the expected hire of Josh McDaniels — would double as invigorating steps for the Colts’ offense, one that ranked 31st this season. Luck’s presence attracted McDaniels to the Colts, so it stands to reason the incoming HC was pleased with what he was told about Luck’s progress.
Colts Likely To Convert To 4-3
- Under expected new DC Matt Eberflus, the Colts are likely to implement a 4-3 scheme to take the place of the 3-4 look they’ve used for most of this decade, Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star writes. Eberflus’ background comes in Dallas’ 4-3 look, one the Colts used to some success during their run of playoff berths in the 2000s. Outside linebackers John Simon and Jabaal Sheard would shift to ends, and Johnathan Hankins has four years’ experience as a 4-3 nose. Keefer notes the team will need to upgrade its linebacker situation, however, before this move comes to pass.