AFC Coaching Notes: Texans, Browns, Ravens, Jaguars
We heard previously that new head coach Lovie Smith was going to retain defensive play-calling duties with the Texans, and it sounds like the defensive-minded coach won’t even add a DC to his staff. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the Texans won’t be hiring a defensive coordinator.
As Rapoport details, Smith is operating as if this is “his defense,” so he’ll continue to control that side of the ball for the time being. However, the reporter cautions that the Texans could fill the role eventually, and the team still has a number of “key spots” to fill on their staff.
The former Bears and Buccaneers HC had been in the college ranks for five seasons prior to resurfacing as the Texans’ defensive coordinator last year. Now, Smith will wear two rather important hats for the rebuilding team.
More coaching notes out of the AFC…
- The Texans are making other changes to their staff. Assistant receivers coach Ben McDaniels has been promoted to passing game coordinator and receivers coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (on Twitter). The brother of Josh McDaniels, Ben McDaniels has bounced between the NFL and NCAA throughout his coaching career, including stints with the Bears, Buccaneers, and Broncos.
- After leaving for the University of Mississippi earlier this offseason, Chris Kiffin has changed his mind and will return to the Browns, reports Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal (on Twitter). The defensive line coach decided he wanted to continue working in the NFL, and the Browns were more than happy to welcome him back. The son of Monte Kiffin and brother of Lane Kiffin, Chris Kiffin has been the Browns D-line coach since 2020.
- The Ravens are hiring George Godsey as their tight ends coach, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (via Twitter). Godsey was the Texans offensive coordinator between 2015 and 2016, and he most recently served as the Dolphins co-OC/tight ends coach with Miami. The veteran coach will be replacing Bobby Engram, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin.
- The Jaguars are hiring former Chicago Bears outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey for the same role, reports Wilson (on Twitter). Shuey had been with the Bear since the 2018 season, but he wasn’t retained following the firing of Matt Nagy.
Jaguars Hire Press Taylor As OC
One of the names immediately linked to Doug Pederson in Jacksonville is being hired, and for a notable role. Press Taylor is set to become the Jaguars’ new offensive coordinator (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero).
[Related: Jaguars Hire Doug Pederson As Head Coach]
Taylor, the younger brother of Bengals HC Zac Taylor, was thought to be a candidate to join Pederson right away. The role he was expected to have, however, was lower ranking than that of OC. That made Pep Hamilton the first known candidate for the position when he was linked to the Jaguars on Monday. Instead, Taylor will indeed take on an OC role for the first time in his career.
Taylor’s connection to Pederson dates back to their time together in Philadelphia. The 34-year-old worked with the Eagles from 2013 to 2020, acting as passing game coordinator in his final season. He spent this past campaign with the Colts as a senior offensive assistant.
The news comes one day after it was announced the Jaguars are also hiring Jim Bob Cooter to be their passing game coordinator, a role for which Taylor was mentioned as a candidate. Now, the head assistants on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball are in place, as Mike Caldwell was brought in as Jacksonville’s DC earlier this week.
With most of the new staff assembled, Pederson and the Jaguars can now look to the offseason to begin reshaping the AFC’s worst team in 2021.
Position Coaching Notes: Giants, Broncos, Jaguars
As the days go by, more and more position coaches are finalizing jobs with new teams. One of the busiest clubs remains the Giants. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is hiring former Vikings assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson as its defensive line coach (Twitter link). The 61-year-old has a wealth of coaching experience at the NCAA and NFL ranks. While he has a defensive background, Patterson also served as a head coach at two stops along the way to the pro level.
His first NFL coaching gig came in 1997 with the Patriots. After stints with the Vikings, Cowboys, Browns and Broncos, he returned to the college ranks. Following seven additional seasons, six of which were spread across three colleges, he came back to Minnesota in 2014. He remained there until now, serving as the team’s d-line coach, but also holding the co-DC title for the past two campaigns.
Here are some other updates to Brian Daboll‘s new staff, along with those of the Broncos and Jaguars:
- According to Jonathan Alexander of The Observer, Tony Sparano Jr. is making a lateral move from the Panthers to the Giants as their new assistant offensive line coach (Twitter link). The 35-year old already has a decade of coaching experience in the NFL spent with five different teams.
- One hire the Giants won’t be making is that of Adam Henry for the role of wide receivers coach. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the team will be heading “in another direction” after they interviewed Henry earlier. The 49-year old coached the position at LSU for three years, then at the NFL level with the 49ers, Giants, Browns and Cowboys. Many felt a reunion in East Rutherford was likely, but that won’t be the case.
- As for the Broncos, they will be adding to their defensive staff from the college ranks. ESPN’s Pete Thamel tweets that Ola Adams is coming aboard as an assistant secondary coach. Adams spent spent seven seasons at Villanova, and his success there earned him a promotion to co-defensive coordinator at Temple recently. Now, he will be on the move again, but this time up to the NFL level.
- Finally, the Jaguars are hiring Brentson Buckner as their d-line coach (Twitter link via Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson). It had been reported earlier this week that the 50-year-old was a candidate for the position, so the move is not a surprising one. Buckner has coached the position with three NFL teams previously, dating back to 2013.
NFL Finalizes Plans For Germany Game
The NFL’s long-rumored plans to hold a game in Germany came to fruition Wednesday, setting up a 2022 season that will feature five games on foreign soil.
Germany will host its first regular-season game next season, with Munich serving as the initial host site. The NFL will play two games at FC Bayern Munich Stadium and two in Frankfurt over the next four seasons.
This will push the league back to its pre-pandemic place regarding international games. The pandemic nixed the 2020 international schedule and limited the 2021 slate to two England games. In 2022, England will host three games to go along with the Germany debut and the league’s return to Mexico City. The NFL played three games in Mexico City from 2016-19.
As part of Shad Khan‘s previous agreement, the Jaguars are the only team certain to host an international game next season. One of their eight 2022 home games will take place at Wembley Stadium. Over the next eight seasons, every NFL team is required to play at least one home game overseas.
Jaguars Interview Gerald Alexander For DC
The Jaguars’ defensive coordinator search does not appear complete just yet. A day after being connected to a Mike Caldwell hire, the Jags are interviewing a Dolphins staffer for the gig.
Dolphins defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander is interviewing for the job Wednesday in Jacksonville, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This continues a swift rise for the young assistant, who moved up from the college level in 2020. The Jags and Caldwell have not finalized a deal yet, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman (on Twitter), opening the door for more candidates.
Alexander, 37, played five NFL seasons; two of those (2009-10) came with the Jaguars. The former second-round pick started 13 games with the Jags during that stretch. While Alexander’s playing career took on a journeyman arc, he has moved up the coaching ranks quickly. A Buccaneers intern in 2016, Alexander moved to Montana State and Cal as a DBs coach from 2016-19 before catching on with Brian Flores‘ staff in 2020. This is Alexander’s first coordinator interview.
Caldwell may still be the favorite here, given the Tampa Bay linebackers coach’s connection to Doug Pederson and experience as an NFL staffer. But Alexander appears to be a name to watch going forward.
Jaguars Plan To Hire Jim Bob Cooter
Former Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will be one of the key voices in charge of getting Trevor Lawrence on track next season. The Jaguars are hiring the young assistant, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Cooter will serve as the passing-game coordinator under Doug Pederson in Jacksonville. This will be Cooter’s most notable role since his time as Detroit’s OC (2015-18). Previously, the 37-year-old staffer worked as a consultant with the Eagles.
The Lions hired Cooter to be Matthew Stafford‘s position coach in 2014 and quickly bumped him up to OC. The Jim Caldwell-era assistant stuck around for one season under Matt Patricia but was not retained for the 2019 campaign. Cooter spent the next two seasons as the Jets’ running backs coach.
Ex-Eagles coach Press Taylor was also in the mix for this job, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane (on Twitter). A former Pederson lieutenant, Taylor spent the 2021 season with the Colts.
Pederson called plays with the Eagles and said he will do so with the Jags as well. The Jags attempted to interview Texans assistant Pep Hamilton for their OC vacancy, but new Houston HC Lovie Smith promoted him. The Jags have hired ex-Chargers HC Mike McCoy as their quarterbacks coach but do not employ a nominal OC yet. For now, Pederson, McCoy and Cooter will be in charge of developing Lawrence.
Jaguars To Hire Louisiana DC
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
AFC Coaching Notes: Bieniemy, Raiders, Broncos, Jaguars, Bills, Ravens
Another coaching cycle has come and gone without Eric Bieniemy getting a head coaching job, but that doesn’t mean the Chiefs offensive coordinator will automatically return to Kansas City. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), Bieniemy‘s contract is expiring.
While the accomplished offensive coordinator could (and probably will) ink a new contract with the Chiefs, Pelissero warns that he would be a “hot free-agent OC target elsewhere.” You could make an argument that Bieniemy could improve his chances for a HC gig if he succeeds out of Andy Reid’s and Patrick Mahomes‘ shadows. Of course, if Bieniemy struggles without his elite offense, that would surely compromise any lingering chances he has of securing that elusive promotion.
Following a five-year stint as the Chiefs RBs coach, he earned a promotion to OC in 2018. Considering the Chiefs’ success, Bieniemy was a popular name in the coaching circuit in both 2019 and 2020. However, the 52-year-old didn’t generate as much interest during this year’s coaching cycle, as he was connected to only a pair of jobs (Saints, Broncos).
More coaching notes out of the AFC…
- Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon will join the Raiders in the same role, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The 52-year-old has been a ST coordinator in the NFL since he was hired by the Rams in 2009, and he worked alongside Josh McDaniels during his final season with the organization. McMahon has since served as the ST coordinator for the Chiefs, Colts, and Broncos.
- The Broncos natural replacement for McMahon, special teams assistant Chris Gould, was let go by the organization, reports Klis (on Twitter). The older brother of kicker Robbie Gould, Chris Gould had spent seven years with the Broncos organization. The 36-year-old had a brief career in the AFL before transitioning to coaching.
- More Broncos coaching notes: Broncos DL coach Bill Kollar is moving to a consultant-type role (via Klis on Twitter), while WR coach Zach Azzanni and offensive assistant Justin Rascati are sticking around (via Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post on Twitter). Azzanni actually had a second interview with the Falcons today, but Nathaniel Hackett “stepped up” to retain his WR coach (via Klis on Twitter).
- The Jaguars are hiring Mike McCoy as their QB coach, reports Pelissero (via Twitter). The former Chargers head coach was the Broncos OC in 2017 and Cardinals OC in 2018, but he’s been out of the NFL since that time.
- The Bills announced that they have hired Aaron Kromer as their new offensive line coach. This is Kromer’s second stint as the Bills OL coach, having served in the role in 2015 and 2016. The veteran coach was with the Rams between 2017 and 2020, but he wasn’t retained for 2021. Previously, Kromer was the Saints’ interim head coach in 2012 and the Bears offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2014.
- Zach Orr is joining the Ravens as their new linebackers coach, tweets Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Orr played for Baltimore for three years, including a 2016 campaign where he earned a second-team All-Pro nod. He also got his first coaching gig with the Ravens. After serving as a defensive analyst from 2017 to 2020, Orr joined the Jaguars to be their outside linebackers coach in 2021.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/7/22
Today’s Reserve/Futures contracts signed around the league:
Buffalo Bills
- DT Eli Ankou
Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers
- TE Alizé Mack
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
- DB Brandin Dandridge, TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart and DE Jonathan Woodard
New York Giants
- QB Davis Webb (story)
- P Jamie Gillan
New England Patriots
- DT Bill Murray
Jaguars Request Interview With Pep Hamilton For OC
The list of names being connected to Doug Pederson‘s staff in Jacksonville is growing. The team has requested an interview with Pep Hamilton, the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with the Texans, for their offensive coordinator role (Twitter link via USA Today’s Josina Anderson). 
[Related: Candidates For Doug Pederson’s Jaguars Staff]
Hamilton is the first name to be listed as an option for OC, as Press Taylor is thought to be a candidate for a lesser role on the offensive staff. Hamilton, 47, has more than two decades of coaching experience across the NCAA, NFL and even XFL. His most common job title in the NFL has been QBs coach, though he has also been the passing game coordinator in his one season in Houston. His work in the pro and college ranks earned him an interview request from the Panthers last month, but he turned it down.
Despite the external interest, Hamilton may not have to leave Houston to become an OC for the first time since 2015. As ESPN’s Sarah Barshop reports (via Twitter), Hamilton “is expected to be Houston’s offensive coordinator” if Lovie Smith is indeed hired as the team’s head coach. His availability to Jacksonville, or any other interested team, would therefore depend on what the Texans do in the coming days.