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Rams Likely To Hire Raheem Morris As DC

By | at January 19, 2021 12:41 pm

After Brandon Staley landed the Chargers’ head coaching job, the Rams are moving quickly to replace him. The Rams are “focusing” on Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator, sources told Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Garafolo cautions that the deal isn’t quite done yet, but it’s “looking like he will be the one” to replace Staley. It’s been a busy past six months for Morris, who started the 2020 season as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator before getting promoted to interim head coach when Dan Quinn was fired after five games. The Falcons went on an initial hot streak under Morris, leading to some reporting that he had impressed team brass and could be a real candidate for the full-time job there, but the team ultimately fizzled down the stretch and then hired Arthur Smith instead.

He still got an interview from Atlanta, and also got a head coaching interview with the Jaguars. After the Jags hired Urban Meyer, he interviewed with Jacksonville for their DC role. Rapoport added in a follow-up tweet that Morris was “the target in several other places,” so it sounds like the Rams won a bidding war of sorts.

There had been some talk that the Rams could go in-house to replace Staley, like with cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant, but clearly Sean McVay had other ideas. Morris was previously the head coach of the Buccaneers for three seasons from 2009-11, where he went 17-31.

He’s highly regarded in league circles though, and had the Falcons fighting really hard despite the 0-5 start. With Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey at his disposal, he’ll have a lot of talent to work with in Los Angeles.

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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/18/21

By | at January 18, 2021 4:38 pm

With the Ravens, Browns, and Rams getting eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend, both teams announced their slew of reserve/futures deals on Monday. As a reminder, these are all non-guaranteed deals, usually for practice squad type players, to help teams flesh out their 90-man offseason rosters.

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Rams

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Updated 2021 NFL Draft Order

By | at January 18, 2021 11:08 am

With the Divisional Round in the books, the 2021 NFL Draft order is mostly complete. The Rams, Browns, Ravens, and Saints now have their draft spots locked in, though the Rams’ first-round pick belongs to Urban Meyer and the Jaguars. The Rams traded those rights to Jacksonville as a part of the Jalen Ramsey blockbuster.

Here’s the updated draft order, through the top 28:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Rams)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints

25 comments 2021 NFL Draft Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans

Sean McVay Non-Committal On Jared Goff

By | at January 17, 2021 9:59 pm

The Rams just lost their defensive coordinator to the Chargers, and more big changes could be on the way. Los Angeles just wrapped up what was by all accounts a successful season, winning a playoff game and advancing to the divisional round after failing to make the postseason the year before. But if they want to make it back to their old heights of the 2018 Super Bowl run, they’ll need much better production in the passing game. 

Sean McVay seems to understand that, and he’s now raised plenty of eyebrows in his last two press conferences by declining to commit to Jared Goff. In his post-game press conference immediately after the Rams’ loss to the Packers, McVay was asked whether Goff is his quarterback and he replied “yeah, he’s the quarterback right now.” As we’ve often seen, “right now” can be something of a kiss of death in coach-speak.

In his end of year media availability on Sunday, McVay muddied the waters even further. “I’m evaluating everything we do, and that includes the QB position,” McVay said, adding “I’m not ready to make any sort of statements with regards to ANY starting position,” per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Los Angeles had the league’s top total defense this season, the weapons are good enough, the offensive line is solid, and the coaching is by all accounts great. As such, it’s fair to assume that the only way to increase their ceiling is for Goff to improve, because it’ll be hard for the defense to play any better in 2021. The former first overall pick regressed this season, ranking toward the top of the league in interceptions despite being toward the bottom in average depth of target.

It sounds like McVay is far from happy with his current depth chart, but his options are limited. Goff is under contract through the 2024 season thanks to the big extension he signed in September of 2019 that is only really starting to kick in now. There’s no realistic way to cut him before next season with the dead cap implications.

No team is likely to take on his contract in a trade, which would seem to indicate the only way for McVay to replace him would be to add some competition to the roster. It would be really hard to fit another big contract next to Goff’s, which would mean that competition would likely need to come in the form of a cheaper veteran or a player on a rookie deal.

It’s going to be a very interesting offseason in Los Angeles. Perhaps GM Les Snead, noted for his aggressiveness in recent years, has one more trick up his sleeve.

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Chargers Hire Brandon Staley As Head Coach

By | at January 17, 2021 9:08 pm

Surprising news out of Los Angeles, as the Chargers have hired Brandon Staley to be their new head coach, sources told Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll had previously been considered a heavy favorite to land the Chargers’ job, which is what makes this move so eyebrow raising. Staley, currently the Rams’ defensive coordinator, won’t have to travel far for his new gig. It’s a meteoric rise for the young defensive mind, as 2020 was Staley’s first season as an NFL coordinator. As recently as 2019, he was coaching outside linebackers in Denver.

Sean McVay then poached him away to be his DC, and he immediately earned a ton of praise for what he did with the Rams. Understandably so, as they led the NFL in total defense by a healthy margin. Having Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey certainly helped, but Staley was widely commended in league circles for his innovative schemes.

He’ll also have a lot of talent on defense to work with at his new job. Derwin James should be back at an All-Pro level after missing the whole 2020 season, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also Melvin Ingram, Joey Bosa, and Linval Joseph along the defensive line, and Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr. in the secondary.

Of course, what made the Chargers job most attractive is the presence of Justin Herbert, who’s coming off a sensational rookie season. We’ve heard that Herbert “loves” his offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, and it’s possible that the Chargers preferred to hire a defensive coach so they could keep Steichen in the fold.

Staley, 38, is walking into a prime situation with a talented team that could be poised for a bounce-back. He got his start at small schools James Madison and John Carroll, then broke into the NFL when Vic Fangio brought him onto his Chicago staff back in 2017. Fangio then brought him with him to Denver.

With Staley’s hiring, the Texans and Eagles are the only two teams left looking for coaches. The Lions are believed to be hiring Dan Campbell, and that move will likely become official soon now that the Saints have been eliminated.

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Brandon Staley Gets Second Interview With Chargers

By | at January 17, 2021 10:57 am

Recent reports have indicated that the Chargers are favoring Bills OC Brian Daboll for their head coaching vacancy, but apparently the club was impressed by Rams DC Brandon Staley. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Staley will get a second interview with the Bolts today (Twitter link).

Today’s meeting will take place in person. The Rams’ season ended yesterday thanks to a 32-18 loss to the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the Bills advanced to the AFC Championship Game after defeating the Ravens. That means that the Chargers could hire Staley right away, but they would need to wait at least another week before making a Daboll hire official.

And if the team decides it wants Staley, it might not be able to wait much longer. The 38-year-old is also scheduled to speak with the Texans about their HC job today, and the Eagles are hoping to fly him out tomorrow. But the Chargers might have a better roster than the Texans and Eagles, and quarterback Justin Herbert — who, unlike Houston QB Deshaun Watson, is not feeling any resentment towards his team at the moment — makes the LA job especially attractive.

Daboll’s candidacy for the Chargers’ gig is obvious given the development of Buffalo QB Josh Allen and Daboll’s personal ties with Los Angeles GM Tom Telesco, but Herbert is said to be high on incumbent OC Shane Steichen. Telesco could decide that Steichen is the best person to further Herbert’s development, which might make a defensive-minded head coach more appealing.

Staley certainly had some top-tier talent to work with this year, but there is no denying that he got the most out of that talent. The Rams were the best team in the league in terms of total defense in 2020, and Staley and his innovative schemes are widely credited for that performance. The fact that this was his first season as DC makes his work all the more impressive, and the league has certainly taken notice.

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Eagles To Interview Rams DC Brandon Staley For HC Job

By | at January 16, 2021 8:58 am

Brandon Staley has emerged as a candidate for the Eagles head-coaching job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Eagles have requested permission to interview the Rams defensive coordinator.

As Schefter notes, Philadelphia has already received permission to speak with Staley “at the appropriate time” (i.e. whenever the Rams’ season comes to an end). Staley is also set to meet with the Texans about their vacancy, and he previously talked with the Chargers (along with the Jets, who have since hired a coach).

In only two years, Staley could find himself rising from Broncos outside linebackers coach to a head coaching role. The 38-year-old succeeded Wade Phillips in Los Angeles and has helped reestablish one of the top defenses in the entire NFL. The versatile Aaron Donald– and Jalen Ramsey-powered lineup ranks first in weighted DVOA. As Schefter notes, the Eagles “are drawn to Staley and the reputation he has built during his year as Sean McVay’s defensive coordinator in Los Angeles.”

The Eagles are searching for a new head coach after canning Doug Pederson earlier this week. Since that time, a number of candidates have emerged (via our 2021 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker):

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2021 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at January 15, 2021 1:24 pm

Exiting the regular season, six teams are searching for new head coaches. That number is up from last season but not quite as high as 2019, though there may well be more vacancies that emerge during the playoffs.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 1-27-21 (7:05pm CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

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Texans Request Brandon Staley Interview

By | at January 14, 2021 2:44 pm

The Texans are hoping to speak with Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Now led by GM Nick Caserio, the team sent the first-year DC an interview request, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Staley has met with the Chargers and Jets about their HC position. He is not permitted to meet with teams in person until the Rams’ season concludes. The Rams face the Packers on Saturday afternoon.

Rising from Broncos outside linebackers coach to a head coaching role in a two-year span would represent a remarkable rise from Staley, 38, but Wade Phillips‘ successor has helped the Rams reassemble a dominant defense. The versatile Aaron Donald– and Jalen Ramsey-powered unit ranks first in weighted DVOA, after the group slowed Russell Wilson considerably in a one-sided divisional-round win.

The Texans have not hired a defensively oriented head coach since the first HC in franchise history, Dom Capers, who held the job from 2002-05. Thanks in part to previous HC Bill O’Brien‘s GM work, the Texans have a host of needs on defense after the unit ranked 31st in DVOA this season. Staley and Leslie Frazier represent the team’s defensive candidates to this point. Colts DC Matt Eberflus turned down a Houston interview.

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Rams To Start Jared Goff Vs. Packers

By | at January 14, 2021 2:29 pm

Jared Goff will return to the Rams’ starting lineup in Green Bay. The Rams’ fifth-year starting quarterback has participated fully in practice throughout the week, and Sean McVay confirmed it will be Goff taking the snaps Saturday.

Los Angeles’ starter the past two weeks, John Wolford has not practiced this week after suffering a neck injury against the Seahawks. The Rams have ruled Wolford out for the team’s divisional-round game against the Packers. Blake Bortles will dress as Los Angeles’ backup quarterback, McVay said.

Despite Goff undergoing thumb surgery earlier this month, the Rams dressed only he and Wolford against the Seahawks. Johnny Hekker became the team’s backup after Wolford’s hospitalization. The Rams have a fourth quarterback option, rookie UDFA Bryce Perkins, who resides on their practice squad.

Goff delivered an uneven but effective performance against the Seahawks (9 of 19, 155 yards, one touchdown pass), against whom he suffered the thumb injury in Week 16. After previously never missing a start due to injury through four-plus seasons, he will attempt to pilot the Rams to an upset win over the Packers.

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