Dolphins Sought Roman, Kingsbury For OC
- The Ravens’ Greg Roman promotion partially stemmed from ensuring he would not accept another OC role in the AFC East. The Dolphins sought the former Bills offensive coordinator for their OC role, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. HC frontrunner Brian Flores had Roman on his staff list. Another name to pop up on Flores’ early list: Kliff Kingsbury. The now-Cardinals HC appears to have had a path to Miami as Flores’ play-caller, Breer adds (on Twitter). But despite his sub-.500 Texas Tech record, Kingsbury received a much bigger promotion than the Dolphins had in mind.
Dolphins Sign QB Jake Rudock To Futures Deal
Jake Rudock has found a new gig. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins have signed the quarterback to a reserve/futures contract.
Rudock split his collegiate career between Iowa and Michigan, winning the 2016 Citrus Bowl MVP after the Wolverines topped Florida. Following a 2015 campaign that saw him complete 64-percent of his passes and throw 20 touchdowns, Rudock ended up being selected by the Lions in the sixth round of the 2016 draft.
Playing behind Matthew Stafford, the 25-year-old predictably hasn’t seen the field a whole lot during his brief career. Rudock made three appearances in 2017, completing three of his five passes for 24 yards and one interception. The Lions waived the signal-caller at the end of the 2018 preseason, as the team decided to roll with only Stafford and veteran Matt Cassel. Rudock ended up spending the entire season on Detroit’s practice squad.
Now, he’ll have a chance to compete for a spot on the Dolphins’ roster in 2019. There have been plenty of rumblings that Miami could end up moving on from Ryan Tannehill this offseason. If the team moves on from the veteran, they’ll be left with only Rudock and rookie Luke Falk. While the organization would surely bring in a replacement for Tannehill, Rudock could still have a chance at a backup gig.
Dolphins Likely To Hire Brian Flores
The Dolphins have narrowed the focus of their head coaching search to Patriots defensive assistant Brian Flores, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. There’s no deal yet and nothing official, but Flores is “their target,” according to Rapoport. 
Because the Patriots are still in the playoffs, they cannot formally hire Flores until the Pats are finished. In theory, that could be dicey for the Dolphins, especially after the Colts got gypped by another Patriots assistant in last year’s cycle. However, given McDaniels’ inability to gain real traction for head coaching jobs this year, it seems unlikely that Flores would risk his reputation with a flip-flop.
Flores has become a far more attractive candidate than he was a year ago, when the Cardinals met with him about their HC opening. The 37-year-old de facto defensive coordinator has been considered a leading candidate in Miami ever since the New Year began, and he’s now primed to take over Adam Gase‘s old post.
The Patriots turned to Flores as their top defensive assistant following Matt Patricia‘s defection to Detroit, but he was not awarded the DC title right away. Presumably, he’d get that title by staying put for 2019, but the allure of a head coaching job will probably pull him away from the nest.
In 2018, the Patriots ranked 21st in yards allowed but seventh in scoring. The Pats have only had one non-top-10 scoring defense in the past 13 seasons and Flores has been a part of their past eight defensive coaching staffs.
Dolphins Interviewing Dowell Loggains For HC
The Dolphins are interviewing incumbent offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains for head coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Loggains has long been an Adam Gase disciple, so when Gase was fired last week, it was assumed Loggains would move on, as well. Indeed, he wasn’t part of the club’s initial search — another internal candidate, special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, was known to be in the running, but there hadn’t been any hint Loggains was involved in the head coach process.
If he doesn’t land the Miami job, Loggains is expected to have other options. Gase, who has since been hired as the Jets’ new head coach, is expected to bring Loggains to New York if the latter doesn’t take over for the Dolphins. Loggains would be hired in a senior offensive role (likely offensive coordinator), although he wouldn’t be calling plays.
Loggains, 38, has coordinated offense for the Titans, Bears, and Dolphins, but he’s never experienced much success. While there have been questions about the talent at Loggains’ disposal, he’s never led an offense which ranked better than 19th in scoring. His 2016 Bears offense ranked 15th in yardage, but no other unit under his command has finished better than 22nd in that metric.
Here’s how the rest of Miami’s search has progressed thus far:
- Dennis Allen, defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed on 1/5
- Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed on 1/3
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed on 1/4
- John Harbaugh, head coach (Ravens): Dolphins considering trade
- Kris Richard, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Interviewed on 1/6
- Darren Rizzi, assistant head coach/special teams (Dolphins): To be interviewed on 1/11
- Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator (Bears): Interview canceled
- Mike Munchak, offensive line coach (Steelers): Declined interview request
Dolphins Notes: Joseph, Loggains
On the offensive side of the ball, Dowell Loggains — who worked under Gase with both the Bears and Dolphins — is expected to be involved in Gase’s staff, tweets Jeff Darlington of NFL.com. However, Loggains is still technically Miami’s offensive coordinator and will need to get out of his contract, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Rizzi, Bills, Jets
The Dolphins are one of three teams which still has yet to hire a new head coach, but they will meet with another potential Adam Gase replacement this week. Incumbent special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi will interview for the position on Friday, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. As Garafolo adds, other candidates that Miami has met with are still coaching in the postseason, so the club may not announce its next head coach any time soon. A former collegiate head coach at New Haven and Rhode Island, Rizzi is the only internal candidate the Dolphins are considering. Rizzi, 48, has been with the Dolphins since 2010, and last year led Miami to a No. 21 ranking in special teams DVOA.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Ex-Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong recently interviewed for the same role with the Bills, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Armstrong, who had been Atlanta’s ST coach since 2008, was fired last week as the Falcons cleared out each of their coordinator roles. Based purely on performance, Armstrong posted a strong effort in 2018, as Atlanta ranked 10th in special teams DVOA. The 55-year-old Armstrong took two interviews for the Cardinals’ head coaching job last season, and was one of two candidates Bruce Arians personally recommended as a successor (the other being incumbent DC James Bettcher). He’s also been linked to Tampa Bay, where Arians is now head coach.
- Quincy Enunwa‘s four-year extension with the Jets is worth $33.4MM in total and contains $10MM in full guarantees, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 26-year-old wide receiver received a $9MM signing bonus, meaning his remaining guarantee will likely come via his 2019 base salary. Enunwa will collect a $6MM base salary in 2020, but that figure — for the time being — guaranteed for injury only. It’ll become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2020 league year.
- In case you missed it, Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard may not be a serious contender for the Jets‘ head coaching job, but he could the favorite to land the top gig with the Dolphins.
Only Three NFL Head Coaching Vacancies Remain
Eight NFL teams were in search of a head coach to start the New Year, but five clubs have already found their man. Let’s quickly run down the jobs that are off the table and check in on where things stand for the three remaining vacancies:
“No Vacancy”:
Arizona Cardinals
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (USC): Hired
Cleveland Browns
- Freddie Kitchens, offensive coordinator (Browns): Hired
Denver Broncos
- Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator (Bears): Hired
Green Bay Packers
- Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator (Titans): Hired
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Bruce Arians, former head coach (Cardinals): Hired
Jobs Still Open:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed on 1/5
- Hue Jackson, special assistant to the head coach (Bengals): Interviewed on 1/2
- Vance Joseph, former head coach (Broncos): Interviewed on 1/3-1/4
- Bill Lazor, offensive coordinator (Bengals): Interviewed on 1/1
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed on 1/5
- Darren Simmons, special teams coordinator (Bengals): Interviewed on 1/1
- Zac Taylor, quarterbacks coach (Rams): Interviewed on 1/4
- Shane Waldron, passing game coordinator/tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed on 1/4
Miami Dolphins
- Dennis Allen, defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed on 1/5
- Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed on 1/3
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed on 1/4
- John Harbaugh, head coach (Ravens): Dolphins considering trade
- Kris Richard, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Interviewed on 1/6
- Darren Rizzi, assistant head coach/special teams (Dolphins): To be interviewed
New York Jets
- Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed on 1/2
- Jim Caldwell, former head coach (Lions): Interviewed on 1/7
- Adam Gase, former head coach (Dolphins): Interviewed on 1/4
- Mike McCarthy, former head coach (Packers): Interviewed on 1/5
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed on 1/8
- Matt Rhule, head coach (Baylor): Interviewed
- Kris Richard, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Interviewed on 1/6; No longer in running?
The Bengals, so far, have cast a wide net, but the recommendation of Marvin Lewis and the club’s history with Jackson could lead to the ex-Browns coach landing on his feet. They’re also considering another recently fired head coach in Joseph and the group lacks general star power, so Jackson’s chances cannot be dismissed.
The buzz is slowly building around Richard in Miami, even though he is not believed to be a serious candidate in New York. From a pure knowledge standpoint, Allen may be the best bet of the free agent bunch. Overall, the Dolphins’ top choice could be Harbaugh, but he won’t be an option for them if he signs an extension with the Ravens. Even if he doesn’t, the Dolphins might not want to part with significant draft capital and shell out big bucks to land him.
The Jets never really had a chance at Kliff Kingsbury, but Jets fans probably won’t lose sleep over seeing the inexperienced young coach go to Arizona. What’s left is a mishmash of head coaching retreads (Caldwell, Gase, McCarthy), coordinators and assistants (Monken, Richard, Bieniemy), and one more college-to-pros candidate (Rhule). Some believe that Rhule, the head coach at Baylor, is the Jets’ No. 1 target.
The list above, derived from the 2019 Head Coaching Search Tracker, was edited to omit candidates that are no longer in consideration or have taken jobs elsewhere.
Kris Richard In Lead For Dolphins Job?
The Jets don’t have Kris Richard high on their list, but the rival Dolphins might. League sources believe that the Cowboys defensive backs coach will come away with the top job in Miami, according to Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (on Twitter). 
This is far from definitive word on the matter, but it sounds like Richard at least has a real shot at being the ‘Fins next head coach. For now, he’s in a fairly limited candidate pool that includes Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Patriots DC Brian Flores, in-house assistant head coach Darren Rizzi, and possibly Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, assuming that he does not sign an extension with Baltimore.
Speaking of Rizzi, his interview is scheduled to take place on Friday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). So, barring something unexpected, we won’t see the Dolphins hire Richard or anyone else before the end of the week.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/8/19
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Baltimore Ravens
- G Kofi Amichia
- T Randin Crecelius
- CB Robertson Daniel
- RB Tyler Ervin
- FB Christopher Ezeala
- S Bennett Jackson
- LB Alvin Jones
- TE Nick Keizer
Buffalo Bills
- WR Duke Williams
Chicago Bears
- OL Dejon Allen
- DL Abdullah Anderson
- DB John Franklin III
- WR Tanner Gentry
- WR Cyril Grayson
- DB Michael Joseph
- DB Jonathon Mincy
- RB Ryan Nall
- LB James Vaughters
- LB Josh Woods
Cleveland Browns
- OL David Bright
- DB Ashton Lampkin
Miami Dolphins
- LB Sam Eguavoen
New England Patriots
- C Jake Eldrenkamp
New York Jets
- WR Stacy Coley
- DE Harvey Langi
Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans
- TE Jerell Adams
- LB Davin Bellamy
- RB Josh Ferguson
- LB Chris Landrum
- OT Rick Leonard
- G Maurquice Shakir
- T David Steinmetz
- WR Jester Weah
- WR Issac Whitney
Philadelphia Eagles
- LB Alex Singleton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- K Matt McCrane
Seattle Seahawks
- CB Jeremy Boykins
- WR Caleb Scott
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- CB Simeon Thomas
- SS Marwin Evans
- TE Tyrone Swoopes
- LB Justin Currie
- C Marcus Henry
- G Jordan Roos
Coaching Rumors: Packers, LaFleur, Rhule
Matt LaFleur has the Packers job and he has Rams coach Sean McVay to thank. The two are close friends and it’s likely that McVay lobbied for him, Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets.
McVay employed LaFleur as his offensive coordinator in 2017, but McVay called the plays himself. Then, last offseason, he allowed LaFleur to fly the coop and call plays for the Titans. Without that stepping stone, LaFleur probably wouldn’t have gotten the big gig in Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the Packers are over the moon about LaFleur because his offensive focus will allow the club to keep defensive coordinator Mike Pettine and the rest of the staff, provided that LaFleur is not keen on making major changes.
Here’s the latest round of coaching rumors from around the NFL:
- The Packers interview was the only known meeting for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, so the LaFleur hire likely means that McDaniels will return to the Pats for another year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. McDaniels did have one other request from the Bengals, but he turned them down.
- Two other teams looking for head coaches believe that Baylor’s Matt Rhule is the Jets‘ top target, Manish Mehta of the Daily News tweets. An interview is likely coming soon, though no date has been set just yet.
- Dolphins GM Chris Grier has long thought highly of Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald hears. Furthermore, another source believes Flores is near the top, or perhaps at the top, of the Dolphins’ wishlist. Flores talked with the Fins on Saturday.