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2019 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker

By | at January 13, 2019 5:07 pm

While eight NFL teams are making a head coaching change this offseason, the number of clubs replacing offensive and/or defensive coordinators figures to be much higher than that. In addition to all those teams hiring new head coaches, who may want to bring in their own assistants, several clubs also figure to make changes on one side of the ball or the other after getting disappointing results in 2018. And, of course, the teams whose coordinators landed head coaching jobs will need to replace them.

With reports circulating on potential candidates, interview requests, and actual meetings, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the latest updates on teams hiring new offensive and/or defensive coordinators. This post, which will be updated daily, can be found under the “PFR Features” menu on the right-hand side of the site.

[Updated: 2/21/19, 4:58pm CT]

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Steve Sarkisian)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Marty Mornhinweg)

  • Greg Roman, assistant head coach/tight ends (Ravens): Promoted

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Bill Lazor)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Freddie Kitchens)

  • Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Hired
    • Head coach Freddie Kitchens will call plays.
  • Jim Bob Cooter, former offensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Scott Linehan)

Denver Broncos (Out: Bill Musgrave)

  • Rich Scangarello, quarterbacks coach (49ers): Hired
  • Gary Kubiak, former head coach (Broncos): Will not be hired

Detroit Lions (Out: Jim Bob Cooter)

  • Darrell Bevell, former offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Hired
  • Nathaniel Hackett, former offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Steve Sarkisian, former offensive coordinator (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate

Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Philbin)

  • Nathaniel Hackett, former offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
    • Head coach Matt LaFleur will call plays.
  • Mike McDaniel, run game coordinator (49ers): Mentioned as candidate
  • Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed

Houston Texans 

  • Tim Kelly, tight ends coach (Texans): Promoted

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Scott Milanovich)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Dowell Loggains)

  • Chad O’Shea, wide receivers coach (Patriots): Hired

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets (Out: Jeremy Bates)

  • Dowell Loggains, former offensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
    • Head coach Adam Gase will call plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Todd Monken)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Matt LaFleur)

  • Arthur Smith, tight ends coach (Titans): Promoted

Washington Redskins (Out: Matt Cavanaugh)

  • Kevin O’Connell, quarterbacks coach (Redskins): Promoted
    • Cavanaugh re-assigned as senior offensive assistant.

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Al Holcomb)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Marquand Manuel)

Chicago Bears (Out: Vic Fangio)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Marvin Lewis)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Gregg Williams)

Denver Broncos (Out: Joe Woods)

  • Ed Donatell, secondary coach (Bears): Hired

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Bob Sutton)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Matt Burke)

  • Patrick Graham, linebacker coach/run game coordinator (Packers): Hired
  • Bret Bielema, consultant to the head coach (Patriots): Mentioned as candidate

New England Patriots (Out: Brian Flores)

  • Greg Schiano, former defensive coordinator (Ohio State): To be hired

New York Jets (Out: Kacy Rodgers)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Mark Duffner)

  • Todd Bowles, former head coach (Jets): Hired
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Dolphins Want To Retain Darren Rizzi

By | at January 13, 2019 4:12 pm

Incumbent special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was a strong candidate to take over as the Dolphins‘ head coach, but now that he appears to have lost out to Patriots defensive play-caller Brian Flores, Rizzi is being allowed to take interviews with other clubs, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). While Miami would prefer to retain him, Rizzi has already been contacted by by the Vikings and Packers, per Pelissero. Rizzi, who’s been with the Dolphins in 2010, would replace Ron Zook (fired) in Green Bay or Mike Priefer (hired by the Browns) in Minnesota.

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Dolphins Considering Bret Bielema For DC?

By | at January 13, 2019 2:41 pm

The Dolphins are expected to hire Patriots defensive play-caller Brian Flores as their new head coach as soon as New England exits the postseason, and Flores may already have a coach in mind to hire as his own defensive coordinator. Bret Bielema — a former collegiate head coach at Wisconsin and Arkansas who currently serves as a consultant to Bill Belichick — is receiving consideration for the job, a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Bielema’s only NFL experience has come with the Patriots, but he noted last summer that most coaches don’t return to the college game after joining the pros, so it seems like he’s now in the NFL for good. A former collegiate linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, Bielema posted a 68-24 record at Wisconsin before managing a 29-34 at Arkansas.

Another potential candidate for the Dolphins’ DC gig is Packers linebackers coach/run game coordinator Patrick Graham, tweets Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio. Like Flores, Graham has a lengthy history with the Patriots, as he served in a variety of roles in New England from 2009-15. He coached the Giants’ linebackers from 2016-17 before joining Green Bay last season.

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2019 Proven Performance Escalators

By | at January 13, 2019 1:42 pm

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 $2MM in 2019. 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 2019 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:

Bears: RB Jordan Howard, LB Nick Kwiatkoski

Bengals: LB Nick Vigil

Broncos: G Connor McGovern, S Will Parks, S Justin Simmons

Browns: S Derrick Kindred, LB Joe Schobert

Buccaneers: G Caleb Benenoch, DE Carl Nassib, CB Ryan Smith

Chargers: LB Jatavis Brown

Chiefs: CB Kendall Fuller, WR Tyreek Hill, S Eric Murray, WR Demarcus Robinson

Colts: QB Jacoby Brissett, T Joe Haeg

Cowboys: CB Anthony Brown, DT Maliek Collins, QB Dak Prescott

Dolphins: RB Kenyan Drake

Eagles: CB Jalen Mills, T Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Falcons: LB De’Vondre Campbell, TE Austin Hooper, G Wes Schweitzer

Jaguars: DE Yannick Ngakoue

Jets: LB Jordan Jenkins, CB Rashard Robinson, T Brandon Shell

Lions: C Graham Glasgow

Packers: LB Kyler Fackrell, DE Dean Lowry, LB Blake Martinez, LB Antonio Morrison

Patriots: G Joe Thuney, LB Elandon Roberts

Rams: G Austin Blythe, TE Tyler Higbee

Ravens: DE Matt Judon, OL Alex Lewis, CB Tavon Young

Saints: DT David Onyemata

Steelers: DT Javon Hargrave

Texans: DT D.J. Reader

Titans: S Kevin Byard, WR Tajae Sharpe

OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. 

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Dolphins Will Hire Brian Flores When Patriots' Season Ends; Latest On Coaching Staff, Rebuild

By | at January 13, 2019 11:22 am

  • The Dolphins are simply waiting for the Patriots‘ season to end so that they can finalize a deal with New England de facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores to become their next head coach, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. No one anticipates this turning into another Josh McDaniels situation, and Flores is fully expected to join Miami. Schefter also says that Miami is already planning its rebuild and is looking to the 2020 crop of rookie QBs, which is expected to include Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
  • Dolphins LB coach Frank Bush is expected to follow Adam Gase to the Jets, and while DL coach Kris Kocurek may do the same, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio says that four to five teams are interested in Kocurek’s services (all Twitter links).
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Dolphins Sought Roman, Kingsbury For OC

By | at January 12, 2019 3:26 pm

  • 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.
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Dolphins Sign QB Jake Rudock To Futures Deal

By | at January 12, 2019 12:03 pm

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.

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Dolphins Likely To Hire Brian Flores

By | at January 11, 2019 4:11 pm

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.

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Dolphins Interviewing Dowell Loggains For HC

By | at January 11, 2019 1:34 pm

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:

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Dolphins Notes: Joseph, Loggains

By | at January 9, 2019 7:39 pm

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).

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