New York Jets News & Rumors

Jets Prefer Alijah Vera-Tucker At G; Team Wants To Re-Sign Greg Zuerlein, Thomas Morstead

March 6th, 2024 at 12:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s free agency and draft outcomes may dictate where the Jets place Alijah Vera-Tucker, who has shuttled between guard and right tackle over the past two seasons. But the team does have a preference for the former first-round pick.

As injuries have piled up over the past two seasons, the Jets have opted to kick Vera-Tucker to right tackle. Not long after each move, a season-ending injury occurred. Joe Douglas praised Vera-Tucker’s versatility and noted it is a resource the team can use as it assembles its 2024 roster, but the team still wants the 2021 draftee to master one job.

Despite the Jets expressing interest in keeping Vera-Tucker at right tackle on a full-time basis, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini points to an internal preference of the USC product returning to guard and staying there. The Jets have three starting spots to fill up front. If Vera-Tucker is moved back to guard, that mission will include two new tackles. Mekhi Becton is not expected to be re-signed.

Vera-Tucker has played fewer than 400 career snaps at RT, being moved because of injuries at tackle in the past two seasons. He suffered a torn triceps in 2022 and a torn Achilles last year; both injuries occurred in Denver. The Jets, who recently released Laken Tomlinson, will need AVT to remain upright as they break in a new O-line configuration following years of waiting on Becton to stay healthy.

Elsewhere on the Jets’ roster, they want to bring back both their 2023 specialists. The team would like to re-sign Greg Zuerlein and Thomas Morstead, Cimini adds. Zuerlein has been the Jets’ kicker for the past two seasons; he played out another one-year deal (worth $2.6MM) in 2023. Morstead came over on a one-year deal as well, rejoining the Jets after a season with the Dolphins.

After being a Cowboys cut in 2022, Zuerlein has settled in with the Jets. The former Rams specialist turned in his best season since an All-Pro 2017 campaign, making 35 of 38 field goal tries. The strong-legged kicker out of the Division II ranks is now a 12-year veteran who is now 36, but the Jets are interested in an all-late-30s ST corps. Morstead will turn 38 later this week.

The Jets are also interested in retaining Jordan Whitehead, but Cimini offers that the two-year safety starter does not qualify as a high priority. A six-year veteran, Whitehead is only going into his age-27 season. The former Buccaneers Super Bowl starter intercepted four passes and broke up nine more last season; he has six picks as a Jet. With Kyle Dugger and Antoine Winfield Jr. off the market, players like Whitehead stand to be a bit more appealing. The former Bucs fourth-rounder played out a two-year, $14.5MM deal.

Zuerlein and Morstead will certainly be much cheaper to retain, but if the Jets let Whitehead walk, they will need to fill a starting role. Tony Adams, who usurped Adrian Amos for the other starting role last year, remains under contract. Ashtyn Davis and Chuck Clark, a 2023 trade acquisition who missed the season due to injury, are also due for free agency.

Seahawks To Release Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs

March 5th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Long thought to be on the cap casualty radar, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs will indeed be released. Seattle is cutting both veteran safeties, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. In each case, the move will come as a standard (rather than post-June 1) release, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

The former in particular has often been floated as a release candidate, given the nature of his contract and the injury issues which have plagued his Seattle tenure. Adams arrived amidst massive expectations following his trade from the Jets and the four-year, $70MM extension which accompanied it. The former No. 6 pick played just 34 games in four seasons with Seattle, however.

That total includes one contest in 2022, and nine this past season. Adams ended the campaign on injured reserve with serious questions about his future in the Emerald City. They have now been answered; today’s move will create just over $6MM in cap savings while incurring a dead money charge of $20.83MM. Rather than spreading the latter figure out over two season, the team will absorb it all at once.

Diggs was entering the final year of his contract, a $40MM extension which appeared to keep him in place with the Seahawks for the long haul. None of his base salary was guaranteed, and as such the team will free up an additional $11MM in cap space. Still, the dead money figure in Diggs’ case ($10.27MM) illustrates the consequences of the investments made in both players during Pete Carroll‘s tenure at the helm of the franchise.

General manager John Schneider remains from that period, but he now has full control over roster decisions in the bid to transition under new head coach Mike Macdonald. Defensive improvement will be a key expectation for the latter given his background as well as the shortcomings Seattle has seen on that side of the ball in recent years. After being scheduled to account for over $20MM each on the cap next season, neither Adams nor Diggs will play a role in that effort.

Adams has an advantage in terms of age (28) over Diggs (31) with respect to potential market value on a deal with a new team. The former contemplated retirement following the 2022 campaign, though, and his injury history will be a major factor taken into consideration by prospective employers. A Jets reunion is not under consideration, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets. Diggs has fared far better on the health front, earning a Pro Bowl every season from 2020-22. He recorded at least four interceptions each year over that span, but that figure fell to one in 2023.

Regardless of where Adams and Diggs wind up, Seattle will look much different on the backend in 2024. Julian Love is under contract for one more year, but at least one more starting-caliber option will be brought in this offseason.

Latest On 49ers Coaching Staff

March 5th, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers found their replacement for Steve Wilks this past weekend when they promoted defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator. While Sorensen has had a rapid rise through the organization in recent years, his ascent to DC could have happened even sooner.

According to Albert Breer of SI.com, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was so impressed by Sorensen’s first season in San Francisco that he considered promoting the coach to DC last offseason. Shanahan ultimately believed that Sorensen needed a bit more time to develop, leading the 49ers to hire Wilks as their replacement for DeMeco Ryans.

The 49ers have also brought in Brandon Staley for some experience on their defensive coaching staff. Breer passes along that the former Chargers head coach will serve as the 49ers new assistant head coach, confirming earlier reports.

One name that wasn’t a reported candidate for the job was Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. However, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports that “there was mutual interest in exploring a marriage,” with Ulbrich presumably being recruited to be the team’s new DC. Ultimately, the Jets made it clear that they weren’t going to let their coordinator take a lateral job elsewhere, and the 49ers never requested a formal request for an interview.

Ulbrich would have been a natural candidate for the job considering his connects to San Francisco. He grew up in the Bay Area and played 10 seasons for the 49ers organization. Further, as Rosenblatt notes, Ulbrich aspires to be a head coach one day, and two of San Francisco’s last three DCs ultimately earned head coaching jobs.

With Sorensen now in place as defensive coordinator, he’s starting to add to his staff. The team did add one notable name this week, with K.J. Wright announcing that he’s joining the 49ers as an assistant linebackers coach (via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). Wright, of course, spent a decade with the 49ers’ division rivals in Seattle, with the linebacker ranking third in Seahawks history in tackles.

Wright and Sorensen previously worked alongside each other with the Seahawks, as the coach spent close to a decade on Pete Carroll‘s staff. According to Michael-Shawn Dugar and David Lombardi of The Athletic, Wright also interviewed for a position on Mike Macdonald’s new Seahawks staff, but the organization ultimately decided to go in a different direction.

Jets To Release TE C.J. Uzomah

March 5th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Adam La Rose

C.J. Uzomah will not play out the final year of his Jets contract. The veteran tight end is expected to be released, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

Uzomah was set to carry a cap hit of $11.22MM in 2024. By releasing him now, the Jets will see $5.3MM in savings while creating $5.92MM in dead cap charges. Given the financial benefits, as well as the knee injury which ended his 2023 campaign prematurely, Uzomah’s release comes as little surprise.

The 31-year-old finished the season on IR due to MCL and meniscus damage. Even when on the field, though, Uzomah was not able to match the production he delivered in his best Bengals campaigns. Across 27 games with New York, he totaled 290 yards and three touchdowns. Expectations were higher after he joined the team on a three-year, $24MM deal in 2022.

The former fifth-rounder saw fluctuating usage in the passing game during his seven-year Cincinnati run. He remained a key member of the offense with respect to playing time for much of that span, though, and he twice recorded 40-plus catches and over 400 yards as a Bengal. Those past showings could help his market as a complementary target for his new team, although his health and underwhelming Jets showing could give potential suitors pause.

Today’s move will leave the Jets with roughly $26MM in cap space as free agency draws nearer. New York will move forward with Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert atop the tight end depth chart; those two are under contract for one and two more years, respectively. The team could be in the market for an addition at the position either in free agency or the draft to replace Uzomah, who will now turn his attention to the search for a new opportunity.

Jets Not Expected To Re-Sign T Mekhi Becton; Latest On New York O-Line

February 29th, 2024 at 4:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 29: Following up on his previous report, Pauline names the Titans and Falcons as teams to watch on the Becton front. Tennessee struggled up front last season, and at least one tackle addition will no doubt be a top priority for the team. Atlanta does not have a pressing vacancy along the O-line, but Pauline notes the team’s offensive line coach (Dwayne Ledford) worked with Becton in college. A prove-it deal sending him to either team in free agency could be in the cards as a result.

FEBRUARY 28: A January report indicated Mekhi Becton was likely to sign his second contract elsewhere. It now seems all but certain the former first-round pick will not be back with the Jets.

Buzz circulating around Becton for weeks has pointed to the injury-prone tackle signing a one-year deal with another team, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline notes. The New York Post’s Brian Costello takes it a step further, indicating Becton and Duane Brown will not be back with the Jets. Brown, 38, played out a two-year, $20MM deal in New York but ran into injury trouble in both seasons.

Becton returned after missing 33 games from 2021-22, beginning the season at right tackle but seeing time on the left side due to other Jets injuries as well. While displaying tremendous confidence in his bounce-back ability last offseason, Becton did not distinguish himself — beyond a slimmed-down physique — in his contract year. Pro Football Focus slotted the 2020 first-rounder 66th among tackles, a downgrade from his last healthy season.

While it seems likely a team will give Becton a second chance — especially on a thin tackle market — the Louisville alum makes sense as a player who will need to prove it on a one-year deal before a big-money contract is considered down the line. Becton is still just 24, though his injury- and weight-related struggles will impact his market.

Elsewhere on Gang Green’s O-line, Costello adds the Jets have not decided on the positions of Alijah Vera-Tucker. The three-year veteran is in line to return as a starter, but Costello offers that the team may not have his position nailed down until after free agency. Drafted to play guard, Vera-Tucker has slid to right tackle in each of the past two seasons due to injuries elsewhere. While the Jets have been intrigued by the prospect of the 2021 first-rounder sticking at RT, Costello adds the team may view the position hopping as part of the reason for his back-to-back season-ending injuries.

With this free agency class far deeper at guard compared to tackle, the Jets targeting an inside starter and keeping Vera-Tucker outside could be the way they go about this. The team had previously viewed Vera-Tucker as a potential Pro Bowl-caliber guard, so it will be interesting to see how it arranges its pieces up front. Clarity from the draft also may be necessary, as the Jets are being linked closely to drafting a tackle in Round 1. By most accounts, they were prepared to do so last year (Broderick Jones) before the Steelers swooped in.

Additional uncertainty may exist regarding Joe Tippmann‘s position, but Costello adds the college center is likely to work in that role despite seeing regular guard duty in 2023. Drafted as the center of the future in last year’s second round, Tippmann deferred to the re-signed Connor McGovern. The latter is due for free agency, clearing a path here.

Rather into former Packers, the Jets will probably consider David Bakhtiari if/once Green Bay releases him. The former All-Pro tackle missed almost all of the 2021 and ’23 seasons due to knee trouble that came out of the New Year’s Eve 2020 ACL tear. A Bakhtiari-Jets partnership — a matter that has been considered since Aaron Rodgers‘ arrival — may only come about, per Costello, if the injury-prone talent accepts he would be in a competition for a job rather than handed the Jets’ LT post.

The 11-year veteran was in place as the Pack’s LT starter for two of Rodgers’ four MVP seasons, picking up five All-Pro honors himself. Though, the 32-year-old blocker’s five knee surgeries over the past three years have changed his career path. Regardless of Bakhtiari’s status, the Jets appear prepared to reshape their O-line in a high-stakes offseason for the franchise.

Jets Give QB Zach Wilson Permission To Seek Trade

February 28th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Expected for months to be set for a Big Apple departure, Zach Wilson may soon take another step toward that reality. The Jets have given the former No. 2 overall pick permission to seek a trade, Joe Douglas said Wednesday.

Given the trade buzz around Wilson — which includes the underwhelming quarterback looking into potential fits elsewhere — this is not surprising. The Jets will first try to trade the three-year starter, who has been tied to potentially fetching a late-round pick in a swap.

Supplanted as the Jets’ starter by Aaron Rodgers, Wilson had been benched for Mike White previously. The Jets effectively admitted their mistake — not acquiring a veteran option to either challenge Wilson for the QB2 role and not landing one after Rodgers’ Achilles injury — and are ready to move on.

The Jets’ decision comes as the Bears are likely to trade Justin Fields. The No. 3 overall pick from that 2021 draft — Trey Lance — has already been moved, being dealt from the 49ers to the Cowboys, and Mac Jones is certainly on unstable ground with the Patriots. That five-first-rounder 2021 QB class features only one of those players — No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence — assured of being his team’s starter in 2024.

This separation will bring familiar territory for the Jets, who have seen their repeat investments in first- and second-round QBs fail to produce a long-term option. The team traded Sam Darnold after three seasons and did not re-sign Geno Smith or Mark Sanchez. Christian Hackenberg famously never played an NFL snap. Wilson, of course, goes on this regime’s balance sheet. Choosing the once-fast-rising BYU prospect second overall has done the most to push Douglas and Robert Saleh onto hot seats. The two decision-makers have this year to convince Woody Johnson they are worthy of keeping their jobs.

As of now, it appears unlikely the Jets will resort to cutting Wilson. Doing so would bring a cap charge over $11MM. A possible sixth- or seventh-round pick could be the return here. That obviously would fall well short of what Darnold fetched in 2021 (second-, fourth- and sixth-rounders), but Wilson has faceplanted in New York and is on the verge of becoming one of the game’s biggest modern-era busts. Through 34 games (33 starts), Wilson has completed just 57% of his passes — at 6.3 yards a clip — and is 12-21 as a starter.

Saleh benched Wilson in November 2022, amid concerns in the locker room, and then sat him during a nationally televised Thursday-night game later that year. Summoned once Rodgers went down four plays into his New York tenure, Wilson was again erratic. Saleh benched him for Tim Boyle, though the three-year HC later admitted he always thought Wilson was the most talented option following the Rodgers injury. (The Jets cut Boyle a day after his second start.) That benching led to the rumor circulating that Wilson was hesitant to move back into the starting role. He finished the season out with a concussion.

Rodgers, 40, has said he is planning to play at least two more seasons. His 2023 injury — and previous admission he was 90% retired before changing his stance and joining the Jets last year — should give the team some pause about that timeline. But the Jets are committed to Rodgers, who has significant influence in the building. Johnson went as far as to say the Jets had no backup quarterback last season. Now, it will be a matter of finding a replacement soon and seeing if they can salvage a late-round draft choice for Wilson.

Jets Not Planning To Tag DE Bryce Huff

February 28th, 2024 at 11:36am CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 28: One of the top edge defenders set to be available on the market, Huff will be assured — barring an extension — of reaching free agency. Joe Douglas confirmed Wednesday (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) the Jets are not planning to use the tag to retain Huff. After the cap spike to $255.4MM, it would cost the Jets $21.32MM to tag their 2023 sack leader.

FEBRUARY 15: This year’s franchise tag outlook appears to feature a higher number of likely recipients compared to 2023. The Jets could factor into this mix, but their roster makeup also might not support it. Absent a tag, the team’s exclusive negotiating rights with Bryce Huff expire March 11.

The Jets have until 3pm CT on March 5 to tag Huff, but as of now, that should not be expected. The Jets are unlikely to use the tag in an effort to keep Huff away from free agency, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes. The team did not make much of an effort to extend Huff during the season, failing to make an offer. But the Jets still want to re-sign the UDFA success story.

They are running out of time to do so, and Huff has said he will not consider a hometown discount in order to keep going as a Jet. Although the Jets have used Huff as more of a rotational rusher, he led the team with 10 sacks — after failing to register four in any of his prior seasons — and paced the NFL in pressure percentage. Huff’s 21.8% pressure rate surpassed second-place Micah Parsons (20.8%), Cimini adds. Though, Parsons’ number is a bit more impressive considering the Cowboys phenom hit that number playing 864 defensive snaps; Huff logged only 480. That makes pinpointing his value a bit difficult, and the Jets’ defensive end depth chart adds to this unusual equation.

Although the Jets were widely believed to be targeting Georgia tackle Broderick Jones in last year’s first round, they wound up with Will McDonald at No. 15. New York held the No. 13 overall pick but sent it to Green Bay as part of the Aaron Rodgers trade. After the Jets slid down two spots, the Steelers climbed up to No. 14 — viewing Jones as Gang Green’s target — to draft the high-end O-line prospect. McDonald played far less than Huff last season, seeing action on only 19% of the Jets’ defensive snaps. Unless the team wants to keep a top-15 pick in that reduced role, it may need to make a sacrifice involving Huff.

“I would absolutely hate to lose him,” Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich said (via Cimini), “but he’s a guy that has earned every penny that he’s about to make.”

Pro Football Focus also viewed Huff as one of the NFL’s worst run defenders among edges, injecting some “buyer beware” into this situation. Though, defensive ends are largely paid to pressure quarterbacks. Huff not being tagged will open the floodgates for a team that views the Memphis alum as an untapped resource. Huff’s 480 defensive snaps last season were by far a career-high number. The 6-foot-3 DE also said he wants to be part of a team that views him as a three-down player. His 2023 usage rate and McDonald’s presence makes that a complicated matter for the Jets, who hold just more than $4MM in cap space as of Thursday.

It would cost approximately $23.35MM for the Jets to tag Huff, who played fewer defensive snaps than teammates John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson. Only the QB tag checks in higher than what it will cost a team to cuff a defensive end. With the Jets needing immediate help at tackle and suddenly in need of a starter-caliber wide receiver — despite the additions of Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman last year — the team allocating the bulk of its free agency budget to helping Rodgers on offense makes sense. Woody Johnson‘s mandate of sorts — as Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas attempt to keep their jobs — all but assured the Jets will focus on offense this offseason.

The Panthers are likely to tag Brian Burns, and the Jaguars are not expected to let Josh Allen hit the market. Quality edge rushers are on track to be available — from Danielle Hunter to Chase Young to Jonathan Greenard to Dorance Armstrong — but Huff will reside as an upper-echelon commodity if he reaches free agency.

Jets To Release OL Laken Tomlinson

February 26th, 2024 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Laken Tomlinson‘s stint with the Jets has ended after two seasons. The Jets are releasing the veteran offensive guard, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The move will save the Jets more than $8MM against the cap, with the lineman counting for $10.71MM in dead money. Tomlinson was set to enter the final season of the three-year, $40MM pact he signed with the organization back in 2022. While the veteran has been a consistent presence through his two years with the organization, his future in New York was in doubt considering his $18.85MM cap hit for the 2024 campaign.

The former first-round pick spent his first two seasons in Detroit before finding a home in San Francisco. He ended up spending five seasons with the 49ers, including a 2021 campaign where he earned his lone Pro Bowl nod while ranking 13th among 82 eligible guard candidates (via Pro Football Focus).

Part of the appeal of Tomlinson was his reliability, and he certainly delivered in that regard during his time with the Jets. He started all 34 of his appearances in New York, and the 32-year-old lineman has an active 114-game starting streak. However, Tomlinson wasn’t able to carry over his 49ers production during his stint in New York.

Following that aforementioned 13th-place finish in 2021, Pro Football Focus hasn’t graded Tomlinson higher than 53rd in either of his two seasons in New York. The website was especially critical of his run-blocking ability, ranking him in the bottom-20 at his position in that category this past season.

With Tomlinson officially out, the Jets will be seeking at least three new lineman next season. Depending on how the team proceeds with Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets could be pursuing two new offensive tackles and a new offensive guard. There’s an expectation that the organization will look to fill at least one of those holes via free agency, and they could also turn to the draft for reinforcement (especially with their tenth-overall pick).

Rams Finalize 2024 Coaching Staff

February 25th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams were one of several teams forced to reconstruct their coaching staff this offseason. While it’s always a challenge to replace staff, the Rams aren’t doing it because they needed to fire anybody, they’re simply replacing coaches who moved on to bigger jobs. Head coach Sean McVay is doing what he’s done year after year, bringing in a new staff that is sure to flourish under his tutelage.

On offense, we were already aware of the hires of quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone to replace Zac Robinson, senior offensive assistant Jerry Schuplinski, and offensive assistant and pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase, though the “offensive assistant” part of that title is new information.

In addition, since the departed Robinson had held the title of pass-game coordinator, that moniker has transferred to tight ends coach Nick Caley. Lastly, with offensive assistants K.J. Black and Nick Jones following Robinson and former defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to Atlanta, Los Angeles has brought in former Jets quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese as a new offensive assistant. Calabrese takes a step back after spending three years in his first NFL position coaching job.

The defensive side of the ball is where the most change will commence, since Morris departed to become the next head coach of the Falcons. We have already reported on Giff Smith‘s replacement of Eric Henderson as defensive line coach and run game coordinator and the hiring of former Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai as a senior defensive assistant, as well as the departure of assistant head coach Jimmy Lake, who left to become Morris’ defensive coordinator in Atlanta.

Los Angeles’ update informed us on some pending information for the rest of the defensive staff. First, we had heard that former Packers pass-game coordinator Greg Williams had interviewed for the Rams inside linebackers coaching job, and now we know that he has officially been hired for the role, replacing Chris Shula following his promotion to defensive coordinator. Formerly the secondary coach, Chris Beake‘s official title has been altered to safeties coach, and while assistant defensive line coach AC Carter interviewed for the position that went to Smith after Henderson’s exit, Carter will simply remain in his current role. Additionally, outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio, defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant, and defensive assistant Mike Harris have all been retained by Shula in their current roles.

Lastly, on special teams, the Rams hired Chili Davis as assistant special teams coach to replace Jeremy Springer, who departed to become special teams coordinator in New England. Davis will take his first NFL job after coaching for the last 11 years in various college gigs. Most recently, he served as special teams coordinator at Florida A&M in 2022 before going to Manhattan to serve as Kansas State’s special teams quality control coach. Also, on the coaching staff, John Streicher has been brought on board to serve as game management coordinator. Streicher spent the last six seasons in Tennessee, most recently serving as the Titans director of football administration.

There you have it: the 2024 coaching staff for the Rams. McVay is certainly used to shuffling his staff at this point in his career in Los Angeles. He was able to rebound from a rough 2022 season to get back to the playoffs, and with this new staff, he’ll try to get back to the pinnacle of the sport after winning it all in 2021.

NFC Coaching Updates: Falcons, Vikings, Garcia, Glenn

February 25th, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Ely Allen

As the offseason chugs along, teams continue to reconstruct their coaching staffs. The Falcons made a number of moves just before the weekend, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. The staff continues to take shape under new head coach Raheem Morris.

On offense, two announcements were made on assistants looking to hold over from Arthur Smith‘s staff last year. Rothstein reports that assistant offensive line coach Shawn Flaherty and offensive assistant Patrick Kramer, who each came to Atlanta last offseason, will be retained in their previous positions.

A new hire was announced, as well, with the team naming Jacquies Smith as their new outside linebackers coach. Formerly a seven-year NFL defensive end, the former undrafted player out of Missouri will now accept his first NFL coaching position. After disappearing from the NFL-world for a spell and making an appearance in the XFL, Smith worked with draft-eligible players in pre-draft training. He most recently spent the 2023 season as an assistant edge coach for the Texas Longhorns.

In the front office, the team announced the hires of John Griffin as director of player performance and Rob Dadona as manager of coaching operations. Griffin follows Morris after spending the past three years with the Rams. Dadona replaces Brian Griffin, who departed to serve as Chief of Staff at the University of Maryland. Dadona spent the past five seasons with the Jets, serving as assistant to the head coach for the last three.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC, starting with a couple out of Minneapolis:

The Vikings announced two staff additions this weekend, naming assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and assistant to the head coach Henry Schneider IV. Sarrett replaces Justin Rascati, who departed for Los Angeles to serve as the Chargers pass-game coordinator. The two essentially swapped places, as Sarrett spent the past three years in the assistant offensive line coaching role with the Chargers. Schneider spent the last five years with the Raiders, most recently as the manager of coaching operations.
The Cowboys added a hot, young name out of Washington to their defensive staff this weekend. Cristian Garcia, who spent part of last year as the Commanders interim defensive backs coach, will head to Dallas as a defensive quality control coach, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Garcia was a name that former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera turned to for leadership after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Now he’ll join the NFC East rival.
Washington added their own coaching assistant last week. According to ESPN’s John Keim, John Glenn will join the staff as the Commanders’ new assistant special teams coach. Glenn replaces Ben Jacobs, who had served in the same role since following Rivera from Carolina in 2020 but was not retained by the new staff. Glenn changes roles a bit after spending the past six seasons as the Seahawks linebackers coach.

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