Minor NFL Transactions: 1/26/24
Friday’s minor transactions:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: LB Darius Harris
- Placed on IR: DT Derrick Nnadi
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): OLB Jeremiah Moon
After missing the Divisional Round matchup with the Bills due to a triceps injury, Nnadi has been placed on injured reserve. This ends the season for another Chiefs starter as the team continues to limp its way through the postseason.
Steelers To Interview Jerrod Johnson For OC Position
Jerrod Johnson remains a top candidate for an offensive coordinator gig. The Texans QBs coach is set to meet with the Steelers today to discuss their OC vacancy, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Pittsburgh replaced Matt Canada midseason, handing the reins of the offense to Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan. That move (accompanied down the stretch by a switch to Mason Rudolph under center) produced an uptick in production for the unit, but it came as no surprise when head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed the team would look outside the organization for its next offensive coordinator.
Johnson (whose playing career included time in Pittsburgh in the 2012 offseason) represents a logical candidate for a replacement. The 35-year-old has only spent one season in his current post – having previously worked as an assistant QBs coach with the Vikings – but his work with C.J. Stroud has helped his stock dramatically. Stroud and the Texans shattered expectations in his rookie season, and that has generated plenty of outside interest for Johnson. The Saints and Browns have met with him already, and the same is true of the Eagles.
Johnson’s lack of experience relative to other candidates available could hinder his chances of landing an OC position, but the chance still remains that he could be promoted to the coordinator role in Houston. Texans OC Bobby Slowik has received head coaching interest in this year’s cycle, and his departure would create a notable vacancy on Houston’s staff. Johnson could be an internal option to take over from Slowik in the event he were to leave.
The Steelers’ list of OC candidates is relatively small for now, and the team’s only other interview to date has been with Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Pittsburgh also has a meeting lined up with Rams QBs coach Zac Robinson. Johnson will join that pair in discussing a key role on Tomlin’s staff, as the Steelers look to find certainty at the quarterback position and on the sidelines for 2024.
Steelers To Extend DC Teryl Austin
The Steelers surpassed expectations this season, making the playoffs despite scoring the fifth-least number of points in the NFL and the eighth-least amount of yards. The reason for that may well be due to the work done by second-year defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and his defensive unit. Seemingly happy with what they’ve seen so far, Pittsburgh is working to finalize a new two-year deal with Austin, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 
Austin has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL for seven of the last 10 years. Before earning a coordinator position, Austin spent 23 years at the college level or coaching defensive backs for the Seahawks, Cardinals, and Ravens.
The Lions were the first team to give Austin a chance calling defensive plays, and he rewarded them in his first year with a top-three scoring defense that allowed the second-least number of yards in the NFL. His next three years in Detroit saw the team come back down to earth a bit, resulting in middling results for the defense. Austin left Detroit following the firing of then-head coach Jim Caldwell and accepted the defensive coordinator job in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, 2018 would be his only year with the Bengals as the team would finish 30th in points allowed while giving up the most yards in the NFL that season.
Austin took a step back in 2019, joining the Steelers under the title of senior defensive assistant & secondary coach. After three years in that role, Pittsburgh promoted Austin to defensive coordinator, once again giving him a chance to call plays. In 2022, the Steelers finished 10th in points allowed and 14th in yards allowed. This year, a bend-but-don’t-break mentality kept Pittsburgh in the playoff hunt as the defense finished sixth in points allowed while finishing 21st in yards allowed.
With his contract renewed, Austin will be under contract through the 2025 season. Many considered head coach Mike Tomlin‘s job to be in danger after a sixth straight year of failing to reach the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but for now, Tomlin’s job appears safe, so Austin’s will be, too.
Steelers Interview Panthers’ Thomas Brown For OC Post
The Steelers’ effort to add their next offensive coordinator is underway. First up will be a recent OC who no longer appears in his team’s plans; Thomas Brown is interviewing for the job Wednesday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Brown, who has received HC interview requests in each of the past two offseasons, worked as the Panthers’ OC this season. The former Rams assistant enjoyed two stints as Carolina’s play-caller, but it does not appear the NFC South club is interested in keeping him around under a new head coach.
Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson joins Brown as a candidate for the Pittsburgh OC job. The Steelers have promoted from within to fill in 2018 (Randy Fichtner) and 2021 (Matt Canada). After going with a two-OC system of sorts, with Eddie Faulkner nabbing the title and Mike Sullivan the play-calling role, Mike Tomlin pointed to seeking an outside voice with this hire. The team has not hired an OC from outside the organization since the Todd Haley addition in 2012. Haley is also the only Steelers OC hired from outside the organization this century, adding more intrigue to the team’s current search.
Both Robinson and Brown come from the Sean McVay coaching tree. McVay’s staff has become a launching pad for a number of HCs and coordinators. This could be the year Robinson makes the jump, with the Matthew Stafford position coach in contention for a few jobs. Brown, 37, worked with the Rams from 2020-22, coaching running backs and tight ends after a run in the college ranks.
The Panthers attempting to incorporate elements from McVay’s scheme and Frank Reich‘s was among the reasons behind the team’s 2-15 season. Reich had mentioned Brown as a play-calling candidate early last year, but after giving him the reins, the veteran HC reclaimed them three weeks later. The Panthers fired Reich 11 games in, leaving Brown back in the play-calling role. Bryce Young finished the season ahead of only Zach Wilson in QBR, as the Panthers ranked 31st in offensive DVOA.
Brown also interviewed for the Bears’ job that went to fellow ex-Rams staffer Shane Waldron. It should be expected more teams, as the HC-needy clubs fill out their staffs, will want to interview the young assistant for OC positions.
Raiders, Saints To Interview Mike Sullivan For OC
12:59pm: Sullivan’s offseason itinerary now includes two OC interviews. The Saints will also meet with the veteran assistant, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Raiders meeting will come first. The Saints now have eight OC candidates on their radar. Sullivan also has a short history with Derek Carr, which came from working with the then-Fresno State prospect before the 2014 draft, Garafolo notes. It is unclear if the Steelers will make any effort to retain Sullivan.
9:22am: The Raiders’ offensive coordinator search now includes a seventh candidate. After his two-month period calling the shots in Pittsburgh, Mike Sullivan is in the mix to become the play-caller in Las Vegas.
Sullivan is set to interview for the Raiders’ OC gig, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. The veteran assistant has ties to Antonio Pierce dating back to the latter’s playing days in New York. The Giants employed Sullivan during multiple stints; the first encompassed Pierce’s run in the Big Apple. Tom Coughlin, who hired Sullivan twice in New York, remains in place consulting Pierce on potential hires.
When the Giants hired Coughlin in 2004, they brought Sullivan in as wide receivers coach. He stayed on for eight years, being moved up to QBs coach in 2010 and collecting a second Super Bowl ring a year later. Sullivan parlayed that 2011 success into the Buccaneers’ OC job under Greg Schiano. After two years there, he returned to coach under Coughlin during his final season on the sidelines. Sullivan also spent the 2016 and ’17 seasons as Ben McAdoo‘s Giants OC, but Pittsburgh effectively placed him in such a role after Matt Canada‘s firing.
The Steelers gave running backs coach Eddie Faulkner the interim OC title but installed Sullivan, 56, as their play-caller. Pittsburgh’s offense did improve under Sullivan, immediately snapping what had become an infamous run without a 400-yard showing. The Steelers crafted a fairly surprising stretch — though it probably should not have been, given Mike Tomlin‘s penchant for avoiding losing seasons — around third-string QB Mason Rudolph. The veteran steered the Steelers to three straight wins to close out the regular season and fared decently in Pittsburgh’s wild-card loss in Buffalo.
After making in-house promotions to fill his OC position since Todd Haley‘s exit, Tomlin pointed to an outside hire filling the Steelers’ play-calling post this offseason. Sullivan’s time as Pittsburgh’s QBs coach lasted three seasons.
Pierce was with the Giants from 2004-09. Sullivan marks the first assistant from his time with the Giants to land on the Raiders’ OC radar. With that in mind, here is how that search looks:
- Luke Getsy, former offensive coordinator (Bears): To interview 1/26
- Kliff Kingsbury, quarterbacks coach (USC): Mentioned as candidate
- Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): To interview 1/24
- Zac Robinson, quarterbacks coach (Rams): Interview requested
- Mike Sullivan, quarterbacks coach (Steelers): To interview
- Alex Van Pelt, former offensive coordinator (Browns): To interview
- Shane Waldron, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Mentioned as candidate
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/23/24
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Buffalo Bills
- DT Eli Ankou, QB Shane Buechele, RB Darrynton Evans
Minnesota Vikings
- CB A.J. Green
New York Giants
- WR Chase Cota, C Jimmy Morrissey
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Kalon Barnes, DB Thomas Graham, LB Tyler Murray, LB David Perales, CB Josiah Scott
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DL C.J. Brewer, OT Silas Dzansi, OL Luke Haggard, CB Keenan Isaac, WR Cephus Johnson, RB Patrick Laird, S Richard LeCounte, WR Ryan Miller, CB Quandre Mosely, LB Jose Ramirez, G Logan Stenberg, TE Tanner Taula, WR Raleigh Webb, TE David Wells
Coordinator Notes: Pitcher, Robinson, Williams, Kelly
Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher appears to be a clear successor to offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who is set to become the Titans head coach. However, that inside shot at the Cincy gig won’t stop Pitcher from taking coordinator interviews elsewhere.
[RELATED: 2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Pitcher is set to meet with the Patriots virtually tomorrow before meeting in-person with the Raiders tomorrow night. Pitcher is then expected to meet with the Saints on Thursday. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, Pitcher actually already met virtually with the Saints and is scheduled for an in-person second interview on Thursday.
The Raiders connection is also notable. As Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network points out, Marvin Lewis is expected to be on the Raiders coaching staff, and it was Lewis who gave Pitcher his first NFL job.
Considering the success of Joe Burrow, it’s not a surprise that Pitcher is in line for a promotion. The SUNY Cortland product has spent the past four seasons as the Bengals quarterbacks coach, and he’s been with the organization since 2016.
For what it’s worth, Pitcher signed an extension with the Bengals last offseason. However, that deal surely won’t stop the coach from pursuing a promotion elsewhere, although there’s a chance that opportunity comes in Cincinnati.
More coordinator notes from around the NFL…
- Rams passing-game coordinator Zac Robinson has generated more offensive coordinator interviews. According to Breer, both the Steelers and Raiders have requested interviews with Robinson regarding their OC vacancies. Robinson has been connected to the majority of the OC openings in the NFL. He’s set to interview with the Patriots and Saints, and he was a candidate for the Bears job before they hired Shane Waldron. Robinson has spent his entire coaching career in Los Angeles, working his way up from assistant quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach.
- Titans assistant head coach/defensive line coach Terrell Williams will interview for the Bears defensive coordinator job, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Following stints as the Raiders and Dolphins defensive line coach, Williams took the same job with the Bears in 2018. He’s spent the past six years in that role, and he earned a promotion to assistant head coach this past season. Williams’ future in Tennessee is unclear considering the team’s decision to fire Mike Vrabel following the season. Williams joins a growing list of Bears defensive coordinator candidates, a grouping that includes fellow Titans coach Chris Harris.
- A notable name could emerge as an offensive coordinator candidate. Sources told Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports that Chip Kelly has been mentioned as an offensive coordinator possibility by a handful of head coaching candidates. As a result, several organizations have already started doing their due diligence on the former Eagles and 49ers head coach. Kelly has been the head coach at UCLA since 2018, and he recently signed an extension that will keep him with the school through at least the 2027 season.
Steelers Planning Mike Tomlin Extension; Team To Hold QB Competition
Mike Tomlin‘s status with the 2024 Steelers appeared in doubt as this season wound down, but the longtime Pittsburgh leader is not going anywhere. And Tomlin, as should be expected, will not enter the ’24 slate as a lame duck.
The Steelers are planning to give their veteran head coach another extension, Art Rooney II said Thursday (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac). Tomlin’s current deal runs through the 2024 season. This stands to be Tomlin’s eighth Steelers contract.
Succeeding Bill Cowher back in 2007, Tomlin is now the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach. He guided the Steelers to the playoffs for an 11th time, dropping a wild-card game to the Bills. Evasive about his contract status after that game, Tomlin is indeed coming back. Tomlin, 51, has won a Super Bowl and led Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XLV, a loss to the Packers, two years later. But he is on a cold streak in the postseason. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since beating the Alex Smith-led Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round, losing their past five postseason matchups.
Tomlin’s 17-year streak without a losing season has become a somewhat divisive issue, seeing as this playoff-win drought has transpired during the streak’s second half. Thirteen seasons have also now passed since that yellow pants Super Bowl, a 31-25 Green Bay win, transpired. But Tomlin remains one of the NFL’s most respected figures. Steelers plans for this extension emerged in December, with neither the notion of him taking the 2024 season off nor the prospect of the Steelers trading his rights elsewhere gaining much traction.
As we heard in November, Tomlin will look at outside candidates for the Steelers’ offensive coordinator post (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). The team used Eddie Faulkner as its nominal OC but had QBs coach Mike Sullivan calling plays. Steelers ownership’s confidence in Tomlin’s coordinator picks has wavered, to a degree, making this upcoming hire crucial. The Steelers made some progress since firing Matt Canada — the franchise’s first in-season firing in decades — but they have not been confused with a potent offense in years. Kenny Pickett‘s status adds to the importance of Pittsburgh’s play-caller move.
Tomlin confirmed Thursday (via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly) that Pickett will enter another offseason as the team’s starting quarterback, but the team is planning to hold a competition for the job. Mason Rudolph may be positioned to provide that, but Tomlin reminded the end-of-season starter played on an expiring contract this season.
A Pickett-Rudolph competition, as it stands now, probably would not excite a sizable sect of Steelers fans. The 2022 first-round pick has underwhelmed during his run as a starter, being stuck on 13 touchdown passes despite making 24 starts. Rudolph provided a spark when replacing Mitch Trubisky late this season, guiding the Steelers to three straight wins to give Tomlin his 10th 10-win season as a head coach. But the high-floor routine that has become the team’s Tomlin-era M.O. has not produced much of consequence, outside of perhaps the team’s hot start in 2020, since the Killer B’s 2017 finale.
Non-Rudolph free agent options that could push Pickett will be available. While Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield may not be viable candidates here, as both will be starter candidates to stay with their current clubs, a number of bridge or high-end backup arms will be available. This includes Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston and others. Both Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo loom as cut candidates, with the former a near-certainty to be released.
It will be interesting to see if the Steelers would consider adding one of these options and Rudolph, who played out a veteran-minimum deal in 2023. The Steelers are expected to cut Trubisky, which will create nearly $3MM in cap space, but Rudolph also may want to explore a QB2 opportunity elsewhere. If nothing else, the former third-round pick played well enough he probably will not need to settle for vet-minimum money in 2024.
The QB and OC pieces in Tomlin’s 2024 puzzle may go a long way toward determining how much longer the Steelers will want to stick with the status quo. That said, the upcoming extension will keep Tomlin’s seat fairly cool. But the Steelers’ viability next season will undoubtedly come down to how Tomlin and GM Omar Khan handle the big-picture questions on offense.
Coaching Notes: Vrabel, Seahawks, Quinn, Morris, Falcons, Staley, Browns, Giants, Izzo, Steelers, Rams
The Seahawks have not met with Mike Vrabel yet, but interest is believed to exist on the NFC West team’s part. More smoke has emerged connecting Vrabel to Seattle. Several sources indicated this is a match worth monitoring, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, while the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora has heard Vrabel and Dan Quinn are the two names to watch with regards to the Seattle HC job.
Vrabel and Seahawks GM John Schneider are believed to be close, La Canfora adds. With Pete Carroll out of the picture, Schneider — who operated in a right-hand man role as Carroll held final say — is running the show in Seattle. Vrabel sought full personnel control in Tennessee when the team was between GMs, but the organization did not grant it. A structure in which Schneider holds final say but Vrabel possesses more input than he held with the Titans could make sense, but Quinn’s four seasons — spread across two stints, the latter two as a Super Bowl-bound DC — obviously provide a strong connection. The Dallas DC was also the first candidate mentioned for this opening. Quinn has a busy week on tap; the Cowboys’ DC is interviewing virtually with the Panthers, Chargers, Seahawks, Titans and Commanders.
Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:
- Deviating from their Arthur Blank-era trend, the Falcons are believed to be eyeing a coach with experience. Raheem Morris represents an interesting choice, considering he was Atlanta’s interim HC in 2020, but La Canfora adds some around the league view this as a potential match. Sean McVay is advocating for his three-year DC, and a coaching agent informed La Canfora that Morris is believed to have left Atlanta the first time on good terms. Morris, who served as Buccaneers HC from 2009-11, was a Falcons staffer from 2015-20. Bill Belichick having a second interview booked does point to the ex-Patriots coach being the favorite here, however.
- Duce Staley paid a visit to the Browns this week, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson. The Browns just fired running backs coach Stump Mitchell and are in need at that post. Staley did not make it into December during his first season as Panthers RBs coach, joining QBs coach Josh McCown in being fired. But Staley has been an NFL backfield coach — with the Eagles, Lions and Panthers — since 2013.
- The Browns are also interviewing Titans outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow, per veteran NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky. While incumbent D-line coach Ben Bloom is not believed to have been fired, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot confirms the Crow report, indicating Bloom could be reassigned. Crow was with Tennessee throughout Vrabel’s six-year tenure; Bloom has enjoyed two stints in Cleveland — 2009-10 and over the past four seasons under Kevin Stefanski.
- Seeking a replacement for six-year special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, the Giants are eyeing one of their Tom Coughlin-era assistants. Larry Izzo, the former Patriots linebacker who coached on Coughlin’s staff from 2011-15, is in the mix for the ST coordinator job, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. Izzo spent the past three seasons as the Seahawks‘ ST boss, but with Carroll gone, the organization has given its assistants permission to explore other opportunities. Izzo broke into coaching in New York, serving as assistant ST coach before moving up the ladder elsewhere.
- The Rams are losing their defensive line coach to the college ranks. USC announced the hiring of Eric Henderson, who spent the past five seasons as the Rams’ D-line coach. Henderson’s Los Angeles run will continue; he started his NFL coaching stay with two seasons as the Chargers’ assistant D-line coach. Henderson, 40, will become the Trojans’ co-defensive coordinator.
- Steelers assistant Glenn Thomas will rejoin Matt Rhule, according to The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman, who notes the former Baylor and Temple assistant will become co-OC at Nebraska. Thomas spent one season with the Steelers, coming to Pittsburgh after being Arizona State’s OC in 2022.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/17/24
Wednesday’s reserve/futures contracts:
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
- WR Martavis Bryant, RB Snoop Conner, RB Malik Davis
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Luq Barcoo, T Tyler Beach, WR Marquez Callaway, FB Jack Colletto, T Kellen Diesch, S Jalen Elliott, G Joey Fisher, WR Dez Fitzpatrick, T Devery Hamilton, T Anderson Hardy, WR Keilahn Harris, DL Jonathan Marshall, C Ryan McCollum, WR Denzel Mims, RB Aaron Shampklin, DT Jacob Slade, WR Duece Watts
Bryant joined the Cowboys in November, and though he didn’t appear in any games, Bryant left a good impression in Dallas after several weeks on the practice squad. He was released late in the season as the team shuffled the roster a bit but makes his return to Dallas for the offseason.