Dan Campbell - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Browns’ Coaching Search

December 31st, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A flurry of head coaching moves have been made last night and this morning, but one team already had a significant head start on the process. The Browns were the first team to move on from their coach, firing Hue Jackson after eight games, and have had a while to formulate a plan. The team went 5-3 after moving on from Jackson, and might have the most attractive opening of any team with Baker Mayfield looking like a star in the making.

The Browns’ first step in the process will be to interview Gregg Williams tomorrow, GM John Dorsey revealed at a press conference this morning, per Pat McManamon of ESPN (Twitter link). Williams is the interim coach right now and although he isn’t expected to land the full time job, Cleveland’s strong play down the stretch certainly earned him consideration. Dorsey also said that offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who has drawn rave reviews for his work with Mayfield, will get an interview although he wasn’t sure when that would occur.

Meanwhile, the Browns have also requested to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Flores is in his first year calling plays, but is highly regarded around the league and was a candidate for the Cardinals’ job last year. The Browns are also expected to interview former Titans head coach and current Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News (Twitter link). We heard earlier this morning that the Broncos have interest in Munchak as well, who’s earned a ton of praise for his work with the Steelers and is instrumental in Pittsburgh and far more influential than your average offensive line coach.

We first heard late last night that the Browns had reached out to Mike McCarthy, and while he wouldn’t confirm anything, Dorsey certainly didn’t throw cold water on the rumors. Dorsey said he has “a lot of respect for Mike McCarthy and what he’s done”, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Dorsey also praised Kitchens, saying the first time coordinator has “done [a] wonderful job developing [a] relationship with” Mayfield, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (Twitter link).

As soon as Adam Gase was fired by the Dolphins, he was immediately linked to Cleveland. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Gase going to the Browns is a “very real possibility”, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network followed up with a tweet saying Peyton Manning, a very close friend of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, is a “big fan” of Gase. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk tweeted that Haslam “aggressively pursued” Gase five years ago, “but Gase decided to wait to become a head coach.”

The Browns have also put in a request to interview Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Campbell has been a popular darkhorse candidate for some jobs, and impressed during his brief stint as the Dolphins’ interim head coach in 2015. In addition to Campbell, Rapoport tweets they requested an interview with Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

Two last candidates for the Browns are Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the Browns have submitted an interview request for him, and Colts offensive Nick Sirianni is also on their interview list Pelissero tweets separately. Adam Schefter followed up on Pelissero’s report by tweeting that while the Browns do want to interview Eberflus, they won’t be able to this week with the Colts playing a playoff game this weekend, and the same presumably goes for Sirianni.

Cleveland will be one of the most buzzed about teams in the coming days and weeks, and we should know a lot more about their intentions soon, and they’re clearly casting a very wide net. At this point, it still seems most likely that they’ll pursue an offensive coach to pair with Mayfield despite their reported interest in Flores and Eberflus.

Coaching Rumors: Colts, Cowboys, Chargers

February 7th, 2018 at 6:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have received permission to interview Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell and Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and will do so later this week, tweets Mike Chappell of CBS4. Indianapolis will meet with Campbell on Thursday before speaking with Reich on Friday, per Chappell. The Colts, of course, were forced to restart their head coaching search on Tuesday after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels backed out of his agreement to take over the role. Campbell and Reich were actually part of Indianapolis’ original list of possible interviewees, but their team’s playoff runs prevented meetings, reports Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. So far, Campbell and Reich are the only candidates known to have scheduled interviews with Indy, but Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier are also viewed as possible contenders

Here’s more from the 2018 coaching carousel:

Former Raiders tight ends coach Bobby Johnson could be a candidate for the same position with the Cowboys, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Johnson interviewed for Oakland’s head coaching job earlier this year (in what was widely viewed as a meeting to satisfy the Rooney Rule), but wasn’t retained by new HC Jon Gruden. Johnson, who entered the pro coaching ranks in 2010, has coached offensive lines and tight ends during stops in Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Detroit. Dallas’ top choice to lead its tight ends was reportedly former Titans quarterbacks coach Jason Michael, but he instead opted to join the Cardinals’ staff.
The Chargers have hired former UCLA assistant Rip Scherer as their new tight ends coach, reports Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Scherer will replace John McNulty, who recently left Los Angeles in order to become Rutgers’ offensive coordinator. Scherer, for his part, has a history of coaching quarterbacks in the NFL, and has done so with the Browns (2005-08) and Panthers (200-10). The rest of his coaching tenure has been spent in the NCAA, and he’s been a play-caller at stops such as Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, and Southern Miss.
D’Anton Lynn, the son of Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, will be hired as the Texans‘ assistant defensive backs coach, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. The younger Lynn has followed his father to each of his last three stops, serving as a defensive assistant in New York, Buffalo, and — most recently — Los Angeles. He’ll now work under Houston defensive backs coach Anthony Midget, whom himself was promoted from the assistant job to the full-time role earlier this offseason.
The Browns have added Sam Shade to their staff as an assistant special teams coach, the club announced today. Shade will work under Amos Jones, who replaced Chris Tabor as Cleveland’s primary special teams coach earlier this year. Shade spent the 2017 campaign as Georgia State’s cornerbacks coach, and previously served as special teams coordinator at Samford for seven seasons.

Colts Eyeing Frank Reich, Dan Campbell

February 7th, 2018 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts’ head coaching search is on. Again. This time, the Colts are expected to start by requesting permission to speak with Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich and Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Reich was a hot name at the beginning of this year’s coaching cycle which makes sense considering how effective the Eagles’ offense was in 2017. However, over time, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo wound up garnering more attention from teams with HC vacancies for his role in Carson Wentz‘s development. His candidacy may also have been hurt by the fact that Doug Pederson is the play caller in Philadelphia.

Last season, the Philly offense ranked third in scoring, seventh in yards, and eighth in DVOA. The 56-year-old has worked as an NFL coach since 2008 and is perhaps best known for leading the Bills offense back from a 32-point deficit in a 1993 playoff game, After spending time with the Colts and Cardinals, Reich was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator from 2014-15 before joining the Eagles the following year.

The 41-year-old Campbell has served only as a tight ends coach or an interim head coach in his seven-year tenure as a full-time NFL assistant. Still, he was one of 12 head coaching candidates recommended by the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel late last year and he was a candidate for the Vikings’ OC opening. The Dolphins also interviewed him in early 2016 for their HC job before settling on Adam Gase.

Other names linked to the job include Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub.

Vikings To Interview Saints’ Dan Campbell For OC Job

January 25th, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings added another name to the interview list for their vacant offensive coordinator position. Former Dolphins interim head coach and current Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell will interview for the job, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

This meeting will take place on Tuesday at Mike Zimmer‘s ranch in Kentucky, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Tomasson adds Zimmer contacted Campbell about an assistant job two years ago before Campbell ultimately decided to join the Saints’ staff.

Campbell joins an interview list that consists of former Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell, Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski and Texans QBs coach Sean Ryan. Bevell will receive the first interview, set for Friday.

Campbell has a history with Zimmer, to some degree, having been a Cowboys tight end for three seasons (2003-05) that overlapped with Zimmer’s time as Dallas’ DC.

The 41-year-old Campbell has served only as a tight ends coach or an interim head coach in his seven-year tenure as a full-time NFL assistant. This will mark his first interview for a coordinator position, but he did meet with Dolphins brass about Miami’s HC post in early 2016 prior to Adam Gase landing that job. Campbell succeeded Joe Philbin in 2015 with the Dolphins but got in 12 games as Miami’s HC that season, going 5-7.

NFL Recommends Coaching Candidates

December 21st, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Each year, the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel releases a list of candidates for head coaching jobs. According to Mike Lombardi of The Ringer (Twitter link), that list includes:

Dan Campbell (Assistant Head Coach/TE coach, Saints)
Jim Bob Cooter (Offensive Coordinator, Lions)
John DeFilippo (Quarterbacks Coach, Eagles)
George Edwards (Defensive Coordinator, Vikings)
Josh McDaniels (Offensive Coordinator, Patriots)
Matt Nagy (Offensive Coordinator, Chiefs)
Matt Patricia (Defensive Coordinator, Patriots)
Jim Schwartz (Defensive Coordinator, Eagles)
Pat Shurmur (Offensive Coordinator, Vikings)
Dave Toub (Special Teams Coach, Chiefs)
Steve Wilks (Defensive Coordinator, Panthers)
Mike Vrabel (Defensive Coordinator, Texans)

McDaniels, of course, comes with previous head coaching experience. He was probably too young to handle those responsibilities in Denver, but he has reasserted himself as an offensive wunderkind. Both McDaniels and Patricia will be hot candidates for head coaching jobs this year, so the Patriots may have to make serious changes on the coaching staff.

There is some overlap with the list of minority candidates recommended by the Fritz Pollard Alliance, though Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie did not make the cut on this list. Austin received head coaching interviews in each of the last two offseasons, so he seems likely to garner some consideration this time around.

NFC Notes: Mathieu, Megatron, Saints

June 25th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Ben Levine

Patrick Peterson understands what it takes to negotiate a new contract with the Cardinals. For what it’s worth, the cornerback believes teammate and fellow defensive back Tyrann Mathieu‘s discussions with the organization won’t take particularly long.

“I was in kind of a similar situation when it was time for me to sign a new deal and obviously wanting a new deal,” Peterson said on PFT Live (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “Like I tell Tyrann all the time, let his agent handle that and also it’s gonna be a long, drawn out process, you just have to be patient. I know it will happen, just don’t know when it will happen but the Cardinals organization understands what Tyrann means to the football team, to the community, and when you have a top notch player like that, that just doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and we have great ownership upstairs and the General Manager and the president and owner of the team. I mean those guys know at the end of the day what Tyrann means and like I said, I’m quite sure that the deal will get done here pretty soon.”

Reports indicated that the organization was ready to make Mathieu the highest-paid safety in the league, and talks seemed to be progressing. However, earlier this month, negotiations suddenly stalled, but there’s still optimism that a deal could be finalized by training camp.

As we await clarity on the Mathieu/Cardinals negotiations, let’s look at some more NFC notes…

Recently-retired wideout Calvin Johnson held his “Catching Dreams” football camp today, and the former Lions star told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter) that he won’t be returning to football. “I’m not coming back,” Johnson said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “You don’t have to worry about that.” The 30-year-old was clear that if he did return to the NFL, the comeback would be with the Lions.
The hiring process for Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell was more of a “recruitment” than an “interview,” coach Sean Payton told Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Fortunately, Payton had an edge after having coached Campbell for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, Campbell, the Dolphins‘ interim head coach last season, was lured by the opportunity to work with Payton. “To me, it was a pretty easy sell,” he told Triplett. “And the biggest factor was Coach Payton. I know who he is, I know what he’s about. And hey, man, he’s proven himself as a coach.”

AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Campbell, Whaley

January 31st, 2016 at 5:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Senior Bowl wrapped up and all four AFC East teams in offseason mode as Super Bowl 50 nears, let’s look at the latest news coming out of the division, starting with the Dolphins.

Ryan Tannehill‘s inconsistency notwithstanding, Mike Tannenbaum‘s seen enough from the fifth-year quarterback to avoid spending a draft pick or signing a free agent for legitimate competition, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. This isn’t too surprising. Miami gave Tannehill $77MM in new money last May to be their franchise quarterback, and ending a year that began with playoff expectations at 6-10, the team has other pressing needs.
The Dolphins have quite a few issues to sort out over the coming offseason, but chief among them will be overhauling their linebacking unit, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Kelvin Sheppard proved enough at middle linebacker, but per Salguero, the club is aware that it needs an upgrade at that spot. Further, Miami is likely to replace one of its two outside linebackers, with Koa Misi being the most obvious candidate to be cut given his 2016 cap charge of roughly $4.88MM (the Dolphins could save $4.3MM by making him a post-June 1 release). For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded Misi as the highest of Miami’s three ‘backers (No. 21), while Jelani Jenkins and Sheppard rated Nos. 38 and 84, respectively, among 97 qualifiers.
Although interim coach Dan Campbell reportedly did not take losing out to Adam Gase with the Dolphins well, the team’s interim coach last season still could have joined Gase’s staff but instead chose to join the Saints’ staff as assistant head coach/tight ends coach, Jackson writes. The Dolphins, however, prevented multiple teams from hiring special teams coach Darren Rizzi.
The Bears denied outside linebackers coach Clint Hurtt to speak with Gase about becoming the Dolphins’ defensive line coach, Jackson reports, but Hurtt coming to Miami once his contract expires after this season could still be on the table. A former Miami Hurricanes assistant, Hurtt would be an attractive option, per Jackson, if the Fins’ front falters under Terrell Williams, who got the job after Chicago chose to block Hurtt’s path.
One GM told Lisa Wilson of the Buffalo News the Bills are trapped in “8-8 limbo” without certainty at quarterback and little money to spend this offseason. Another informed the reporter he applauded the team’s patience regarding Doug Whaley and resisting the urge to start over as many teams do in the Bills’ situation. Owners of the longest NFL playoff drought, the Bills are currently $3.4MM over the salary cap, per OverTheCap, but have strung together their most wins in a two-year span (17) since 1999-2000, the former season representing Buffalo’s last playoff advancement. Tyrod Taylor will also only count $3.13MM against the Bills’ cap next season.
Whaley also justified bringing in embattled veteran DC Rob Ryan as an assistant to help enhance Rex Ryan‘s productivity while helping unite the brothers against their critics. “If you look at it, Rob and Rex, they’ve had some troubles,” Whaley told media, including Wilson. “Their name is kind of like, ‘Hey, they’re the Ryans, what happened to their defense?’ So why not bring in your brother and try to reclaim that name? That’s the way I look at it. And who’s going to have your back more than your brother? I think it’s a positive. I know it’s a positive. Everybody in the building feels it’s a positive. It’s a positive for Rex, too. It can help him expand his horizons as the head coach and get into some other things.”

Dallas Robinson contributed to this report

Coaching Notes: Campbell, Saints, Golden

January 26th, 2016 at 9:03pm CST by Zachary Links

New Saints hire Dan Campbell has been brought aboard as an assistant head coach to Sean Payton, but it is not accurate to say that he is the assistant head coach in New Orleans. Campbell, who was hired just weeks ago in New Orleans, will share the assistant head coach title with linebackers coach Joe Vitt, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune writes. With that matter cleared up, Payton says there is only one minor open matter remaining on his staff – finding an offensive assistant to work with receivers coach John Morton.

More coaching news from around the NFL:

Former Miami/Temple coach Al Golden is in line for a defensive assistant job with the Cowboys, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports hears (via Twitter). Golden, 46, coached Miami to a 32-25 record from 2011 through 2015.
The Titans made some moves on their coaching staff, as Jim Wyatt of Titans Online reports (via Twitter links). Nick Eason will be the team’s defensive line coach, Bob Bratkowski is the Titans’ new wide receivers coach, and Sylvester Croom will remain as the team’s running backs coach. Croom has had many stints as an NFL RBs coach and also served as the head coach of Mississippi State from 2004-2008.
The Eagles requested permission to interview Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, but they were denied, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Kocurek is an advocate for an attacking 4-3 front which would have made him a good fit under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Saints To Hire Dan Campbell, Other Assistants

January 13th, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Zachary Links

3:31pm: In addition to Campbell, Joe Lombardi, and Aaron Glenn are joining the Saints’ coaching staff, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.

Campbell will be New Orleans’ assistant head coach and tight ends coach, Lombardi will be the quarterbacks coach, and Glenn will be a secondary coach. Current tight ends coach Dan Roushar is expected to remain with the team in some capacity.

12:36pm: Although Campbell met with the Saints all day on Tuesday and feels comfortable joining Payton’s staff, the two sides haven’t finalized a deal yet, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Unless another club swoops in at the last minute with a more attractive offer, it looks like just a matter of time until Campbell and the Saints make it official.

WEDNESDAY, 9:02am: Campbell interviewed on Tuesday with the Saints, and may soon be hired as the team’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 8:57pm: The Saints are set to add former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell to their staff, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear what Campbell’s position will be, however.

In his first stint as an NFL head coach, Campbell had mixed results. After taking over for Joe Philbin when the Dolphins were 1-3, the interim head coach led the team to consecutive blowout wins to get back to .500. However, Miami won just three of its final 10 games, finishing with a 6-10 record for the season and a 5-7 mark under Campbell.

Campbell, a tight end himself over the course of his NFL playing career, served as the Dolphins’ tight ends coach prior to his promotion. Dan Roushar is the Saints’ tight ends coach, so that position doesn’t appear to be open for Campbell.

Campbell and Saints head coach Sean Payton have some history together. Campbell, a former tight end, was drafted by the Giants in 1999, when Payton was coaching quarterbacks and later moved up to offensive coordinator. In 2003, Campbell signed with the Cowboys as a free agent and Payton was also there as an offensive assistant. The two were then together in Dallas for another three seasons.

The Vikings, Cowboys, and Chargers were previously identified as teams with interest in the former Dolphins interim head coach.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Interested In Dan Campbell

January 12th, 2016 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are among teams with interest in Dan Campbell, sources tell Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Vikings, Cowboys, and Chargers were previously identified as teams with interest in the former Dolphins interim head coach.

After taking over the Dolphins midway through the season, Miami wound up being the only team to give Campbell a head coaching interview. When Adam Gase was hired as the team’s new head coach, Campbell decided to move on and pursue other opportunities.

In his first stint as an NFL head coach, Campbell had mixed results. After taking over for Joe Philbin when the Dolphins were 1-3, the interim head coach led the team to consecutive blowout wins to get back to .500. However, Miami won just three of its final 10 games, finishing with a 6-10 record for the season and a 5-7 mark under Campbell.

Campbell, a tight end himself over the course of his NFL playing career, served as the Dolphins’ tight ends coach prior to his promotion. It stands to reason that he could be in line for another tight ends coaching job somewhere, though that position is not available in New Orleans. Dan Roushar is the club’s tight ends coach, moving to that spot last season after the Saints fired Terry Malone.

Campbell and Saints head coach Sean Payton have some history together. Campbell, a former tight end, was drafted by the Giants in 1999, when Payton was coaching quarterbacks and later moved up to offensive coordinator. In 2003, Campbell signed with the Cowboys as a free agent and Payton was also there as an offensive assistant. The two were then together in Dallas for another three seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.