AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Campbell, Whaley
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
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
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.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Interested In Dan Campbell
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.
Coach Rumors: Hue, Giants, Saban, Campbell
Hue Jackson, who has received legit interest from the 49ers and Browns, will fly to New York this week and will meet with the Giants no later than Thursday morning, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Giants, who will talk to Jackson once the owners meetings in Houston conclude, are “serious” about the Bengals offensive coordinator, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
Here are a few more Tuesday morning coaching updates:
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Nick Saban will be any more open to an NFL return after adding another NCAA championship win to his résumé on Monday night. For what it’s worth, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Buccaneers are considering almost every head coaching possibility, including Saban.
- Former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is free to seek other job opportunities, and has received inquiries from the Vikings, Cowboys, and Chargers, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. A Monday report indicated that Campbell is likely to move on from the Dolphins.
- For now, the Eagles aren’t planning any more head coaching interviews, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who tweets that the club will regroup and assess its options after this week’s owners meetings. La Canfora and ESPN’s Bill Williamson (Twitter link) both identify Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as a strong candidate for the job.
- The Colts are interviewing former Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke today, after having spoken to Bills DBs coach Donnie Henderson on Monday, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). While Henderson may not end up in Indianapolis, he won’t return to the Bills, a source tells Marvez.
Dan Campbell Likely To Leave Dolphins
As we learned on Sunday, Dolphins special teams coach Darren Rizzi is the only assistant expected to remain with the team under new head coach Adam Gase. That Sunday report suggested that the fate of Dan Campbell remains up in the air, but according to Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post, the former interim head coach is unlikely to be back with the club.
[RELATED: Dolphins hire Adam Gase as head coach]
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross indicated over the weekend that he’d love to retain Campbell, though he left that decision up to Gase. As it turns out, there may not be a decision for the new head coach to make. Abramson suggests that Campbell “wants to move on and will almost certainly leave.”
While it appears Campbell and most of the other Dolphins assistants are on their way out, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that no decisions on the coaching staff had been finalized as of this morning. I expect we’ll get more concrete updates on the anticipated changes at some point this week.
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. If and when he officially departs from Miami, he’ll likely seek an offensive assistant job elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coaching Rumors: Dolphins, Giants, McDermott
After hiring Adam Gase, the Dolphins are acting quickly to form their new coaching staff.
But few holdovers are expected. According to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (on Twitter), only special teams coach Darren Rizzi to be retained. All of the Dolphins’ other assistants, excepting possibly Dan Campbell, will be fired.
Campbell’s status remains uncertain. The interim coach for most of 2015, Campbell reportedly finished second in the race to become the Fins’ next full-time head coach.
A Marvez report Saturday linked Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph, whom the Fox reporter has set to head to Miami as the team’s defensive coordinator, and a number of position coaches to comprise Gase’s defensive staff.
Here are some more coaching-related items as wild-card weekend concludes.
- Although Hue Jackson has emerged as a candidate late in the process, the frontrunners to become Tom Coughlin‘s successor with the Giants are offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and Jaguars assistant head coach Doug Marrone, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports. McAdoo’s familiarity with Eli Manning and his helping the quarterback to a career resurgence is driving his candidacy, with the 38-year-old only having two seasons of coordinator experience. With Vacchiano noting the 51-year-old Marrone may not retain McAdoo if he becomes coach, Big Blue avoiding another offensive reboot will factor into its decision.
- Both Vacchiano and the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz report John Mara prefers a candidate with head-coaching experience. Vacchiano points McAdoo in the Eagles’ direction if they are indeed serious about hiring Tom Coughlin. Schwartz believes Mara sees similarities in Mike Smith, who will interview with the team on Monday, and Coughlin. Their ages (Smith is 56; Coughlin was 57 when hired in 2004) and histories as head coaches are similar, and Schwartz notes Smith is one of Coughlin’s top confidants among head coaches.
- The Giants, per Vacchiano, have also discussed requesting permission to interview Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, but since they didn’t do so during the Panthers’ bye week, the Giants must wait until either Carolina’s season concludes or the Panthers’ potential Super Bowl bye week.
- The Browns did interview the 41-year-old McDermott on Sunday, Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com reports. A defensive coordinator since 2009, with the Eagles and Panthers, respectively, McDermott also interviewed with the Buccaneers.
- Jackson spoke with the Browns for 3 1/2 hours and talked with the 49ers for five hours Sunday in Cincinnati, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Cleveland’s now interviewed seven candidates. The 49ers have met with five, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
- The Colts offered 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster the same position in Indianapolis, Marvez reports (on Twitter). The Dolphins offensive coordinator in 2004, Foerster’s been an offensive line coach with the Ravens, Washington and the 49ers since 2005. He’s served multiple stints in San Francisco, presiding over the 49ers’ line from 2008-09 and returning to the Bay Area in 2015 after five seasons in Washington.
Extra Points: Dolphins, H. Jackson, Bucs, Texans
Before hiring Adam Gase as their head coach Saturday, the Dolphins considered several other candidates. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald passes along some interesting information on a handful of those names.
The Dolphins interviewed ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith, but they felt he lacked “some of the gravitas” for the position. In Mike Shanahan‘s case, Miami’s bigwigs were worried that too many of the two-time Super Bowl winner’s potential assistants had jobs elsewhere, which would’ve negatively affected his ability to assemble a staff. They also had concern about whether Shanahan would be prone to complacency. The Dolphins discussed the idea of pursuing another two-time champion, Tom Coughlin, but they decided the soon-to-be 70-year-old was too advanced in age to factor into their long-term plans. Dan Campbell, the Dolphins’ interim head coach for most of the 2015-16 campaign, was the runner-up to Gase. The team simply didn’t think he was ready for the full-time job. Doug Marrone came in third place, largely because his plan for quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn’t as enticing as Gase’s.
Tannehill didn’t have the belief of ex-head coach Joe Philbin, Salguero offers, but the Dolphins are confident the relationship between him and Gase will bear more fruit.
“We’re convinced you’ll see a different Ryan Tannehill next year,” a team source told Salguero. “That’s how much Adam will affect things around here.”
More from around the NFL:
- Although a report Friday stated that Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is in the lead for the 49ers’ head coaching job, they’ll have serious competition for his services from the Browns, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Jackson will enter his Sunday interview with the Browns viewing them and the 49ers on a level playing field, per Cabot, who notes that other teams with head coaching vacancies could join them in trying to land the 50-year-old. As our head coaching search tracker shows, the only other current opening that Jackson has been connected to is the Giants’, though they haven’t requested a meeting with him at this time.
- Dirk Koetter isn’t the prohibitive favorite to land the Buccaneers’ head coaching job, and they didn’t fire Lovie Smith because they were worried about losing Koetter, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs canned Smith because their ownership was fed up with his ability (or lack thereof) to build a quality coaching staff, his struggles with repairing their defense, and his uninspiring work when it came to putting together the 53-man roster. General manager Jason Licht believes the team will find a capable replacement for Smith. “It’s an excellent situation,” he said. “I’ve already been shown from the interest we’ve received that people want to come to Tampa and coach.”
- After quarterback Brian Hoyer‘s five-turnover performance in the Texans’ 30-0 wild-card round loss to Kansas City on Saturday, Houston could look for a better option under center this offseason. With that in mind, Mike Sando of ESPN.com examined which roads the Texans might take in the coming months (Insider required). Draft-bound Penn State signal caller Christian Hackenberg, whom Texans coach Bill O’Brien recruited when he was at the helm of the Nittany Lions, is an obvious option. Otherwise, Sando lists Colin Kaepernick and free agent-to-be Sam Bradford as possible fits for the Texans.
East Notes: Dolphins, Marrone, Bills, Jets
Here are some notes from the Eastern divisions as the playoffs begin.
- Dan Campbell did not react well when told the Dolphins were hiring Adam Gase, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Although the interim coach who guided the Dolphins to a 5-7 mark, per Salguero (on Twitter), finished second to Gase after a “great” interview (Twitter link), the team will wait a few days before contacting him again after the way the 39-year-old coach took the news. Campbell’s future in the organization will be up to Gase, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins studied Tom Coughlin‘s work from this past season and had a long conversation about the viability of the 69-year-old coach but opted against (Twitter links, per Salguero).
- Doug Marrone officially interviewed with the Giants today, Michael Eisen of Giants.com reports. The Jaguars assistant and former Bills coach is the fifth coach Big Blue’s visited with about the possibility of succeeding Tom Coughlin. That list will expand to six soon, with Mike Smith set to interview for the position. Thus far, however, Marrone and Steve Spagnuolo are the only former head coaches the Giants have interviewed, and neither enjoyed notable success. Spagnuolo went 10-38 in St. Louis, and Marrone went 15-17 with the Bills after guiding Syracuse to two winning seasons from 2009-12. The Jags new offensive assistant did help the team score 127 more points than it did in 2014, however.
- Bills offensive line assistant coach Kurt Anderson will leave his Buffalo post after agreeing to become the offensive line coach at Arkansas, according to a FootballScoop.com report. A member of the Bills’ staff from 2013-15, Anderson served under both Marrone and Rex Ryan.
- According to OverTheCap, the Bills are $373K+ over the projected salary cap. Although the official number for the 2016 cap hasn’t been released, the Bills likely won’t be big spenders during free agency, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News reports. Skurski notes it’s a matter of if, not when in terms of Mario Williams‘ impending release. He also lists Corey Graham, Kyle Williams and Leodis McKelvin as potential salary cap casualties.
- Re-signing Damon Harrison needs to be a priority for the Jets, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. Mehta projects the Jets’ nose tackle’s AAV will be around $4MM-$5MM per year. The New York scribe also advises the Jets to rework D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s contract, which will count $14.1MM against the ’16 cap at present. Considering Ferguson’s declining play, that’s an untenable number for Gang Green. The longtime left tackle has two years remaining on an eight-year, $73.6MM accord, and Mehta estimates the team will attempt to reduce his 2016 number by nearly $8MM.
Dolphins Hire Adam Gase As Head Coach
11:08am: The Dolphins have announced the hiring on Twitter.
10:45am: The Dolphins are set to hire Adam Gase as their next head coach, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Beasley says it’s a “done deal,” with the official announcement expected to come at a 3:00pm press conference. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that it will be a five-year deal.
The Dolphins had previously interviewed Teryl Austin, Mike Shanahan, Mike Smith and Anthony Lynn, but it was clear from the beginning that Gase was the favorite for the position. The 37-year-old spent 2015 as the Bears offensive coordinator, helping lead Jay Cutler to one of the most efficient seasons of the quarterback’s career. Gase had spent the previous six years in Denver, where he eventually served as the team’s offensive coordinator. He has also been on the coaching staff of the 49ers, Lions, and LSU.
Gase is now the youngest head coach in the league, but that didn’t discourage suitors from pursuing the coach. He had also interviewed with the Eagles, Browns and Giants. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that New York had strong interest in Gase, which may have pushed along the deal in Miami. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes that Gase was a “unanimous decision” among the Dolphins staff.
Rapoport believes that Bengals defensive back’s coach Vance Joseph is expected to be the team’s new defensive coordinator, and Salguero adds that Gase’s father-in-law is Joe Vitt, an assistant on the Saints. Salguero is uncertain if former coach Dan Campbell will remain on the staff.
The Bears had anticipated Gase’s departure, according to Rapoport, and the team will now have to seek a new offensive coordinator. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Bears quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains is the “leading candidate” for the gig.