Cowboys To Interview Shane Bowen, Dismiss Defensive Staffers
Dismissed by the Giants late in the season, Shane Bowen has not resurfaced on the coordinator carousel. But the two-time DC is back in the mix for another potential position.
The Cowboys hired Christian Parker from the Eagles as defensive coordinator, and they are now looking into adding the Giants’ previous DC. Bowen is interviewing for a Cowboys job, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. It is not known which position Bowen is discussing, but he coached the Titans’ outside linebackers prior to his Tennessee promotion under Mike Vrabel.
Dallas also interviewed Steelers OLBs coach Denzel Martin, according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz. This meeting will be about Martin making a lateral move to Dallas. Martin spent the past 10 seasons with the Steelers, working his way up to OLBs coach. He was at the helm when T.J. Watt tied the single-season sack record in 2021 and was a central figure in Alex Highsmith‘s development to an extension-worthy Watt sidekick.
With the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin, there will be staff turnover. The same goes in Dallas, where some of the defensive assistants are not being retained. Defensive pass-game coordinator Andre Curtis, who doubled as the team’s safeties coach, will not be back. Neither will secondary coach David Overstreet nor linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins notes.
Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton is joining the Titans as their D-line coach, veteran Tennessee reporter Paul Kuharsky adds. Whitecotton, who also interviewed for Tennessee’s DC job, will also serve as the team’s run-game coordinator on that side of the ball, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Whitecotton has an extensive history with Robert Saleh; he served as the Jets’ D-line coach from 2021-24. Whitecotton was also a 49ers assistant in 2020 and a Jaguars staffer from 2014-16, a period where Saleh was on the Jacksonville staff.
The Giants hired Bowen in 2024, and he played a memorable part in their infamous Hard Knocks: Offseason series. The Giants ranked 21st defensively in 2024 but dropped to 26th this past season, plummeting despite the additions of Abdul Carter, Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. The team fired Bowen not long after canning Brian Daboll. Bowen, 39, has not been connected to other jobs during this year’s cycle.
Prior to New York, Bowen spent six years on the Titans’ staff under Vrabel. The final three came as DC, where he served as the team’s primary play-caller. Bowen came over from the Texans, following Vrabel from Houston to Tennessee. It would stand to reason Vrabel would consider adding Bowen to New England’s staff, but the two-time DC is on Dallas’ radar presently.
Steelers Rumors: Peterson, Sutton, OL
Still opting to conserve costs at cornerback, the Steelers let Cameron Sutton walk in free agency and replaced him with Patrick Peterson. While the latter’s resume laps Sutton’s, the new Pittsburgh cover man is going into his age-33 season. Peterson bounced back in Minnesota, intercepting five passes last season, and Mike Tomlin plans to take advantage of the All-Decade corner’s experience. Tomlin said he will not shy away from using Peterson around the formation, including at safety, this season. The 17th-year Steelers HC has discussed this with Peterson, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.
This would be a transition to monitor, and increased safety usage would be a way for Peterson to play well into his mid-30s. Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson and Ronde Barber transitioned to safety as their careers advanced; each Hall of Famer finished his career at the position. Peterson will have a Hall of Fame case when he retires; his Steelers tenure will help determine if he can ascend to first-ballot status. The Steelers have Minkah Fitzpatrick rostered at safety and have Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal at the position, with the latter agreeing to terms Thursday, whereas their corner group invites more questions. Citing Peterson’s intelligence, Tomlin is still planning to move the 13th-year defender off his usual boundary corner post at times.
Here is the latest out of Pittsburgh:
- Sutton signed a three-year, $33MM deal with the Lions. While the Steelers expressed interest in keeping him on a third contract, Dulac notes their offer was not in this ballpark. Pittsburgh had kept Sutton on a two-year, $9MM deal in 2021; he outplayed that contract and will now be asked to be Detroit’s No. 1 corner. The Steelers gave Peterson a two-year, $14MM pact with just $5.9MM guaranteed; they still roster Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon, who are each on $4MM-per-year deals.
- On the subject of rejected Steelers offers, the team is believed to have extended a proposal to Eric Kendricks. Pittsburgh has been connected to making a strong offer to Kendricks, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com writes. A UCLA alum, Kendricks will return to Los Angeles on a two-year, $13.25MM Chargers contract. The Steelers have still overhauled their linebacker group, cutting Myles Jack and letting Devin Bush leave for a Seahawks deal. Cole Holcomb (three years, $18MM) and Elandon Roberts (two years, $7MM) are now in the fold.
- Shifting to the O-line, Tomlin offered support for scrutinized tackles Dan Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor by indicating he was “comfortable” with the starting duo, per Kaboly. Pro Football Focus rated both between No. 55 and No. 60 at tackle last season. The Steelers have added both Isaac Seumalo, whom Tomlin has not determined which guard spot he will play, and Nate Herbig this offseason but largely left the tackle spots alone. The Steelers, whom Kaboly notes were briefly tied to Orlando Brown Jr. during a free agency stretch that ended with Brown a Bengal, will be connected to tackles early in the draft. Though, the cornerback need may take precedence. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock sends a corner (Maryland’s Deonte Banks) to Pittsburgh.
- The team also added swingman Le’Raven Clark recently. A former Colts third-rounder who spent last season with the Titans, Clark signed a one-year, $1.2MM deal, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. The experienced O-lineman’s $50K signing bonus represents the only guarantees in this deal, which will qualify the eighth-year veteran as a competitor for a depth role.
- The Steelers made a coaching tweak recently, promoting assistant outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin to OLBs coach, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com tweets. The former scout has been with the team eight years. Pittsburgh also hired Jason Brooks as a defensive quality control assistant; Brooks previously was on Baltimore’s staff.
AFC North Notes: OBJ, Green, Andrews, Steelers
It’s been almost three years since Odell Beckham Jr. fractured his left ankle, and while the star wideout has yet to return to the Pro Bowl, he’s managed to put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. However, in an alternative universe, OBJ may have decided to hang up his cleats following that 2017 campaign.
Appearing alongside Cam Newton, Todd Gurley, and Victor Cruz on his YouTube series The Bigger Picture, Beckham admitted that he almost retired following the injury.
“I said this in college, I said, ‘I fear the day that they make this game a business and not what I love,’” Beckham said. “And when I seen that for the first time after breaking my ankle, like I thought about like not playing no more. Like this is not really it for me because they’ve ruined the game of football for me a little bit.”
OBJ didn’t elaborate on what the Giants did to upset him during that 2017 campaign, although it’s worth noting that the receiver had rushed back from a preseason ankle sprain. The veteran’s tenure with New York ended last offseason when he was traded to the Browns, and the 27-year-old proceeded to appear in all 16 games for the first time since 2016.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC North…
- When we learned yesterday that A.J. Green wasn’t going to sign an extension with the Bengals, it was made clear that he’ll willingly play the 2020 season under the franchise tag. Of course, that could be temporary lip service; since the wideout hasn’t signed the tender, he could skip training camp and preseason and still earn his full salary. However, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, until Green officially signs the tender, the Bengals have the ability to rescind the franchise tag. This would save the organization almost $18MM, and while it’d be a somewhat unprecedented move, Florio notes that “in an unprecedented year, it’s impossible to rule anything out.”
- The Steelers have made some changes to their coaching staff. As Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com passes along, Blaine Stewart is now the assistant wide receivers coach and Denzel Martin is now the assistant outside linebackers coach. The duo had previously served as coaching assistants. The organization also shook up their scouting department, promoting Chidi Iwuoma from BLESTO scout to a college scouting position and Dennis MacInnis from scouting intern to BLESTO scout.
- While Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has Type 1 diabetes, he made it clear that he won’t be opting out of the 2020 season due to health concerns. “We’ve got a big year coming up,” Andrews said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “I want to be able to do a lot of things, and … just being able to help this team win is exciting for me.” The former third-rounder earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season after hauling in 64 receptions for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns.