AFC Notes: Fins, Jets, Bills, Colts
The Dolphins intend to keep core offensive players together through 2020, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. That group includes quarterback Ryan Tannehill and starting receivers Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, and DeVante Parker. The Dolphins already have Tannehill and Stills locked down and they can effectively say the same for Parker thanks to his fifth-year option and the franchise tag. That just leaves Landry, who is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2017 season.
More from the AFC:
- The Jets are holding a private workout Thursday for North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gang Green has three quarterbacks on its roster – Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty – but head coach Todd Bowles indicated Wednesday that the club could select one with the sixth pick. Trubisky might come into play there.
- The idea that the Bills are preparing to part with general manager Doug Whaley is “erroneous,” owner Terry Pegula told reporters Wednesday (via Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle). Pegula also dismissed the notion that there’s discord between Whaley and rookie head coach Sean McDermott, pointing to their mutual decision to keep quarterback Tyrod Taylor as evidence that they’re in lockstep. “That was Doug and Sean working very diligently, digging up everything, directions we could go and what not and the decision was unanimous that we bring Tyrod back with the new contract and we’re all happy with that,” he said.
- At its core, the Dwayne Allen trade was about accountability for the Colts, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes, but there was more to it. Allen didn’t always live up to his contract, but beyond that, dealing him to the Patriots was also about creating more opportunities for tight ends Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope. “Look, Dwayne Allen was a great pro and a good guy,” GM Chris Ballard said. “That was a really hard decision to make because he’s a great person. But sometimes to let a player take another step, you have to move on from a guy. And I think Swoope’s got a lot of talent. We’ll see. I thought we saw signs of progression last year that were exciting to see. He’s got to take another step. And we’ll see if he does it or not.”
- Speaking of the Colts, they “will not be timid about moving around in the draft,” according to Ballard, who doesn’t believe the team has enough picks. The Colts are slated to pick seven times, including 15th overall, and “wouldn’t hesitate to trade down” because “that would be something that we think could really benefit us,” Ballard told Kevin Bowen of the team’s website.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Floyd, Jets, Bills
Now that the Patriots have acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Saints, fellow pass-catcher Michael Floyd may not be on New England’s radar, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Heading into the offseason, the Patriots reportedly expressed interest in re-signing Floyd, and Floyd himself indicated he’d like to return to the team. But given that he’s pleaded guilty to DUI, Floyd can’t leave the state of Arizona until this summer. By that point, the Patriots (and other clubs) will likely have moved on.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Although he didn’t see the field during his rookie campaign, Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg is expected to get a chance to play in 2017, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. New York’s front office may not view Hackenberg as anything more than long-term backup even after selecting him the second round of last year’s draft, but given that Gang Green doesn’t figure to compete next season, the club might do well to see what it has in Hackenberg. Newly-signed veteran Josh McCown has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons, so Hackenberg (and/or fellow quarterback Bryce Petty) may be forced into duty.
- Even if Doug Whaley is forced out as the Bills‘ general manager, Panthers director of player personnel Don Gregory is not expected to be a candidate for the position in Buffalo, Vic Carrucci of the Buffalo News tweets. Last week, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tossed out Gregory’s name in relation to a possible Bills vacancy, but the CBS scribe was likely speculating rather than reporting. On paper, Gregory could make sense for the Buffalo position given his ties to Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator from 2011-16.
- Under the terms of his new two-year contract, Patriots fullback James Develin can earn $100K for playing 20% of New England’s offensive snaps, and another $100K for playing in 30% of the club’s snaps, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Develin played in 31.3% of New England’s offensive snaps in 2016.
Front Office Rumors: Bills, 49ers, Colts
Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com brought us news on the Redskins’ GM search. Further down in his column, he presented more front office news from around the NFL. Here’s a look at the highlights:
- New Bills coach Sean McDermott could convince ownership to import front office guys with whom he has a relationship. JLC floats the name of Panthers director of player personnel Don Gregory and notes that there are “already rumblings that the marriage of McDermott and Bills GM Doug Whaley” will not last.
- The 49ers are also looking to add to the front office. This makes sense given that new GM John Lynch is a front office neophyte.
- New Colts GM Chris Ballard may want to shake up the scouting core, but league sources tell JLC that he may have to wait a year since the evaluators that are already there have more time to go on their contracts. Still, Ballard badly wants to poach Seahawks executive Ed Dodds. If Indy can land him, he’ll probably get a promotion over his current title. Jets director of college scouting Rex Hogan is also a Ballard target, but JLC hears that he still has a good amount of time left on his contract and might be harder to pry away.
- Bears exec Morocco Brown, who has history with Ballard, could be a possible candidate for the Colts and 49ers. JLC notes that Brown had a solid relationship with new SF coach Kyle Shanahan in D.C.
Extra Points: Bills, Redskins, Bengals, 49ers
Bills general manager Doug Whaley might be content to go into 2017 with Cardale Jones at quarterback, but the team is only going to release Tyrod Taylor if rookie head coach Sean McDermott signs off on it, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Whaley and McDermott have equal say in how the Bills assemble their roster, per Carucci, who notes the coach hired an offensive coordinator, Rick Dennison, who might be able to get more out of Taylor. Dennison is a Taylor fan, having previously coached him in Baltimore, and Albert Breer of The MMQB senses that the coordinator would like for Buffalo to continue with Taylor under center.
More from around the NFL:
- The Redskins haven’t engaged in negotiations with any of their impending free agents yet, but talks will take place at next week’s combine, reports Mike Jones of Washington Post. John Keim of ESPN.com passed along slightly different information earlier this month, writing that the Redskins had held discussions with unsigned tight end Vernon Davis. Regardless, no deal has materialized for Davis, who’s on a list of UFAs that also includes quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, and defensive lineman Chris Baker.
- The torn ACL Giovani Bernard suffered in November could help spur the Bengals to select a running back as early as Round 1 of the draft, writes Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Neither Bernard nor Jeremy Hill reached the 4.0 yards-per-carry mark last year, though the former posted strong pass-catching numbers and the latter scored nine touchdowns. Hill is set to enter the last year of his contract in 2017, while Rex Burkhead is on track to hit free agency next month after putting up a lofty 4.6 YPC on 74 tries in 2016. Head coach Marvin Lewis spoke on both Hill and Burkhead on Friday, telling Geoff Hobson of the team’s website: “We have to coach [Hill] better. We bet on him. We have no other choice. We bet on Jeremy to continue to progress and move forward. Our job is to try and re-sign Rex. That doesn’t affect Jeremy.”
- After spending 12 years with the 49ers, including the past four as their director of college scouting, Matt Malaspina took a job as a college scout with the Packers on Friday, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. In doing so, Malaspina became the second front office member to leave the San Francisco organization this week. The 49ers and assistant general manager Tom Gamble parted ways Wednesday.
- In other 49ers news, defensive tackle Earl Mitchell‘s four-year, $16MM agreement with the club includes $6.5MM in guarantees, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.
Coaching Notes: Bills, Broncos, Rams
At the outset of the Bills’ head coaching search earlier this month, general manager Doug Whaley was open to relinquishing control over the team’s 53-man roster to Rex Ryan‘s successor. It turns out Whaley will continue to oversee the roster in 2017, Year 1 of the Sean McDermott era, the rookie head coach announced at his introductory press conference Friday. “Doug has control of the 53,” said McDermott, who added he’s “very comfortable with the situation” (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
More coaching-related notes:
- The Broncos will retain running backs coach Eric Studesville, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Studesville has held that position since 2010, but he interviewed with the Jets for their vacant offensive coordinator job earlier this week. While the Jets had “strong interest” in Studesville, he’ll instead stay in Denver and work under his fourth different head coach in seven years. Of course, Studesville is familiar with newly named offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who was previously at the helm of Denver’s ‘O’ from 2010-12.
- The Rams, led by new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, are hiring Bill Johnson to coach their D-line, according to Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). The Saints parted with Johnson last week, thus ending an eight-year run with the organization.
- Chargers special teams coach Craig Aukerman will interview for the same position with the Broncos, tweets Marvez. Former Bolts special teams coach Kevin Spencer is also in the running, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Those two join Marwan Maalouf and Derius Swinton II as known candidates for the top ST job in Denver under new head coach Vance Joseph.
Bills To Hire Sean McDermott As Head Coach
It’s a done deal. The Bills are hiring Sean McDermott as their next head coach, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) hears that McDermott will receive a five-year deal.
[RELATED: 2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Initially, interim head coach Anthony Lynn appeared to be a shoo-in for the job, but amidst Lynn’s own reported trepidation about the partnership, the Bills conducted a thorough coaching search. Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin and Seahawks DC Kris Richard interviewed for the job while new Broncos head coach Vance Joseph and Eagles OC Frank Reich were named as candidates.
McDermott, meanwhile, was also a candidate for the Niners and the Chargers were looking to bring him in for a second interview. The Bills are crushing hard on the defensive guru they did not want to risk losing him to another team.
Meanwhile, McDermott has a solid relationship with former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy and Carucci hears hears that he would hire him as his offensive coordinator. McDermott’s likely DC in Buffalo will be Carolina linebackers coach Al Holcomb, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Panthers Eyeing Steve Wilks As DC
It’s looking more and more likely that Sean McDermott will wind up elsewhere. Building off of momentum from the previous coaching cycle, McDermott now finds himself in the mix for three jobs and the Bills could finalize a deal with him today. If McDermott goes, the Panthers will likely ask secondary coach Steve Wilks to serve as their defensive coordinator, ESPN.com’s David Newton tweets. 
[RELATED: Bills, Sean McDermott Closing In On Deal?]
It’s not guaranteed that Wilks will be available, however. He has already has interviewed for the Rams’ head coaching position and he has been asked to interview for the Redskins’ DC job. With that said, it would be surprising if the Rams hired the defensive backs coach for their top job and the Panthers aren’t likely to let Wilks skip town for someone else’s DC vacancy.
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says he wants to keep as much of his coaching staff in place as possible.
Bills Close To Hiring Sean McDermott As HC
The Bills are “zeroed in” on Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, who is now the leading contender for Buffalo’s head coaching position, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link). A deal between the two sides could be finalized in the coming days, per Carucci. Meanwhile, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (Twitter link) that while there are “positive talks” between McDermott and the Bills, the parties still have “issues to sort out” before a contract is signed.
[RELATED: 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
From the moment previous head coach Rex Ryan was fired, offensive coordinator/interim head coach Anthony Lynn was viewed as the top candidate to take the reins in Buffalo. However, buzz has been building around McDermott in recent days, and reports earlier today indicated that Bills ownership was especially taken with the Carolina play-caller. Buffalo’s coaching search has been especially concise, as the club has only conducted interviews with Lynn, Harold Goodwin, and Kris Richard in addition to McDermott.
McDermott, meanwhile, has had a full schedule during this offseason’s hiring cycle, as he’s already conducted two interviews with the Chargers and one with the 49ers. McDermott’s name also came up during head coaching searches in 2016, as he met with the Browns, Buccaneers, and Eagles, and was linked to the Giants.
The 42-year-old McDermott has coordinated Carolina’s defense since the 2011 campaign, and helped lead a unit that ranked second in DVOA in 2015 as the Panthers raced through the NFC playoffs en route to a Super Bowl appearance. This year, Carolina’s defense slipped to 10th in DVOA, but did lead the league in sacks. Prior to joining the Panthers, McDermott was the Eagles’ DC from 2009-10, and worked in a variety of roles with Philadelphia for a decade prior.
If the Bills do indeed come to terms with McDermott, four clubs — the Chargers, Rams, Broncos, and 49ers — will still be involved in the head coaching hunt.
Coaching Rumors: Bills, Jags, Raiders, Ravens
Although Anthony Lynn has long been viewed as the favorite to take over as the Bills‘ head coach, team ownership has been extremely impressed by Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Indeed, Buffalo is now in something of a “holding pattern” as Lynn and McDermott interview elsewhere, tweets Vic Carrucci of the Buffalo News. Lynn has been linked to every head coaching job that remains open, while McDermott has drawn interest from the Chargers and 49ers in addition to the Bills, as PFR’s 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker shows.
Here’s more on the 2017 hiring cycle:
- The Jaguars will retain defensive coordinator Todd Wash under new head coach Doug Marrone, but nearly every other member of the defensive staff is being let go, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Defensive assistant Mike Rutenberg is the only other defensive coach who will remain on board. Jacksonville had 24 coaches on staff at the end of the regular season, and that number figures to be reduced, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- Ken Norton Jr. will remain the Raiders‘ defensive coordinator, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Head coach Jack Del Rio assumed play-calling duties midway through the 2016 season, and Oakland ultimately finished 23rd in defensive DVOA. While Norton Jr. will stick around, defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson has been fired, according to Alex Marvez of the Sporting News (Twitter link).
- Former Buffalo offensive coordinator Greg Roman could potentially join the Ravens staff in some undefined role, per La Canfora (all Twitter links). Baltimore recently announced that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will return for the 2017 campaign, so Roman — who has remained in contact with head coach John Harbaugh — could join the Ravens in a run-game director capacity.
- The Eagles have fired wide receivers coach Greg Lewis, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Lewis spent just one season as a coach with Philadelphia (after having spent the 2003-08 seasons with the club as a player). Current Bills WRs coach Sanjay Lal is of “strong interest” to the Eagles, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Browns announced that they’ve begun to restructure their defensive staff under new coordinator Gregg Williams, parting ways with defensive backs coach Louie Cioffi, inside linebackers coach Johnny Holland, assistant defensive backs coach Cannon Matthews, and outside linebackers coach Ryan Slowik. Cleveland also fired offensive line coach Hal Hunter.
West Notes: 49ers, Rams, Joseph, Raiders
The only team with GM and head coaching vacancies, the 49ers have several interviews on the east coast forthcoming in the next few days. On Monday, San Francisco’s brass will meet with Redskins OC Sean McVay for the HC job and conduct an interview with Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane for the GM position, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports.
Panthers DC Sean McDermott will follow Beane by meeting with the 49ers about their HC gig on Tuesday, and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick will interview for the GM position during the day as well. The 49ers may not be in a rush, being scheduled to interview Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable next Sunday. The following Monday, the team will meet with more GM candidates. Both of the Seahawks’ co-directors of player personnel, Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner, will interview then in what’s become quite the expansive search.
CEO Jed York and fellow high-ranking 49ers staffer Paraag Marathe are leading this search, one that may come down to whether or not the team is willing to wait on Patriots OC Josh McDaniels to conclude his 2016-season responsibilities. The 49ers have already interviewed three for the HC position and four execs for the GM job.
Here’s more from some of the Western-division franchises.
- Vance Joseph‘s long-rumored Broncos interview will be on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Joseph will follow Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub and Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan in interviewing for this position. The Colorado alum and current Miami DC has been most connected with the Denver job and was viewed as the favorite going into the weekend.
- Despite deploying defensive player of the year candidate Khalil Mack and signing Bruce Irvin in free agency, the Raiders finished with a league-low 25 sacks. Jack Del Rio singled out the team’s inside pass-rushers as a culprit for this shortcoming. “Interior pass rush, it’s critical for us to get that going,” Del Rio said, via Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News. “I think Stacy McGee had 2.5 sacks, we got Mario Edwards Jr. back and he wasn’t a huge factor, and (Jihad Ward) wasn’t a huge factor. I didn’t feel we got that inside push.” The Raiders have several young players under contract here, including Denico Autry and full-time defensive tackles Dan Williams and Justin Ellis, but Mack and Irvin combined to record 18 of the team’s sacks.
- Derek Carr, who said he would have played in the Super Bowl had the Raiders miraculously qualified without him, said he will be ready for the beginning of offseason workouts in April, Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area reports.
- Teryl Austin has set up an interview time with the Chargers, with a Tuesday summit on tap. But the Rams‘ meeting the sides have been attached to remains in the to-be-determined category, ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson tweets. A Rams-Kyle Shanahan interview hasn’t been officially rescheduled, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link), after weather interrupted the team’s contingent after a McDaniels meeting in New England.