Sanjay Lal

AFC Coaching Notes: Dickerson, Browns, Bills, Addae, Day, Chargers, Dolphins, Colts

The Browns allowed Bill Callahan out of his $3MM-plus contract to join son Brian in Tennessee. Given Bill Callahan’s status as one of the NFL’s best O-line coaches, this left a void on Cleveland’s staff. The team will fill it with one of the candidates it interviewed for its OC post. Seahawks O-line coach Andy Dickerson will take the same position with the Browns, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Set to work under Ken Dorsey, Dickerson was one of the ex-Sean McVay staffers who followed Shane Waldron to Seattle. The Seahawks promoted Dickerson to their O-line coach in 2022. Upon removing Pete Carroll from his longtime HC post, the Seahawks let their assistants speak with other teams. Additionally, the Browns are adding Roy Istvan as their assistant O-line coach, per the Associated Press’ Tom Withers. Istvan was most recently the Eagles’ assistant O-line coach under acclaimed staffer Jeff Stoutland; Istvan had been in that role for five seasons.

Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:

  • Recently retired safety Jahleel Addae will return to the NFL as a coach. The former Chargers starter will join the Bills as their cornerbacks coach, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel tweets. Addae, 34, had been on the Miami Hurricanes’ staff. Addae started 63 games during his nine-year career, with most of the starts coming as a Charger.
  • The Bills are not bringing back DBs coach John Butler, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News tweets. Butler had been Buffalo’s DBs coach since 2018. With the Bills moving Bobby Babich to DC, some changes are being made. Another will be the hire of Matt Edwards as assistant D-line coach. The team recently bumped up Marcus West to D-line coach, replacing the departed Eric Washington. Edwards previously worked as a Raiders defensive assistant, concentrating on the team’s pass rush.
  • Shane Day is coming back to Los Angeles. Spending two seasons as the Chargers‘ QBs coach under Joe Lombardi, Day was with the Texans as a senior offensive assistant. Jim Harbaugh will bring Day back to the Bolts as their QBs coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Justin Herbert became the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter under Day in 2021, and Garafolo adds the star QB enjoyed working with Day. Though, Brandon Staley fired both Lombardi and Day following the Bolts’ wild-card collapse in Jacksonville. The veteran assistant was with the 49ers on two separate occasions, though neither was during Harbaugh’s San Francisco run.
  • The Chargers are also hiring Sanjay Lal as their wide receivers coach, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Lal has been coaching wide receivers in the NFL since the late 2000s. One of those tenures — 2015-16 with the Bills — overlapped with new Bolts OC Greg Roman. Lal was most recently the pass-game coordinator and WRs coach with the Seahawks.
  • Recent Titans assistant Ryan Crow will move to Miami. The Dolphins are hiring Crow as their outside linebackers coach, Breer adds. The Vikings, Seahawks and Giants showed interest as well, per Breer. The Browns also interviewed Crow last month, but he will instead work with the likes of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips in Miami. Crow’s former boss, Shane Bowen, is now in New York, explaining the Giants’ interest. Crow will replace Ryan Slowik, who interviewed for the DC job that went to Anthony Weaver. But Slowik is set to stay with the Dolphins in a different capacity, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. The older brother of Texans OC Bobby Slowik, Ryan has been an NFL assistant for more than 15 years. Although Mike McDaniel hired him in 2022, the two were low-level staffers in Denver in 2005.
  • The Colts found their next D-line coach at the college level. Charlie Partridge, who spent the past seven seasons as Pitt’s D-line coach, will take the same position under Shane Steichen in Indianapolis, Fox59’s Mike Chappell notes. The former Florida Atlantic HC, Partridge has never coached in the NFL previously, spending more than 25 years in the college ranks. Partridge coached recent first-round pick Calijah Kancey at Pitt and was J.J. Watt‘s position coach at Wisconsin.

Bears To Interview Joe Barry For DC Role; Team Hires Kerry Joseph As QBs Coach

The Bears have already filled one of their coordinator vacancies by tapping Shane Waldron for the OC position. The team still needs a defensive coordinator, however, and Chicago will look at a familiar option in its ongoing search.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

The Bears are set to interview Joe Barry for their DC position tomorrow, NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports. Barry’s three-year run in charge of the Packers’ defense came to an end on Wednesday, in a move which many had been calling for. Green Bay struggled to live up to expectations on defense during Barry’s time there, and his future had been a matter of speculation well before his dismissal. Slater adds that Barry will also speak with the Eagles about their LBs coach vacancy today.

The 53-year-old is no stranger to the NFC North, however, with his first coordinator gig having taken place with the Lions from 2007-08. Since then, Barry has held a number of positions, including linebackers coach with the Chargers. During that time, he worked alongside Nick Sirianni, who will remain in place as head coach of the Eagles for at least the 2024 campaign.

Barry has also served as a defensive coordinator in Washington, and his Green Bay tenure was preceded by an assistant head coach title with the Rams. He thus has signficant experience in a number of systems, though his stock has no doubt taken a hit after an underwhelming period with the Packers. He marks the fourth candidate to arrange an interview with the Bears for their DC position, as the team looks to build off its late-season success on that side of the ball from 2023.

Additionally, Chicago has found its next QBs coach. The Bears are hiring Kerry Joseph for that role, per Slater’s colleague Tom Pelissero. Joseph played safety for the Seahawks before enjoying a successful CFL career as a quarterback, winning a Grey Cup and earning Most Outstanding Player honors in 2007. His pro coaching career began as an assistant in Seattle, and he took on the role of assistant quarterbacks coach in 2022. He is thus a familiar staffer to pair with Waldron as Chicago prepares to continue working with Justin Fields under center or a replacement added in this year’s draft.

While Joseph will join Waldron in making the move from Seattle to Chicago, at least one Seahawks staffer will not do the same. Passing game coordinator Sanjay Lal interviewed with the Bears recently, but he has now withdrawn his name from consideration on Matt Eberflus‘ staff, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Lal will explore other opportunities as teams continue to make alterations to their coaching lineups.

Patriots, Saints Interviewed Shane Waldron; Bears OC Moving To Assemble Staff

The Bears decided on Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator Monday and announced the hire today. Chicago’s move came after Waldron generated extensive interest elsewhere.

Three other teams pursued Waldron or were planning to do so. The Saints and Patriots met with the three-year Seahawks OC prior to his Bears commitment, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill and SI.com’s Albert Breer. Additionally, Waldron appeared on the Raiders‘ OC radar, per Breer. The Saints requested a Waldron interview last week, and he took the meeting.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

While it is not known how serious of a candidate Waldron was with New England or New Orleans, Chicago landing him is interesting. The Bears are giving the former Seahawks play-caller an immediate second chance, and they will do so amid an uncertain point on their timeline. Waldron would appear set to mentor either Justin Fields or Caleb Williams, with the Bears having the chance to either make a No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1947 or trade it for a second straight year. Taking a job under these circumstances is interesting, and it is worth wondering what intel was shared in Bears OC meetings.

Regardless, Waldron is replacing Luke Getsy as Chicago’s play-caller. He will do so for a coach who will enter the season on a hot seat. Matt Eberflus staved off a firing, but Waldron is joining a Bears team that had been linked to considering a change after two seasons. The Saints bring a similar setup, with Dennis Allen staying in place despite two sub-.500 seasons. The Patriots join the Saints in continuing to look for a play-caller; Bill O’Brien left to become Ohio State’s OC.

The Patriots and Saints have each met with Rams QBs coach Zac Robinson and Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher. Both are on the Raiders’ radar as well. After the Seahawks managed to stay afloat despite trading the best quarterback in franchise history (Russell Wilson), teams were naturally interested in meeting a meeting with Waldron, who is yet another former Sean McVay assistant to move up the ladder.

Waldron is moving to fill some positions on the Bears’ offensive staff. He is arranging interviews with Chad Morton, Sanjay Lal and Kerry Joseph for Bears posts, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. Morton has been with the Seahawks since 2014, most recently serving as the team’s run-game coordinator. Lal has already enjoyed two stints with the Seahawks in the 2020s, the most recent — 2022-23 — as wide receivers coach. Joseph has been Seattle’s assistant QBs coach throughout Waldron’s tenure. Looking for a new head coach for the first time since 2010, the Seahawks did not block Waldron from lateral moves and are letting their assistants explore jobs elsewhere.

NFC Coaching Notes: Seahawks, Vikings, Falcons, Packers, Bears

With the various changes to coaching personnel around the league winding down, teams are beginning to officially unveil their 2022 staffs. The Seahawks recently did so, confirming a number of changes following a disappointing season, but some important retentions as well.

As Bob Condotta of The Athletic tweets, Sanjay Lal is remaining with the team in his current role of wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator. The 52-year-old has worked with that position group on seven different teams dating back to 2009. He spent the 2020 campaign in Seattle, but spent last season in Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Karl Scott, 36, is officially being brought in as the team’s secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator. That move had been expected since last week when it was reported the team was in talks with him.

In addition, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports (in a pair of tweets) more names on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Dave Canales will remain as the team’s QBs coach, a role he first had in 2018, but he will no longer have the passing game coordinator title. Brad Idzik has been added as an assistant WRs coach; he entered the NFL with Seattle in 2019. Lastly, Nate Carroll has been promoted to senior offensive assistant, after spending 11 years with the Seahawks in various roles.

As for the defensive staff, Aaron Curry is now an assistant defensive line coach; the former Seattle draftee spent the last two seasons on their sideline. He will be joined in that role by Damione Lewis. Another former player on staff is DeShawn Shead, who has been promoted to defensive backs coach. The last to fit that description is Will Tukuafu, who is coming aboard as a defensive quality control coach.

Here are some other coaching notes from the NFC:

  • USA Today’s Mike Jones tweets that it is “sounding like” Wes Phillips and Chris O’Hara will be following newly-hired head coach Kevin O’Connell to Minnesota. The former, who is also the son of Wade Phillips, has been a TEs coach with three different teams, the most recent being the Rams. It was reported earlier this week that O’Connell was expected to give him the role of either OC or passing game coordinator. The latter only spent the 2021 season in L.A., but worked as an offensive assistant in Jacksonville and Washington before that.
  • According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the Falcons are parting ways with WRs coach Dave Brock (Twitter link). The 54-year-old has an extensive background in the college ranks, but his only NFL experience was in Atlanta starting in 2017. Chandler Henley, who had been an assistant offensive line coach with them, has left to join the Dolphins.
  • The Packers are supporting new ST coordinator Rich Bisaccia with Byron Storer, reports Matt Schneidman of The Athletic (Twitter link).The 37-year-old has worked with Bisaccia in each of his other three NFL coaching locations, and even knows Aaron Rodgers dating back to their college days.
  • Lastly, the Bears are hiring Brent Salazar as their strength and conditioning coach (Twitter link via Wilson). He has more than a decade of experience in the NFL, having previously worked with three different teams. He also spent the years between 2017 and 2020 as the director of performance for the United States Tennis Association.

Updates To Eberflus’ New Bears’ Staff

New head coach Matt Eberflus has wasted no time in starting to piece together his new coaching staff in Chicago. 

The Colts’ former defensive coordinator will bring some familiar names with him from Indianapolis on the defensive side of the ball. According to Zak Keefer, of The Athletic, it’s been confirmed that linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi will follow Eberflus to Chicago to retain the same position. Borgonzi has played a crucial role in the development of players like Darius Leonard, Anthony Walker, and Bobby Okereke. Rumors have been circulating that cornerbacks coach James Rowe and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli could soon follow in Borgonzi’s footsteps.

On the offensive side of the ball, Eberflus will have to build a new system. We’ve already seen Eagles’ passing-game coordinator Kevin Patullo’s name surface as a potential coordinator, especially being a former coworker of the Bears’ new skipper in Indianapolis. We’ve also seen Packers’ quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy‘s name mentioned as the favorite candidate to land the coordinator job.

Still nothing has been announced, but Sanjay Lal, who has coached wide receivers for six different NFL teams, most recently in Jacksonville, is reportedly interviewing today for the offensive coordinator job, according to Jane Slater of NFL Network. A London-native, Lal started out coaching in a California high school for about six years before earning opportunities to coach at a few local colleges, culminating in a position as the quarterbacks coach at the University of California, Berkeley. Lal got his first NFL opportunity joining Lane Kiffin‘s Oakland Raiders staff in 2007 as a quality control coach, getting promoted to wide receivers coach in 2009. The journeyman coach then spent time as a wide receivers coach for the Jets, Bills, Colts, and Cowboys before not being retained in Dallas when Mike McCarthy took over. After spending a year as a senior offensive assistant in Seattle for a year, Lal got another chance to coach wide receivers for the Jaguars under Urban Meyer, where he spent the past season.

The only other offensive position we’ve heard about comes from Sports Mockery writer Erik Lambert who reports that Eberflus and the Bears will pursue Browns’ offensive line coach Bill Callahan. Callahan has coached a laundry list of Pro Bowl players over the years and has two connections to the Bears’ job. Firstly, he worked with Eberflus in Dallas for about three seasons, and, second, Callahan was born and raised in Chicago.

Two names have surfaced so far at the special teams coordinator position. Lambert mentions Raiders’ interim-head coach Rich Bisaccia as the favorite to take over the special teams unit in Chicago as it becomes less and less likely that he’ll be retained as the head ball coach in Las Vegas. The other name mentioned came from Jordan Raanan who covers the Giants for ESPN. Ranaan tweeted out that Giants’ special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey is scheduled to interview for the same position with the Bears tomorrow. McGaughey has already interviewed for the Chargers’ special teams coordinator job and has not ruled out remaining with the Giants.

It’s an impressive potential lineup for Eberflus as he attempts to put together his first full staff as a head coach. Updates should be expected shortly as all the names mentioned so far are no longer participating in the playoffs.

Jaguars Expected To Overhaul Coaching Staff

The Jaguars’ coaching staff figures to look pretty different next year. Offseason firings are “inevitable” at this point, according to sources who spoke with Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

[RELATED: Jaguars Add WR John Brown To Practice Squad]

Trevor Lawrence has yet to live up to his billing in Jacksonville, prompting some internal debate about whether the Jaguars should replicate his system from Clemson. Heading into today’s game, the No. 1 overall pick had completed just 58% of his throws for 1,983 yards and eight touchdowns against nine interceptions. His work on the ground — 37 carries for 169 yards and two scores — hasn’t been enough to offset the bad reads, nor has it approached his rushing work at Clemson. Lawrence, playing against lesser defenders in the NCAA, managed 766 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns between 2019 and 200.

Meyer, who is in favor of gearing the offense towards the Tigers’, finds himself at odds with several of his assistants. Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal and running backs coach Bernie Parmalee could be on the chopping block, per JLC’s sources. And, if things don’t improve for Lawrence this year, quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer may also find himself on the hot seat.

It starts with execution,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said last week (via the team website). “That’s really our focus this week, being on our details and being able to execute.”

Unfortunately, the Jaguars failed to execute today, losing 30-10 to the 49ers. Now at 2-8 on the year, they’ll try to improve next week when they host the Falcons in Jacksonville.

Coaching Rumors: Titans, Cowboys, Texans

Weather-related concerns are forcing the Titans to shift the timeline of their head coaching search, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Whereas Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel and Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur were originally scheduled to interview with Tennessee on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, Vrabel and LaFleur will now sit down with Titans general manager Jon Robinson on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Vrabel, LaFleur, and Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks — whose is currently en route to Tennessee for his interivew, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer — are the only definitive candidates for the Tennessee job thus far, but reports have indicated the Titans could also have interest in Eagles OC Frank Reich.

Here’s more from the 2018 hiring cycle:

  • Former NFL defensive coordinators John Pagano and Ray Horton will meet with the Cowboys, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Pagano, the longtime Chargers’ DC, spent last season as an assistant head coach (and later, interim DC) for the Raiders, while Horton — formerly the defensive play-caller for the Cardinals, Titans, and Browns, didn’t work in the NFL in 2017. Dallas already has a defensive coordinator in Rod Marinelli, but the Cowboys were reportedly willing to promote Marinelli to assistant head coach in order to keep ex-LBs coach Matt Eberflus.
  • While the Cowboys are apparently considering additions to their defensive coaching staff, they’ve made a hire on the offensive side of the ball in new wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal, tweets David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Lal, 48, originally joined the NFL ranks with the Raiders in 2007, and has since coached wideouts for Oakland, New York, and Buffalo. Former Cowboys wide receiver/current Cowboys scout Miles Austin also reportedly interviewed for the position.
  • The Texans have hired former Raiders special teams coach Brad Seely for the same position, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Seely was forced out in Oakland earlier this month when the Raiders hired Rich Bisaccia as their new assistant head coach/special teams. He’ll replace Larry Izzo, the former NFL linebacker who led Houston to a No. 31 ranking in special teams DVOA a season ago. Seely, 61, has been an NFL ST coach since 1989, and the Texans will be his eighth professional stop. He should have a working relationship with Houston head coach Bill O’Brien, as the pair spent time together with the Patriots from 2007-08.

Coaching Notes: Raiders, Browns, Bengals, Broncos

Some assorted coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • Before accepting a job as the Arizona Wildcats head coach, Kevin Sumlin interviewed to be the Raiders wide receivers coach, reports Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (via Twitter). The Raiders have yet to fill the role, but Jerry McDonald of the Mercury News believes Sanjay Lal could be an option. The 48-year-old spent 2017 as the Colts receivers coach, and he served in the same role with the Raiders from 2009 through 2011.
  • The Raiders have filled one hole, as Doug Samuels of FootballScoop.com reports that the team has hired Alabama secondary coach Derrick Ansley for the same role. Ansley had previously agreed to become Colorado State’s defensive coordinator.
  • The Browns announced that senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach Al Saunders will transition to an advisory role with the franchise, as he’s been named senior assistant/special projects. Saunders served as the Chargers head coach back in the 1980s, and he’s since spent time with the Chiefs, Rams, Redskins, Ravens, Raiders, and Dolphins.
  • Before hiring Frank Pollack as the offensive line coach, the Bengals interviewed former Colts coach Joe Gilbert for the role, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Inquirer (via Twitter). Other candidates included Jeff Davidson (Broncos), Harold Goodwin (Cardinals), and Jim Harding (University of Utah).
  • Despite Mike Sullivan being hired as the Broncos new quarterbacks coach, Klint Kubiak is still expected to stay on the coaching staff, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). Kubiak briefly served as the team’s interim quarterbacks coach, and he’s expected to take on his former role of offensive assistant/QBs.

East Notes: Cowboys, Cable, ASJ, Redskins

Having fired Frank Pollack last week, the Cowboys are casting a wide net as they search for a coach to lead an offensive line that was considered the NFL’s best as recently as 2016. Dallas has already interviewed former Bengal OL coach Paul Alexander last week, while incumbent Cowboys assistant offensive line coach Marc Colombo is reportedly “in the mix” for the vacancy, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, Dallas had interest in meeting with former Seahawks OL coach Tom Cable before he was hired by the Raiders, but no formal interview was ever arranged, per Archer, who adds the Cowboys also plan to meet with Giants offensive line coach Mike Solari.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • In addition to finding a new offensive line coach, the Cowboys are also looking for a new coach to head up the club’s wide receivers. Former Colts wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal is interviewing to replace Derek Dooley, who was fired last week, as Archer reports. Lal, 48, originally joined the NFL ranks with the Raiders in 2007, and has since coached wideouts for Oakland, New York, and Buffalo. At present, the only other candidate to interview for the Cowboys’ WRs coach job is former Dallas pass-catcher Miles Austin, who is currently a scout for Dallas but has never coached in the NFL.
  • While the Jets have interest in re-signing pending free agent tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, general manager Mike Maccagnan & Co. have no intent of “going crazy” to retain the 25-year-old, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Seferian-Jenkins, a former second-round pick who has overcome substance abuse issues, posted the best season of his career in 2017 by posting 50 receptions for 357 yards and three scores. While ASJ did tail off near the end of the year (he managed only 11 catches for 69 yards in New York’s final five games), his age and pedigree should allow him to garner a multi-year pact.
  • Stanford has hired former Redskins assistant offensive line coach Kevin Carberry as its new run game coordinator and offensive line coach, tweets Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports. To replace Carberry, Washington has inked ex-Broncos assistant Phil Rauscher as its next assistant OL coach, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link).

AFC Notes: Colts, Bills, Jets, Jones

While the Colts are set for a front-office transition, they are set to return most of their offensive coaching staff, with one exception. The Bills’ previous wide receivers coach, Sanjay Lal, will make the move to Indianapolis to work in the same capacity, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Lal coached Buffalo’s wideouts for two seasons. Between 2009-14, he worked with the Raiders’ and Jets’ receiving corps. Lal replaces Lee Hull, whom the team dismissed.

Aside from that switch, the Colts will return OC Rob Chudzinski‘s staff. Former Dolphins HC Joe Philbin will remain in charge of Indianapolis’ offensive line, Quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer will return as well. Although, no such assurances are made to this staff beyond the 2017 season, and per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, the assistants are exhibiting a sense of relief at the Senior Bowl that Ryan Grigson‘s firing did not come with a sizable staff shakeup.

Here’s more from the AFC.

  • Jim Irsay continues to consult with former Colts GM Bill Polian, per Holder, about the search to replace Grigson. Holder isn’t certain the Hall of Fame executive will sit in on the interviews, but it’s clear he’s functioning as a sounding board for his former boss.
  • When Doug Whaley listed some of the Bills‘ free agents, he categorized three players (Stephon Gilmore, Robert Woods and RFA punter Colton Schmidt) as starters before pointing to the other 25 players in that grouping as performers brought in for depth purposes. “The rest of those guys, we brought in for backup depth purposes and they’ve played extremely well, and that’s a compliment to our pro personnel department,” Whaley said, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. “But we feel we have confidence that we can get a lot of those guys back on extended contracts.” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com points out UFAs like Lorenzo Alexander, right tackle Jordan Mills and Zach Brown enhanced their value this season (Twitter links) and won’t likely be regarded as depth players once they hit free agency. Rodak (via Twitter) also doesn’t see Alexander, used as an outside linebacker in Rex Ryan‘s 3-4 scheme, as a fit in Doug McDermott‘s 4-3.
  • The Jets are almost certainly set for some type of negotiation with Darrelle Revis about reducing his contract, but should he return in 2017, a transition to safety is in play. New Jets secondary coach Dennard Wilson said he “wouldn’t think it would be a problem” for Revis to take up playing on the back line, per Connor Hughes of NJ.com. Wilson demurred when asked whether he wants Revis on the 2017 team. The Jets can save $9MM by cutting Revis before the second day of the new league year but will incur a $6MM dead-money hit — one that would be alleviated, due to offset language, if Revis lands elsewhere.
  • Gang Green has done “extensive homework” on former Texans OC George Godsey, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport views Godsey, who mutually parted ways with the Texans after the team’s divisional-round loss to the Patriots, as a strong candidate to succeed Chan Gailey.
  • One of the Jets’ considerations with their No. 6 overall pick will be North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com notes. However, Pauline said upon discussions at the Senior Bowl that labeling the Jets as being infatuated with the early-entry Tar Heels talent may be a bit overblown, noting the Jets are part of a “pack of teams” at the top of the draft considering Trubisky.
  • Adam Jones could face a suspension next season after his profanity-laced tirade against police officers was captured on video. The Bengals cornerback issued an apology statement, via the Associated Press, following the franchise’s apology. Jones will be set for his age-34 season next year, which doubles as the second year of his latest Bengals contract.