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2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

February 9th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a crowded carousel previously stopped, the 49ers opened their defensive coordinator position. Here is how the NFC champions’ search looks:

Updated 3-2-24 (10:00am CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dave Ragone)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Ken Dorsey)

  • Joe Brady, interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (Bills): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed

Carolina Panthers (Out: Thomas Brown)

  • Marcus Brady, senior offensive assistant (Eagles): Interview requested
  • Brad Idzik, wide receivers coach (Buccaneers): Hired

Chicago Bears (Out: Luke Getsy)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Brian Callahan)

  • Andy Dickerson, offensive line coach (Seahawks): To interview
  • Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): Promoted

Cleveland Browns (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Mick Lombardi)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Kellen Moore)

New England Patriots (Out: Bill O’Brien)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Pete Carmichael)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Brian Johnson)

  • Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Interviewed 1/23
  • Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Chargers): Hired

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Matt Canada)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Shane Waldron)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Dave Canales)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Tim Kelly)

  • Nick Holz, passing game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Eric Studesville, associate head coach/running backs coach (Dolphins): Interview requested

Washington Commanders (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Chip Kelly, former head coach (Eagles/49ers): On team’s radar
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Hired

Defensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Mike Macdonald)

  • Zach Orr, inside linebackers coach (Ravens): Promoted

Buffalo Bills

  • Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): Promoted
  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Sean Desai, former defensive coordinator (Eagles): To interview

Chicago Bears (Out: Alan Williams)

  • Joe Barry, former defensive coordinator (Packers): To interview 1/27
  • Chris Harris, secondary coach (Titans): To interview
  • Eric Washington, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Bills): Hired
  • Terrell Williams, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Titans): To interview

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Dan Quinn)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Barry)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Mike Caldwell)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Derrick Ansley)

  • Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Hired

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Raheem Morris)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Vic Fangio)

New England Patriots

  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Promoted
  • Michael Hodges, linebackers coach (Saints): To interview
  • Tem Lukabu, outside linebackers coach (Panthers): To interview
  • Christian Parker, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed

New York Giants (Out: Don Martindale)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Sean Desai)

  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Vic Fangio, former defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
  • Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/22

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Gerald Alexander, safeties coach (Raiders): Interviewed 3/1
  • Daniel Bullocks, defensive backs coach (49ers): Interviewed 2/28
  • David Merritt, defensive backs coach (Chiefs): To interview
  • Nick Sorensen, defensive passing game specialist (49ers): Promoted
  • Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Clint Hurtt)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Shane Bowen)

  • Brandon Lynch, cornerbacks coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/30
  • Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Hired

Washington Commanders (Out: Jack Del Rio)

  • Joe Cullen, defensive line coach (Chiefs): Considered a candidate
  • Joe Whitt, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Hired

2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 1st, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders’ hire has wrapped this year’s cycle. Barring a team making an 11th-hour change, the 2024 HC carousel has come to a stop. The final breakdown produced five defensive coaches being hired compared to three with backgrounds on offense. Many teams are still searching for offensive and defensive coordinators, however.

Updated 2-1-24 (10:37am CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Hired

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Bears To Add Thomas Brown To Staff

January 30th, 2024 at 8:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of recent NFC offensive coordinators will be part of the Bears’ 2024 staff, which will have a major Sean McVay imprint. Thomas Brown will follow Shane Waldron to Chicago.

With it being clear for weeks Brown was done in Charlotte, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs notes he will join the Bears as passing game coordinator. While Brown spent last season as the Panthers’ OC, he worked on McVay’s Rams staff from 2020-22. Brown and Waldron worked together for the 2020 Rams. Prior to joining the Panthers last year, Brown worked as a tight ends and running backs coach in Los Angeles.

Other teams interviewed Brown, 37, for their OC jobs, but he will head for Illinois. The Bears brought in Brown for an OC interview earlier this month but hired Waldron soon after. As the Bears prepare for a monumental decision on offense — one that almost definitely comes down to a future with Justin Fields or Caleb Williams — they will have two former McVay staffers running the show whenever that call is made.

The Panthers hired Brown as their OC last year. While NFL history suggested it was safe for Brown to expect Frank Reich to be retained for at least two years, David Tepper bucked that by firing the longtime HC after 11 games. This came after Reich had yanked play-calling duties back from Brown following an initial three-week run. Brown finished the season as the Panthers’ play-caller, but as the team has made retaining DC Ejiro Evero a priority from Reich’s staff, it never stood in the way of Brown looking elsewhere.

An abysmal Panthers season led to the Reich firing and an eventual Dave Canales pickup. Canales has brought in Brad Idzik, who also worked under Waldron in Seattle, to be his non-play-calling OC. The Panthers ranked 31st on offense under Reich and Brown, but the latter interviewed for the Bears, Patriots and Steelers’ jobs. Although the New England position has not been filled, Brown may not have been the favorite. The Steelers hired Arthur Smith earlier today.

Brown will rejoin D.J. Moore in Chicago, though the two did not exactly overlap long in Carolina. The Panthers traded their top wide receiver to the Bears — in the Bryce Young swap — barely a month after hiring Brown. Moore represents a key piece as the Bears evaluate their quarterback situation, with Waldron and Brown input potentially on tap as the top offensive voices in the building.

Panthers OC Thomas Brown Not Expected To Stay In Carolina

January 27th, 2024 at 2:03pm CST by Ely Allen

It’s been assumed for some time now, but Joe Person of the The Athletic confirmed today that Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will not be a part of new head coach Dave Canales‘ staff. Brown just finished his first season as an offensive coordinator in the NFL and is receiving interest for other head coaching and coordinator jobs around the NFL.

Brown has been a hot, young name in NFL coaching circles the past few years. He broke into coaching at the collegiate level, working as a strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, Georgia. After consecutive one-year stints as a running backs coach at Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, and Georgia, Brown followed his head coach Mark Richt to Miami, where he would work as offensive coordinator for the Hurricanes, though Richt retained play-calling duties.

After another one-year stint at South Carolina, Brown made his NFL debut on Sean McVay‘s staff in Los Angeles as a running backs coach. After only a year, McVay added the role of assistant head coach to Thomas’ title and, eventually, moved him to tight ends for a year. The demand became strong for Brown as he started interviewing for head coaching jobs and was eventually hired as Frank Reich‘s offensive coordinator in Carolina. It was a doomed role for Brown as, like Richt, Reich retained play-calling duties, ceding them to Brown here and there during periods of ineffectiveness before getting let go.

Brown’s expected departure from Carolina is less a reflection on Brown than an indicator of Canales’ plans moving forward. Canales has requested an interview with Eagles senior offensive assistant Marcus Brady, and there have been rumors that his quarterbacks coach from Tampa Bay, Thad Lewis, may eventually join him in Carolina, as well. Canales plans on calling plays for the offense during his stint as head coach, so we’re seeing less experienced candidates getting looks for the coordinator job below him.

Brown’s name continues to stay hot in conversations for vacant positions. So far this offseason, Brown has interviewed for offensive coordinator positions with the Bears, Patriots, and Steelers, and he even made it to the second round of interviews for the Titans’ head coaching job that went to Brian Callahan. Even if Brown fails to land a new coordinator job for 2024, he remains a name to watch due to his leadership potential.

Panthers Request OC Interview With Eagles’ Marcus Brady

January 26th, 2024 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

It was already thought to be the case as he interviews for other head coaching and offensive coordinator positions, but it seems Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is officially not expected to return to Carolina in his previous role. There’s a chance that Brown is a candidate and wins over new head coach Dave Canales, but for now, the team will move on with interviewing new candidates, starting with a request to interview Eagles senior offensive assistant Marcus Brady, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Since the focus in Carolina has been bringing in a new head coach, Brady is actually the team’s first offensive coordinator interview since their season ended. In 2023, former head coach Frank Reich called plays for most of the season for the Panthers offense, ceding play calling duties for a short time to Brown before eventually losing his job. Now, with the offensive-minded Canales in the house, a changing of the guard is expected in Carolina.

Brady’s name picked up traction in the Canadian Football League. Shortly after his seven-year playing career ended as a CFL quarterback, Brady jumped to the coaching side of football, accepting a wide receivers coaching job with the team he ended his playing career with, the Montreal Alouettes. Eventually, Brady would get a promotion to become Montreal’s offensive coordinator, leaving a year later to accept the same position with the Toronto Argonauts.

After six years of calling plays in the CFL, Brady finally made the jump to the NFL in 2018 when he accepted the assistant quarterbacks coaching job under Reich in Indianapolis. A year later, Brady was promoted to quarterbacks coach and became the heir apparent behind then-offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni. When Sirianni departed to coach the Eagles, Brady was, naturally, promoted to fill his shoes in 2021. Halfway through the 2022 season, though, Brady was fired by a 3-4-1, turnover-prone Colts team. Brady called up his old buddy Sirianni in Philadelphia and was hired as an offensive consultant for the Eagles three weeks later, before getting promoted to his current position in 2023.

Brady’s name has been thrown around a couple different times in the past two years for offensive coordinator jobs. Last year saw Brady interview for the Rams and Jets open coordinator jobs. So far this year, he was requested to interview for the open offensive coordinator job in Chicago before it was awarded to Shane Waldron from Seattle.

With the job in Carolina now openly being advertised, Brady enters as the Panthers’ first potential candidate to serve as offensive coordinator under Canales. Canales is expected to call plays for the Panthers offensive after having done so in Tampa Bay last year, so it will be interesting to see exactly what the team is looking for in a new offensive coordinator under the first-time head coach. Brady is our first clue to figuring that out.

Patriots Interview Thomas Brown For OC, To Meet With Lions’ Tanner Engstrand

January 26th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Dave Canales taking over as Panthers HC, Thomas Brown‘s stint with the team can be labeled a one-and-done. Carolina’s most recent play-caller continues to draw interest for other coordinator posts, however.

Brown met with the Patriots about their OC vacancy, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. Working to replace Bill O’Brien as their play-caller, the Pats are also targeting the increasingly popular Lions coaching staff. They are planning to interview Detroit pass-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand for the position, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will be Engstrand’s first coordinator interview.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

Although Brown is still under contract with the Panthers, it would surprise if the team did not release the former Rams assistant from that deal. Brown, whose Carolina tenure included a 2-15 record and some behind-the-scenes unrest, finished the season as the Panthers’ play-caller. But Frank Reich also took back play-calling reins after initially giving them to Brown. The Panthers’ attempt to blend Reich concepts with Sean McVay‘s system backfired, and the team is starting over under Canalas, who signed a six-year deal.

The Steelers have also met with Brown, whose stock could be elevated as a former McVay staffer due to Zac Robinson — a hot name on the OC carousel early — being closely linked to the now-open Falcons OC job. The Los Angeles-based QBs coach has been connected to following Raheem Morris to Atlanta. This would take a third name out of the mix for the Patriots, who have seen targets Dan Pitcher and Shane Waldron hired elsewhere. The Pats are looking for their fourth OC in four seasons, with position lacking stability following Josh McDaniels‘ exit.

Dan Campbell retained Engstrand, 41, from the Matt Patricia staff, though this is his first season as the team’s pass-game coordinator. The 2020 Detroit hire coached the team’s tight ends from 2020-22. Engstrand joins OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn as staffers in play to leave the Motor City due to the success Campbell’s team has achieved in his third season.

Steelers Interview Panthers’ Thomas Brown For OC Post

January 24th, 2024 at 4:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers’ effort to add their next offensive coordinator is underway. First up will be a recent OC who no longer appears in his team’s plans; Thomas Brown is interviewing for the job Wednesday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Brown, who has received HC interview requests in each of the past two offseasons, worked as the Panthers’ OC this season. The former Rams assistant enjoyed two stints as Carolina’s play-caller, but it does not appear the NFC South club is interested in keeping him around under a new head coach.

Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson joins Brown as a candidate for the Pittsburgh OC job. The Steelers have promoted from within to fill in 2018 (Randy Fichtner) and 2021 (Matt Canada). After going with a two-OC system of sorts, with Eddie Faulkner nabbing the title and Mike Sullivan the play-calling role, Mike Tomlin pointed to seeking an outside voice with this hire. The team has not hired an OC from outside the organization since the Todd Haley addition in 2012. Haley is also the only Steelers OC hired from outside the organization this century, adding more intrigue to the team’s current search.

Both Robinson and Brown come from the Sean McVay coaching tree. McVay’s staff has become a launching pad for a number of HCs and coordinators. This could be the year Robinson makes the jump, with the Matthew Stafford position coach in contention for a few jobs. Brown, 37, worked with the Rams from 2020-22, coaching running backs and tight ends after a run in the college ranks.

The Panthers attempting to incorporate elements from McVay’s scheme and Frank Reich‘s was among the reasons behind the team’s 2-15 season. Reich had mentioned Brown as a play-calling candidate early last year, but after giving him the reins, the veteran HC reclaimed them three weeks later. The Panthers fired Reich 11 games in, leaving Brown back in the play-calling role. Bryce Young finished the season ahead of only Zach Wilson in QBR, as the Panthers ranked 31st in offensive DVOA.

Brown also interviewed for the Bears’ job that went to fellow ex-Rams staffer Shane Waldron. It should be expected more teams, as the HC-needy clubs fill out their staffs, will want to interview the young assistant for OC positions.

Titans To Conduct Second HC Interviews With Thomas Brown, Dan Quinn

January 22nd, 2024 at 11:36am CST by Adam La Rose

The list of finalists for the Titans’ head coaching position continues to grow. Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is slated to conduct a second interview with Tennessee, and the same is true of two other staffers.

Tennessee has lined up a second interview with Panthers OC Thomas Brown, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports. The in-person meeting will take place today, he adds, noting Brown’s virtual interview went well. Meanwhile, the Titans plan to speak for a second time with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, per Wolfe’s colleague Tom Pelissero.

The latter will meet with Tennessee in person on Wednesday, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. A few days from now, therefore, the Titans will have a firm picture of their finalists for the position. By interviewing Brown, along with former Stanford head coach David Shaw, the team will have satisfied the Rooney Rule once the former’s meeting is complete. As a result, Tennessee will be free to hire its next coach in the very near future.

Brown has not been connected to a HC opening other than the one in Nashville. He has nevertheless emerged as one of the top up-and-coming offensive minds in the league in large part for his work with the Rams. The 37-year-old came to Carolina as part of Frank Reich‘s highly-acclaimed staff this offseason, but the team’s offense struggled both before and after Reich’s midseason dismissal. Brown is in place for now, but he is not expected to remain in Carolina once the team hires its next coach.

Quinn, by contrast, has once again been one of the hottest candidates in the hiring cycle. The former Falcons HC has been linked to the Seahawks in particular as they search for a Pete Carroll replacement. Quinn – who spent two seasons as Seattle’s DC – has a second interview lined up with his old team. He is also an outlier amongst Tennessee’s finalists (at least so far) because his background is on the defensive side of the ball.

In looking for a Mike Vrabel successor, the Titans could look to focus more on the offensive candidates available to them. That approach would lend itself to Callahan and/or Brown, but more clarity will no doubt emerge in the coming days as the team goes through its second round of interviews.

Here is an updated look at the Titans’ search:

 

Bears To Interview Panthers’ Thomas Brown For OC Job

January 17th, 2024 at 11:21am CST by Sam Robinson

Multiple NFC offensive coordinators are on the Bears’ radar. Chicago, which dismissed Luke Getsy after two seasons as their play-caller, are looking at the staffs of teams that recently fired their head coaches.

Already eyeing the Seahawks’ Shane Waldron, the Bears are set to interview Panthers OC Thomas Brown. The young assistant will interview for the Bears’ OC job today, The Athletic’s Joe Person reports. Given the makeup of the Bears’ interview list thus far, Matt Eberflus appears interested in adding a Sean McVay tree branch. Both Waldron and Brown were McVay staffers prior to early-2020s relocations.

Brown is not expected to stay with the Panthers. The ex-Rams assistant went through a turbulent year in Carolina, yo-yoing as the team’s play-caller during Frank Reich‘s historically short tenure. Despite the Panthers finishing 2-15, Brown joins DC Ejiro Evero in generating interest elsewhere. While the Panthers are blocking Evero from DC interviews, they look to be standing down when it comes to Brown.

Although the Panthers bottomed out — in a season that has given the Bears the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year — Brown has received interview requests from the Bears and Titans. Tennessee is interested in meeting with Brown about its HC position. Brown interviewed for the Texans’ HC job last year. Brown, 37, has only been an NFL staffer for four seasons. But the McVay apprenticeship — as Rams running backs and tight ends coach at different points — fast-tracked his career.

Reich gave Brown the play-calling reins during the Panthers’ October bye week but took them back after three games. David Tepper soon fired Reich, handing the call sheet back to Brown. The Panthers attempted to combine Reich concepts with Brown’s, creating a difficult situation for Bryce Young, who struggled through a rough rookie season — one that also included Tepper firing QBs coach Josh McCown. This left Brown as the lead voice in Young’s ear down the stretch. While the Panthers did win a second game during Chris Tabor‘s period as interim HC, they completed a miserable season and are almost certain to make Brown a one-and-done OC.

The Bears are shopping for a new play-caller, doing so as they go through a big-picture research project centered around the likely Justin Fields-or-Caleb Williams decision. OC candidates will certainly be interested to know which quarterback they will be coaching. Ryan Poles indicating it could take until April for that call to be made would stand to throw a wrench into this search process.

Titans Request HC Interview With Panthers OC Thomas Brown

January 15th, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Ben Levine

For the third straight year, Thomas Brown is generating head coaching interest. According to ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin, the Titans have requested to interview the Panthers offensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy.

Brown worked his way up through the college circuit before being hired as the Rams running backs coach in 2020. He quickly earned a promotion to assistant head coach, and he eventually took on the role of tight ends coach. When Frank Reich was hired as the Panthers head coach last offseason, he brought on Brown to be his offensive coordinator.

The Panthers offense struggle was inconsistent in 2023 with rookie Bryce Young under center. Reich eventually relinquished play-calling duties to his offensive coordinator, but he briefly took them back before getting fired. Brown once again started calling plays under interim head coach Chris Tabor. While the Panthers offense finished towards the bottom of the NFL in most stats, Brown got the benefit of the doubt considering the turmoil on the staff. Still, he’s not expected to stick around Carolina in 2024.

Considering Brown’s rapid rise, this isn’t the first time he’s been a candidate for a head coaching gig. He was connected to the opening at Arizona State in 2022, and he interviewed for the Texans job last offseason.

As our 2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Brown is now the 10th candidate for the Titans head coaching job:

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