Eagles Designate P Arryn Siposs For Return
The NFL’s change to its injured reserve policy has lined up perfectly with the Eagles’ health situation this year. The NFC champions have one injury activation remaining, and while they rolled out all 22 starters in the conference championship game, one regular remained out of action.
Philadelphia’s primary punter, Arryn Siposs, has been out since Week 14. But the Eagles will see if he is ready to return for Super Bowl LVII. Philly designated Siposs for return from IR on Thursday, putting him in position to kick in the Super Bowl.
Upon returning to Eagles workouts, Siposs said he is “good to go” and, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane (on Twitter), no longer has any issues related to the ankle malady that sent him off the team’s 53-man roster. Siposs suffered the injury when the Giants blocked a punt during the teams’ first matchup Dec. 11.
The Eagles signed veteran Brett Kern to replace Siposs in December and have used him as their punter since. Kern has been in the NFL since 2008. The Eagles not activating Siposs would mean the former Titans and Broncos punter — a three-time Pro Bowler — would play in his first Super Bowl.
A 30-year-old specialist from Australia, Siposs is only in his second NFL season. He was averaging 45.6 yards per punt before going down this year. Kern, 36, was at just 40.8 during the regular season. On seven playoff punts, Kern’s average has climbed to 44.1. In just 13 games, Siposs had placed 16 punts inside the 20-yard line — just one shy of his 17-game total in 2021.
The Eagles have done well to navigate the eight-activation allotment this season, moving the likes of Jordan Davis, Dallas Goedert, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Avonte Maddox and Robert Quinn to IR and then activating them. The Eagles held off on placing Maddox back on IR after his December toe injury and kept Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson on the active roster amid their injury issues. Should Siposs be activated for the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl outing, the team will have its 22 starters and each of its specialists available.
Vic Fangio To Accept Dolphins’ DC Offer
Making a point to indicate he was still on the market, Vic Fangio will indeed take the Dolphins up on their recent offer. The former Broncos HC has decided to join Mike McDaniel in Miami, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Fangio interviewed with the Falcons and Panthers and was linked to being a possible DeMeco Ryans replacement in San Francisco, where he had a strong DC run in the early 2010s. But the Dolphins plan to make him the league’s highest-paid DC. Fangio will join the team after Super Bowl LVII, Schefter notes.
As far as money goes, the Dolphins lured him to Florida by offering him a three-year contract that averages north of $4.5MM annually, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Although head coach salaries are skyrocketing, this is in the ballpark of some HC contracts. Fangio went 19-30 with the Broncos from 2019-21, but a host of teams recognized his defensive acumen, creating a bidding war the Dolphins won.
The past few weeks have revealed the NFL’s view of Fangio, whose defensive influence has been felt around the league in recent years. Although he flamed out after three seasons as Denver’s HC, the 64-year-old coach had a host of options. The 49ers circled back to Fangio — their DC from 2011-14 — but the recently reported Dolphins pledge will win out. Fangio will replace Josh Boyer in Miami and will reunite with Bradley Chubb, whom he coached in Denver for three seasons. The delay between the reported Dolphins hire and Thursday’s report stemmed from Fangio feeling a bit rushed, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. He suddenly became one of the league’s most coveted commodities.
The Panthers sought Fangio before and after Frank Reich‘s hire, and the Falcons interviewed him more than two weeks ago. Atlanta ended up hiring New Orleans co-DC Ryan Nielsen, while Carolina remains on the hunt for its defensive leader. Miami, meanwhile, will represent Fangio’s sixth DC gig. Fangio will bring nearly 40 years’ experience of coaching at the professional level, having broken in with the original USFL back in 1984. He has been a DC for the Panthers, Colts, Texans, 49ers and Bears, with the Broncos HC post obviously including defensive leadership as well.
McDaniel viewed Fangio as a strong option last year, Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com tweets, but Dolphins brass wanted him to retain Boyer after a strong 2021 season defensively. Brian Flores played a significant role in the team’s defensive success in 2021, however. While McDaniel is not believed to have viewed Boyer as a lame duck, the young HC has managed to secure a partnership with one of this era’s best defensive coaches.
Fangio held DC jobs for two expansion teams — the Panthers and Texans — from 1995-2005 and the former venturing to the NFC championship game in its second year of existence centered around a veteran-laden defense that allowed just 13.6 points per game. After not experiencing the same level of success in Indianapolis or Houston, Fangio rebuilt his stock in San Francisco. The 49ers morphed into a dominant defense in Fangio’s first season, and they held top-three defensive rankings in each of his first three years with the team. Fangio earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2018 in Chicago, when the Bears ranked first defensively, vaulting him into position to land the Denver job.
The Dolphins should be expected to utilize a 3-4 scheme under Fangio, who will take over a unit housing Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Emmanuel Ogbah. Denver deployed two top-10 defenses under Fangio, despite Chubb and Von Miller being unable to stay on the field together for nearly his entire tenure. Fangio was tied to Sean Payton in December, but a return to Denver so soon after being fired seemed unrealistic.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/31/23
Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts handed out:
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Nick Bowers, QB Jake Browning, DE Owen Carney, OT Devin Cochran, S Yusuf Corker, DT Domenique Davis, G Nate Gilliam, TE Tanner Hudson, DE Raymond Johnson, LB Keandre Jones, WR Kwamie Lassiter, CB Marvell Tell
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
- DL Alex Barrett, OL Alfredo Gutierrez, S Tayler Hawkins, OL Keith Ismael, DB Qwuantrezz Knight, WR Tay Martin, WR Dazz Newsome, OL Jason Poe, LB Curtis Robinson, T Leroy Watson
Texans Hire DeMeco Ryans As HC
The Texans interviewed DeMeco Ryans for a second time Tuesday, and the team is not letting the hot HC candidate leave town without a deal. Ryans will become the next Texans head coach, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The parties finalized a six-year contract to bring Ryans, a Texans linebacker from 2006-11, back to Houston. This will wrap a six-year Ryans tenure in San Francisco, and Houston — after back-to-back one-and-done coaching tenures — will land one of this year’s top HC options.
Long expected to secure one of this year’s HC jobs, Ryans will head back to Houston after overseeing a dominant San Francisco defense. The 49ers ranked first in total defense, scoring defense and defensive DVOA this season. While Brock Purdy‘s elbow injury effectively ended San Francisco’s Super Bowl hopes early in the NFC championship game, the 49ers’ loss opened the door for the Texans to make an official hire this week.
“Being the head coach of the Houston Texans is my dream job and my family is thrilled to be back in H-Town,” Ryans said. “I have been around the game of football my entire life and I’ve always had a natural ability to lead others. I know what it takes to win and be successful in this league as both a player and coach. We’re going to build a program filled with players who have a special work ethic and relentless mindset. I understand the responsibility I have to this organization and to the fans of Houston to build a winner and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Ryans, 38, jumped to a DC role just three years after being promoted from the quality control level; he has spent his entire career on Kyle Shanahan‘s staff. Shanahan was with the Texans during part of Ryans’ time as a Houston defender and has long stumped for the well-regarded leader. The 49ers’ defensive performance this year left little doubt Ryans would soon become a head coach, and both the Broncos and Texans aggressively pursued him. Houston won out, and Ryans profiles as a vastly different HC compared to the franchise’s previous two.
All five head coach-needy teams this year reached out to Ryans. Four of those scheduled interviews, but Ryans ended up passing on Cardinals and Colts meetings — which would have come hours before the 49ers’ divisional playoff game against the Cowboys — to lead to a two-team race. Despite days of Texans-centric developments regarding Ryans, the Broncos may or may not have made a Tuesday push for him. While Sean Payton had long been the Broncos’ preference, he cost first- and second-round picks. And Ryans clearly impressed the Broncos, to the point they were prepared to abandon their pursuit of an experienced head coach.
This could be a seminal hire for the Texans, who completed odd coaching searches in 2021 and ’22. GM Nick Caserio interviewed Josh McCown in both years, but potential backlash about hiring a head coach with no experience is believed to have affected a hire. The Texans hired David Culley in 2021, despite no other teams being in on the then-Ravens wide receivers coach, and fired him after a 4-13 season. Last year’s search did not include Lovie Smith until the end, but after McCown and Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon were in the mix, Caserio instead promoted Smith. The former Houston DC oversaw a 3-13-1 season that led to his firing.
The hiring of back-to-back 60-somethings — for a team amid a long rebuild — proved confusing. Considering the team went through a chaotic period when Bill O’Brien held the dual HC-GM role and was at the forefront of the Deshaun Watson scandal, stability is desperately needed here. Hence, the six-year contract. The Texans included a host of younger names in their 2023 search, but Ryans stood out. It can be safely assumed Ryans will not be a one-and-done, given the team’s recent past and the momentum the linebacker-turned-coordinator built in San Francisco.
The Texans drafted Ryans in the 2006 second round and plugged the Alabama product into their lineup immediately. Ryans became a steady presence for the Texans in their first decade, and he was a starter for the 2011 team that secured the franchise its first playoff berth. The Texans had previously extended Ryans, but they traded the two-time Pro Bowler to the Eagles in 2012. Ryans played four Philadelphia seasons before hanging up his cleats. The McNair family is obviously familiar with Ryans from his playing days, and they will bet on him once again. This will mark a homecoming for the Ryans family as well; his wife, Jamila, is from the area.
Although the Texans have just 11 wins over the past three seasons, they hold two first-round picks in the 2023 and ’24 drafts thanks to the Watson trade. In addition to carrying this year’s No. 2 overall pick, Houston is projected to rank in the top five for cap space this year. That is believed to have intrigued Payton. But not too much smoke followed the Payton interview on the Texans’ end. They will instead entrust Ryans to be the sideline leader that pushes Caserio’s rebuild to higher levels.
This will mark the second transaction of the month that will give the 49ers a third-round pick. The Titans hiring 49ers exec Ran Carthon as GM earlier this month sent the 49ers two thirds, and Ryans’ Texans hire represents the latest in a steady line of minority hires from San Francisco. Although the NFL expanding the Rooney Rule to attach draft compensation to minority HC or GM hires, the 49ers already collecting two thirds for Carthon will reduce the Ryans haul to one third-rounder. Nevertheless, the 49ers have now seen five minority staffers land HC jobs (Ryans, Robert Saleh, Mike McDaniel) or GM positions (Carthon, Martin Mayhew) since the NFL adjusted the rule. The pick from the Texans’ Ryans hire will arrive in 2025, Matt Miller of ESPN.com tweets.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/30/23
Here are Monday’s reserve/futures contracts handed out:
Minnesota Vikings
- DL Sheldon Day
New England Patriots
- WR Lynn Bowden
The Vikings ended Day’s three-month free agency stay in December, adding the veteran D-lineman to their practice squad. Day, 28, did not see any action with the team this season, but he will stick around ahead of the 2023 league year. Day saw 46% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in 2021 and was a regular 49ers contributor in the late 2010s. Although injuries bumped him up to such status, Day worked as a starter in each of San Francisco’s three 2019 playoff games.
The rare Day 2 draft choice to be traded before he played a down with the team that selected him, Bowden spent the season on the Patriots’ practice squad. The former Raiders draftee-turned-Dolphins trade acquisition loomed as a trade candidate in August but ended up being waived. Bowden, 25, has played in just one game over the past two seasons. But he spent the full season on New England’s P-squad. The Pats will keep him around ahead of Bill O’Brien‘s first offseason back in Foxborough.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/30/23
Chargers Hire Kellen Moore As OC
To little surprise, Kellen Moore is set to quickly move on to his next NFL opportunity. The former Cowboys offensive coordinator is expected to join the Chargers to fulfil the same role (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). A team announcement has confirmed the news.
The 33-year-old had one year remaining on his contract with Dallas, but he and the team mutually parted ways yesterday. That brought an end to his four-year tenure at the helm of the Cowboys’ offense, one in which he established himself as a highly-regarded young mind on that side of the ball. Moore had received head coaching interest in recent hiring cycles, and was a top OC candidate once he hit the open market.
In the immediate aftermath of his departure, it was reported that the Buccaneers had interest in interviewing him. Not long after, it came out that the Chargers were seeking a meeting with Moore, leading to the expectation that he would be able to quickly find his next coaching gig. With a deal now in place, per multiple reports, the former quarterback can turn his attention to one of the league’s top collection of offensive players.
Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones let Moore out of his contract, allowing him to move on with the understanding that a new opportunity would not be hard to come by. That makes it little surprise that he has immediately landed in a new home, one where he will face significant expectations right away. The Chargers boast one of the league’s top young passers in Justin Herbert, a highly-acclaimed pair of wideouts in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and a high-end dual threat running back in Austin Ekeler.
Recent improvements made along the offensive line add further to the belief that the team’s success of 2022 will be replicated, at a minimum. Los Angeles had the ninth-ranked total offense in 2022 under Joe Lombardi, and saw high-end production in the passing game in particular. A lack of balance for the unit – highlighted especially in the second half of the team’s playoff meltdown against the Jaguars – led to speculation that Lombardi could be on the hot seat, however. In a move signalling that Staley will be safe for at least the 2023 campaign, the former was fired earlier this month.
Moore will step in as his replacement as a play-caller, and mark an end to a sizeable search process the team conducted. The fact that Moore has so quickly been brought onboard speaks to how highly he is thought of by the team’s staff and front office. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are in the early stages of their search for Moore’s replacement, though it has been reported that head coach Mike McCarthy will call plays regardless of who is ultimately brought in.
Here is a final breakdown of the Chargers’ OC search:
- Joe Brady, quarterbacks coach (Bills): Interview requested
- Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed 1/25
- Jerrod Johnson, assistant quarterbacks coach (Vikings): Interviewed 1/25
- Kellen Moore, former offensive coordinator (Cowboys): Hired
- Greg Olson, senior offensive assistant (Rams): Interviewed 1/24
- Frank Reich, former head coach (Colts): Mentioned as candidate
- Zac Robinson, quarterbacks coach (Rams): Interview requested
- Luke Steckel, tight ends coach (Titans): Interviewed 1/26
Cowboys Part Ways With OC Kellen Moore
7:05pm: David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that McCarthy will indeed call plays on offense in 2023, a season in which he will find himself increasingly on the hot seat.
5:56pm: The Cowboys were able to once again retain one of their key coordinators for the 2023 season, but the same will not hold true on the offensive side of the ball. Dallas has mutually parted ways with OC Kellen Moore, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). A team announcement has confirmed the news.
Moore, 33, joined the Cowboys in 2018 as the team’s quarterbacks coach. One year later, he was promoted to the role of OC, which he held until now. Regarded as one of the league’s top up-and-coming minds on that side of the ball, the move was seen with optimism especially given the promise shown by Dallas’ nucleus led by Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The unit’s performance under Moore has led to mixed results.
Dallas had the No. 1 total offense in the league in 2019, a feat which they repeated in 2021. In terms of scoring, the Cowboys led the NFL that season, and ranked in the top six two other times. The lone campaign in which middling numbers can be seen was 2020, during which Prescott was limited to only five games played and the season was essentially deemed a write-off. Given those figures, Moore had become a highly-regarded coordinator receiving interest from outside teams for potential head coaching positions.
On the other hand, much of the blame for Dallas’ continued postseason shortcomings has been laid at Moore’s feet. The Cowboys were eliminated by the 49ers for the second consecutive year last week, a result marked in large part by Dallas’ inability to replicate their regular season scoring success. With Moore at the helm, this past season also saw Prescott lead the league with 15 regular season interceptions despite missing five games; he threw two crucial picks in the team’s divisional loss to San Francisco as well.
That has led to the expectation that Dallas will seek upgrades at the wide receiver position in particular, with their running back spot facing plenty of uncertainty as well. Regardless of which players are retained or replaced, the team will have a new play-caller in place for 2023. Some have speculated that head coach Mike McCarthy could take on that responsibility, one he held during his OC days and much of his tenure as the Packers’ bench boss.
As for Moore, he may not be unemployed for long. Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to have “significant interest” in adding him as their new OC. Tampa Bay is searching for a Byron Leftwich replacement, after he was fired following a very disappointing season on offense for the NFC South champions.
The Cowboys will have both McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on the sidelines once again in 2023, which will lead to expectations remaining high for the team. Before the new season kicks off, however, they will need to navigate the sizeable OC market which has taken shape this year around the league.
Dolphins To Hire Vic Fangio As DC
The most coveted defensive mind during this year’s coaching cycle is headed to Miami. The Dolphins are set to hire Vic Fangio as their new defensive coordinator, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). 
Pelissero notes that it is a three-year deal, with a team option in place for a fourth season. Fangio will become the league’s highest-paid coordinator, which comes as little surprise given how highly-regarded he is around the NFL for his work as a premier defensive play-caller. The 64-year-old will now take over for Josh Boyer, who was fired at the end of a disappointing season for the Dolphins’ defense.
Fangio’s last foray onto an NFL sideline came during his three-year tenure as the Broncos’ head coach. That time resulted in a 19-30 record, and the expectation that his first HC opportunity would be his last. Having spent the past season out of coaching, it was widely expected that he would return in a DC capacity. That was reflected by the interest shown by the Falcons, Panthers and Dolphins in interviewing him to fill their respective vacancies. Carolina was thought to be his likeliest destination as a high-profile partner for new coach Frank Reich, but the Panthers will now have to look elsewhere.
In Miami, Fangio will join head coach Mike McDaniel, who had a strong rookie campaign as a bench boss on the offensive side of the ball in particular. His work with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (when healthy) helped the latter take significant strides, but the team’s defense put up underwhelming numbers in most defensive categories. The Dolphins ranked 24th in the league in points allowed (23.5), especially struggling in the secondary. Improvement in that department should be expected given Fangio’s track record at the coordinator level.
Fangio’s time as an NFL staffer dates back to 1986, and includes DC postings with the Panthers, Colts, Texans, 49ers and Bears prior to his head coaching stint with the Broncos. After a year off, and fielding numerous offers to resume his acclaimed work, the veteran coach is now slated to join an ascending team which, in spite of its late-season struggles, still managed to qualify for the postseason in 2022. A repeat of that feat will likely be expected next year if they can remain productive on offense while taking a step forward defensively under Fangio’s guidance.
Here is a final look at Miami’s DC search:
- Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/27
- Sean Desai, defensive assistant (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/25
- Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): Hired
- Kris Richard, co-defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed 1/26
Bengals Extend QBs Coach Dan Pitcher
Dan Pitcher will be sticking with the Bengals. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Cincinnati has signed its quarterbacks coach to a lucrative contract extension that will take him through at least the 2023 season.
Pitcher, 36, interviewed for the Buccaneers’ open offensive coordinator position on Friday, which was the first time in his career he had been connected to a coordinator post. Rapoport says that the Ravens also inquired on Pitcher, but rather than risk losing him to another club, the Bengals made a proactive move to reward one of their most important staffers.
Pitcher broke into the professional coaching ranks in 2016 as an offensive assistant on the staff of former Cincinnati HC Marvin Lewis. When Zac Taylor took over as the Bengals’ head coach in 2019, he retained Pitcher and promoted him to assistant quarterbacks coach. Pitcher became the club’s top quarterbacks coach the following year, and his work with 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow over the past three seasons is starting to pique the interest of other organizations.
Burrow, of course, has become one of the league’s best signal-callers and could be in line for a market-topping extension this offseason. He has the Bengals on the cusp of their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, and assuming the team continues to thrive in 2023, Pitcher will likely garner more OC looks.
Of course, the Bengals’ own offensive coordinator, Brian Callahan, has generated some HC buzz, and Pitcher could fill Callahan’s seat in Cincinnati if the latter should land a job as a bench boss elsewhere.