Coach Notes: Dolphins, Gase, Raiders, 49ers
The Dolphins announced on Tuesday evening that they have completed head coaching interviews with former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
The Dolphins have several more candidates lined up this week, including Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, former Bills head coach Doug Marrone, and their own interim head coach Dan Campbell. However, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald hears that, at the start of the search, team owner Stephen Ross‘s favorite candidate is Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who is scheduled to meet with Miami on Thursday.
Having seen multiple coaches with previous head coaching experience fail in Miami over the last decade or so, Salguero is unconvinced that Gase is the right man for the job, suggesting that the Dolphins need a more seasoned NFL coach for the role. As we wait to see if the team agrees with that assessment and passes on Gase in favor of someone with more experience, let’s round up a few more Wednesday morning coaching notes…
- Speaking of Gase, the Eagles confirmed that they interviewed the Bears offensive coordinator for their head coaching position on Tuesday. Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Tuesday’s marathon meeting lasted for about eight hours.
- A year after Jack Del Rio took over as the team’s head coach, the Raiders don’t plan to make any changes to his coaching staff, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- There’s a good chance that the 49ers‘ new head coach will be a quarterback-friendly, offensive-minded candidate, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. A few of the candidates already linked to the Niners, including Sean Payton, Hue Jackson, and Mike Shanahan, definitely fit that bill.
- After firing defensive coordinator Greg Manusky on Tuesday, the Colts also parted ways with tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts and secondary coaches Mike Gillhamer and Roy Anderson, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Earlier today, we recapped the latest updates on the Giants‘ head coaching search.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eagles Rumors: HC Search, Peters, Bradford
Two current NFL head coaches, Sean Payton of the Saints and John Harbaugh of the Ravens, are atop Jeffrey Lurie‘s wish list to replace Chip Kelly in Philadelphia, writes Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News.
While the team may have a shot at Payton, there’s essentially no chance of landing Harbaugh, a former Eagles assistant. Harbaugh still has two years left on his contract, and Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk writes that, despite the Ravens’ disappointing 2015 campaign, the team has no plans to move on from its head coach.
As the Eagles consider head coaching options, here are a few more notes of interest out of Philadelphia:
- Mike Shanhan, who is interviewing for the Dolphins’ head coaching job and has interest in the 49ers’ vacancy, has also expressed interest in the Eagles’ head coaching opening, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It’s not clear yet whether that interest is mutual, or whether the Eagles will schedule an interview with Shanahan.
- Pat Shurmur‘s head coaching interview with the Eagles is taking place today, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms (via Twitter). Shurmur will be the second in-house candidate to interview for the job, with running backs coach Duce Staley having also met with the team.
- In a piece for the Inquirer, McLane examines what kind of coach the Eagles should be targeting, with veteran left tackle Jason Peters suggesting “a strong guy, somebody like Andy Reid.”
- Of course, it’s not a lock that Peters will be back with the team, but he wants to return to Philadelphia, and expressed confidence that he’s the best option at left tackle for the Eagles, as Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News details. “I can still play tackle,” Peters said. “I’m the best we’ve got. Who they going to put there? Who’s better than me in this locker room? Nobody. Who can they draft, better than me? Nobody. Who can they pick up, better than me? Nobody.”
- Sam Bradford is eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason, so he may have played his last game with the Eagles, but the quarterback’s performance on Sunday showed why the team should strongly consider bringing him back, writes Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
NFC Notes: Saints, Packers, Eagles, Panthers
With the Saints‘ season winding down, Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com revisits the September trade that sent defensive lineman Akiem Hicks to New England in exchange for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. As Woodbery writes, neither player has made a huge impact for his new team, though New Orleans has had to play Kevin Williams a little more than expected to compensate for the loss of Hicks, and the Saints’ lack of depth.
- Having landed on injured reserve on Monday, Packers wide receiver Ty Montgomery will undergo surgery on his ankle next week, agent Damarius Bilbo tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Although the rookie’s high ankle sprain – sustained in October – had healed, there’s still cartilage damage that needs to be repaired.
- The Eagles could be without their starting nose tackle as they make a run for the postseason, Derrick Gunn of CSNPhiladelphia.com reports (via Twitter) that Bennie Logan could be out for the remainder of the season. A source tells Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News that Logan will miss this weekend’s contest against Washington.
- The Panthers will have a roster exemption for defensive end Wes Horton until next Monday, tweets Howard Balzer of the SportsXchange. Horton has been reinstated from his four-game suspension, but won’t be able to return to action until Carolina places him on its 53-man roster.
Following Specific Players On PFR
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In addition to dedicating pages to players, we also maintain archives for certain specific topics. For example, all our posts relating to the city of Los Angeles can be found here, while our updates on the 2016 NFL draft are here.
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NFC Notes: Michael, Jeffery, Trattou, Cousins
The Seahawks inked running back Christine Michael to a contract earlier today, his second stint with the organization. The former second-rounder was traded prior to the season, and with all of the injuries in Seattle’s backfield, he’s hoping his second chance ends better than his first.
“I’m just here to work and give you guys all I have,” he told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “That’s all I can do. All I want to do. And I told them just like that.’’
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…
- Alshon Jeffery ranked number two in the first installment of our 2016 free agent power rankings, but he’s not the only important Bears player on an expiring deal. Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com takes a look at four more to go along with Jeffery.
- After re-signing with the Vikings, defensive end Justin Trattou admitted that he got an offer from another team during his brief time as a free agent, but turned it down because he wanted to remain in Minnesota. “I really didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Trattou said, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I’m happy where I’m at.”
- While Panthers cornerback Josh Norman is considered one of the top free-agents-to-be at any position for 2016, there are plenty of other corners who should be in line for nice deals, including Sean Smith of the Chiefs and Janoris Jenkins of the Rams. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes a closer look at the cornerback market.
- Former sports agent (and current writer for CBSSports.com) Joel Corry examined what Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ next contract will look like. Corry wonders if Cousins could receive a deal similar to the two-year, $24.5MM (worth up to $38MM) extension between the Rams and Nick Foles.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Revis, Bills, Tyrod
Let’s take a quick spin around the AFC East, with notes on three of the four clubs in the division:
- The Patriots had wide receiver DeAndre Carter in for a workout and Thursday, then took a look at wideout Eric Rogers today, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Rogers was the leading receiver for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders this season, racking up 1,448 yards and 10 touchdowns on 87 receptions.
- The Jets spent big money to bring Darrelle Revis back to the team last offseason, committing $39MM in guaranteed money to the star cornerback. However, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes, while Revis makes the team better, he looks like he’s past his peak years.
- Within his weekly column for NFL.com, Albert Breer of the NFL Network touches on a number of noteworthy topics, discussing the possibility of an extension for Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the likelihood of a DeMarco Murray trade, and the rising value of Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
Pro Football Rumors Features
Pro Football Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NFL player movement 365 days a year, but those aren’t the only updates you’ll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you’ll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here’s a rundown of a few of them:
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- Several players figure to receive contract extensions from their respective teams between now and the start of the 2016 free agent period, and we’ve identified a number of potential recipients in our Extension Candidate series, which profiles players eligible for extensions and assesses their value. As the list shows, many of the players we’ve profiled have since had their contracts extended.
- The NFL isn’t known as a trade-happy league, but by our count, an impressive 69 trades were consummated by teams in 2015, and you can find them all on our recap of 2015 NFL trades. Meanwhile, you can keep tabs on traded draft picks for 2016 with our tracker.
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- While a handful of our notable articles can be found under the “Featured Posts” section on the right sidebar, the PFR Originals archive rounds up all the original posts from our staff. Recently, we broke down 2015’s trades by the numbers and looked ahead to the 2016 salary cap situation for the Cowboys.
Extra Points: Ravens, Cutler, Gase
Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome was among NFL execs who were targeting Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin in the 2013 draft, as Mike Preston of The Baltimore Sun writes.
“They definitely brought me in on a visit,” Austin said. “I met with the GM, a great guy. He had a plan for me, that they were going to draft me. They had a plan for me, for my whereabouts when I was in Baltimore and things like that. He’s a great guy, but coach ‘Fish’ pulled the trigger on me. That’s the guy I’m rolling with now.”
The Ravens never got the opportunity to take the explosive wide receiver, who was drafted No. 8 overall by St. Louis. Drafting at No. 32, the Ravens would go on to select Florida safety Matt Elam instead.
More from around the NFL:
- Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is playing quite well as of late. In fact, he’s playing so well that it might just cost him his offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes. Bears OC Adam Gase was a hot name last offseason and his work with Cutler figures to keep his stock high again this time around. After starting the season 0-3, Cutler has led Chicago to a 4-2 record over the past six games.
- Now that the league is going to allow teams to deal compensatory picks, Nick Korte of Over The Cap wonders what kind of impact that could have going forward. Korte runs down a handful of ways that teams have been gaming the system in order to acquire more compensatory picks and wonders if the league will crack down on that now that those assets hold even more value.
- Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa told reporters, including Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, that he is turning over a new leaf following his four-game suspension. Enunwa was suspended earlier this year for his role in a domestic violence situation.
West Notes: Armstrong, Floyd, Welker
Police are looking into whether Raiders linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong illegally taunted a police dog before a game against the Steelers on Sunday, as an Associated Press report outlines. Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus says a player lifted his shirt, beat his chest and barked at the K-9 before telling a deputy to release the dog. Needless to say, the deputy did not follow Armstrong’s orders.
Taunting a police dog is a third-degree felony in Pennsylvania, so the consequences could potentially be severe for the linebacker. It’s not a concern for Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio though, who downplayed the story during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (link via FOX Sports).
“I’ve caught wind of this story. I’m going to put it in the ‘silly’ category,” Del Rio said. “I think once the facts come to light I don’t think there’s going to be much of an issue. I wouldn’t make too much of it.”
Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:
- Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd suffered a torn labrum on Monday night, a source tells Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (Twitter link). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Floyd plans to rehab the injury and “see how it goes,” with the hopes of playing through it. The 34-year-old has previously stated that 2015 will be his final season in the NFL, so it would be an unfortunate end if he had to shut it down early.
- In his latest column for Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman examines the Rams‘ decision to sign Wes Welker, and – more importantly – Welker’s decision to continue his NFL career despite possible health risks. Freeman hears from a source that Welker has “taken great care of his finances,” and is returning to action because he doesn’t want to stop playing yet, not because he needs the money.
- Linebacker Nico Johnson, who signed yesterday with the Giants’ practice squad, also had a workout this week with the Rams, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
- Wilson also passes along the names of several players who auditioned for the Seahawks this week, including tight end Cameron Clear, quarterback Jake Heaps, defensive lineman Glenn Foster, safety Jonathan Dowling, and cornerback Keon Lyn (Twitter link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.