Joe Barry, Chris Harris, Ejiro Evero On Packers’ DC Radar
The Packers will soon replace Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator, and some early candidates emerged Sunday night. Green Bay plans to interview or already has met with new Chargers defensive passing-game coordinator Joe Barry, Washington secondary coach Chris Harris and Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
Matt LaFleur has ties to two of these assistants. Barry, who served as Washington’s defensive coordinator from 2015-20, was with LaFleur in Los Angeles during the 2017 season. The Chargers just hired Barry from L.A., where he spent the past four seasons as the Rams’ linebackers coach. Barry interviewed for the Rams’ DC post last year, one Brandon Staley landed, and committed to follow Staley to the Chargers earlier this month.
Also overlapping with LaFleur in 2017, Evero has been on Sean McVay‘s staff throughout his tenure. He has served as Los Angeles’ safeties coach since McVay’s 2017 arrival. This marks his first known opportunity to interview for a defensive coordinator job. Evero leaving L.A. would continue a mass exodus of Rams coaches and staffers. The young assistant has a brief history with the Packers, having served as a quality control staffer with the franchise in 2016.
Harris was up for the Eagles’ DC position, but Nick Sirianni opted to hire ex-Colts coworker Jonathan Gannon for the post. Harris spent last season as Washington’s DBs coach. The former NFL safety spent the previous four seasons with the Chargers, working as their assistant secondary coach.
The Packers ended Pettine’s three-year DC tenure late this week. The former Browns HC declined an extension last year and saw his contract expire. He was a holdover from Mike McCarthy‘s final Green Bay staff. However LaFleur proceeds with Pettine’s replacement, his staff will now include three coordinators he hired.
Falcons Add Kyle Smith To Front Office
Kyle Smith will go from being a key lieutenant in Washington’s power structure to playing a similar role in Atlanta. The Falcons hired the young executive as its VP of player personnel.
While Smith will move from having the same job title in Washington, he will become the Falcons’ top-ranking executive behind new GM Terry Fontenot. Washington hired Martin Mayhew as GM and Marty Hurney as its executive VP earlier this month, lowering Smith’s standing in an organization that has given HC Ron Rivera considerable power. Smith, 36, will now play an integral role in Atlanta’s new regime.
Other teams were interested in Smith, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, who adds one year remained on his Washington contract. Washington did not interview Smith for its GM post, per Jhabvala, who adds Smith and Rivera were not believed to be on bad terms during their short stay together. But the team did interestingly meet with Eric Stokes, who worked under Smith as director of pro personnel in Washington’s previous front office setup.
Washington, which hired Smith in 2010, promoted him to VP of player personnel last year. The team did not hire a GM in Rivera’s first season. Well respected for his draft acumen, Smith figures to be a GM candidate in the not-too-distant future.
Eagles To Interview Chris Harris For DC Job
Nick Sirianni is moving forward with his staff search. The Eagles are set to interview Washington defensive backs coach Chris Harris for their defensive coordinator job, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The elder of the NFL’s two active Chris Harrises has worked as a head DBs coach for one season. Prior to his relocation to Washington in 2020, the former Bears defensive back was the Chargers’ assistant secondary coach for four seasons. Harris, 38, played eight NFL seasons.
Sirianni and Harris’ Chargers tenures overlapped. Prior to the Colts hiring Sirianni as their OC in 2018, he was on the Bolts’ staff with Harris from 2016-17 coaching wide receivers. Harris stuck around through the 2019 slate, overseeing Derwin James‘ versatile All-Pro season in 2018.
The Eagles are looking for a replacement for Jim Schwartz, who announced he would step away after the 2020 season. Schwartz spent the entire Doug Pederson run as Philadelphia’s DC.
A Schwartz-to-Harris switch would make for a major experience downgrade, with the previous Philly DC having coached in the NFL since 1996. But more names will soon emerge in this search — the Eagles’ first such hiring process since 2016.
Martin Mayhew To Be Washington’s GM
Jan. 22: Mayhew will indeed be the GM, and Hurney’s official title will be Executive Vice President of Football/Player Personnel, as Rapoport tweets. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network says that both men will report to head coach Ron Rivera, who is still heading football operations (Twitter link).
Jan. 21: Washington was connected to hires of both Marty Hurney and Martin Mayhew this week, with the former being expected to lead the team’s front office. This structure may not be Washington’s preferred hierarchy, however.
It could be Mayhew in line to become Washington’s GM. The former Lions GM is the candidate Washington will go with as general manager, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Mayhew, who was with the 49ers for four years, will receive a second chance in a GM post.
Washington will still hire Mayhew and Hurney, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, but the latter will be part of a Mayhew-led front office (Twitter link). The ex-Panthers GM will serve as a high-ranking Washington staffer. The Panthers fired Hurney in December, ending his second stint as their front office boss.
The Lions fired Mayhew in 2015, doing so despite the former Washington Super Bowl-winning cornerback helping Detroit to two playoff berths after the franchise sunk to the NFL’s basement during the 2000s. Mayhew spent a year with the Giants before joining John Lynch‘s 49ers staff. The 49ers promoted Mayhew to VP of player personnel in 2019 and stand to benefit from Mayhew’s Washington hire.
The NFL’s Rooney Rule changes last year will mean the team that loses a head coach or executive is entitled to third-round draft compensation. Because the Jets hired Robert Saleh, the 49ers’ third-round pick for Mayhew will come in 2023, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (subscription required). The Saleh move will provide San Francisco with third-rounders this year and next. Overall, the haul stands to be three total Round 3 picks for the 49ers, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. These selections will come at the end of the round.
Coaching Notes: Rams, WFT, Jets, Falcons, Broncos, Steelers
The Rams have found their new special teams coordinator, as the team announced that they’ve hired Joe DeCamillis. The veteran coach will be replacing John Bonamego, who’s transitioning to a senior coaching assistant role.
DeCamillis brings 32 years of NFL coaching experience, including the past four years as the Jaguars special teams coordinator. During his stint in Jacksonville, the team traditionally ranked top-10 in many special teams categories, and in 2019, DeCamillis helped guide punter Logan Cooke and kicker Josh Lambo to becoming the first teammates to lead the NFL in net punting average and field goal percentage.
Prior to working with the Jaguars, the 55-year-old spent time as special teams coordinator with the Broncos, Bears, and Cowboys, and he also spent time on the Falcons and Giants coaching staffs.
Bonamego, 57, joined the Rams last February. He spent the 2019 season as special teams coordinator of the Lions, and he was Central Michigan’s head coach between the 2015 and 2018 seasons.
Some more coaching notes from around the league…
- Jennifer King is expected to become a full-time offensive assistant on Washington‘s coaching staff, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). This makes King “the first full-time Black female coach in NFL history,” per The Athletic. The Guilford College product spent the 2020 season as a full-year coaching intern on Ron Rivera‘s staff.
- It’s looking like new Jets head coach Robert Saleh has finalized his offensive coaching staff. We previously heard about the hirings of Mike LaFleur as offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp as quarterbacks coach, John Benton as offensive line coach, and Rob Calabrese as passing game specialist. ESPN’s Rich Cimini passed along a few names we can add to the list, including wide receivers coach Miles Austin, running backs coach Taylor Embree, and tight ends coach Ron Middleton. As Cimini notes, the staff doesn’t feature a whole lot of experience, with Calabrese, Embree, and Austin serving as first-time NFL positional coaches.
- The Falcons are expected to hire Charles London as their new quarterbacks coach, reports NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). It’s a bit of an interesting hire, as London has spent the last nine years serving as a running backs coach with the Texans, Bears, and Penn State. However, the 45-year-old does have experience as an offensive assistant/quality control coach with the Titans and Bears.
- Mike Klis of 9News in Denver tweets that Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins has drawn interest “from around the league as offensive coordinator.” The 50-year-old has consistently served as an NFL running backs coach since the 2008 season, spending time with the Chiefs, Cardinals, Bills, Lions, 49ers, and Bears.
- Mike Tomlin interviewed Hank Fraley for the Steelers OL coach gig, reports Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (via Twitter). Fraley actually started his NFL career in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2000. Following a playing career that saw him appear in 142 games (mostly with the Eagles and Browns), Fraley has served as a coach at both the collegiate and professional level, including a recent stint as the Lions offensive line coach.
Washington To Hire Martin Mayhew
One of the candidates Washington considered for its general manager post will head back to the nation’s capital anyway, despite Marty Hurney set to lead the team’s front office.
Martin Mayhew agreed to terms to join Washington’s front office, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former Lions GM’s role has yet to be determined, but considering he was a high-ranking exec with the 49ers in recent years, Mayhew will soon hold a key position within the Hurney- and Ron Rivera-led power structure.
In addition to bringing nearly eight years’ worth of GM experience, Mayhew will return to the team with which he won a Super Bowl. During an eight-year playing career, Mayhew was a starting cornerback for the dominant 1991 Washington squad — amid a four-year stay in D.C. — but his executive work has occurred primarily in Detroit and San Francisco.
Taking over a franchise in tatters in 2008, Mayhew elevated the Lions back to the playoffs. Detroit returned to the postseason in Mayhew’s third full season, 2011, and was back in the playoffs in 2014 under Jim Caldwell. While the Lions fired Mayhew in 2015, the roster nucleus he put in place made the playoffs in 2016 as well. Mayhew, 55, joined the 49ers in 2017 and served as the organization’s VP of player personnel over the past two years.
Washington Previously Interviewed Eric Stokes For GM Job
George Paton was introduced as the Broncos general manager today, and the executive gave a thoughtful response when explaining how he’d help to reestablish a winning culture in Denver.
“There’ll be no shortcuts,” Paton said (via the team website). “We’re going to embrace the day-to-day [process], we’re going to embrace the grind, and we’re going to do it together. … We’re going to be progressive, we’re going to be innovative, we’re going to be forward-thinking and we’re going to use all the information at our disposal to make the best informed decisions.”
Paton also noted the importance of hitting in the draft and being innovative in their evaluation of potential acquisitions.
“Drafting and developing players will be our foundation,” Paton said. “It’s going to be the lifeblood of this football team.”
Paton joined the Broncos on a six-year deal. Under the restructured front office, Paton and head coach Vic Fangio will report to John Elway, who will have less to do with the team’s day-to-day roster decisions.
Let’s check out some more GM and coaching notes…
- Washington previously interviewed Eric Stokes for their open general manager vacancy, reports Jason La Canfora (via Twitter). The 47-year-old has been working in NFL front offices since 2002, including stints with the Seahawks, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Panthers. He joined Washington as their director of pro scouting this past summer. We learned yesterday that Washington is expected to ultimately hire former Panthers GM Marty Hurne for the position.
- Scott Linehan and Joe Cullen will interview for the Jaguars open coordinator positions this week, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). We learned of Urban Meyer‘s interest in both coaches this past weekend. Linehan, who’s candidate for the offensive coordinator gig, has had a long coaching career, including a stint as the head coach of the Rams. Cullen, a candidate for the defensive coordinator opening, has served as Baltimore’s defensive line coach since 2016. Rapoport notes that Raheem Morris was also a candidate for the defensive coordinator opening, but we’ve since learned that Morris will be taking the same role with the Rams.
- The Chargers won’t be retaining offensive line coach James Campen, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Campen spent more than a decade with the Packers, and following a one-season stint with the Browns, Campen joined the Chargers as their offensive line coach this past offseason. However, he won’t stick around, as Schefter notes that new head coach Brandon Staley will be bringing in his own OL coach.
- The Dolphins have parted ways with offensive line coach Steve Marshall and promoted Lemuel Jeanpierre to the role, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Marshall has spent more than a decade coaching in the NFL, and he joined Miami this past offseason. Jeanpierre has spent time on the Seahawks, Raiders, and Dolphins coaching staffs, serving as Miami’s assistant offensive line coach in 2020.
Alex Smith Discusses Future
Carson Wentz‘s status has fluctuated considerably over the past month and change, with the veteran quarterback having gone from starter to backup and then trade candidate to a player around whom the Eagles again want to build. The fifth-year passer’s issues with the since-fired Doug Pederson began well before the December benching, with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane noting the quarterback would randomly audible out of Pederson play calls down the stretch this season. This helped lead to Pederson benching Wentz on his own. During training camp, however, Eagles staffers saw warning signs of a potential decline, per McLane, who adds that some within the organization were concerned about passing-game coordinator Press Taylor‘s promotion. The proposition of a Pederson-Wentz-Taylor offensive power structure returning next season did not sit well with Lurie. The Eagles promoted Taylor last year but brought in Rich Scangarello and Marty Mornhinweg to help the offense as well; the latter two will not be back next season.
The Eagles are in the process of hiring Pederson’s replacement. Colts OC Nick Sirianni and Cowboys OC Kellen Moore interviewed Tuesday. Here is the latest from Philly and the other NFC East cities:
- Alex Smith said at season’s end he would take a few weeks before deciding if he wanted to play a 17th season. He is under contract through 2022. But the Washington quarterback indicated during a 60 Minutes interview (via CBSNews.com) that the 2020 comeback season “has only emboldened for me that I can, you know, play at this level.” After cutting Dwayne Haskins, Washington has Smith and Kyle Allen under contract for next season. Though, Taylor Heinicke is a restricted free agent. Washington cutting Smith — an onerous proposition in 2019 and ’20 — would save the franchise $14.7MM in cap space, however, creating a complex situation for the QB-needy team.
- Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper recently underwent ankle surgery, but Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram described it as a cleanup procedure (Twitter link). The Cowboys are not concerned about their top wideout missing much offseason time.
- On that note, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas also went under the knife recently. Last year’s No. 4 overall pick also underwent ankle surgery. Thomas played through ankle pain for much of the season, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, who adds (via Twitter) the Giants expect Thomas to be ready for their offseason program.
- The Eagles will have a new linebackers coach next season. Ken Flajole will not be back, according to Alex Marvez of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The 66-year-old assistant joined the Eagles as part of Pederson’s first staff in 2016. After spending most of the 1980s and ’90s as a college coach, Flajole has been an NFL assistant for 22 seasons.
Washington Likely To Hire Marty Hurney As GM?
It looks like Washington may be zeroing in on its new general manager. Team brass, including head coach Ron Rivera, are meeting with former Panthers GM Marty Hurney today, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapoport adds “Hurney is the top candidate to be their new GM, a hire that could be official this week,” so it sounds like this is close to being a done deal. That’s not too surprising, since Rivera and Hurney worked closely together for a while during their days with Carolina. Hurney was originally the Panthers’ GM from 2002-12, and hired Rivera in 2011. He was then fired, got brought back in 2017, and then was fired again back in December.
Rivera operated as the team’s GM for the 2020 season, and had final say on personnel decisions. It’s unclear whether he’ll retain that authority in this new arrangement, but whatever the case Rivera will certainly still have a lot of power and will report directly to ownership and not to Hurney.
We heard Hurney connected to this opening very shortly after he was fired by Panthers owner David Tepper, and it seems like he was always the top target. Washington is coming off an improbable NFC East title, and whoever the new GM is they’ll have an excellent young core on defense to work with.
Also no matter who the new GM is, they’ll need to figure out what to do at quarterback. It’s unclear if Alex Smith plans on playing beyond this season and is 36 anyway, Dwayne Haskins has been cut, and Kyle Allen doesn’t inspire much confidence as a quarterback of the future. It’ll be very interesting to see what they do this offseason.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/21
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Antonio Callaway, QB Jordan Ta’amu
New York Jets
- WR Manasseh Bailey
Philadelphia Eagles
- P Arryn Siposs, WR Khalil Tate
Seattle Seahawks
- WR John Ursua
Tennessee Titans
Washington Football Team