Category: 2021 season

Eagles go different direction at HC: Moore, Fassel to stay with Cowboys

The Cowboys had to sweat it out a bit, but they will still have their OC and ST coordinator in tow for the 2021 season.

There was a possibility, albeit remote, that the Dallas Cowboys were going to be replacing three of the four major decision makers under head coach Mike McCarthy. With Dan Quinn taking over for Mike Nolan after one year of ineptitude, the defense assuredly was going to be led differently. The unfortunate passing of Markus Paul during the season led to the interim title of strength and conditioning coach to be lifted and Harold Nash, Jr. was given the job outright on Wednesday.

However both offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, he of a new three-year contract, and special teams coach John Fassel were under consideration to be poached by division rival Philadelphia. Moore interviewed earlier in the week and Fassel was said to be of interest. However the Eagles have settled on their replacement for the fired Doug Pederson and their choice is Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni.

Sirianni’s primary job will be to resurrect the career of quarterback Carson Wentz, who went from a huge contract extension in 2019 to being one of the league’s worst signal callers in 2020. That’s likely one of the reasons why Moore was of interest to Philly brass, for his work with Wentz’ draft-class mate Dak Prescott.

Prescott now gets to continue to work within Moore’s offense. The two have been together in some capacity since Prescott’s rookie season. Moore was a backup quarterback whose injury opened the door for Prescott to fill in for Tony Romo when the franchise QB suffered a broken back in the preseason. Prescott started every regular season game since until he incurred a compound fracture in his leg in Week 5.

Following being a backup to Prescott in 2017, Moore ascended to be his QB coach in 2018 and has been the offensive coordinator and play caller the last two seasons; one final year under Jason Garrett and this most recent season under McCarthy.

McCarthy brought Fassel over to coach the downtrodden special teams’ unit after being let go from the Los Angeles Rams and improved Dallas’ crew from the bottom of the league to No. 11 this past season.

With only Houston remaining as a head coaching vacancy, outside of one of their position coaches being tapped for a coordinator role with the Texans, it is now likely that additional disruptions to the coaching staff for the Cowboys is off the table.

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Cowboys News: Rolling over but not playing dead, Quinn’s base defense, new QB/President combo

Also, the Cowboys connection to Philip Rivers on his retirement, grading the Dallas cornerbacks, and searching for the bright spots of 2020.

The coaching carousel keeps spinning around the league, as Kellen Moore has had his chat with the Eagles brass and Cowboys Nation waits to hear what happened. In Dallas, the club has found its defensive line coach, bringing another of Dan Quinn’s former pupils onto the payroll.

In other news, we’re looking for bright spots in the 2020 season, breaking down the Xs and Os of Quinn’s preferred defensive scheme, sizing up the Cowboys cornerbacks about to hit free agency and talking cap space. There’s also big question marks all of a sudden regarding the draft given that there will be no scouting combine; how will that affect the Cowboys’ big board? With news of Philip Rivers retiring, we’ve also got a Cowboys connection to the prolific passer… as well as how the greatest quarterback in Dallas history is now part of the same trivia answer as newly-inaugurated US president Joe Biden. News and Notes, coming right up.

See how much salary cap space the Bears rolled over to 2021

One of the biggest challenges of the offseason will be a decreased salary cap. The Bears are rolling over roughly $7 million to 2021.

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One of the biggest challenges of this 2021 offseason will be navigating what’s sure to be a precarious salary cap situation  for all teams, especially the Chicago Bears.

Following a COVID-19 season, the salary cap is expected to decrease by as much as $22 million to around $175 million. According to reports, it might actually be $180 million, which isn’t idea but is certainly better than previously believed. That still puts general manager Ryan Pace in a tough place with a slew of roster spots to full and not a whole lot of cap space to do it.

Something that should help a little is the Bears will also roll over $7,042,995 to the 2021 season, which brings their cap space total to roughly $10.5 million, according to Spotrac.

It’s always a challenge when it comes to the salary cap, but it’s going to be made even more difficult with the cap decreasing. Which means Pace is going to have to get creative with making some changes in regards to cutting players and restructuring contracts, especially given the Bears have plenty of vacant positions to fill this offseason. The Bears currently have 30 players set to hit the free-agent market.

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Mo Linguist leaves Cowboys staff for role at Michigan

Former Cowboys secondary coach Maurice Linguist is headed to the University of Michigan to coach the cornerbacks amongst other roles.

The coaching staff shuffle continues for the Dallas Cowboys on the defensive side of the ball. While the hiring of Dan Quinn to run the defense was the biggest notable splash, bringing Joe Whitt, Jr. to coach the secondary was just as important of an acquisition. The hiring of Whitt effectively meant the replacement of Maurice “Mo” Linguist.

Linguist is now set to join Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff at the University of Michigan. Linguist will join the Wolverines as a co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.

 

Linguist, 36, only spent one year in Dallas as their secondary coach alongside Al Harris where it gradually improved over the course of a 16-game season. The Cowboys had 10 interceptions in 2020. It was his first year working in the professional ranks after coming over from Texas A&M where he worked with the cornerbacks group. He also coached at Minnesota, Mississippi State and Iowa State among other stops.

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Report: Cowboys’ Moore not alone, Eagles eye ST coach Fassel as well

John Fassel is the latest name to pop up on the Philadelphia Eagles head coaching radar.

The affection from the Philadelphia Eagles for members of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff continues. According to an NFL source, Philadelphia is interested in interviewing Cowboys special teams coach John “Bones” Fassel.

Fassel came onto the Cowboys staff as a Mike McCarthy hire in 2020. His coaching experience began in 2005 as assistant special teams coach for the Baltimore Ravens. After three years  in Baltimore, Fassel spent four years as the ST coordinator with the Oakland raiders. He was then hired by the St. Louis Rams, where he worked under head coach Jeff Fisher. Fassel was promoted to interim head coach after Fisher’s firing in 2016 (now as the Los Angeles Rams), but the following year resumed his role as special teams coordinator under the new coaching regime with Sean McVay.

Despite the club’s 6-10 record, Fassel’s special teams unit ranked No. 11 in the NFL. This was a massive jump from 2019 where the Cowboys ranked No. 31.

Fassel is highly respected amongst the Cowboys players and would be another hole to fill on the coaching staff if he is hired by Philadelphia.

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Report: Bears DL coach Jay Rodgers expected to depart for Chargers

With the Bears in the midst of a search for a new defensive coordinator, they’ll also be in the hunt for a new defensive line coach.

With the Chicago Bears in the midst of a search for a new defensive coordinator to replace a retired Chuck Pagano, it sounds like they’ll also be in the hunt for a new defensive line coach.

According to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, defensive line coach Jay Rodgers is expected to reunite with former Bears outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley, who was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Biggs didn’t specify the specific role, but it could be defensive coordinator.

Rodgers has overseen some impressive defensive line units and has been integral in the development of the likes of Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris and Nick Williams, among others.

It was previously reported that passing game coordinator Dave Ragone could be headed to the Atlanta Falcons, where he’s a favorite to land the offensive coordinator role under new head coach Arthur Smith.

Also according to Biggs, Bears running backs coach Charles London could also be headed to the Falcons.

The Bears are currently searching for a defensive coordinator to succeed Pagano, and they’ve already conducted some interviews. According to The Athletic, Chicago has interviewed former Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher, Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon and Bears legend Mike Singletary for defensive coordinator this week.

Rodgers, along with safeties coach Sean Desai, was once thought to be a favorite in-house candidate to land the defensive coordinator position, but that doesn’t sound likely now.

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Cowboys elevate new strength and conditioning coach from interim role

Harold Nash, Jr. assumed the role midseason, taking over after the passing of Markus Paul. Now Nash will officially have the job in 2021.

Harold Nash, Jr. had the unenviable task of taking over the Cowboys’ strength and conditioning program following the untimely passing of Markus Paul in midseason.

Now he’ll have the job officially as the team prepares for the 2021 season. According to the club’s website on Wednesday, the team is expected to elevate Nash as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

Nash, 50, has 16 years of NFL experience under his belt, all of it as an S&C coach. He spent six years in an assistant role in New England on the staff of famed former Cowboys strength coach Mike Woicik. In 2011, after Woicik left the Patriots to return to Dallas, New England promoted Nash to their head position for the next five seasons. Nash won a Super Bowl during his tenure in Foxborough. He then went to Detroit in the same role from 2016 to 2018. He was fired by the Lions following the 2019 season.

Prior to coaching, Nash was a three-time All-Star in the Canadian Football League. He played defensive back for four CFL teams from 1994 to 2004.

Nash looks to be a popular fixture at The Star this offseason as he works with Cowboys athletic trainers to rehab several key injuries from last year. Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Blake Jarwin, and Trysten Hill are among the players who had surgeries during the 2020 campaign. Several more- including Amari Cooper, Jaylon Smith, and Tyrone Crawford- have undergone procedures since the season ended.

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Report: Bears interviewed Mike Singletary for defensive coordinator position

According to The Athletic, Chicago interviewed former defensive legend Mike Singletary for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

The Chicago Bears are on the hunt for their next defensive coordinator following Chuck Pagano’s retirement, and there have been several intriguing candidates. But none more intriguing than a former Super Bowl champion that knows a thing or two about great defenses.

Chicago has interviewed Bears legend Mike Singletary for their defensive coordinator vacancy, according to The Athletic’s Adam Jahns.

Singletary played his entire 11-year career with the Bears from 1981-92. Singletary hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016, when he served as a defensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams.

Singletary first got his coaching start as linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens before  spent several years in San Francisco, where he served as assistant head coach and linebackers coach with the 49ers from 2005-08. Singletary also served as San Francisco’s interim head coach in 2008 before being promoted to head coach from 2009-10.

Then in 2011, Singletary reunited with former teammate Leslie Frazier in Minnesota, where he served as his special assistant and coached the linebackers from 2011-13.

According to Jahns, the Bears interviewed Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday and James Bettcher on Monday for the defensive coordinator vacancy.

It’s also reported that defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai are the favorite in-house candidates to succeed Pagano as defensive coordinator.

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Gary Brown, former Cowboys RB coach, to interview with Bengals

Gary Brown was the Cowboys running backncoach from 2013-2019. Now, he’s ser to interview with the Cleveland Browns for the same position.

The Dallas Cowboys have been busy putting together their coaching staff for the 2021 season. They fired Mike Nolan after a historically bad defense and also parted ways with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. However, they filled those positions with the hiring of Dan Quinn and Aden Durde, while also adding Joe Whitt, Jr as their new secondary coach.

With current OC Kellen Moore recently interviewing for at least one head coach job, a former team member of the offensive coaching staff  is also making some waves. Gary Brown, who was the running backs coach from 2013 to 2019, is set to interview with the Cincinnati Bengals next week for the same position.

Brown isn’t a stranger to the AFC North. He was the Cleveland Browns running coach from 2009 to 2012. Once he landed in Dallas, he became a trusted figure of Ezekiel Elliott and guided him to two rushing titles in his first three seasons. Before Elliott, he got back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons out of DeMarco Murray which included him setting the single-season record for rushing yards with 1,845 in 2014.

He took the 2020 season off to treat a malignant tumor near the bile duct and head of his pancreas. Now healthy, he’s looking to resume his coaching career.

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Cowboys initially carry over $25 million of unspent cap space into 2021

The Dallas Cowboys have always been a team that spent all the way right up to the salary cap, leaving no stone unturned. When the rules of the NFL changed in recent years, allowed organizations to rollover unspent cap space to the next season, …

The Dallas Cowboys have always been a team that spent all the way right up to the salary cap, leaving no stone unturned. When the rules of the NFL changed in recent years, allowed organizations to rollover unspent cap space to the next season, Dallas has taken advantage of that, but still remained one of the top spenders. They haven’t used it to buy high-priced free agents, but they’ve still spent to try and maximize their roster in the way they saw as best.

But in 2020, with a raging pandemic and a gigantic decrease in the usually always-exploding cap for the next season, Dallas was cautious in their spending. With a quarterback situation up in the air and a large sum of money already committed to a group of star players, the Cowboys didn’t open their wallets the way they had in the past, and therefore are rolling over a sizable amount of unused cap space into 2021. Dallas will take the third-highest amount with them in the league, $25.4 million.

This figure will be adjusted once incentive clauses (likely to be earned, not likely to be earned) from 2020 contracts are calculated.

The 2021 cap amount has not yet been decided. Last year, the league negotiated with the NFLPA that, in anticipation of lost money from having no or limited fans attending games, that they needed to set a floor for how low the cap could go, as it’s based on a percentage of revenue. That number was set at $175 million. The 2020 cap was over $198 million and the 2021 cap was projected to be at least $210 million.

In recent months, a number of $195 million has been floated as a potential landing spot for 2021 as the league added two extra playoff games this year and will add a 17th regular season game for all 32 clubs in 2021.

For Dallas, the rolled over cap space is earmarked on potentially having to place a second-consecutive franchise tag on QB Dak Prescott. Salary cap website Over the Cap has Dallas’ projected cap number for 2021 at $174 million already, and that’s without Prescott on the ledger. A second tag will take up $37.7 million of space.

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