Tag: assistant head coach

Report: Cowboys expected to make Al Harris assistant head coach

From @ToddBrock24f7: Harris interviewed for the Cowboys’ DC job and was blocked from speaking with Washington; he’ll get a promotion for staying.

Most Cowboys fans feel the team has shown up embarrassingly late to the free agency party, watching almost ten players walk out the door while adding just one outsider and re-signing four of their own.

But as it turns out, the club may still be tweaking their 2024 coaching staff.

Defensive backs coach Al Harris is expected to be promoted, with an addition of assistant head coach being tacked on to his current title. That news comes courtesy of NFL insider Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, who cited a source in a Sunday night tweet.

Harris joined the Cowboys staff in 2020, reuniting with Mike McCarthy, who had coached him during his playing days in Green Bay. Harris has been a rising star within the coaching ranks, thanks in large part to blockbuster seasons from cornerbacks Trevon Diggs in 2022 and DaRon Bland in 2023.

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The 49-year-old Harris interviewed for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator role after the departure of Dan Quinn. Quinn then showed interest in possibly hiring Harris away to join his new staff in Washington, but the Cowboys blocked the Commanders’ interview request, electing instead to retain Harris as part of new DC Mike Zimmer’s staff.

Now it appears that a significant bump in title is coming Harris’s way as a show of what he means to the organization.

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Raiders to hire Marvin Lewis as assistant head coach

Raiders to hire Marvis Lewis as assistant head coach

Multiple reports out right now are saying Antonio Pierce will be naming longtime former NFL head coach Marvin Lewis is assistant head coach.

On the same day the news broke that the Raiders are expected to name former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury their offensive coordinator, they have landed another former head coach for Pierce’s staff.

The 65-year-old Lewis spent 16 years (!) as the head coach of the Bengals, his last season being in 2018. He had a career winning record of 131-122 in Cincinnati.

Prior to that he was a defensive coordinator in Baltimore for six years an Washington for one year.

Ten times in his career as either a DC or a head coach his team had a defense ranked in the top ten. He was an advisor for the Raiders late last season when they had the league’s best defense over the final nine games.

Broncos coach Sean Payton considers Mike Westhoff a Hall of Fame coordinator

Mike Westhoff is “a Hall-of-Fame-type coordinator,” according to Broncos coach Sean Payton.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton hired Mike Westhoff last month to serve as the team’s assistant head coach, with an emphasis on special teams.

Westhoff has served as a special teams coach with four other teams in the NFL, but the Broncos have Ben Kotwica set to serve as their special teams coordinator this year. The 75-year-old Westhoff will be available as a resource, not just on special teams but across the board in Denver.

“I consider him one of the best coaches that I have been around,” Payton said on Feb. 28. “I can remember introducing him to our team [when he was hired by the New Orleans Saints]. If not all of you, but some of you have covered this league long enough that would remember him — if you didn’t, you can’t vote, but if you did, I’ll let you vote — but he would be someone that would be right up there at the top, from a coordinator standpoint. A Hall-of-Fame-type coordinator. He’s got a unique personality.

“He’s a great teacher and he thinks outside of the box. I like those traits. For him, he’s fishing on the gulf coast of Florida, and I give him a call. It’s the same call I gave him a few years ago. ‘I wouldn’t do this for everybody, but all right. When does it start?’ He enjoys coaching and it will bring — for me, I always enjoy the veteran teachers. The guys that I consider to be real special. He will serve in a number of roles as we put in not only our special teams, but we put in our program. I think he’s got a great background, and he’s a great teacher.”

The Broncos’ special teams units have ranked near the bottom of the NFL in recent seasons. The arrivals of Kotwica and Westhoff should help fix that.

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Roll Horns? Texas adds top Alabama assistant, recruiter to coaching staff

Steve Sarkisian has made the biggest move during his stint as the Texas head coach. Jeff Banks will be heading to Austin to join his staff.

Steve Sarkisian has made the biggest move during his short stint as the Texas head coach.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports, Jeff Banks will head to Austin to join Sarkisian’s staff. He will serve in multiple roles as the assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.

More importantly, Banks is one of the best recruiters in the country. He has very strong ties to the state of Texas, dating to his time working at Texas A&M. According to 247Sports, Banks is responsible for landing 12 top 200 blue-chip prospects, including three five-stars.

Banks is the latest coach from the Alabama staff to move to Texas. Former Crimson Tide offensive line coach Kyle Flood will keep the same position with the Longhorns while adding the offensive coordinator title.

This is the type of hire that will take Texas’ recruiting to another level. Banks was one of the key contributors to Alabama’s 2021 class, which has the chance to become one of the best ever. He, Flood and Sarkisian working together will bring the same pedigree to Austin as they did in Tuscaloosa.

A name to watch with Banks moving to Texas is Camar Wheaton. The five-star running back committed to Alabama after early signing day but has not signed his letter of intent. Banks was the lead recruiter for Wheaton and will look to flip him to the Longhorns.

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