Tag: Coaching Hires

Would the Commanders trade for their next head coach?

Would Josh Harris make a trade for his next head coach? If so, one NFL insider believes there are only two worth trading for.

There is no question Commanders head coach Ron Rivera will not be back in 2024.

Rivera visibly was beginning to be irritable and concerned following the second New York Giants game. The reality was setting in on Rivera; it really was not going to work out for him in Washington.

After the Dallas game, Rivera fired two defensive coaches, including his defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio.

Now the talk and speculation have turned to who will be the next Commanders head coach in Washington.

JP Finlay of 106.7 The Fan heard the name, the legendary Bill Belichick, Finlay did some investigation. He asked around with some of his contacts in the NFL.

Finlay says he was told Bill Belichick is not coming to Washington in 2024. The rumor mill was simply fake news.

In addition, Finlay has tweeted (posted on X, formerly Twitter) that it was expressed to him that Belichick was not worth trading to Washington. It wasn’t that Belichick can’t still coach; what Finlay was actually told by one NFL “dude” is that he felt there were only two NFL coaches worth trading for.

Former Washington assistant coach and offensive coordinator Sean McVay is one name expressed to Finlay. It is hard to believe that McVay is still only age 37.

McVay coached the Washington tight ends from 2010-13 before he was promoted to be Jay Gruden’s offensive coordinator for three seasons (2014-2016) before being hired by the Rams in the 2017 offseason.

The only other name communicated to Finlay worth trading for is current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin (age 51) first coached in the NFL as part of Tony Dungy’s Tampa Bay staff in 2001. He then coached for Jon Gruden in Tampa (2002-05), and Brad Childress in Minnesota (2006).

Tomlin became and NFL head coach in 2007 at age 35 for the Pittsburgh Steelers and has remained there since.

Is the Commanders next offensive line coach already on staff?

The Commanders likely already have a replacement in mind.

The Washington Commanders made a surprising move Tuesday, parting ways with offensive line coach John Matsko. Matsko, who some believed had been considering retirement, was recently at the NFL combine, leading meetings with offensive line prospects.

Coaching changes are usually made after the season but before free agency, so the timing was a bit of a surprise. Matsko had been with head coach Ron Rivera since 2011 and was his offensive line coach for all 12 of Rivera’s seasons as a head coach.

The most logical reason for the change is new offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy wants his own guy. Bieniemy will run a different offense than Scott Turner and wants someone who aligns with his offensive vision.

What if his own guy is already on Washington’s staff?

No, we aren’t talking about assistant offensive line coach Travelle Wharton. While Wharton is undoubtedly qualified for a promotion, he played and coached under Matsko. But Washington did send him to the Senior Bowl to coach one of the team’s offensive lines.

Wharton will likely remain on staff, but in what role?

The most intriguing name on the staff is tight ends coach Juan Castillo. Castillo made his name as an offensive line coach under Andy Reid. The 63-year-old Castillo joined Washington’s staff last offseason replacing Pete Hoener, who retired.

Castillo joined the NFL in 1995 as an offensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent two years in that role before he was promoted to tight ends coach in 1997. In 1998, Castillo was named offensive line coach, a position he held for the next 13 seasons. He was the offensive line coach before Philadelphia hired Reid in 1999, who retained him.

A look back at Castillo’s tenure with the Eagles and he coached some outstanding offensive linemen. We noted last year how Rivera was on Reid’s staff at the same time as Castillo. In 1999, Bieniemy spent his final NFL season with the Eagles.

In addition to his time with the Eagles, Castillo has also been an offensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears. He understands the type of offense Bieniemy wants to run.

Bieniemy could always be looking to bring in someone from the outside, but Castillo makes sense. Don’t discount Wharton, either. Washington is high on Wharton’s future as a coach.

Regardless, don’t expect the Commanders to let this drag out too long. A plan is likely already in place, and we should know more in the coming days.

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Commanders hire Bobby Engram as new wide receivers coach

The Commanders also added two others to the coaching staff.

The Washington Commanders finally hired a new wide receivers coach. The team announced Wednesday it had hired former NFL wide receiver Bobby Engram as the new wide receivers coach.

The 50-year-old Engram played 14 NFL seasons between three teams [Bears, Seahawks & Chiefs] after a standout career at Penn State. Engram was a second-round pick in the 1996 NFL draft and finished his pro career with 650 receptions for 7,751 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Engram began his coaching career in 2011 with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2012, he was named wide receivers coach at the University of Pittsburgh, where he stayed for two seasons. Engram returned to the NFL in 2014 as the wide receivers coach for the Baltimore Ravens. He held that role for five seasons, and in 2019, Engram moved to tight ends coach. He was in that position for the next three years and departed Baltimore after the 2021 season.

Engram was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Wisconsin last year. However, the Badgers made a coaching change, and Engram was a free agent. He interviewed with Washington last week.

Engram isn’t the only newcomer to Washington’s staff.

The Commanders hired Shane Toub as an offensive quality control coach and Reggie Howard as a defensive quality control assistant. Toub is the son of Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, who worked with new Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for years. Howard was a co-defensive coordinator at Campbell last season and spent parts of seven seasons in the NFL as a player. This is his first NFL coaching job.

Toub worked as a quality control coach with the Bears and spent the 2022. season at Kansas.

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Tavita Pritchard interviews with Commanders for role on Eric Bieniemy’s staff

Pritchard is a former college quarterback and has coached at Stanford since 2010.

Eric Bieniemy’s offensive coaching staff with the Washington Commanders could be coming into focus.

A pair of coaches met with the Commanders in Ashburn Wednesday. Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis, who coached with Bieniemy on Kansas City’s staff over the previous six seasons, interviewed for a role on Bieniemy’s new staff.

Also in town was Stanford quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard. Pritchard is best remembered as Stanford’s starting quarterback before Andrew Luck.

After his playing career ended, Pritchard jumped into the coaching world, spending the past 13 seasons in different roles on Stanford’s staff. Most recently, Pritchard was Stanford’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach over the last five seasons and has coached quarterbacks since 2014.

After David Shaw stepped down as Stanford’s coach in November, new head coach Troy Taylor retained Pritchard as quarterbacks coach

If Washington hires Pritchard, it would presumably be as quarterbacks coach. Ken Zampese, who interviewed for the offensive coordinator position, currently holds that title. According to Jeremy Fowler, who first reported the news, the Commanders could retain Zampese in a different role. Zampese is said to have a strong rapport with Washington quarterback Sam Howell.

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Talks between Eric Bieniemy and Commanders went well, will continue Friday

Things appear to be trending in the right direction for Washington and Eric Bieniemy.

The long-awaited interview between the Washington Commanders and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy finally occurred on Thursday. Bieniemy, fresh off his second Super Bowl win as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs in four years, arrived in the Washington area Wednesday.

Bieniemy had dinner with head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew on Wednesday, with the formal interview scheduled for Thursday.

After interviewing throughout the day, no agreement was reached, but according to multiple outlets, things went well, and the two sides will meet again on Friday.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN indicated that mutual interest remains, and Friday’s meeting would focus on “philosophy, structure, staffing.”

Things sure seem to be trending in the right direction for Bieniemy to become Washington’s next offensive coordinator, but until Bieniemy signs, everything remains in play.

Bieniemy has long been considered Washington’s top choice, but if things fall through, Greg Roman, Pat Shurmur and Ken Zampese remain in play.

 

Chris Harris officially departs the Commanders

It’ll be the Titans or Texans for Chris Harris.

Chris Harris spent the past three seasons as the defensive backs coach for the Washington Commanders. Last month, Harris departed the Commanders to take a role with the Tennessee Titans as their new passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach.

Or did he?

Harris never officially left Washington, as he held a firm offer from the Titans he planned on taking if he didn’t land a defensive coordinator position elsewhere. Harris also interviewed with the Chicago Bears for secondary coach/passing game coordinator and with the 49ers for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

In addition, Harris interviewed with the Houston Texans and new head coach Demeco Ryans for their defensive coordinator position. If Harris doesn’t land that job, he will start with the Titans immediately.

So it sounds like the Titans are in limbo at the moment.

Washington has yet to announce a replacement for Harris, but that move is expected to come from within the staff. Assistant defensive backs coach Richard Rodgers, assistant defensive backs/nickel Brent Vieselmeyer and defensive quality control assistant Cristian Garcia could all be in line for a promotion. Vieselmeyer and Garcia were spotted on the field with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio at the Senior Bowl last week.

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Cowboys OC Kellen Moore passed over by Panthers; Carolina hires HC

Moore reportedly “really, really stood out in his interviews,” but Frank Reich’s hiring paves the way for the OC’s return to Dallas. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore isn’t going anywhere. Well, he’s not going to Carolina. Or, more accurately, he’s not going to Carolina to be their next head coach.

The Panthers have chosen Frank Reich as their next head coach, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The former Colts coach was let go by Indianapolis earlier this season after guiding the team to a 3-5-1 start.

Moore had been the last of the candidates to interview for the position. And after his Tuesday visit turned into a two-day meeting with the Panthers front office, many took that to mean that the 34-year-old might be a leading prospect for the job.

Rapoport confirmed via Twitter that Moore “really, really stood out in his interviews” and that he “made this a very tough decision” for Panthers brass. But in the end, Carolina owner David Tepper opted to stick with someone who had previous head coaching experience.

The Carolina job was the only one that Moore has interviewed for so far this offseason, but after talks last year with the Vikings and Dolphins reportedly went well (Moore also interviewed with Philadelphia the year prior), it’s thought that the ex-Boise State quarterback will remain a name to watch as the coaching carousel continues to turn.

His place in Dallas could also be something to monitor. The Cowboys parted ways with six assistants on Wednesday, including offensive line coach Joe Philbin, running backs coach Skip Peete, and assistant head coach Rob Davis, among others. Whether the staff shakeup in Dallas is done or what those moves could mean for those who are staying remains to be seen.

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Ranking the 9 biggest Saints additions this offseason

Ranking the 9 biggest New Orleans Saints additions during the NFL offseason, via @DillySanders:

The New Orleans Saints decided to continue their quest of a Super Bowl with this roster by bolstering their talent pool and even using future draft picks to do so.

Some surprise retirements made that job much harder than some expected, also some other key losses made new requirements for New Orleans to fill.

The Saints have done almost everything on the offseason checklist through bringing in key veterans, drafting to fill needs, and hiring good positional coaches. Here are the top nine additions the Saints made this offseason:

Ed Orgeron’s son, Parker joins the Louisiana-Lafayette coaching staff

Parker Orgeron is heading down the road to Lafayette.

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Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s son, Parker Orgeron, has joined head coach Michael Desormeaux’s staff at Louisiana-Lafayette as an offensive analyst per this report.

Parker played wide receiver for McNeese for three seasons (2016-2018), but concussions sidelined his college career as an athlete. So he followed the footsteps of his father, Ed, and became a coach.

His coaching career began as a McNeese student assistant in 2019 and he has been a player development intern at LSU since September 2020. At ULL, Parker Orgeron will work under new Cajuns associate head coach Jorge Munoz.

Munoz was hired by Desormeaux after Cajuns head coach, Billy Napier, left for Gainsville. Munoz spent 10 seasons at ULL from 2008 to 2016. He worked as a pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 2008 to 2010, receivers coach from 2011 to 2015, and again in 2017. In 2016, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Napier let him go after 2017 and he spent the next two years working in the Bayou under the tutelage of Ed Orgeron. He was an offensive analyst for LSU during the 2019 National Championship season. Munoz left LSU after 2019 to be a receivers coach at Baylor under former LSU defensive coordinator, Dave Aranda, but he was fired along with offensive coordinator, Larry Fedora after the 2020 season.

He returned to LSU in 2021 as an Offensive Analyst where Parker was working his second season as an LSU intern. The rest, as they say, is history. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished the 2021 season 13-1. They were the Champions of the Sun Belt and winners of the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Could the LSU head coach hire get them back into the Arch Manning hunt?

LSU is not in the hunt for Arch Manning, but could the next head coach find a way in?

There isn’t a bigger name in the college football recruiting landscape in 2023 than Arch Manning. The Louisiana native has the attention of every major football program in the country. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns seem to be the top three.

That isn’t stopping Lane Kiffin from calling an all-out blitz to bring the family scion to Oxford where his grandfather and uncle both have their number retired. In the state of Louisiana, most of the top athletes seem to find their way to Baton Rouge. While LSU seemed to be in the hunt early, the talk of the Tigers landing the five-star quarterback has fallen off a cliff.

Can the LSU Tigers find a way back in?

To do that, it will likely mean a name head coach known for getting quarterbacks to the NFL. Three names associated with the opening in Baton Rouge would make sense.

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