Report: Detroit Lions interview dates for Dan Campbell and Arthur Smith revealed

Free Press’ Dave Birkett is reporting that the Detroit Lions interview dates for Dan Campbell and Arthur Smith are set for early this week, while an interview with Todd Bowles will also happen at an undetermined time this week.

Free Press’ Dave Birkett is reporting that the Detroit Lions a few interviews dates for this week.

Dan Campbell, the current New Orleans Saints’ tight end/assistant head coach, is reportedly the first up and will be interviewing with the Lions this morning. While Arthur Smith, the Titans’ offensive coordinator, is on the schedule tomorrow. Todd Bowles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator, will also interview this week but when is currently unknown.

Campbell is a former NFL tight end, spent three seasons with the Lions in 2006-08, and began his NFL coaching career in 2010 with the Miami Dolphins. At the end of his five years as the Dolphins, Campbell was promoted to interim coach in 2015 after Joe Philben was fired, but he and the rest of the staff were let go at season’s end. The Dolphins finished the season 5-7 with Campbell holding down the fort.

Campbell joined the Saints the next season as their tight ends coach and also carried an assistant head coach (to Sean Payton) title. His name has come up over several head coaching cycles since his time in Miami but has not yet gotten an opportunity.

Smith — one of the original Top-10 coaching options presented by Lions Wire — has been with the Titans since 2011 and calls a deep shot play-action offense that would suit Matthew Stafford. With Derrick Henry at running back, the Titans currently operate with several run-first concepts but Smith has the flexibility in his scheme to adapt to the Lions personnel.

Bowles was first linked to the Lions over the weekend, and a full coaching profile on his career was written up at that time. The main points to know are, he is a former head coach with the New York Jets (2015-2018) and is currently the Buc’s defensive coordinator. As their DC, he has led the Bucs’ defense to a DVOA finish of 6th in 2019, and 5th in 2020. They were the No. 1 rushing defense in the NFL both seasons. And in 2019, the Bucs finished with the 8th most sacks in the NFL, with Shaquil Barrett leading the NFL with 19.5 sacks, while in 2020 the team finished 5th overall.

This would bring their coaching interview total to seven, as the Lions have already completed 4 interviews with head coaching candidates: Marvin Lewis, Former Bengals HC, currently an assistant at Arizona State (background), Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs’ OC (background), Darrell Bevell, Lions’ OC, and Robert Saleh, 49ers’ DC (background).

Report: Detroit Lions interview dates for Dan Campbell and Arthur Smith revealed

Free Press’ Dave Birkett is reporting that the Detroit Lions a few interviews dates for this week.

Report: Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell to interview for Lions opening

The Detroit Lions have reportedly scheduled an interview with head coach candidate Dan Campbell, the New Orleans Saints assistant head coach

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Dan Campbell has coached the New Orleans Saints tight ends for a few years while owning the assistant head coach title, and he’s now getting a chance to show what he’s learned on Sean Payton’s staff. The Detroit Lions have scheduled an interview with him for their head coach opening, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

But he’s just one member of a crowded field, and his interview is scheduled after a week of meetings between the Lions and many other deserving candidates.

Campbell was coached himself by Payton as a player with the Dallas Cowboys and in New Orleans, though he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp before the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV-winning campaign. After hanging up his cleats in retirement, Campbell later rose to prominence as the Miami Dolphins interim coach in 2015, when he led Miami to a 5-7 record after replacing fired head coach Joe Philbin.

He’s since returned to New Orleans to learn all he can as a coach, and now he has a chance at running his team. It’ll be interesting to see how much attention he commands during the NFL’s hiring cycle. While you always hate to lose valued members of the organization, it would be good to see Payton’s coaching tree continue to grow.

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Report: Detroit Lions have 4 GM and 3 coaching interviews scheduled this week

Multiple sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions are aggressively interviewing general manager and coaching candidates this week.

MMQB’s Albert Breer and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport have reported several interviews this week for the Detroit Lions general manager and coaching vacancies.

In total, the Lions reportedly will interview four general manager and three coaching candidates over the next five days, as well as two more coaching interviews set up for next week.

At a glance interview schedule

Monday	Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs’ OC (source)
Tuesday	Darrell Bevell, Lions’ OC (source)	Terry Fontenot, Saints’ Asst. GM, VP Pro personnel (source)
Wednesday	Brad Holmes, Rams’ Dir. College Scouting (source)	Geroge Paton, Vikings’ Asst. GM (source)
Thursday	Robert Saleh, 49ers’ DC (source)
Friday	Jeff Ireland, Saints’ Asst. GM, VP college scouting (source)
Next Week	Arthur Smith, Titans’ OC (source)	Dan Campbell, Saints’ Asst. Head Coach, TE coach (source)
TBD	John Schneider, Seahawks’ GM (source)

Bieniemy, Saleh, and Smith were all identified and profiled in Lions Wire’s Top-10 coaching options for the Lions, and fans should be familiar with Bevell as he was the Lions OC over the last two seasons, but this is the first time we have discussed Dan Campbell.

Campbell is a former NFL tight end, spent three seasons (2006-08) with the Lions, and began coaching in 2010 with the Miami Dolphins. After five years as their tight ends coach, he was promoted to interim coach in 2015 but was let go after the season. He joined the Saints the next season as their tight ends coach and also carried an assistant head coach (to Sean Payton) title.

Paton and Ireland were candidates identified and profiled in Lions Wire’s Top general manager candidates, we also profiled Holmes last week, then Schneider over the weekend, and while we have mentioned Fontenot in other articles, we haven’t profiled him yet.

Fontenot, like Ireland, is an assistant general manager with the Saints, but while Ireland is focused on the college scouting side of the front office, Fontenot deals with their pro personnel department. Fontenot has been with the Saints’ organization for 16 seasons, beginning his career as a scout, and overseeing the pro scouting department for the last six seasons.

Lions completed GM interviews:

3 Internal personnel: Kyle O’Brien, Lance Newmark, and Rob Lohman
Former Eagles director of pro personnel Louis Riddick
Former Texans GM Rick Smith
Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff
Former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli

Lions completed coaching interviews:

Former Bengals HC Marvin Lewis

Names the Lions are reportedly interested in but nothing set up yet

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern HC
Matt Campbell, Iowa State HC
Omar Khan, Steelers’ VP of football administration
Will McClay, Cowboys VP of player personnel
Eliot Wolf, Patriots front office consultant, who is better known for his time with the Packers front office

Report: Detroit Lions have begun initial stages of head coaching search, already interviewed Marvin Lewis

According to NFL Network, the Detroit Lions have begun the initial stages of their head coaching search and have already interviewed Marvin Lewis.

According to a joint NFL Network article written by Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo, the Detroit Lions have begun the initial stages of their head coaching search and have already interviewed former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

After 16 seasons coaching the Bengals, Lewis was let go in 2018 and is currently a co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State, working alongside former NFL coach and current Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards.

Per the report, Lewis interviewed with the Lions last Thursday and is the first of several candidates the Lions will be considering.

The Lions have put “in as many as 10 interview slips for head coaching candidates” for current NFL coordinators/coaches, and are even exploring the college ranks as well.

The NFL network made a point to mention several other candidates as well, including 49ers’ DC Robert Saleh, Chiefs’ OC Eric Bienemy, and Titans’ OC Arthur Smith as potential targets. All of which — including Lewis — were among the top-10 candidates we at Lions Wire included in our initial coaching candidates examination.

Not included in our top-10 but also mentioned in the NFL Network piece, was former Lions’ tight end and current Saints’ assistant head coach/tight ends coach Dan Campbell. After taking over as interim coach for Miami in 2015, Campbell joined the Saints and is widely considered a head coaching waiting.

Additionally, if the Lions were to pursue a college coach, in our top-10 list, we listed Iowa State coach Matt Campbell — whom both Lions Wire editors Jeff Risdon and Erik Schlitt are big fans of –, while NFL Network suggested Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald — who we also profiled in a separate piece.

Finally, the NFL Network also mentioned some general manager names that the Lions are expected to interview, including several we at Lions Wire have already profiled: Seahawks GM John Schneider, Colts’ Ed Dodds, Vikings’ George Paton, and Seahawks’ Scott Fritterer — who we identified in our GM candidates article — as well as Rams’ Director of college scouting Brad Holmes.

New names we have yet to profile include Saints’ VP of player personnel/assistant general manager Terry Fontenot, Steelers’ VP of football administration Omar Khan, Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay, and Patriots front office consultant Eliot Wolf, who is better know for his time with the Packers front office.

6 Saints coaches, staffers who should get buzz in the NFL’s next hiring cycle

The Saints could lose important members of the organization when the 2021 NFL hiring cycle kicks off, from Terry Fontenot to Dennis Allen.

Could this be the year the New Orleans Saints start to lose personnel to rival teams? With coaching staffs and front offices around the league already preparing for turnover in the offseason, it seems likely. Somehow half a dozen teams interviewed Saints assistants last year without hiring any of them away. Expect that to change as new opportunities present themselves to the people working behind the scenes in New Orleans that are hungry for more high-profile jobs in the NFL.

Others, like offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., haven’t shown as keen an interest; his interview for the Packers job last offseason was just the third time he’s seriously considered an opportunity with another team in 12 years with the Saints, having interviewed for head coaching positions with the Raiders and Bears in 2012 and 2013, respectively. It’s possible he puts his name out there again in 2021, but there appear to be other, more ambitious candidates in New Orleans. Here are six names we’ll be watching closely:

Saints trust rookie tight end Adam Trautman to step up for Jared Cook

The New Orleans Saints will lean harder on rookie draft pick Adam Trautman in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions with TE Jared Cook injured.

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The injury bug has struck the New Orleans Saints in a hurry, with starting tight end Jared Cook its latest victim. Cook exited Week 3’s loss to the Green Bay Packers with a groin muscle issue, and it’s kept him out of the team’s first two practice sessions before they hit the road for Week 4.

That’s a problem. Cook ranks second in targets (15) through three games behind Alvin Kamara (31), having converted a first down on 6 of his 9 catches. He’s also been the team’s only reliable vertical weapon, averaging 9.9 yards per target when thrown to. If he can’t play against the Detroit Lions, the Saints would have to lean on rookie tight end Adam Trautman.

But his position coach wants it known that the team trusts Trautman should it come to that. Dan Campbell appeared on WWL Radio earlier this week and expressed strong faith in Trautman’s skills, saying: “When that injury happened with Cook, I didn’t hesitate to put him into that role. I think that says a lot about that kid.”

Trautman ended up playing 32 snaps on offense against Green Bay, compared to 21 snaps for Cook and 20 for co-starter Josh Hill. While Hill has mainly made contributions as a blocker, Trautman’s collegiate success as a pass-catcher (he caught 171 passes for 2,295 yards and 31 touchdowns at Dayton) positions him to fill in well for Cook.

Campbell continued, “I think we all like the kid and where he’s going.”

It’s a small sample size to be sure, but the early returns are encouraging for Trautman. He’s caught all three passes sent his way for 34 yards, converting a pair of first downs, and he has an easier matchup than most this week against a Lions defense that hasn’t guarded tight ends well. As a team, they have given up a combined 9 receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns to a group including former Saints tight ends Jimmy Graham (with the Chicago Bears) and Dan Arnold (for the Arizona Cardinals).

On paper, it’s a matchup the Saints can win. But just how many opportunities they’ll give a rookie from a small school in his first start remains to be seen. Campbell’s confidence in Trautman suggests strong expectations.

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Expectations for all 9 Jets undrafted free agents

The Jets brought in nine undrafted free agents this offseason, all with varying degrees of expectations for 2020.

The nine players selected in Joe Douglas’ first draft as the Jets GM aren’t the only rookies who will compete for jobs this summer. Douglas and the Jets also signed nine undrafted free agents to the roster in the hope of finding young and talented players where other teams missed.

Douglas is already known as an UDFA wizard from his days with the Ravens, so he has a leg up on finding the best talent after the draft. It’s likely why he grabbed players from multiple positions of need, including outside linebacker, defensive back, offensive line and wide receiver. At the very worst, Douglas will fill out his practice squad. But at the very best, he could find a young and cheap role player at various spots on the team.

Here are the expectations for all the Jets’ undrafted free agents with training camp approaching.

EDGE Bryce Huff

The Jets need pass rush help and Huff will have a great opportunity to make an impact early. Besides Jordan Jenkins, the Jets don’t have an entrenched second outside linebacker on the roster – and this is where Huff could fill in. He’s small for his position (6-foot-1, 254 pounds) but quick on the edge and has a nose for the quarterback.

Huff won’t become a game-breaking edge rusher right off the bat but he’ll fit a nice niche in Gregg Williams’ defense from the start, which could develop into a more consistent role on the Jets. The expectations are rarely high for undrafted free agents, but Huff received the most guaranteed money of any UDFA pickup by the Jets – $90,000.

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Giants head coaching search: 15 potential candidates

The New York Giants have fired head coach Pat Shurmur, so here’s a look at 15 candidates who could replace him.

As many things change, so many stay the same — especially in East Rutherford, where the New York Giants have fired head coach Pat Shurmur and are once again on the prowl for a replacement.

The Giants now need to hire their fifth head coach since 2015 and since they got a late start, there’s a lot of ground to make up.

Here’s a look at 15 potential head coaching candidates.

Editor’s note: Having gone over several of these names previously, there’s no real reason to completely rehash everything just for the sake of doing it, so we’re going to blockquote out previous analysis and commentary, and add to it if needed.

Matt Rhule

Rhule is drawing interest from the Carolina Panthers and others, but rumors suggest he’s looking for a place where he can control personnel or he’s not leaving college. Are the Giants that team? Ehh…

Rhule has had success just about everywhere he has gone, and his time at Baylor has been no exception. With the school dealing with some very serious issues, he’s brought it back from the ashes. Not only that, Rhule has a familiarity with the Giants and team ownership, having served as their assistant offensive line coach in 2012. He’s generated head coaching interest in recent years and very nearly landed the Jets job prior to the hiring of Adam Gase.

Forgetting about his desire to control personnel, Rhule has no NFL head coaching experience to speak of, which is something the Giants may look to avoid this time around.

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