Tag: george edwards

Bucs assistant coach rumored as candidate to join Saints staff

It is now rumored that another Bucs assistant coach may be rumored to be leaving the staff if he can secure a job with a division rival. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a busy offseason when it comes to addressing needs and changes within their coaching staff. It started with Liam Coen leaving to become the Jaguars head coach, and from there, they have lost several assistants.

It is now rumored that another Bucs assistant coach may be rumored to be leaving the staff if he can secure a job with a division rival.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the potential hiring of George Edwards to the Saints during Super Bowl Week. The team is expected to hire Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their head coach following Super Bowl 59.

The NFL Insider writes, “Two names I’ve heard as possibilities at defensive coordinator are 49ers assistant coach Brandon Staley and Buccaneers outside linebackers coach George Edwards. Both have history with Moore — Staley hired Moore as his offensive coordinator with the Chargers in 2023, and Moore overlapped with Edwards in Dallas.”

With the connection between the two, it makes sense that Edwards may find himself in a position for a promotion. If he does leave, Bowles has become well-versed in bringing on new, promising talent to his coaching staff over the years.

Options emerge as DC for Kellen Moore if he becomes Saints head coach

ESPN reports there are two candidates emerging as options for defensive coordinator on Kellen Moore’s New Orleans Saints staff — assuming he takes the job:

The New Orleans Saints have cleared house on their coaching staff, as they now have vacancies at most of the major positions. One of the ones that most recently opened up was at defensive coordinator, as Joe Woods has left for the Las Vegas Raiders to join Pete Carroll’s staff.

The likely scenario here is that the Saints have chosen to let many of their coaches seek out other positions, laterally or otherwise, to allow whoever their new head coach may be to select their own staff altogether. Given Kellen Moore is the frontrunner for the position as of now, he has received much speculation when it comes to adding further staff behind him.

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there are two candidates who are seen as likely fits for the defensive coordinator spot: “Two names I’ve heard as possibilities at defensive coordinator are 49ers assistant coach Brandon Staley and Buccaneers outside linebackers coach George Edwards. Both have history with Moore — Staley hired Moore as his offensive coordinator with the Chargers in 2023, and Moore overlapped with Edwards in Dallas.”

Fowler also notes Matt Eberflus and Klayton Adams as options that could have come to fruition if not already hired by the Cowboys. Staley has been one of the names thrown around for a little while now given the direct connection, however Edwards is somewhat of a new addition to the group. He has extensive experience in the league including three stints as a defensive coordinator previously, so he could very well be in the running here as well.

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Bucs OLB coach George Edwards talks Randy Gregory, Chris Braswell and more

Hear what Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebackers coach George Edwards had to say about his new offseason additions

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had some turnover in their outside linebacker group this offseason, saying goodbye to a veteran leader, while welcoming multiple new faces to the room.

Shaq Barrett was released for salary cap reasons, but Randy Gregory was signed in free agency to fill the need for experience and leadership at an otherwise young position on Tampa Bay’s roster. The Bucs then spent their second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Alabama’s Chris Braswell.

Bucs outside linebackers coach George Johnson recently met with the media to discuss what Gregory brings to the table, how Braswell can make an instant impact, and much more:

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Report: Bucs hire Cowboys’ George Edwards as OLBs coach

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making a new addition to their coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to reload their coaching staff in preparation for the 2023 season, adding another assistant Tuesday, but on the defensive side of the ball.

George Edwards is joining the Bucs as their new outside linebackers coach, per Fox Sports’ Greg Auman.

Edwards spent time with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles with both the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, and spent the last three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, as Auman points out.

The Bucs are also adding another assistant from last year’s Cowboys staff, as running backs coach Skip Peete will be taking the same position in Tampa Bay.

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Cowboys let go of former Washington defensive coordinator

Remember George Edwards?

Five Dallas Cowboys assistants were informed Thursday the Cowboys are no longer interested in their services, one of which used to coach for the Redskins.

The contracts of all five assistant coaches were expiring, so basically, the Cowboys were informing them they would not renew their contracts for the upcoming 2023 NFL season.

The five Dallas coaches now out of a job are defensive line coach Leon Lett, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, assistant head coach Rob Davis, running backs coach Skip Peete and linebackers coach George Edwards.

Washington fans may remember Edwards. When Dan Snyder fired Marty Schottenheimer after winning 8 of their final 11 games to finish 8-8 in 2001, Snyder hired Steve Spurrier from Florida, making him the NFL’s highest-paid head coach.

Marvin Lewis became the defensive coordinator, and Edwards became the linebackers coach/assistant defensive coordinator. It was a first for Edwards, who had previously coached linebackers and defensive linemen in other coaching locations.

Washington went 7-9 that 2002 season, Lewis departed to Cincinnati, becoming the Bengals head coach, and Edwards was promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2003 season. However, Washington went 5-11 (“not very good”), Spurrier resigned, and Edwards went to Cleveland to coach the linebackers.

Life for NFL coaches’ families can be extremely difficult. A coach must travel multiple times out of state during the season, while there are long hours with no days off during the regular season for coaching staffs.

The most difficult aspect may actually be the emotional instability of knowing you are most likely not going to be in any one location for a long time. For Edwards (age 56), the Cowboys were his 12th employer since he began coaching as an assistant at the University of Florida in 1991 on the Steve Spurrier staff.

Following the Florida Gators, Edwards has also coached for Appalachian State, Duke, Georgia, the Cowboys, Redskins, Browns, Dolphins, Bills, Dolphins, Vikings, Cowboys.

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Report: Duke eyeing Cowboys assistant coach for head coaching vacancy

Sr. defensive assistant George Edwards has been on NFL sidelines for 24 years, but is now being considered to take over at his alma mater. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans already know that coordinators Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn will garner significant interest this coming offseason from other teams looking to make a change at head coach. But another Dallas staffer has now reportedly emerged as a candidate within the college ranks.

Senior defensive assistant George Edwards, who has served the Cowboys in that role since January 2020, is being eyed by Duke University for its vacant head coaching position, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, citing sources Monday.

Edwards, 54, attended Duke and lettered in football all four years there. He was a two-time team captain at the linebacker position.

The school parted ways with head coach David Cutcliffe in November after the Blue Devils’ third straight losing season. Cutcliffe had been with the school since 2008 and turned the program around, from a perennial doormat in the ACC to a final ranking in the AP Top 25 in 2013 and six bowl appearances in seven seasons ending in 2018.

Edwards himself was an assistant at his alma mater in 1996, after stints at Florida and Appalachian State. After a subsequent season on Georgia’s staff, Edwards came to Dallas, where he was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach for four seasons, helping to develop Dexter Coakley into a Pro Bowler at the position.

Starting in 2001, Edwards bounced around several NFL organizations: Washington, Cleveland, Miami, Buffalo, Miami (again), and finally Minnesota, where he was the Vikings’ defensive coordinator for six years before finally returning to the Cowboys.

Rumors of this guy or that guy being considered for this job or that job are often nothing more, but Pelissero’s report seems to have some weight; Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones didn’t try to tapdance around it when asked Monday morning on Dallas radio.

“We always root for our guys to have great opportunities,” Jones added, speaking with 105.3 The Fan.

Now, after 24 seasons of coaching NFL defenses, Edwards may get a great opportunity in the familiar setting of Durham, North Carolina.

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Report: George Edwards finally taking lead in coaching Cowboys LBs

The Dallas Cowboys have had George Edwards coaching the linebackers during rookie minicamp.

One of the biggest disappointments of the 2020 season was the play of the linebackers in Dallas. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan came in as a supposed linebacker specialist, having coached them for several seasons in New Orleans. However his best-laid plans were silenced when Leighton Vander Esch was lost for multiple weeks in the season opener and everything the club worked on in the truncated offseason was thrown away, moving Jaylon Smith back to the Mike. A season of ineptitude followed and Nolan was replaced by Dan Quinn in the offseason.

Now, the 2021 rookie minicamp is underway and the majority of eyes are back on the defense as the club added eight defenders with their eleven selections in an attempt to improve their bottom-five returns from a year ago. Quinn is focused on the defensive line as his specialty and now the LBs have a new leader as well.  George Edwards is now in charge according to the Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr.

Edwards joined the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy’s staff during the 2020 offseason, when he was brought in to be a senior defensive assistant.

Edwards is no stranger to coaching defense, and more specifically linebackers, at the NFL level. In fact, this isn’t even Edwards first stint as the Cowboys linebacker coach, as he manned the role for Dallas from 1998 through 2001.

Edwards was an All-ACC honorable mention linebacker while at Duke University in 1989. The former Blue-Devil quickly found his way into coaching. In total, Edwards has 22 years of NFL experience and 13 of those seasons featured Edwards in a linebacker coach role.

The Cowboys linebacker room is full of young players that will be pivotal to Dallas’ success over the next few seasons. It is crucial that the Cowboys have the right coach working with the likes of Micah Parsons, Jabril Cox, and even Leighton Vander Esch, who is still on his rookie contract. Edwards’ experience could be vital in helping these talented players reach their potential.

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George Edwards could be headed back to the NFC North

Edwards was the defensive coordinator for the Vikings from 2014-2019.

Former Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards might find himself back in the NFC North.

The current Cowboys senior defensive assistant interviewed with the Bears for their defensive coordinator job on Wednesday, per Clarence Hill Jr.

The Cowboys just hired Dan Quinn as their defensive coordinator, which certainly has to feel like a slap in the face to Edwards.

Edwards was the defensive coordinator for the Vikings from 2014-2019. He joined the Cowboys’ coaching staff last season.

Chuck Pagano was Chicago’s defensive coordinator in 2019, but has retired.

 

Report: Bears have requested to speak with George Edwards about defensive coordinator job

The Bears are exploring all avenues to find a new defensive coordinator, which includes speaking with Cowboys assistant George Edwards.

The Chicago Bears have a vacancy at defensive coordinator, and they’re taking their time to examine all of the in-house and other candidates to replace Chuck Pagano, who retired this offseason.

Following a report that the Bears put in a request to interview Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon, Chicago is also requesting to speak with Dallas Cowboys defensive assistant George Edwards about their defensive coordinator opening, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

If the Bears are looking for experience at the defensive coordinator position, Edwards might be their guy. Before serving as Dallas’ senior defensive assistant, Edwards was the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator from 2014-19. Before that, he also served as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2010-11) and the Washington Football Team (2003).

Interestingly enough, Edwards interviewed for the Bears’ coaching vacancy back in 2018 before Matt Nagy was hired. So he’s someone that’s been on their radar.

There have been reports that the Bears are also considering some internal candidates for the defensive coordinator position, namely defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai.

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Report: Bears want to talk to George Edwards about vacant DC role

The Dallas Cowboys wanted it all, but they may not be in charge of what chefs are available to cook the meal. In the vein of wanting their cake and eating it to, it appears Dallas was on the verge of not just getting their cake in defensive …

The Dallas Cowboys wanted it all, but they may not be in charge of what chefs are available to cook the meal. In the vein of wanting their cake and eating it to, it appears Dallas was on the verge of not just getting their cake in defensive coordinator hire Dan Quinn, but also the cupcake as my Catch This Fade cohost Patrik Walker phrased it, in being able to retain defensive consultant George Edwards.

But it appears that just like with Kellen Moore having been reached out to by the Philadelphia Eagles, Edwards is on another team’s radar as well. The Chicago Bears are asking (not asking) for permission to interview the former Vikings coordinator to lead their defense, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Chuck Pagano retired from coaching, leaving the Bears searching for a replacement.

Edwards was hired alongside Mike Nolan to help transform the Cowboys defense, but things went horribly wrong as the offseason was wiped away due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nolan insisted on installing a hybrid front defense that changed the roles of personnel like edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, betraying head coach Mike McCarthy’s pledge to marry the scheme to the talents of his players. The results were a defense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category until a crazy end-of-the-year run creating turnovers.

Publicly, there’s been no confirmation of how much Edwards was involved in the day-to-day operations of the defense, or how much the club intended to have him involved with Quinn in the big chair. Still, Edwards experience with the linebacker position seemed to be a paramount focus for a group that has invested so much into the position, drafting Leighton Vander Esch in the 2018 first round and signing Jaylon Smith to a large extension prior to 2019.

Prior to Edwards’ six seasons as DC under Mike Zimmer in Minnesota, he was a linebackers coach at four different spots, including with Dallas during the late 1990s.

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