Tag: Gerald Alexander

Former Dolphins assistant interviewing for 49ers DC job

A former Dolphins coach is trying to become the 49ers next defensive coordinator.

Most of the coaching staffs around the NFL are officially set, but a few that were playing as late as the Super Bowl are still finalizing who will lead their rosters in 2024 and beyond.

The San Francisco 49ers, for instance, are still looking for their defensive coordinator after Raheem Morris left to become the Atlanta Falcons head coach, and one name who is interviewing for the role is probably a familiar one to many Miami Dolphins fans.

According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, the 49ers have interviewed former Dolphins defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander for the job.

Alexander was a safety during his five-year playing career and even played for the Dolphins in 2011.

He moved onto coaching not long after retirement, with stops at Arkansas State (2013), Washington (2014), Indiana State (2015), Montana State (2016) and California (2017-19) in the college game and the Dolphins (2020-21) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2022-23).

Alexander was actually named the Las Vegas Raiders safeties coach this offseason under now full-time head coach Antonio Pierce, but obviously, this would be a big step up.

Report: 49ers interview Raiders safeties coach Gerald Alexander

Another candidate has emerged for the 49ers’ opening at defensive coordinator.

There is only one coordinator position open in the NFL and it remains with the San Francisco 49ers. Since moving on from Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator after one season with the team, the 49ers are without a defensive coordinator.

Multiple candidates have emerged for the 49ers’ opening with several coaches going through the interview process. The latest candidate to receive an interview is reportedly a coach on the Las Vegas Raiders’ staff.

According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, the 49ers have interviewed Raiders safeties coach Gerald Alexander.

Via @mattbarrows on Twitter:

The former 2007 second-round pick out of Bosie State played five seasons in the NFL before becoming a coach at the college level. In 2020, Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins hired Alexander as the team’s defensive backs coach.

After coaching in Miami, Alexander was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive backs coach. During the current 2024 offseason, Alexander was hired as a defensive backs coach on Antonio Pierce’s staff with the Raiders.

Alexander joins Dave Merritt, Brandon Staley, Danel Bullocks, Nick Sorensen as candidates who have interviewed for the 49ers’ defensive coordinator position.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Raiders hire Gerald Alexander as new safeties coach

Raiders hire Gerald Alexander as new safeties coach

We’ve seen two new additions to the Raiders defensive staff in a matter of hours. Both coaching defensive backs and both former NFL players.

Gerald Alexander has joined the Raiders as safeties coach. The former Steelers and Dolphins DB coach made it official by changing his twitter bio to ‘Safeties coach II Las Vegas Raiders’ and tweeted this out:

A Los Angeles native, just like Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, Alexander was drafted in the second round out of Boise State in 2007. He would play for five different teams over five seasons.

After his playing days were over, he entered the coaching arena. He had one year stints as a DB coach and Indiana State and Montana State before spending three years as a DB coach at Cal.

From there he entered the NFL coaching ranks. He spent two years as DB coach in Miami, then the past two seasons in the same position in Pittsburgh.

The perfect replacement for Gerald Alexander is on the market

The Steelers should bring in Mike Mitchell to replace Gerald Alexander.

News came out on Wednesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers were losing assistant defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander. Alexander is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders to be their new safeties coach. This means the Steelers are in need of a new assistant to coach up the defensive backs and the best fit just happens to already be on the market.

The Colts did not renew the contract of assistant defensive backs coach Mike Mitchell. yes, that Mike Mitchell.

Mitchell spent four of his 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers and established himself as one of the biggest hitters in the NFL.

When the Steelers and Colts played last season, Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was ejected after a big hit on a Colts receiver and even Mitchell had a hard time not defending the play.

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Raiders hire Steelers assistant Gerald Alexander as safeties coach

The Steelers have officially lost their first coach of the offseason.

According to NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe, the Las Vegas Raiders have hired Steelers assistant defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander to be their new safeties coach.

Having been hired to the job full time, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is working quickly to build his staff. Alexander has been an assistant in Pittsburgh for the last two seasons and spent one season as the defensive backs coach with the Miami Dolphins.

A second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2007, Alexander spent five seasons in the NFL. This is the Steelers’ first official coaching loss of the offseason. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan likely will be the next when he leaves for a job as an offensive coordinator.

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Dolphins make a slew of moves as their new coaching staff takes form

Mike McDaniel is staying busy.

On the same day that the Miami Dolphins introduced new head coach Mike McDaniel to the fanbase and media, the team has stayed busy to surround him with the right coaching staff.

According to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Dolphins have fired defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander. Alexander has been with Miami for the last two seasons, as he received credit for the emergence of Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones. The 37-year-old recently interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their open defensive coordinator position, but it has since been filled.

Alexander isn’t the only coach moving on from Miami Gardens, however, as co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach George Godsey was hired by the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. This move was expected with McDaniel coming in to run his own system and former San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach Jon Embree joining in the same capacity.

There has also been a coach added to the staff that Dolphins fans will be familiar with. According to Armando Salguero of Outkick, Miami is bringing in Wes Welker to be the team’s wide receivers coach. Welker played for the Dolphins from 2004 to 2006 before breaking out in New England. He’s spent the last two seasons as San Francisco’s wide receivers coach.

In addition, the Dolphins are interviewing New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach/offensive assistant Curtis Johnson to be their offensive coordinator, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Johnson has been with the Saints for five years, serving mainly as a senior offensive assistant, but he was once the head coach of Tulane.

The 60-year-old is the second coach to reportedly receive an interview for Miami’s offensive coordinator position, as Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London will also be considered.

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Jags interviewing former safety Gerald Alexander for a position on coaching staff

The Jags are interviewing a former player of the organization in Gerald Alexander for a potential role on Doug Pederson’s staff.

New Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has been working hard to put his staff together ever since he signed the dotted line, and he’s made significant progress in the last few days. That includes on the defensive side where the Jags and Pederson are working to make Tampa Bay Bucs assistant Mike Caldwell a defensive coordinator.

However, Pederson hasn’t stopped there and is continuing to look for options atop the defensive staff. That includes interviewing a former player for the Jags organization in Gerald Alexander for a defensive coordinator role, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Alexander played safety for the Jags from 2009-10 under Jack Del Rio after spending time with the Detroit Lions initially. Afterward, he spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Dolphins, and New York Jets, respectively.

After his NFL career, he began his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant for Arkansas State (2013). He then followed that up by coaching at Washington (2014) as a graduate assistant and also held other roles as a collegiate coach with Indiana State (2015), Montana State (2016), and California (2017-19), all of which employed him as a defensive backs coach. He also had stints as an intern in the NFL with Tennessee (2015) and Tampa (2016).

Alexander eventually landed a role as an NFL defensive backs coach in 2020 under Brian Flores, and it appears he has plans to remain an NFL coach this season and possibly longer.

It’s unclear if Caldwell has officially signed with the Jags, but even if he has, that doesn’t mean the Jags can’t assign Alexander a role as a defensive coordinator. In 2020, Pederson had an assistant coordinator on defense in Dino Vasso. The possibility of Alexander being a passing game defensive coordinator could be on the table, too.

Dolphins DBs coach Gerald Alexander interviewing for Jaguars DC role

Losing him would be a big hit to the defense.

With all nine teams who were without a head coach hiring a new one, the next step for these teams is building their coaching staffs.

Since hiring Mike McDaniel to be their head coach on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins have only one reported interview for their coordinator spots, as Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London is expected to meet with the team.

This doesn’t stop other franchises from poaching guys who were holdovers from Brian Flores’ staff. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Dolphins defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander is interviewing with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday for their open defensive coordinator position under new head coach Doug Pederson.

Alexander has spent the last two years with the Dolphins after jumping from the college level where he coached with Indiana State, Montana State, and California for five total seasons.

Under his tutelage, the Dolphins have seen great performances from safeties Brandon Jones and Jevon Holland over the past two seasons. It would be a big loss if a well-respected, young coach like Alexander were to leave.

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Building the perfect Chargers coaching staff

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out how Los Angeles should construct the coaching staff.

Atop of the priority list for the Chargers is finding their new head coach after parting ways with Anthony Lynn on Monday.

While the head coach is the most pressing matter, filling in the coordinator positions comes next.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Lynn’s staff hasn’t been fired yet. But when a new head coach comes in, the chances of that guy wanting to build his staff from scratch are high.

With that being said, I wanted to construct a coaching staff that I believe can get Los Angeles back in tiptop shape and is capable of dethroning Andy Reid’s Chiefs.

Head Coach — Brian Daboll

The Chargers have a gem in quarterback Justin Herbert, and one of the requirements to become the next head coach is being capable of implementing a system that will maximize his potential.

Daboll has spent the last three years helping to develop Bills quarterback Josh Allen and that work has gone well enough to make him into one of the top quarterbacks in the league and an MVP candidate.

Daboll has had so much success because of how good of a play-caller he is. Teams across the league struggle to defend Buffalo because he seems to have his own adjustments and options built in for different coverages at the ready.

General manager Tom Telesco will be aiding in the search for the team’s next coach and familiarity is a key component. He’s a St. Francis High School graduate from western New York, as is Daboll.

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Dolphins FS Bobby McCain gets firm endorsement from defensive coach

Dolphins FS Bobby McCain gets firm endorsement from defensive coach

The Miami Dolphins entered the 2020 offseason with a question mark at free safety. The team ultimately decided to stand firm at the position and double down on a seasoned veteran in Bobby McCain, who up until 2019 played cornerback for Miami after being a 5th-round draft choice out in the 2015 NFL Draft. McCain showed some flashes during the 2019 season, but missed nearly half of the year to injury and did show some lapses on the back end as he adjusted to a new position.

Through three games, all of the feedback for McCain coming out of Miami seems to be positive despite a general lack of production and a shaky performance from the passing defense in Week 2 versus the Buffalo Bills. Miami’s coaching staff has called out communication as a critical component on the back end of their defense and credited McCain for excelling there — Dolphins DB coach Gerald Alexander went in depth on McCain during his Tuesday press availability with the South Florida media.

“I think Bobby’s transition to safety is actually going great. One thing about that position and that responsibility that we put him in; a lot of the great things that Bobby does for us as a free safety sometimes isn’t represented on the stat sheet. So in that respect, I think Bobby has done a great job in regards to what we ask him to do and that’s communicating first and foremost – making sure that all 10 guys in front of him have the understanding of what the responsibilities are and what the adjustments are, what the call is,” said Alexander.

“Being a leader and playing with a passion that he needs to play that also will generate the energy that his teammates need to play with as well. Being able to do that in the role that he’s in, I thought he’s done a great job. I think he’s done a great job so far and those opportunities to make splash plays within our defense are going to present itself where he’s going to be able to make those plays when the opportunities come.”

Indeed, McCain’s support from this staff is heavily rooted in his ability to “set the deck” for the rest of the secondary. A team captain in 2020, it is clear his teammates and coaches respect him. But only when those missing splash plays start to come will we see the questions about McCain’s long-term viability dissipate once and for all. Being a leader is a critical quality — but performing at a high level always moves the needle in the NFL.