Tag: JUAN CASTILLO

UCLA parts ways with OL coach Tim Drevno, hires Juan Castillo

The Bruins have made some changes at the offensive line coaching position.

The UCLA Bruins football program continues to shake up its coaching staff. After Eric Bieniemy was named the associate head coach and offensive coordinator, the Bruins have now parted ways with offensive line coach Tim Drevno despite him having two years left on his contract.

The Bruins are now set to name Juan Castillo as the new OL coach, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. 

Castillo spent 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL and spent the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders and Bieniemy. Castillo was the run game coordinator in 2023 and tight ends coach in 2022.

The veteran coach also spent time with the Michigan Wolverines as an offensive analyst, his only year not in the NFL since 1995.

The Bruins have now hired another coach with loads of NFL experience as first-year head coach DeShaun Foster tries to bring the program back.

Commanders announce official coaching promotions for 2023

All four moves are on the offensive side of the ball.

The Washington Commanders announced four new coaching promotions Tuesday, ahead of their Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Former tight ends coach Juan Castillo is now the run game coordinator. Former assistant tight ends coach Todd Storm replaces Castillo as tight ends coach. Former assistant offensive line coach Travelle Wharton is the new offensive line coach. He replaced John Matsko, who was fired in March. Running backs coach Randy Jordan is now the senior offensive assistant/running backs coach.

All of these coaches have been working in their new roles for months. Head coach Ron Rivera said earlier this year the moves couldn’t be official until the team was sold. New owner Josh Harris officially took over on July 20.

Castillo is a longtime NFL assistant offensive line coach — his second season with the Commanders — and has been helping out Wharton this offseason. Castillo will also assist Storm, who is entering his fourth season in Washington. Jordan is entering his 10th season with Washington, where assistant running backs coach Jennifer King has assisted him since 2020.

Commanders offensive coaching staff looks a lot different in 2023

It all starts with Eric Bieniemy, but there is shuffling all over the place.

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When the Washington Commanders hired Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator away from the Kansas City Chiefs in February, they gave him complete autonomy of the offense. He also received the assistant head coach title, which head coach Ron Rivera felt Bieniemy deserved.

“I don’t believe you give the assistant head coach title, and it is gratuitous,” Rivera said Wednesday. “I mean when I was in Carolina, and I gave it to Steve Wilks, Steve did a lot of this stuff too as well. I’ve been holding it for a while here, and then when the opportunity to give it to Eric and again to make sure it’s something that’s not just gratuitous, it’s not just a title, but it’s a working title, and he’s doing those things, and he’s got those responsibilities. I think he relishes it. I mean, he’s one of those guys that very few people are gonna outwork, and he works very hard at what he’s doing, and he’s developing his way of doing it.”

Early on, Bieniemy has made his presence felt this spring with the Commanders, bringing a different energy to practice and getting on players, such as quarterback Sam Howell and running back Antonio Gibson.

While Bieniemy is front and center among Washington’s offensive coaching staff, the entire group looks much different in 2023. The only coaches returning in the same roles are running backs coach Randy Jordan, assistant running backs coach Jennifer King and assistant tight ends coach Todd Storm.

However, Storm is among those who will have an increased role in 2023. The current tight ends coach, Juan Castillo, is best known for his work as Andy Reid’s longtime offensive line coach in Philadelphia. While Castillo will still hold the title of TEs coach, Storm will see more responsibility in 2023, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Additionally, we know last year’s assistant offensive line coach, Travelle Wharton, will eventually be the new offensive line coach once Washington’s ownership situation is settled. Rivera said as much recently. Castillo will help Wharton out for the time being.

Assisting Storm is Ken Zampese, the quarterbacks coach from the past three seasons. Zampese was re-assigned as a senior offensive advisor/game management coach in the offseason under Bieniemy.

Tavita Pritchard replaced Zampese as QBs coach. Former veteran NFL wide receiver Bobby Engram replaced Drew Terrell as wide receivers coach.

We mentioned Castillo as a potential replacement for John Matsko as the offensive line coach when the team made a change in March. As it turns out, he will assist Wharton. It’s not known if these coaching changes are only for the offseason or will carry into the 2023 NFL season.

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 TE Coach Juan Castillo meets the media

New Washington tight ends coach Juan Castillo met with the media this week, and we learned a lot about the veteran coach.

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Replacing a successful predecessor is not an easy task. Juan Castillo’s calling now is to replace former Washington TE coach Pete Hoener who retired last week at the age of 70.

Castillo met with the media via Zoom and as always, there were some interesting tidbits that were revealed.

Castillo began in the NFL with the Eagles in 1995 as a quality control coach. He studied under offensive coordinator Jon Gruden.

Next Castillo was promoted to TE Coach w/Eagles in 1997

Castillo moved back to offensive line w/Eagles from 1998-2010.

Castillo was with current Washington tight end Logan Thomas in Buffalo (2017-18) coaching the offensive line and as running game coordinator. He noticed Thomas’ hard work and talent when Thomas was transitioning to TE from QB.

Castillo has coached 27 years in the NFL —only one coaching tight ends.

Brian Mitchell and Castillo were together with the Eagles (2000-02).

Darrell Green and Castillo were college teammates at Texas A&I, now Texas A&M Kingsville.

Ron Rivera and Castillo met in 1999 coaching the Eagles.

Castillo is aware that he’s the only new coach this season and believes he is to earn the respect of his fellow coaches and players by working hard, not by vocally demanding their respect.

Spanish being his first language, he and Sammis Reyes met and conversed via Spanish.

Castillo has watched some tape and noticed TE John Bates really worked at his blocking.

Castillo has a son in Arlington, employed by the Department of Commerce, and another son who earned a full scholarship to law school at the University of Maryland.

Andy Reid, Ray Rhodes, John Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Matt Nagy and now Ron Rivera are NFL head coaches who hired Castillo to their coaching staffs.

Castillo has not coached TE specifically since 1997 with the Eagles.

 

Washington tight ends coach Pete Hoener retires

This is disappointing news for the Commanders as Pete Hoener is one of the best in the NFL.

The Washington Commanders lost one of their top assistant coaches when veteran tight ends coach Pete Hoener officially retired Friday.

Hoener, who came to Washington in 2020 with head coach Ron Rivera, ends a 46-year coaching career that featured stops with the 49ers, Bears, Cardinals and Panthers in the NFL before his time in Washington. The 70-year-old Hoener also spent several years coaching college football with stops at Texas A&M, Iowa State, TCU, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana State, Illinois State and Missouri. His NFL coaching career began in 1985.

Hoener was instrumental in the development of Vernon Davis, Greg Olsen and the breakout of Logan Thomas. Under Hoener, Olsen became one of the NFL’s best tight ends during his nine-year run with the Panthers.

Olsen spoke of Hoener’s influence in 2019 to the Charlotte Observer, via Zach Selby of commanders.com:

“He’s been unbelievable for my development,” Olsen said. “He believed in me, gave me a chance. I was kind of on the fence about whether I was gonna be that next breakout guy or if I was gonna be another first-round ‘bust,’ so to speak. Obviously, my career took off to another level since I’ve gotten here, and Pete was a big part of that.”

Thomas has also been complimentary of Hoener and his role in the former quarterback’s development at tight end. Thomas had a career year for Washington in 2020 and signed a three-year contract extension last summer.

The 2022 season will be the first for Rivera as a head coach without Hoener on the sideline.

The Commanders acted quickly in hiring Hoener’s replacement, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported the team was hiring veteran coach Juan Castillo as their next tight ends coach.

We’ll have more on Castillo tomorrow.

 

Bears OL coach Juan Castillo had oddest response to question about OT Teven Jenkins

Teven Jenkins might be confined as a backup for the rest of this season, but don’t worry, he’s real good at decorating a Christmas tree.

The Chicago Bears activated rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins off injured reserve on Saturday, which made him active for his first NFL game.

The question surrounding Jenkins, who is returning after back surgery, is how the Bears would utilize him considering they already have Jason Peters in place at left tackle.

When Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo was asked about Jenkins on Monday, he praised him in the oddest way, which involves decorating a Christmas tree.

Here’s what Castillo said, via Jason Lieser of the Sun-Times:

“Teven, you can tell what individual he is. The rookies put up the tree in the meeting room. You should see what that tree looks like. It’s a beautiful tree. It’s decorated right. Well, you think it doesn’t matter. Everything matters, man. That tells you what kind of individual he is, where everything is on point, everything is detailed. That’s the kind of student he is, listening, paying attention and then watching Jason (Peters), too. So I think it’s a good learning experience for him.”

If all else fails, it sounds like Jenkins has a future in interior design.

No, but seriously, Castillo praised Jenkins’ attention to detail as he learns from one of the best to ever play left tackle in Peters, who has held down the fort for Jenkins this season.

Castillo indicated that Jenkins isn’t ready just yet, although he would be the next-man-up if Peters were to go down.

“Right now, we’re trying to work him and get him ready,” Castillo said. “In an emergency thing, if something happened to Jason (Peters), right now he would be the one to come in. We’re trying to catch him up. I mean, he hasn’t done a lot of football. We’re working hard, trying to get him ready in case something like that happens.

“We’re just working him slowly. He’s still recovering, all those things. We’re just working him slowly.”

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Bears plan to alternate Teven Jenkins between left and right tackle during practice

As Teven Jenkins returns to practice, the plan is for him to get reps both at left tackle and right tackle.

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The Bears got some encouraging news on the injury front when head coach Matt Nagy announced that rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins would be making his return to practice on Monday.

Jenkins missed all of training camp with a back injury that required surgery. He started the season on injured reserve, and Nagy was hopeful that Jenkins would be able to return at some point this season. Now, that’s a real possibility.

Jenkins began a 21-day window to return from IR on Monday, and he could see the field as soon as next week. But with Jason Peters and fellow rookie Larry Borom holding the fort down at left tackle and right tackle, respectively, the question becomes where does Jenkins factor in?

According to offensive line coach Juan Castillo, the Bears plan on alternating Jenkins between left and right tackle during practice. Jenkins got reps at left tackle during Monday’s practice, which is a position he’s becoming more comfortable at after playing right tackle at Oklahoma State.

That of course doesn’t answer the question about how he sees the field during a game given Peters has been solid at left tackle and Borom projects to be the team’s right tackle of the future.

But that’s something we’ll see play out over the next few weeks as the Bears hope to see what they’ve got in their second-round rookie left tackle of the future.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ jarring 26-6 loss to the Browns

The Bears had the worst offensive performance we’ve seen since the turn of the century. But that’s just the start. Here are our takeaways.

The Justin Fields era began with a massive thud on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Hype and excitement quickly turned to anger and pain faster than it took Myles Garrett to bulldoze through Jason Peters. The Bears netted just 47 yards of offense in a brutal 26-6 loss against the Browns to drop them to 1-2 on the season.

To sum it up nice and quick, the offense was nonexistent, the defense held on for as long as they could, and the coaching staff failed to properly give Fields a fighting chance to succeed.

All in all, it was arguably the worst offensive performance we’ve seen since the turn of the century. But that’s just the start. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s loss in Cleveland.

The Bears might’ve found their center in Sam Mustipher

Bears center Sam Mustipher has a chance to become an important leader and mainstay on Chicago’s offensive line.

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The Chicago Bears offensive line has several several different arrangements this season due to injury and reserve/COVID-19 list designations. But there seems to be one silver lining amidst the struggles on the offensive line, which is the emergence of Sam Mustipher.

Mustipher signed with the Bears in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, and through some woes on the offensive line has gotten his chance to shine. And he’s taken full advantage of it.

“He’s got a big heart, very smart, very competitive,” said offensive line coach Juan Castillo. “You know, guys like that, sometimes all they need is an opportunity. And that’s what he has, and so far, he’s making the best of it. I think he’s good for the group. The way he plays is like a construction worker, pounding away every play.”

Chicago’s coaching staff has been quite impressed with Mustipher, who saw his second career start at center on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.

Mustipher’s first start came in replacement of starting center Cody Whitehair. Unfortunately for Mustipher he suffered a knee injury that kept him sidelined for two games. But he returned to the starting line-up alongside Whitehair. Only Mustipher lined up at center while Whitehair kicked out to left guard.

Now, Mustipher has a chance to become an important leader and mainstay on Chicago’s offensive line.

“When we got here, I talked about [him] putting on weight,” said Castillo. “He was about 305 or so, and now he’s 320 pounds. There’s a difference, you know. 10-15 pounds make a big difference, you know. And he’s done all the extra work.”

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