Tag: wes phillips

Report: Vikings expected to hire Rams’ Wes Phillips as next offensive coordinator

The Rams are losing another assistant with Wes Phillips expected to be named the next offensive coordinator of the Vikings.

Losing assistant coaches has become a common theme for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams in recent years. Kevin O’Connell was announced as the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings after spending two years with the Rams, and with him making the move to Minnesota, he’s looking to hire a familiar face as his offensive coordinator.

Just a few days after making O’Connell’s hire official, the Vikings are expected to hire Wes Phillips as their next offensive coordinator.

While it’s not official that Phillips will be headed to Minnesota, it appears that it’s trending toward him getting a promotion. Phillips, the son of Wade Phillips, has been with the Rams since 2019, spending time as the franchise’s tight ends coach and pass-game coordinator.

It’s extremely common for new head coaches to hire someone from their previous coaching staff to be an assistant on their new coaching staff. Besides Phillips, the Vikings expressed interest in Thomas Brown to be their next offensive coordinator, who is the current running backs coach of the Rams.

With Phillips expected to join the Vikings, the Rams will now need to find a new tight ends coach, along with a new offensive coordinator. Considering that Brown isn’t expected to join O’Connell’s coaching staff, he should remain a candidate to replace O’Connell as Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator.

Aside from Brown, Liam Coen and Charles London are considered candidates to replace O’Connell. Amid the Rams saying they want to ‘run it back’ next season, McVay will certainly have to replace quite a few of his assistants this offseason.

 

Wes Phillips reportedly emerging as offensive coordinator candidate for Vikings

Will Wes Phillips, son of former coach Wade Phillips, be the Vikings next offensive coordinator?

The Minnesota Vikings could be zeroing in on Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Wes Phillips as their next offensive coordinator.

Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported the news on Tuesday.

“I’m told a name to keep an eye on for #Vikings offensive coordinator is indeed Rams passing game coor/TE coach Wes Phillips,” Tomasson posted on Twitter.

Wes is the son of former longtime NFL defensive coach Wade Phillips.

He has spent many years working alongside soon-to-be hired Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell with the Rams and Washington Commanders. His path also crossed with quarterback Kirk Cousins in Washington for the 2017 season.

So there’s a lot of familiarity here that feeds into a common theme for the candidates looking to fill these job openings. The Vikings are clearly looking to make the current facelift their coaching staff is facing as seamless as possible.

If offered the job, Wes could start carving out his own path as a high-end coach in the league just like his father did before him.

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Top candidates to replace Anthony Lynn as the Lions offensive coordinator

Top candidates to replace Anthony Lynn as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

There will be a new offensive coordinator in Detroit in 2022. With Anthony Lynn officially out after one season, a 2021 campaign where head coach Dan Campbell took over for Lynn midseason, the Lions have an opening for someone to run the offense.

In the same press conference, Campbell acknowledged he has not made a decision on whether he will continue to call the plays as the head coach. That could complicate the competition to take over for Lynn, a coach who just didn’t fit with Campbell and the rest of the staff.

Here are some of the top candidates to take over as the Lions offensive coordinator.

Gerald Everett is ‘maybe the best athlete’ Wes Phillips has coached

The Rams’ TEs coach is thrilled to have Gerald Everett back.

The tight end position is far more integral to NFL offenses nowadays, with players at that spot contributing not only as extra blockers on the ends of the line, but also as playmaking receivers. The Rams are fortunate to have two capable receivers in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett on their tight end depth chart, giving Sean McVay options on offense.

Higbee emerged as a real threat last December, but Everett shouldn’t be forgotten in L.A. He’s still a playmaker with immense potential despite not having the breakout year so many have expected from him the last two seasons. Although he’s returning from an ankle injury that caused him to miss time late last season, Everett’s arrow should be pointing up.

Rams tight ends coach Wes Phillips, son of Wade Phillips, heaped praise on Everett in an interview with the team’s official site, specifically highlighting his athleticism and toughness.

“He’s a smart player, he’s instinctive, but extremely explosive,” Phillips said. “One of the best athletes, maybe as far as raw, athletic talent – maybe the best athlete that I’ve coached. From a tight end standpoint, he can run. He’s great with the ball after the catch. The first guy never brings him down. He’s strong. He’s explosive, from that standpoint running, but what a lot of people don’t always realize either is that in the run game, that same explosion, it applies, and he’s a tough, tough, tough man.”

McVay and Les Snead have hinted at using more personnel groupings this season, getting the tight ends more involved on offense. Snead even mentioned “exotic personnel packages” as a way to get rookie Brycen Hopkins involved.

Higbee and Everett are both good blockers and give their tackles help on the edges, which keeps the playbook open for McVay. Don’t be surprised to see Higbee and Everett on the field much more often together this season than they were in years past.