Let the NFL coaching carousel start to spin.
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, teams that have either fired their head coach or informed him he’s not going to return can begin interviewing assistant coaches from other teams.
That could potentially impact the Buffalo Bills, as offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were candidates last offseason for head-coaching jobs and are expected to be considered again.
“I would welcome those opportunities for those men,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday. “They've done a phenomenal job for us here in Buffalo. I would give them my highest recommendations. I want nothing but the best for those guys.”
Frazier was thought to be a finalist for the Houston Texans’ job that eventually went to former Bills assistant coach David Culley. It’s rumored that Culley could be one and done in Houston, so that job might be open again. Reports have indicated the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears could have interest in Frazier, who played for the Bears for five seasons.
“I think you have to move on and really focus on the now. So if an opportunity were to present itself, you want to assess it and just make a good decision, but you really don't want things that have happened in the past to hold you back in the future,” Frazier said. “You've really got to move forward and just want to assess each situation, but for me, the focus is on what we've got to get done here in this ball game against Atlanta, which is huge for what we're trying to get accomplished as a team.”
Here are four more observations from the Monday video news conferences with McDermott, Daboll and Frazier.
1. Cornerback Cam Lewis was added to the NFL’s reserve/Covid-19 list. Lewis becomes the sixth member of the Bills’ active roster to go on the list, joining wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis, defensive end A.J. Epenesa and offensive linemen Jon Feliciano and Cody Ford. Tight end Quintin Morris and defensive end Mike Love are also on the practice squad reserve/Covid-19 list.
According to NFL Network, 106 players were placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list league wide Monday, bringing the total to 521 in December and a whopping 476 since Dec. 13. That’s nearly a quarter of the league in just two weeks.
2. Guard Ike Boettger was placed on injured reserve. Boettger suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon during Sunday’s 33-21 victory over Patriots.
“Hard to see any player go down,” McDermott said. “Ike’s put so much into this and he's so well liked by our team and his teammates. I just feel for him, my heart goes out to him and his family.”
The Bills signed offensive tackle Bobby Hart to the active roster from the practice squad to take Boettger’s place. Additionally, defensive end Breeland Sparks was released from the practice squad.
McDermott did not have any updates on the status of defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who missed Sunday’s game for personal reasons after not practicing Thursday or Friday. It’s unclear whether Lotulelei is with the team.
3. Making history didn’t have much of an impact on Daboll. The Bills did not punt against the Patriots on Sunday, the first time that’s happened in Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s 474-game career, including the postseason. Daboll certainly wasn’t going to take any kind of victory lap Monday when asked about that.
“He was the person that gave me my first opportunity in this business, and I have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for him and what he's done for me and my family in terms of my career,” Daboll said. “As far as the no-punting thing, look, I'm glad we went out there and got a win. We tried to do the things we thought we could do. And ultimately, the players went out there and executed. But you know, the biggest thing was getting a win.”
4. Frazier missed having defensive line coach Eric Washington with him. Washington did not coach in the game because he’s on the reserve/Covid-19 list, as is special teams coordinator Heath Farwell.
“Without a doubt, it was a challenge without Eric," Frazier said. "He's been such a big part of our defense over the last two seasons, and to not have him, I called him early in the day of the ballgame, and even the night before, just told him, just his presence on the airplane, his presence in the hotel, just missing him, and having some of those conversations that we would have during the course of the day. And then as I was sitting in the locker room, you know, I'm so used to my locker not being very far from his, just being able to dial off of him prior to the game, and he wasn't there, you know, so it was weird.”
Without Washington, assistant defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire stepped into that job.
“Jacques did a great job of being an understudy of Eric and then having to step in and fill those shoes,” Frazier said. “Those are big shoes, but he did a really good job. The guys responded to his coaching and his leadership, which was really, really good to see. Hopefully we'll get Eric back soon, but Jacques did a terrific job.”
