NFL Notes: Head Coach Candidates, Giants, Texans

Head Coach Candidates

According to Michael Lombardi, the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel has distributed their annual list of recommended candidates for head-coaching vacancies.

This list includes:

• Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy
• Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
• Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia
• Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel
• Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards
• Saints assistant head coach and tight ends coach Dan Campbell
• Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub
• Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo
• Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz
• Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks
• Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter
• Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur

Giants

Giants rookie QB Davis Webb took first-team reps during Wednesday’s practice.

However, Giants interim HC Steve Spagnuolo made it clear that they will keep Eli Manning in place as their starting quarterback for Week 16.

“I’m focused on winning the football game and to me, winning the football game is with Eli Manning,” Spagnuolo said, via Giants.com. “I’m worried about this game first. I know we have two, but that’s my preference.”

• Mike Garafolo suggests that a pairing of Kevin Abrams as the Giants’ GM and Dave Gettleman as head of personnel could make sense New York, considering that this would allow Gettleman to build a roster without dealing with players and agents on the business side of things.
• According to Albert Breer, there have been “murmurs” that Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf could be packaged with Dave Gettleman as a GM-in-waiting for the Giants.
• Charles Robinson added that Abrams is the is actually the candidate that consultant Ernie Accorsi is endorsing for the job.

Texans

• Albert Breer writes that it’s “seeming less and less likely” that the Texans’ football hierarchy will return intact next year.
• Breer points out that with HC Bill O’Brien in the final year of his deal, it’s hard to imagine the team would go into 2018 with that unresolved and with the relationship between coaching and scouting what it is now.
• Should O’Brien end up being available, Breer says there’s there’s little question that he would vault to the top of many teams’ lists.
• Regarding Texans HC Bill O’Brien‘s expiring contract, WR DeAndre Hopkins said he is a “great coach” and would like the team to re-sign him: “Bill’s a great guy, great coach. Everybody in this locker room loves him, so why not?” (Sarah Barshop)