NFL Trade Rumors
Jacksonville hired Liam Coen as their HC after he spent time with the Rams before taking over as the Buccaneers’ OC for 2024. Coen reflected on his time with Rams HC Sean McVay, citing the positivity and passion around the building that was contagious.
“When I walked into that building in 2018, I had never felt anything like that before,” Coen said, via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. “Just the continuity, the positivity … like, ‘Man, how are you?’ It actually really meant something. I just felt like [McVay] stepped in that building, he was truly himself every single day.”
Coen was an assistant with the Rams from 2018-2020 before spending a year as the University of Kentucky’s OC and returning to the Rams as their OC in 2022. During his days with Los Angeles, their constant mention of complexity heavily influenced his offense, which is geared towards multiplicity.
“I get to the Rams and I hear the exact word of the illusion of complexity: Same plays, but we’re making them just look different [by using different formations, motions and misdirection].”
Every first-year head coach will have bumps, and Coen is no stranger to adversity, having been with the Rams during the afflicted 2022 season when Los Angeles slipped to 5-12 coming off its 2021 Super Bowl victory.
“Liam and I went through what was, I’ve talked about it before, the most challenging year that I’ve ever had in coaching,” McVay said. “And at the time it was not fun, but I think we would both say so much growth occurred for us both having to go through some really hard stuff … I know that was really hard on him, and I could have done a much better job of being the leader that our team but [also] he deserved as the offensive coordinator.
“We’re a lot closer for having gone through it. It made us both stronger.”
Opposing offenses began adjusting to Steelers OLB T.J. Watt toward the end of last season, keeping him from recording any sacks over the final three weeks of the season. Fellow OLB Alex Highsmith said they plan to flip sides to keep teams off balance.
“Yeah, I think [switching spots] is something we definitely got to include in the game, because, just like you said, teams were kind of catching on to what we were doing. If we’re able to move around to different spots and stuff like that, we’ll be able to get teams off balance — and they can’t just sit there and max protect,” Highsmith said, via Post Gazette Sports.
Following the draft, the Titans signed UDFA WR Xavier Restrepo, who was first-round QB Cam Ward’s top target last year at Miami. Restrepo called signing with Tennessee a “no-brainer” and knows he has to prove himself every day if he wants to stick around.
“It was a no brainer for me, really,” Restrepo said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. *“Just like my...
