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Tag: Tim Kelly

  • How One Smart Coaching Move Could Unlock Sam LaPorta Even More

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    The Detroit Lions have another important coaching vacancy to fill this offseason, and it’s one that could quietly shape the offense in 2026 and beyond. With Tyler Roehl leaving to take a job at Iowa State, Detroit is now searching for a new tight ends coach at a time when that position has become a central pillar of the scheme.

    Sam LaPorta is already one of the NFL’s premier young tight ends, and the Lions ask a lot from the position: route running, blocking, pass protection, coverage recognition, and red-zone execution. This is not a role for a narrow specialist. It requires a coach who understands the full structure of an offense.

    One candidate who fits that description perfectly is current New York Giants tight ends coach Tim Kelly.

    Why the Tight End Position Matters So Much in Detroit

    Detroit’s offense is built on multiplicity. Tight ends are used as receivers, in-line blockers, motion players, and matchup creators. They have to read defenses the same way the quarterback does and understand how route concepts marry with protections and run fits.

    LaPorta isn’t just running routes; he’s part of the quarterback’s progression and the run game’s geometry. The next tight ends coach must be able to teach the position within the context of the entire offensive system, not in isolation.

    That’s where Kelly’s background becomes extremely attractive.

    Why Tim Kelly Makes So Much Sense

    Kelly brings an unusually broad résumé for a position coach. He has been an NFL offensive coordinator, a quarterbacks coach, a passing game coordinator, and now a tight ends coach. He also played in the league as a defensive tackle with the Eagles, giving him a rare perspective from both sides of the ball.

    His coaching career includes multiple stops as a primary play designer and caller. With the Texans, he rose from offensive quality control to tight ends coach and then to offensive coordinator, later adding quarterback development to his responsibilities. He went on to become passing game coordinator and then offensive coordinator in Tennessee. In New York, he was hired as the Giants’ tight ends coach and, after the mid-season coaching change in 2025, was trusted again with coordinator duties under interim head coach Mike Kafka.

    Very few tight ends coaches in the league can say they have built full offensive game plans, designed weekly install schedules, and called plays on Sundays.

    How Kelly Could Elevate Sam LaPorta and the Entire Offense

    A coach with Kelly’s background doesn’t just teach route depth and hand placement. He teaches why the route exists, what coverage it’s attacking, how it fits the quarterback’s progression, and how the protection is structured behind it.

    For a player like LaPorta, who already wins with intelligence and spatial awareness, that kind of instruction can take his game from Pro Bowl level to true All-Pro dominance. It also benefits the entire offense because tight ends are often the bridge between the run game, the passing game, and the protection scheme.

    Kelly’s experience would allow him to function not only as a position coach, but as an extension of the offensive coordinator in game planning and design.

    Why This Hire Matters for the Lions’ Championship Window

    The Lions are not rebuilding. They believe they are close to contending again in 2026. That means every coaching hire must raise the overall football IQ of the staff and strengthen continuity.

    Promoting someone with coordinator-level experience into a key developmental role gives Detroit both immediate value and future flexibility. It adds another strategic voice in the room, another teacher who can connect the dots between concepts, and another coach who understands what it takes to run an offense at the highest level.

    Tim Kelly’s blend of coordinator experience, quarterback development, tight end coaching, and NFL playing background makes him one of the most logical and intriguing candidates to replace Tyler Roehl.

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    Jeff Bilbrey

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  • Jameis Winston set to start Sunday for Giants as Jaxson Dart deals with concussion protocol, new coach Kafka says | amNewYork

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    Jameis Winston will likely be the starting quarterback for the New York Giants this Sunday with Jaxson Dart under concussion protocol, interim head coach Mike Kafka said Wednesday.

    Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

    Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka has wasted no time making his mark on the New York Giants, naming Jameis Winston the starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

    Jaxson Dart remains in concussion protocol after leaving last week’s loss to Chicago, and with his status still uncertain, the Giants are preparing Winston to take the reins in Week 11.

    For Winston, it’s another chance to prove he can still command a team. The former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft has had a career defined by both talent and turbulence.

    Now in his 11th season and fourth different team, Winston owns a 44–61 record as a starter, with more than 24,000 passing yards and over 150 touchdowns to his name. His big arm and aggressive style have always been a double-edged sword, capable of lighting up a defense or forcing a costly turnover. But for a Giants team searching for energy, his confidence and experience might be exactly what’s needed.

    Kafka’s decision also signals a shift in direction for New York. Russell Wilson, who opened the season as the starter, has been passed over, and the move shows Kafka’s willingness to prioritize performance over reputation.

    “He’ll do a great job, I have a lot of confidence in Jameis,” Kafka said Wednesday. “I have a lot of confidence in Russ, and he’ll be the backup as Jaxson [Dart] works through concussion protocol.”

    At 2-8, the Giants are no longer playing for postseason position but for pride, progress, and evaluation. Kafka himself is auditioning for the permanent head coaching job, hoping to convince the front office to take the “interim” label off his title at the end of the season.

    Winston’s start offers a new look at how this team can function under a different voice in the huddle and a different style behind center.

    The opportunity carries weight for Winston personally as well. After bouncing around the league and spending time as a backup, he’s once again in a position to remind everyone why he was once viewed as a franchise cornerstone. His leadership, lightheartiness, and presence could provide much-needed relief for a locker room that’s endured a season full of heartbreak.

    For Kafka, this marks his first big call as interim head coach — a calculated gamble on experience and upside. And for Winston, it’s a familiar scenario: another chance to take the field, take command, and perhaps rewrite the next chapter of his unpredictable but resilient career.

    Kafka on Wednesday also named tight end coach Tim Kelly as the offensive coordinator. 

    “He’s a really smart coach who will help us tie in the run game, the pass game, does a great job with a lot of good experiences to bank on,” Kafka said.

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    By Ryan Nieskens

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  • Giants hire Tim Kelly, another former Tennessee Titans coordinator, to coach tight ends

    Giants hire Tim Kelly, another former Tennessee Titans coordinator, to coach tight ends

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    The Giants hired former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly as Brian Daboll’s new tight ends coach on Tuesday.

    Kelly, 37, replaces Andy Bischoff, who left in a lateral move to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday. Kelly is the second former Mike Vrabel Titans coordinator to join the Giants in the last two days.

    Former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, 37, was tabbed on Monday as Daboll’s defensive coordinator replacement for Wink Martindale, who resigned in early January. That search took four weeks.

    Vrabel, 48, is still a free agent after getting fired in Tennessee and not landing a head coaching job this cycle.

    Bowen and Kelly both worked in Tennessee with Ryan Cowden, who is now the Giants’ executive advisor to GM Joe Schoen.

    Cowden worked as the Titans’ director of player personnel (2016-17), VP of player personnel (2018-22) and interim GM (2022) before the organization hired Ran Carthon as their new full-time GM last year.

    Kelly has worked for the Texans (2014-21) and Titans (2022-23), serving as offensive coordinator at times for both clubs. Tennessee was 27th in points scored and 28th in yards on offense last season while transitioning to rookie quarterback Will Levis.

    At the moment, Daboll’s offensive staff features him as the head coach, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka — after being blocked from the Seattle Seahawks’ OC position — quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney, offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo (Raiders), wide receivers coach Mike Groh, running backs coach Joel Thomas (Saints) and the tight ends coach Kelly.

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    Pat Leonard

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