HOUSTON (AP) — Wes Phillips will follow Kevin O’Connell to Minnesota from the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Phillips will serve as offensive coordinator for the Vikings under their new head coach O’Connell. Phillips was one of five more assistants for O’Connell’s staff finalized on Monday. The others are special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica and outside linebackers coach and pass rush specialist Mike Smith. Phillips was the tight ends coach for the Rams for the last three years and added the passing game coordinator title in 2021.
In other NFL news:
— The Houston Texans on Monday announced their full coaching staff under new coach Lovie Smith. New additions to the staff include tight ends coach Tim Berbenich, who spent last season as a running backs coach for the Raiders and offensive line coach George Warhop, who had the same job in Jacksonville for the past three seasons.
— The NFL scouting combine will have a host of COVID-19 mitigation measures that are rankling agents and prospects. The combine told all 324 players invited to the league’s annual evaluation gathering that they’ll have to spend their time in a bubble and can only bring one support person such as a personal trainer. Most prospects have a team of support that includes nutritionists, therapists and others. Agents are miffed the restrictions were issued over the weekend with the Omicron variant wave receding. The NFL has resisted that idea of keeping players in a bubble during the pandemic.
