Latest news with #ToddDowning
Forbes
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Efton Chism III An ‘Absolute Joy' For Patriots Wide Receivers Coach
The New England Patriots had competition to sign Efton Chism III following the 2025 NFL draft. But the Eastern Washington product, whose three-year deal includes $259,000 in total guarantees, per has been worth fighting for. From rookie minicamp in May to training camp in August, he has been fighting to stay. That much is clear to Todd Downing. 'Absolute joy to work with,' the Patriots wide receivers coach told reporters prior to Monday's practice in Foxborough. 'His work ethic is second to none. A guy that understands he's got to fight for all of his opportunities and then make the most of them when he gets them.' Chism got them in his NFL preseason debut. Last Friday's 48-18 win over the Washington Commanders spanned 32 offensive snaps for the undrafted slot receiver. Only linemen Ben Brown, Marcus Bryant and Demontrey Jacobs handled a larger workload on that side of the football. That workload became a team-high six receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown across eight targets. 'It's been the biggest blessing and the biggest honor to be here and to play in the National Football League,' a smiling Chism said during his press conference following the preseason opener at Gillette Stadium. 'I don't think – I'm not taking it for granted. I hope the guys in the locker room aren't either. But man, we're the 1% of the 1%, just taking that each day and opportunity that presents itself, trying to take advantage of it." Chism, listed at 5-foot-10, 198 pounds, has shown suddenness in and out of his breaks. But he has also shown the ability to play bigger than his frame. That's been seen as a willing blocker. It's been seen at the catch point and all that lies after it, too. 'I would say from the spring until now, I think he has a little bit more comfort and grasp of the offense, which helps him play faster,' said Downing. 'And you're seeing him take the next steps of playing more physical, route tops, finishing catches and things like that.' When one yard was needed on fourth down in the preseason opener, Chism cut downhill to find a dozen, hurdling into the end zone. A short slip screen on first down wound up gaining 20 soon after. The evening also brought a look as New England's punt returner. 'I think he's willing to do anything, and that's half the battle,' Downing said of the 23-year-old. 'He's certainly shown some versatility. We've been able to move him around from the slot to some strongside receiver stuff. But I'm just excited to watch him continue to develop and earn a role.' The Eastern Washington career spanned five campaigns for Chism, who amassed 346 receptions for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns. The former Eagles captain set the school record with 120 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall. He did so while finishing first in the country with 10 receptions per game. First-team All Big-Sky and first-team FCS All-American selections followed. Chism currently resides on a depth chart featuring double-digit wideouts. Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Javon Baker, Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Lynn Polk, John Jiles and Jeremiah Webb are in his company as the league's 53-man roster deadline approaches. For now, it's an active 91 players. 'I love having him in the room,' added Downing. 'I love having all those guys in the room. They're all working really hard. I think Efton is a great example of a guy that – he isn't promised any opportunities or a certain amount of reps, but when he gets in there, he's going to take advantage of them. And as a coach, you just love to see that because it makes all the time in the meeting room worth it.'
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL insider says Steelers OC Arthur Smith building offense for Aaron Rodgers
The ongoing saga of the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers finally came to an end just before the start of Steelers mandatory minicamp. Rodgers adds talent and stability to the quarterback position but this is what we thought about Russell Wilson last season. What will make this time different? First, Rodgers is probably a better player at this stage of his career than Wilson. In addition, and maybe even more important, is that this time around, the Steelers might be doing more to tailor the offense to Rodgers than they ever did for Wilson or even Justin Fields. This is according to NFL reporter Albert Breer. Breer offered up some fascinating information about the days and weeks leading up to the Steelers signing of Rodgers. Advertisement According to Breer, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith reached out to Matt LeFleur and Todd Downing to get insight on the types of things Rodgers likes from an offense. LeFleur and Downing have both been offensive playcallers for Rodgers in recent years and they both have history with Smith from his time with the Tennessee Titans. Based on what Breer said, we can infer that Smith plans to build an offense around Rodgers skills and what he likes as opposed to just trying to shoehorn Rodgers into his scheme like the team did with Wilson last season. We are confident Rodgers is going to do what he thinks is best on the field and he will have the support of the coaching staff. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: NFL insider says Steelers OC Arthur Smith building offense for Aaron Rodgers
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stefon Diggs returns to Patriots OTA after viral video
FOXBOROUGH — Stefon Diggs is back in Foxborough. The veteran wide receiver was present for Monday's OTA in his No. 8 jersey. Diggs said 'nice to see you' to a crowd of reporters and waved as he trotted onto the field for the voluntary session. Diggs made headlines last week as he was taped in a viral yacht video with a mystery substance. Advertisement 'He's here today and we're excited to have an opportunity to work with the guys that are out here and available to us,' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said before practice. 'I know he's staying up on the information and the material. There's so many things and opportunities for us to teach all of our guys going forward... I'm not concerned about Stef in that regard.' After the video of Diggs surfaced, Mike Vrabel emphasized the importance of 'making great decisions.' Coming off an ACL tear, Diggs signed a three-year deal in Foxborough this spring that could be worth up to $69 million, but only has $16.6 million fully guaranteed. Wide receivers coach Todd Downing also said he was pleased with what he's seen from Diggs thus far. 'He's working hard,' Downing said. 'I think there's a little carryover with the stuff he did in Buffalo with (Brian) Daboll back in the day... a little bit of a refresher course. But yeah, he's been working hard.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What we learned at Patriots OTAs: Stefon Diggs is back, the playbook looks different
FOXBORO, Mass. — Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was back at a voluntary New England Patriots practice Monday, a welcome sign after a week of drama that began when a video of Diggs went viral in which he appears to hand a group of women an unknown pink substance during a party on a boat. It was an unwelcome distraction for Mike Vrabel's team just two months after signing Diggs to a three-year contract, and came while Diggs, who is still recovering from an ACL tear, was not present at multiple voluntary practices. Advertisement On Monday, Diggs wore a helmet and ran routes but was a limited participant overall. Still, given the boat video, there were some questions about how quickly Diggs would pick up the new offense without attending some practices. But the coaching staff downplayed their concerns Monday. 'I know he's staying up on the information and the material,' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. 'There are so many things and opportunities for us to teach all of our guys going forward. … I'm not concerned about Stefon in that regard.' Stefon Diggs: 'Nice to see you all.' — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 2, 2025 Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing briefly overlapped with Diggs in Minnesota in 2018. He said the Patriots' playbook has similarities to what Diggs ran in Buffalo, given that his offensive coordinator at the start of his Bills tenure was Brian Daboll, who worked under McDaniels for four years. 'He's working hard,' Downing said of Diggs. 'I think there's a little carryover with the stuff he did in Buffalo with Daboll back in the day. … A little bit of a refresher course. But yeah, he's been working hard.' Here is a look at several other aspects that stood out on Monday. When a team hires a new offensive coordinator, he often brings with him a slew of assistants familiar with the scheme he wants to run. That happened last year with Alex Van Pelt, who brought T.C. McCartney and Scott Peters with him from Cleveland. But this season, the top aides under McDaniels are coaches he hasn't worked with and who have backgrounds in other schemes. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree. Quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant spent time with Mike Vrabel a year ago and didn't know McDaniels before this job. Same for Downing and running backs coach Tony Dews. Advertisement So this is a different setup than McDaniels is used to, and it comes with pros and cons. At its worst, it can lead to infighting and differing opinions. But done well, it can lead to a playbook with blended ideas, allowing the team to try a number of concepts, then keep the ones that work best. The latter is obviously what the Patriots are hoping for. After using mostly staple plays from McDaniels' playbook this spring, on Monday, they tried a number of different concepts. To do so, coaches like Brown made cut-ups of plays, then taught the other coaches the background of each. Then McDaniels approved some of them for use at Monday's practice. 'Just to talk through, 'Hey, I think this could mirror with this concept,'' Brown said. '… I think we all coach each other.' It was only one day of a voluntary practice in early June, but Monday was the offense's most productive of the three OTA sessions open to the media this spring. McDaniels said the new plays were ones he didn't have much experience running. 'But I know that they're good for our team, and I know that these guys have a lot of experience doing those things where they've been,' McDaniels said. 'So that process, usually, you have some change or turnover on your staff where someone is getting acclimated. It just so happens this year we're a first-year staff together.' Stevenson provided the play of Monday when he hauled in a deep pass along the sideline from quarterback Drake Maye. It was a welcome return for the 27-year-old running back, who missed some practices this spring after the death of his father. Stevenson said he was appreciative of interactions with Vrabel during his time away. Stevenson's role for 2025 isn't as clear as it once was. The team drafted TreVeyon Henderson in the second round, and running backs aren't typically picked that high just to sit on the bench. 'Explosive guy,' Stevenson said of Henderson. 'He's learning pretty quick, and I'm excited for him.' The starting job will likely be Stevenson's when the season begins. But if he slips up — or has a fumbling problem like last season — Henderson could quickly take his spot. '(The) biggest thing is ball security,' Stevenson said when asked about where he wants to improve. 'That's the obvious answer. But also just getting some wins under our belt and not shooting ourselves in the foot. And that comes back to ball security.' Advertisement It's a new offense for the Patriots, but Stevenson is one of the few who was already comfortable with the scheme, given that Stevenson played for McDaniels in 2021. 'Josh and Bill Belichick yelled at me a lot my rookie year for this same playbook,' Stevenson said, 'so I've got it drilled into me.'
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh McDaniels reportedly had major role in adding this coach to Patriots staff
The New England Patriots have made several coaching staff moves since Mike Vrabel took over as head coach. However, at least one of those moves reportedly came at the hand of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. According to the Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard, McDaniels is believed to be behind the decision to hire Todd Downing as the Patriots' new wide receivers coach. Downing most recently coached with the New York Jets as their quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. He took over the offensive playcalling duties following Nathaniel Hackett being fired by the team. 'They went through extensive searches, specific to the wide receivers position, they talked to a lot of college receivers coaches,' Bedard said on the 'Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast.' 'But from what I understand, Vrabel was not going to force anybody on McDaniels. From what I understand, Vrabel wasn't even involved in the Todd Downing interview. 'He wanted to make sure that if it was Todd Downing, that McDaniels really wanted him. From what I understand, that is true. McDaniels really wanted him, really liked him. McDaniels, he didn't even need a former receivers coach. He just wanted a really good coach.' There's hope that McDaniels choosing the wide receivers coach will help with the overall cohesiveness of the offensive coaching in New England. The development and production at the wide receiver position have been a struggle for the team for years. Perhaps they'll get closer to fixing it with this latest coaching move.
