Arizona Cardinals set to appoint Tom Clements as quarterbacks coach
Sunday 20 January 2019 08:26, UK
The Arizona Cardinals will appoint former Green Bay Packers assistant Tom Clements as their passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach, according to reports.
The Cardinals are not expected to hire an offensive coordinator, despite interviewing a number of candidates, the NFL Network also reported on Saturday.
New head coach Kliff Kingsbury will run his own offense and call plays, but he said at his introductory press conference he hoped to hired a veteran coordinator with NFL experience.
Clements, who was the Packers' OC from 2012-2014 and led the Buffalo Bills' offense from 2004-05, brings experience to the staff, without the coordinator title.
Clements, 65, helped groom Aaron Rodgers while serving as the Packers' quarterbacks coach from 2006-11 before his promotion to coordinator, and he was the team's assistant head coach from 2015-16.
Clements will now be charged with developing 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen, a friend of Rodgers' who struggled behind a poor offensive line as a rookie.
According to various reports, the Cardinals interviewed at least five other former offensive coordinators before hiring Clements, including former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson.
Jackson reportedly interviewed for the job on Friday. He spent the second half of the 2018 season with the Bengals after being fired in October by the Browns, ending a tenure of two-plus years in which he went 3-36-1.
