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The Arizona Cardinals have made some moves in the coaching ranks promoting two within and bringing in a coach for the wide receivers room.
From the team:
Kugler helped the Cardinals run for 2,237 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2020, marking just the sixth time in franchise history and first time since 1984 that the Cardinals had 2,000+ rushing yards and 20+ rushing touchdowns in a season. Arizona finished the 2020 season with the NFL’s #7 ranked rushing attack, averaging 139.8 rushing yards per game last season. Kugler originally joined the Cardinals coaching staff in 2019 as the team ‘s offensive line coach.
Turner helped second-year quarterback Kyler Murray earn his first Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 3,971 yards and 26 touchdowns while also rushing for 11 touchdowns last season. Murray set a franchise record for completion percentage (67.2) while also becoming just the second player in NFL history with 25+ passing touchdowns and 10+ rushing touchdowns in a season. Turner has spent the past three seasons on Arizona’s coaching staff, including last year as the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach.
Jefferson has coached in the NFL the past 16 seasons after playing wide receiver in the league for 13 years. He joins the Cardinals staff after spending the past two seasons with the New York Jets as assistant head coach/wide receivers. The 51-year old Jefferson has also coached with Miami (2016-18), Tennessee (2013-15) and Detroit (2005-12) in his career. While with the Lions, Jefferson tutored wide receiver Calvin Johnson, helping him set the NFL single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards in 2012. During the five seasons with Jefferson as his position coach, Johnson was selected to three Pro Bowls, led the NFL in receiving yardage twice, had four 1,000-yard seasons and caught 50 touchdowns. Jefferson also coached wide receiver Jarvis Landry for three seasons in Miami, helping Landry earn Pro Bowl honors in each of those three years (2016-18).
He began his coaching career with the Lions as a coaching assistant in 2005 after a 13-year playing career with the Chargers (1991-95), Patriots (1996-99), Falcons (2000-02) and Lions (2003). After entering the league with the Oilers as a ninth-round selection in the 1991 NFL Draft out of the University of Central Florida, Jefferson appeared in 195 games (130 starts) and had 470 receptions for 7,023 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also played in 12 postseason games, including Super Bowl XXIX and Super Bowl XXXI. His son, Van, was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Congratulations to Kugler and Turner, and welcome aboard Coach Jefferson.