Despite speculation that he might not be retained, Matt Cavanaugh will return as the New York Jets' quarterbacks coach, the team announced Monday.
Cavanaugh worked side-by-side with former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who left last month and took the same job with the St. Louis Rams, with both being criticized for the seeming regression of quarterback Mark Sanchez. Schottenheimer was replaced by Tony Sparano.
The Jets also hired Karl Dunbar as their defensive line coach after he served in the same position for the Minnesota Vikings the last six seasons. Dunbar, a former NFL defensive lineman, helped turn the Vikings' defensive front into one of the best in football.
The Jets also announced Bob Sutton has been promoted to assistant head coach/linebackers coach and Lance Taylor has been bumped up to assistant tight ends coach/quality control.
In other moves, New York brought back Mike Smith as outside linebackers coach, a few weeks after he left the Jets to become the co-defensive coordinator at West Virginia. The Jets also hired Justus Galac and Paul Ricci as assistant strength and conditioning coaches.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
