The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will play in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12. Here are some local connections to watch for in the game (in alphabetical order):
Chiefs Left Tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Orlando Brown Jr., whose father was an original Raven and played for the team for six years, was taken by Baltimore in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Brown was part of some historic running games behind the dynamic play of quarterback Lamar Jackson, but the 6-foot-8, 340-pound offensive lineman wanted a clear path to playing left tackle and requested a trade following the 2020 season. The Ravens dealt him to the Chiefs for a package of picks, one of which netted outside linebacker Odafe Oweh. Kansas City franchise tagged Brown a year later, but the two sides could not work out a long-term contract. Brown eventually signed his franchise tender for 2022 and is expected to hit the free-agent market this spring.
Chiefs Defensive Line Coach Joe Cullen
Joe Cullen was the Ravens’ well-regarded defensive line coach from 2016-2020 before taking the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator job under Urban Meyer in 2021. Following Meyer’s dismissal, Cullen landed back on his feet in Kansas City. Cullen was credited for helping develop young linemen such as Timmy Jernigan, Michael Pierce and Brandon Williams in Baltimore. He has reunited with Williams in Kansas City.
Chiefs Defensive End Joshua Kaindoh
Baltimore native Joshua Kaindoh, who attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel before moving on to IMG Academy, was taken by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft but has played very little since then. Most recently, he was inactive in the AFC championship game against Cincinnati. Still, Kaindoh is on the active roster for Kansas City. If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because of a recruiting saga that involved Maryland. He originally committed to the Terps, then reversed course and chose Florida State. His mother was not a happy camper.
Eagles Special Teams Ace Zech McPhearson
Baltimore native and Riverdale Baptist graduate Zech McPhearson played in 80 percent of the Eagles’ special teams snaps, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his work against the Detroit Lions in Week 1. He only played in 9 percent of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps, but the 5-foot-11, 191-pound cornerback still found a way to contribute in other ways. McPhearson comes from a football family, with his father having played for Boston College and his brother for Maryland. “Sometimes I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done,” McPhearson told PressBox in November, referring to his parents. “Me being the youngest, seeing all the sacrifices they made for all my older siblings and then it panned out for me. They put me in the right position to be successful in life, so I can’t thank them enough.”
Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo
Steve Spagnuolo, who is after his second Super Bowl ring as Chiefs defensive coordinator, was on the Ravens’ defensive staff from 2013-2014. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had worked with Spagnuolo in Philadelphia for eight years, and their paths would cross in an unusual way after that. Spagnuolo served as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2009-2011, and Harbaugh’s Ravens beat the Rams, 37-7, in September 2011. Spagnuolo didn’t appreciate the way Harbaugh coached the final minutes and after the game told his wife that they’d never speak to Harbaugh again — which, of course, turned out not to be the case. Spagnuolo was fired by the Rams after the 2011 season, and then was fired as the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints after the 2012 season. That led him back to Harbaugh, who hired him as a senior defensive assistant in 2013 and promoted him to be the team’s secondary coach in 2014. All’s well that ends well.
Chiefs Defensive Tackle Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams was taken by the Ravens in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Missouri Southern and went on to have a productive nine-year career in Baltimore: 123 regular-season games, 114 starts, 323 tackles and 6.5 sacks. After his five-year deal with the Ravens expired after the 2021 season, Williams went unsigned for most of the 2022 season. However, the 33-year-old signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad in early December and was quickly moved to the active roster. He played nine snaps in each of the Chiefs’ playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl.
Chiefs Offensive Assistant Dan Williams
Former Stevenson quarterback Dan Williams had a productive career as a quarterback in Owings Mills, Md., from 2015-2018 before becoming an coaching intern for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, when he worked with the team’s quarterbacks and tight ends. He then assisted head coach Andy Reid with the day-to-day operations of the team from 2020-2021. His duties included “overseeing player and staff communications with the head coach and managing the football calendar, which includes the offseason program, mini-camp and in-season schedules,” according to the Chiefs’ website. He is now an offensive assistant. At Stevenson, Williams was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2017 and 2018 and was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. He was a college counselor at the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana in June 2018.
Eagles Defensive Backs Coach, Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Dennard Wilson
Dennard Wilson, who has been on defensive staffs for NFL teams since 2012, joined the Eagles as defensive backs coach in 2021 and added the title of defensive passing game coordinator ahead of the 2022 season. He coaches stud cornerbacks James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox and Darius Slay. Wilson, an Upper Marlboro native and DeMatha graduate, was a defensive back at Maryland from 2000-2003. He rejoined the Stags and Terps to get his post-playing career started, first as a coach at DeMatha (2004-2006) and then as a graduate assistant at Maryland (2007-2008).
OTHER LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Eagles special teams quality control coach Tyler Brown is the son of longtime Ravens special teams coach Randy Brown. … Chiefs fullback Michael Burton resides in the Hunt Valley area during the offseason. … Eagles wide receiver Zach Pascal is a native of Upper Marlboro and graduated from Wise High School. … Eagles defensive ends and outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn previously worked for the Ravens as a player personnel assistant (2003-2004) and area scout (2005-2008).
Note: Steve Spagnuolo and Dan Williams’ capsules were pulled from a similar article two years ago and only slightly altered.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox, Sabina Moran/SKMoran Photography and Courtesy of Maryland Athletics