Colts finalize 2016 coaching staff by moving Jim Hostler to tight ends coach

The Indianapolis Colts today finalized their 2016 coaching staff by re-assigning two previous coaches to different positions.  The team moved wide receivers coach Jim Hostler to tight ends coach and defensive assistant Tim Berbenich to offensive assistant/assistant quarterbacks coach.

Hostler was hired by the Colts last offseason to be their wide receivers coach, meaning that he is being switched from the job after just one season.  Before his time with the Colts, he was an offensive assistant for the Buffalo Bills for one year (2014) and previously had spent six seasons as the wide receivers coach for the Baltimore Ravens (2008-2013).  Interestingly enough, Hostler has never coached tight ends.  At the NFL level, he has been a wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator, and offensive assistant, while at the college level he has done all of that plus serve as a running backs coach and linebackers coach, but he has never coached tight ends during his career.  It's an interesting move, then, for the Colts to switch him to a position that really could use some good coaching.  Perhaps the Colts want to help the tight ends become more well-rounded in the receiving game, but regardless it's an interesting move that hopefully works out for the team.

Berbenich has spent the last three seasons with the Colts, as an offensive assistant (2013-2014) and then last year as a defensive assistant (2015).  He previously spent six seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006-2011), spending time as an offensive quality control coach, assistant running backs coach, and assistant wide receivers coach.  Before that, he worked with the New York Jets for four seasons (2002-2005), serving as an operations assistant, offensive assistant, and quality control coach.

The Colts have now finalized their coaching staff for 2016 after a long process of searching for and finding people who fit what they want to do.  Hopefully, the staff changes end up making a positive impact.  Here's the Colts' full coaching staff for 2016 (italics indicates new addition to the staff or a new role):

Head coach: Chuck Pagano, head coach

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski (had interim tag removed)

Defensive coordinator: Ted Monachino

Special teams coordinator: Tom McMahon

Quarterbacks: Brian Schottenheimer

Running backs: Jemal Singleton

Wide receivers: Lee Hull

Tight ends: Jim Hostler (moved from wide receivers to tight ends)

Offensive line: Joe Philbin (also named assistant head coach)

Assistant offensive line: Joe Gilbert (moved from offensive line coach to assistant offensive line coach)

Offensive quality control: Frank Giufre

Defensive line: Gary Emmanuel

Linebackers: Jim Herrmann

Outside linebackers: Brad White

Defensive backs: Greg Williams

Defensive quality control: Shawn Terlecky

Assistant special teams: Maurice Drayton

Strength and conditioning: Darren Krein

Assistant strength and conditioning: Richard Howell

Conditioning/performance analyst: Quadrian Banks

Assistant to the head coach: Andrew Hayes-Stoker