Around the NFL Friday’s news & notes

Packers: Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy has chosen former Illinois coach Ron Zook and Sam Gash to fill spots on his coaching staff.

Zook, a former head coach at Florida and Illinois following six years as an NFL assistant, was named assistant special teams coach. He replaces Chad Morton.

Gash fills the running backs coaching position that became vacant when Alex Van Pelt was moved to quarterbacks coach to replace Ben McAdoo. McAdoo left to become the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator.

Winston Moss, who was assistant head coach/inside linebackers, will now oversee the entire linebacker group.

The Packers also added several other assistants Friday.

Chiefs: Kansas City has parted ways with veteran defensive back Dunta Robinson, who never lived up to expectations last season.

They also signed Canadian Football League wide receiver Weston Dressler.

Robinson just finished the first year of a $13.75 million, three-year deal to provide depth in the Kansas City defensive backfield. But he only appeared in nine games and finished the season with 14 tackles. He was part of a defense that was torched by Indianapolis in the playoffs.

The move Friday frees up more than $3 million for the cash-strapped Chiefs, who were just below the salary cap at the beginning of the week.

Dressler has spent the past six years in the CFL, where he caught 442 passes for 6,531 yards and 43 touchdowns for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Falcons: Atlanta has hired former Ravens longtime assistant Wade Harman as assistant offensive line coach.

Harman spent the last 15 seasons on Baltimore’s staff, including the last six as the tight ends coach. He coached the Ravens tight ends and assisted on the offensive line from 1999-07. He previously spent two years on the Minnesota Vikings’ staff. He also was the only coach to be a part of Baltimore’s Super Bowl championship teams in 2000 and 2012.

The Falcons announced Mike Tice as offensive line coach on Jan. 8. Tice and Harman replace Pat Hill and Paul Dunn, who were fired after the Falcons’ 4-12 season.

Lions: Detroit center Dominic Raiola is returning for a 14th season with the Lions. Agent Kenny Zuckerman says Raiola has signed a one-year deal and hopes to help Detroit reach the postseason this year. The Lions have missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

Raiola was drafted by the Lions in 2001 and has played for Detroit his entire career. He’s started all 16 games in each of the last five seasons. He was not charged with a single sack allowed last season, the first time in his career he’d accomplished that.

Detroit went 7-9 last season and coach Jim Schwartz was fired. Jim Caldwell is replacing Schwartz.

Vikings: Minnesota has released linebacker Erin Henderson, who was recently arrested twice on suspicion of drunken driving. The Vikings announced Henderson’s release Friday. Henderson had one season left on his contract with a $1.95 million salary.

Henderson’s latest arrest was Jan. 1 after he crashed his sport utility vehicle in Chanhassen. He is scheduled to appear in court March 3 on charges of second- and third-degree driving while intoxicated and test refusal, possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and violation of a limited driver’s license. Henderson was moved to middle linebacker last season and the starter there until he was arrested Nov. 19 in Eden Prairie on suspicion of DWI and drug possession. The 27-year-old finished second on the team in tackles last season.

Bills: Buffalo has promoted Jason Rebrovich to become the team’s assistant defensive line coach.

Rebrovich enters his second season with the Bills after spending last season as a defensive quality control coach. The promotion comes a week after Pepper Johnson was hired to coach Buffalo’s defensive linemen.

It’s the latest move to a Bills defensive staff that’s been in flux under newly hired coordinator Jim Schwartz. The former Detroit Lions head coach was hired by the Bills two weeks ago to replace Mike Pettine, who left after one season to take over as coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Rebrovich was previously a defensive assistant at Syracuse, where he worked under Bills head coach Doug Marrone.

Associated Press