An inevitable truth of every NFL offseason is the coaching carousel. Coaches are relieved of their duties after failed seasons – this year is no different. Before this week, there were seven head coaching positions available. Two have been filled: the Jaguars and the Jets have found their new coaches in Urban Meyer and Robert Saleh, respectively. There are five head coaching openings remaining, and I have some thoughts on who these teams could look to.
The top landing spot remaining has to be with the Chargers, who have second-year quarterback Justin Herbert, who has proven worthy of building a franchise around. They also have a slew of other top-tier talents on both sides of the ball. To me, this would be the best fit for current Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy. An imaginative offensive mind with Herbert, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, and Hunter Henry would be lethal.
We all know the Texans are in hot water right now, especially with uber-pissed superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson and his animosity for the team. It might be hard to convince a top-tier coaching candidate to take the role, considering the Texans don’t have a first- or second- round pick in this year’s draft (thanks Bill O’Brien), have tons of needs on defense, and have no skill players to build around on offense. They brought in former Patriots exec Nick Caserio to be the new General Manager, and will need a steady hand at coach. If I’m the Texans, and if Deshaun Watson approves of it, I’d be circling Brian Daboll, the current OC for the Buffalo Bills.
The Eagles are another team in massive turmoil, with a clunky quarterback situation between Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts and the projected second-worst cap space in the NFL next year. The Eagles are reportedly interviewing former running back and long-time assistant Duce Staley for the position, and they should really lock it up and give him the job. He also worked previously under Andy Reid. They need a culture boost, he’s already familiar with the personnel and has the respect of the team, and would be a natural successor for the job.
It looks like Detroit might have a name circled in New Orleans Saints assistant head coach/TE coach Dan Campbell. Campbell is a former NFL tight end, and he played for the Lions during their infamous 0-16 season in 2008. He has interim head coaching experience in Miami in 2015, and has been with the Saints for the last five years. His tight end group has ranked fourth in run-blocking grades since 2016. He seems like an interesting choice, but all the signals are saying the Lions are honing in on him – they had an interview scheduled with Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but they mutually decided to cancel the interview. The Lions will have to wait for the Saints’ playoffs to come to an end before they can pursue Campbell, if that’s their intention.
The coaching carousel is always interesting, and brings new opportunities for philosophical changes to franchises in need of a boost. We should have answers to these vacancies in the coming weeks as the season comes to a close and we begin to turn our eyes to next year.