Black Monday comes every year in the NFL and with it few surprises. Most coaches that begin the season on the hot seat don’t make it all the way through. So kudos to Adam Gase for making it all 17 weeks. The Jaguars pulled the plug on Doug Marone. After 2 years of bad losses, the Chargers axed Head Coach Anthony Lynn. Finally, Dan Quinn, Matt Patricia, and Bill O’ Brien were mid-season casualties.
That leaves the NFL with SIX head coaching vacancies: The Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Some of these gigs are amazing situations and some should not be touched with a 10 foot pole. Here are my rankings:
1. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers rallied to finish the year, culminating in a 4 game win streak and a 7-9 overall record. The strong finish was not enough to save Anthony Lynn from the chopping block. The Chargers left wins on the table all season long.
The Chargers have everything going for them. They have a roster with a mix of youthful promise and quality veteran leadership. Los Angeles has its franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert who looked like a stud from beginning to end. This team does not lack talent with GM Tom Telesco has done an excellent job at drafting.
Buffalo Bills OC Brian Daboll seems like a perfect fit to take the Chargers to the next level. Dabol is an experienced coordinator who is the mastermind behind the development of Josh Allen. Daboll has shown creativity when given talent to work with. Austin Eckler, Keenan Allen, and Hunter Henry would be a hell of a cast to work with.
2. New York Jets
The New York Jets have a solid leadership situation as well. They have quality leadership at the top with GM Joe Douglas. Douglas will have an important say when it comes to the head coaching decision. This will finally give the Jets much needed continuity at the top of the organization.
The Jets have assets, especially when it comes to offense and draft capital. Sam Darnold is a talented young QB, that has the potential to be magical with the right coach. The Jets could also havepicking of almost any QB in the draft having rightfully earned the 2nd Overall pick in the 2021 Draft.
I don’t think they can be wrong either way but the best decision in my opinion is to stick with Darnold and find a quality head coach. The perfect fit would be Urban Meyer despite the apparent increased level in ownership meddling. Meyer is an offensive wizard who has nothing but success and accolades. Urban’s strengths are player development and scouting. Personally, I think Meyer would be an excellent GM candidate. Jacksonville wants him as a coach. So be it.
3. Detroit Lions:
The Lions are a team I never fully understand. They have some really nice offensive weapons in Marvin Jones, DeAndre Swift, TJ Hockenson, and Kenny Golladay. They have a franchise QB in Matt Stafford and yet they perpetually stink.
This team has a normal amount of draft capital and not too much money tied up in bad contracts. They have the opportunity to trade Stafford to a borderline contender and get some draft capital. Ownership is the biggest drawback here as the Ford Family haven’t been able to put together a consistent winner.
The lack of leadership means they should go after Marvin Lewis or Jim Caldwell. This organization needs someone that can right the ship and has experience doing so. Lewis or Caldwell can give the Lions an identity as they are one of the few teams in the NFL that have never had one.
4. Atlanta Falcons
Hotlanta is a hot mess. The team has roster flaws, bad contracts and not a lot of draft capital. It will be a tough situation at best. The one redeeming quality to the Falcons is Owner Arthur Blank. Blank has made it clear to stay out of football operations unless absolutely necessary. He gave Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn years more than they would have gotten elsewhere. This is at least a six year project for the Falcons. The project will probably include transitioning off of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, making the job that much tougher.
The Falcons have not had an offensive coach at the helm since the mid 2000’s. I think it’s time they head in the direction. Pep Hamilton (Chargers QB Coach) and Arthur Smith (Titans OC) would be great fits in Atlanta. Hamilton has previous head coaching experience in the late, ill-fated XFL leading the D.C. Defenders. He can be offensively creative and has mentored some of the best young QB’s in the game. Smith has resurrected Ryan Tannehill’s career from the dead and unlocked the full potential of Derrick Henry.
5. Houston Texans
This year’s dumpster fire award went to the Houston Texans. Deshaun Watson was promised to be involved in the hiring process of the new GM and HC. He has yet to be consulted and they already hired a new GM. They have not requested to interview Eric Bieniemy, someone of Watson’s interest. Bill O’Brien left this team without first round picks this year or next year, and with an old, veteran roster that’s not very good. The Texans are going to experience some LEAN years ahead. The writing is on the wall and Watson sees it. Watson is all but asking out of Houston.
It’s messy, and any coach hired will have to try and calm Watson. I think a good coach defensively would be Colts DC Matt Eberflus. If the Texans strike out on Bieniemy in an effort to go the offensive route, Jim Caldwell or Pep Hamilton would also be excellent hires. Any coach here will be in line for a long contract (six years or more). Pep Hamilton would be a great fit in this situation.
