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A Trip Around the Coaching Carousel

Jeremy Lapidus

There are still six openings in the NFL coaching carousel, after the Patriots hired former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to be their leading man.  With many interviews reaching a second round, who will end up coaching at each of the six openings.

 

Chicago Bears:

 

The Bears have in my opinion the most attractive spot for any head coach in this year’s cycle.  Boasting a top ten defense in the NFL to pair with Caleb Williams, the number one overall pick in last year’s NFL draft.

 

Talent oozing out of every position group aside from the offensive line, this is a team that is so close to being a complete unit that most coaching candidates should be flocking to coach for Chicago.

 

Ben Johnson is the number one coaching candidate in this year’s cycle.  Johnson has been in high demand over the past couple of seasons, seemingly the leader for the Washington Commanders job last offseason before deciding to remain with the Lions.

 

This year I cannot see him staying as an offensive coordinator, not with the riches that the Bears can offer him as a play caller and in free agency.  I think the Bears land the big fish of the offseason with Ben Johnson.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars:

 

The Jaguars are in a similar position to the Chicago Bears as they enter the search for a new head coach.  Both have former first overall picks that have yet to reach their potentials, waiting on the right head coach to unlock everything they have been billed to be.

 

The Jaguars have a significantly worse defense and have already committed $55 million to Trevor Lawrence but if there is a coach out there that believes in the QB, there is no reason not to take this job.

 

The name I have circled for this opening is current Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.  Coen has been instrumental in turning Baker Mayfield’s career around and building a successful offense with Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay. 

 

Aside from Johnson, Coen is the best offensive mind available in this year’s coaching cycle.  I think the Jaguars are looking for a coach that can unlock the flashes of potential we have seen out of Lawrence and Coen is the guy to do it.

 

Dallas Cowboys:

 

The Cowboys enter this coaching search late, allowing former coach Mike McCarthy’s contract to expire rather than firing him like the other teams did with their former coaches. 

 

This puts the Cowboys behind the eight ball in a few different ways, they no longer can hire Mike Vrabel, who was already hired by the Patriots before they had an open position.  They also have a late start to the market, making them the biggest mystery of the coaching carousel.

 

A few theories have been put out surrounding Deion Sanders leaving Colorado to be the Cowboys head coach.  I frankly cannot see that happening, Deion would most likely only make the jump to the NFL if he could coach his sons, and the Cowboys are in no position to grab Sheduer Sanders in the upcoming draft. 

 

That being said, I do think they hire someone who is familiar with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys organization in former offensive coordinator and current Eagles OC, Kellen Moore. 

 

Moore has been a coach Jones has shown a strong liking towards, keeping on the staff despite a head coaching change at the beginning of the McCarthy era.  With his familiarity with Dak Prescott and the offense, hiring Moore makes the most sense for a Cowboys team looking for a big upgrade.

 

Las Vegas Raiders:

 

The Raiders are in an interesting spot when it comes to attracting a quality head coach.  They have a top ten pick in the upcoming draft and some of the most cap space in all of the NFL, but they are out of range of a quarterback and there isn’t a great one in free agency.

 

Any coach looking for a fresh slate might find one in Las Vegas, but a quick turnaround might not be in the cards.  I think the Raiders might have to go to a re-tred or a veteran head coach in order to turn the ship around in any sort of short timeframe.

 

A couple of names spring to mind, with the connection to Tom Brady specifically calls for luring Bill Belichick out of the college game have been loud.  I can’t imagine that happening yet, calls for Ben Johnson have been loud as well but with better options out there I can’t see Johnson taking the Raiders job over others.

 

The name I see is Pete Carroll.  Carroll has taken a year off after a long and successful reign in Seattle and doesn’t have much to prove in the NFL.  He has a long track record of being able to build a strong culture, something the Raiders desperately need.

 

New York Jets:

 

The Jets seemingly have a strong favorite for their opening in former Jets head coach, Rex Ryan.  Ryan, who last coached in 2016 with the Buffalo Bills has been an analyst for ESPN for a long time.  He has expressed interest in returning to the Jets as well.

 

The Jets need a coach who has experience, no first-time head coach will hitch their wagon to a Jets team doomed to fail in the future like they are.  Other candidates include Brian Flores, and Mike McCarthy all who have already proven their worth in the NFL and wouldn’t ruin their career by joining the organization.

 

The Aaron Rodgers era will end in the next couple seasons and at that point the organization will return to bottom feeders, a short-term head coach is the way in New York for now.

 

New Orleans Saints:

 

The Saints enter the discussion at the beginning of what seemingly will be a long and hard rebuild.  They have pushed it back as long as they can, but with negative cap space and an aging core, there is no more pushing money back they can do.

 

The Saints need a fresh start more than any other team in the NFL, in this situation I think it’s best for the front office to pick someone they believe in and let them have time to build their vision.

 

This is going to be a long rebuild, so hitting on the coach will be crucial.  I think they head with a younger coach whose name has been hot in coaching circles all year long either Kliff Kingsbury or Aaron Glenn.

 

Both candidates have strong potential for schemes on either side of the ball, but I think they lean more toward Glenn who behind Johnson has been the next hottest name in the coaching carousel.