The old, the new and the familiar: Rating the nine NFL head coach hires in 2022
In one of the most exciting off-seasons in NFL history, we have seen several star players on the move. Russell Wilson has left his longtime home in Seattle for the mountains of Denver, Davante Adams finds himself on the Las Vegas Strip, and Tyreek Hill is taking his talent to South Beach.
Lost in all the excitement of the trades, free-agent signings, and drafted rookies, were the 9 coaching hires around the league. We look deeper at each newly hired coach and what they bring to their new franchise.
The NFL coaching carousel never stops, as they are hired, and fired every season. Some may call it business, but as Mufasa put it in The Lion King, “this is the Circle of Life”.
Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders
McDaniels gets his second chance as the head coach of an NFL team. After several successful seasons as the Offensive Coordinator with the New England Patriots, it looked like McDaniels return to head coaching duties was set in 2018 when he agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts, before returning to the Patriots the same day, completely burning the bridge in Indy.
Now, McDaniels lands himself in the perfect spot. The the Raiders have a solid offense that added superstar receiver Davante Adams to their playoff-caliber team this offseason.
McDaniels has made his living as a “quarterback guru”, so pairing him with Carr could be a match made in heaven. Carr has flashed greatness in the past but has struggled at times with consistency.
If all goes well, McDaniels, Carr, and the Raiders franchise should find success in a tough AFC West, and more importantly, step out of the toxic, Gruden-era shadow that lingers on the organization.
Hire Rating: B
Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Doug Pederson’s tenure in Philadelphia to an end after the 2021 season. His legacy with the Eagles is complicated despite leading the team to a 2017 Super Bowl victory, given the way it ended after being accused of intentionally losing the team’s final game to help increase their draft position.
Fortunately for Pederson, he moves to one of the bottom teams in the NFL by signing on as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finds himself with young, potential star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, as well as new wide receiver Christian Kirk.
The main thing helping Pederson as he transitions to the Jaguars’ new coach is the ridiculously incompetent cloud of Urban Myer still floats above the franchise.
Pressure will be minimal on Pederson, which will not only help him but Lawrence and the current roster as well.
Hire Rating: B-
Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
How does one replace a franchise legend? The retirement of Sean Payton came as a bit of a shock, as was the Kevin James movie made about him, maybe there was more to Payton than I ever knew.
The Saints wasted little time in promoting defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who already proved his worth when Payton missed a game last season due to a Covid-19 diagnosis.
Now with the interim head coach title removed, Allen will get his opportunity to prove himself for more than one game. The Saints remain one of the most likely boom-or-bust teams heading into the new season.
They added several key players including DB Tyrann Mathieu, rookie WR Chris Olave, and WR Jarvis Landry, so there will be pressure on Allen out of the gate to take the Saints to the playoffs.
Can he turn the Saints into a title contender? Can he rely on Jameis Winston to help guide them to the playoffs? These are questions that will soon be answered, all we know is that Dennis Allen has the trust of the franchise to lead them to the promised land.
Hire Rating: C
Lovie Smith, Houston Texans
I feel for Lovie Smith. He has proven that he deserves a second chance to coach an NFL team again. unfortunately for him, it turned out to be with the Houston Texans. Smith has had a track record of success, but which NFL could turn around this franchise?
The 64-year-old has been to the Super Bowl twice in his coaching career, once as the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams in 2001, as well as the head coach of the Chicago Bears in 2006 before falling to Tony Dungy and the Colts.
I’m sure he would have preferred a different landing spot, but a head coaching gig is still a head coaching gig.
There is not much positive to say for Lovie as he heads to Houston. The team is in shambles, there is a looming cloud of Deshaun Watson’s lawsuits, and the current roster is questionable at best.
On a positive note, no one expects anything from the Texans this year, so Smith will be able to prove his coaching chops. If he can pick up a win or two with this team, he can hopefully turn it into a future coaching job elsewhere once the Texans fire him… because that’s what they do.
Hire Rating: C+
Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
Does Bears’ new coach Matt Eberflus have the easiest shoes to fill by replacing Matt Nagy? He comes into a city and fanbase expecting results, but thanks to the incompetency of Nagy, any success will immediately put him in the good books with fans.
The Bears’ interviewed several candidates, before ultimately landing on the Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. He has proved himself worthy of a coaching opportunity, but his hiring was questioned by fans.
The Bears have a young quarterback with superstar potential in Justin Fields, but being a defensive-minded, fans are concerned if Eberflus will be able to help Fields develop. If he does not manage to get the offense in Chicago rolling, this hiring could ultimately end up hurting the Bears when all is said and done.
Hire Rating: C
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
Having narrowly missed a trip to the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel finds himself on the other side of the country, signing with the Miami Dolphins as head coach.
McDaniel is exactly what the Dolphins needed. He is an offensive guru who will undoubtedly help the stagnant Miami attack as they look to move into contention.
The 39-year-old will be busy with his staff to create an offense to maximize the potential of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If it doesn’t work out, at least the Dolphins will know whether Tua is the quarterback of the future.
McDaniel will have a new, shiny weapon in Miami in the form of Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The explosive skillset of Hill should provide McDaniel with additional versatility to scheme with.
This is a home run for Mike McDaniel, as well as the Miami Dolphins, whose offense was needing a complete resurgence.
Hire Rating: A
Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos made one, if not, the biggest move of the off-season. The Broncos landed Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The move sent shockwaves around the league, with some fans planning the Super Bowl parade through downtown Denver.
Hackett has been an excellent offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills. In the past five years, Hackett has helped coordinate two top-5 scoring offenses. His potential play-calling and enthusiastic personality should have Broncos fans excited.
The Broncos have an exciting receiving core with players such as Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Noah Fant. Now with Wilson finally closing the quarterback revolving door in the Denver, the Broncos may have landed the coach needed to bring the title back to the Rockies.
Hire Rating: B+
Brian Daboll, New York Giants
As is the case with many of the coaches in this article, Daboll enters a new franchise following an incompetent predecessor. In this case, Brian Daboll will take over for the ugly offense run by Joe Judge and Jason Garrett in the previous season.
Daboll was one of the prize head coaching candidates for several teams before the New York Giants landed him from the Buffalo Bills. He has done an incredible job with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills juggernaut offense, so will he be able to re-create that success with a less talented roster in New York?
Daniel Jones is the opposite of Allen, and has struggled to perform in the Big Apple, but under new guidance and a new playbook, could he save his starting quarterback job? One player who might thrive under the Daboll signing would be Saquon Barkley if he can remain healthy.
It is an exciting time for the Giants, as Daboll looks like a long-term solution at the coaching position, and someone who can help bring a winning culture back to the Giants. This is potentially the best hiring of them all.
Hire Rating: A
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
Finally, we make our way to Minnesota where the Vikings have replaced long-time head coach Mike Zimmer, bringing in Rams’ offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. The hiring provides the Vikings with a much-needed breath of fresh air into the franchise. Under Zimmer, the Vikings seemed to have plateaued, without any signs of being able to get over the hump. In comes Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell is indeed a first-time head coach, but if he can instill even part of the Rams’ offensive playbook and winning culture then this would be a no-brainer hiring for the Vikings.
Fans and executives around the league may also be wondering if the Vikings can win it all with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. I believe given the results with Matthew Stafford in the Los Angeles Rams offense, if it can be brought into Minnesota, then success might come along with it. Vikings fans have a reason for optimism with the O’Connell hiring.
Hire Rating: A
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As stated above, there should be optimism with all these hirings, but one must also keep in mind that as sure as there are hirings, there will be firings. This is the “Circle of Life”.
