What a year it was !! Considering what the world has gone through this year, having an NFL season was nothing short of a miracle. A lot of accolades need to be passed on to the league and franchises to be able to sustain and organize the 2020 season.
As the 2020 season starts to wind down, and with black Monday around the corner, it is worth writing about the openings and the strongest head coach candidates that emerged through the season.
Let's look at the likely openings:
Jets — With the second overall pick, the New York Jets select …This is going to sound aggressive but one of the worst head coaching openings prizes in the NFL will go to the Jets. Jets not only made it hard for themselves after winning a game but made it harder to attract candidates by winning twice in a season which mattered least. Not only has this franchise made mistakes, again and again, but the roster is also void of talent with major pieces being traded away. Nobody wants to stay with GANG GREEN and there are reasons for that. Abysmal coaching, Lack of winning attitude, and lackadaisical effort to build a new championship-caliber roster. Jets will find a head coach but they better give the person a multi-year contract and enough leash to build a roster of his vision and change the overall culture in the organization. Jets need to hire somebody in Brian Flores’s mold who can be a tough leader and change the culture which this organization needs badly.
Texans — Not to trivialize but the only thing which seems to be going better for Texans than jets is Deshaun Watson. But it is a big thing, Watson in his second contract and playing at the highest level, any coach would love to have him as his QB. Things going against the Texans is a crumbling and aging roster and depth at key skills positions. Next GM as well as the coach have to fill a lot of gaps and undo a lot of things done by Bill O’Brien, the GM. To continue the development of Watson and build around him, Texans should be looking for somebody whose Offensive minded and excellent in man-management. Although it may take time for this franchise to build its roster with a missing first-round pick this year an offensive-minded coach can get the best out of this team in short term.
Lions — What a mess !! Year after year the struggle continues. Don’t think ownership is an issue here. It’s the choices they make on yearly basis. They have chosen the wrong coaches year after year and paid a price for it. They have also wasted the prime years of Matthew Stafford who’s a lot better than the likes of Goff, Garapallo, and Ryan Tannehill but wasted in a continuous coaching carousel. They need to hire somebody brilliant like Shanahan who can get the best out of this offense. They can also use help in building a roster on the defensive side or can also blow out the roster by trading Stafford, last year’s first-round draft pick, and others and start afresh as Miami and raiders have done in the recent past.
Falcons — A promised land once, falcons are now lurking in the basement of NFL. With so much talent on both sides, it’s a surprise that Dan Quinn could not take more out of it. Just an honest opinion, don’t think Quinn ever was able to move on from that terrible loss in the super bowl. He was never that same coach again in the rest of his stint in Atlanta. It was a good separation for both sides but the falcons have enough talent for this roster to be in win mode now. They should be looking at somebody who can inspire this roster and bring the leadership they need. Look at San Francisco with all the losses on the roster, this defense has competed in almost every game. Robert Saleh is a good leader who can get the best out of the Falcons roster.
Jaguars — It’s on the cards !! This Monday and coming months a new sun will rise for Jaguars. Considering they are a strong candidate for the Overall Number 1 pick and in front of the line for Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes, they should be in a prime position to land a good GM and Coach. They still have some good talent on this roster on the offensive side. D.J Chark and James Robinson should be there for a while and with all the draft capital they have accumulated, they can shore up the defensive side. They need somebody who can develop a new QB. There are two people in their prime currently and their resumes speak for themselves — Brian Daboll and Greg Roman. What they have done with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson is an example which Jacksonville needs to follow as their blueprint. Make a good decision and Jacksonville will have some good years going forward.
Other up-and-coming and likely candidates:
Dan Campbell — Assistant Coach, New Orleans Saints
Brandon Staley — Defensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Rams
Arthur Smith — Offensive Coordinator, Tennesse Titans
Greg Roman — Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Shane Steichen — Offensive Coordinator, Lon Angles Chargers
Josh McDaniels — Offensive Coordinator, New England Patriots
