Ranking four NFL head-coaching openings

The list of candidates riding the head-coaching carousel this offseason seems unprecedented. It’s an all-star cast with a who’s who list of names. Teams could hire an all-time great coach like Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll. There are experienced coaches available like Mike Vrabel, Ron Rivera and Dan Quinn.

Even Jim Harbaugh, the current NCAA champion, was in the pool until the Los Angeles Chargers hired him on Wednesday night.

In most years, coaches like that would have their pick of available jobs.

But this year, which job would a top coach pick?

There are currently four head coaching vacancies remaining, with the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders. Here’s a look at how attractive (or unattractive) each of them are, in the order they were ranked by the FOX Sports NFL staff:

1. (tie) Atlanta Falcons: They’ve been exactly 7-10 for three years in a row, but if a new coach can also bring in a new quarterback, it’s easy to see the Falcons as a playoff team in 2024. The overall talent level — everywhere but QB — might be right there with the best of this year’s vacancies.

Arthur Smith couldn’t take advantage of it, but Atlanta has used top-10 picks three years in a row on skill-position players — tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson. They’ve kept together a solid offensive line led by guard Chris Lindstrom, and they have one of the best safeties in the game in Jessie Bates. Losing defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen to the Jaguars is bad, but a new coach should have a defense in the top half of the league, if not the top 10.

Add in a very winnable division — the NFC South had the fewest wins of any division in 2023 — and a favorable third-place schedule and it should be a job that candidates see as easy to turn around, even this fall. —Greg Auman

Bill Belichick to the Falcons after Patriots exit?

1. (tie) Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks finished 9-8 for a…

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/ranking-four-head-coaching-openings-from-most-to-least-desirable

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Publish date : 2024-01-25 15:48:37

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