The dust has settled on another NFL season and as always, a sizable number of head coaches were let go (or in the case of Gary Kubiak, resigned) during or immediately following the conclusion of the season. Here are my predictions for who's going to end up filling each one of the league's six head coaching vacancies.
Buffalo Bills: Anthony Lynn (most recent position: Bills offensive coordinator)
As soon as the firing of Rex Ryan was announced on December 27th, I became confident that the Bills were going to make Lynn their next head coach. Every source close to the team has gushed about well-respected Lynn is in the locker room and his no bullshit-style of coaching could help create the culture change the Bills need to finally turn things around.
Denver Broncos: Kyle Shanahan (most recent position: Falcons offensive coordinator)
Broncos general manager John Elway values personal relationships above anything else (outgoing head coach Gary Kubiak sat behind him on the QB depth chart from 1983-1991 and was his offensive coordinator from 1995-98) and if he doesn't end up hiring the son of the coach that helped him get both of his Super Bowl rings as a player, I'll be legitimately shocked.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Marrone (most recent position: Jaguars assistant head coach/offensive line coach)
The Jaguars job is bound to be a very attractive destination for prospective head coaches thanks to their cache of promising young players and an owner in Shad Khan that exhibits a level of patience that is practically unheard of in the modern NFL. While the Jaguars are expected to sit down with Kyle Shanahan, Tom Coughlin and a number of other big-name candidates, I think the job is Marrone's to lose. Marrone did a solid job during his brief tenure as the Bills head coach and his familiarity with the roster is a huge plus considering how many young guys the Jags have in their locker room right now.
Los Angeles Rams: Harold Goodwin (most recent position: Cardinals offensive coordinator/offensive line coach)
The Rams are clearly going to go with an offensive coach after finishing with the NFL's worst offense in 2016 and while Josh McDaniels is certainly a possibility, I think Goodwin's familiarity with the NFC West make him a more logical choice.
San Diego Chargers: Sean McDermott (most recent position: Panthers defensive coordinator)
The Chargers front office reportedly would like to retain offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt and a majority of their offensive assistants, so that makes them a virtual lock to hire a defensive-minded coach. I'm going to give McDermott the slight edge over Matt Patricia because the Patriots are more than likely going to make it to Super Bowl, and I doubt the Chargers will want to wait until February to name a head coach given the turbulent offseason they're about to endure thanks to their all-but-confirmed relocation to Los Angeles.
San Francisco 49ers: Sean McVay (most recent position: Redskins offensive coordinator)
This is by far the hardest coaching vacancy to get a read on. With an incompetent, impatient owner in Jed York running the show and a roster that is lacking any semblance of real talent on either side of the ball, this job is about as appealing as genital herpes to 99% of the buzzed-about coordinators and recently-fired head coaches around the league. Of all the guys being tossed around as potential head coaching candidates this year, McVay is the only one young and naive enough (he turns 31 this month) to hitch his wagon to a franchise that makes teams like the Bills, Browns and Rams look like unflappable pillars of stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment