The NFL’s Top Head Coaching Candidates for 2023
The NFL’s coach-hiring process is broken, but you all know that. Each year a third of the league turns over as decision makers vacillate between one of two choices, each the opposite of the previous choice. It would seem the intricacies of the league and what makes a coach successful are often lost on those who make decisions. That, or, coaches are (relatively, from an ownership perspective) cheap to hire and fire, so there isn’t a great deal of urgency to fix the process.
Some owners spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for firms to search for people on their behalf. Some owners are just looking for a person who sounds like their sons’ friend from Dartmouth who is taking entrepreneurial business classes and is really excited about the future of synthetic almonds. Or, they pivot to the kind of high-end used-car salesman who tells them about The Way It Works, which provides them with a sense of comfort because they, like many people in the owners’ orbit, are simply really good at convincing powerful people to give them money.
In the process, a lot gets lost. I’ve complained about this before, but I’ll continue to stand on a soap box in regards to how coaches get lumped into buckets. The Old Guy. The Minority Guy. The Young, Exciting (White) Guy. The Serious Guy. The Fun Guy. Some people will deny this, but there is a real feeling out there among coaches that they are scanned, stereotyped and spit out before they get a chance to make their pitch.
As it turns out, the Minority Guy could have a defensive background and can have a great offensive game plan, possibly paired with a coordinator that the search firm hasn’t heard of, but who may understand modern football far better than the coordinator who spent 15 years in the NFL compiling league-average statistics. The Young, Exciting (White) Guy may end up not being all that exciting, and half his team may hate him. The Old Guy may not be crotchety at all, but the kind of cool old guy who actually experienced the 1960s, and didn’t have two 1950s before moving right on to 1970.
The process, in which teams fire a coach shortly after the New Year and install a new one before Feb. 1, is too condensed to do that work, which is why I’ve done my best to expand on it here. This list is both a recognition of what is (coaches we know will get interviews) and a picture of what could be (coaches we think should get interviews). We compile information based on conversations with current and former coaches, agents and more. It is large, made to reflect both the current talent pool ready to become head coaches and the coaches who may make up the coordinator pool in 2023 as well.
Michael Hickey/Getty Images (Brady); Joseph Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports (Callahan); RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images (Evero); Mitchell Leff/Getty Images (Gannon); Ethan Miller/Getty Images (Graham); Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images (Moore); Scott Taetsch/Getty Images (Morris); Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images (Quinn); Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images (Ryans); Mitchell Leff/Getty Images (Steichen)
Before we get started, there are two themes we’ve picked up on for 2022, both of which stem from a flood of offensive coach hirings:
• There is a backlog of really good defensive candidates with a load of experience.
• There is an even greater backlog of really good special teams coaches with even more experience.
In both cases, the theory that neither can succeed because they can’t hang on to their offensive coordinators does not hold water in my mind. There are so many good young offensive minds in the NFL right now. There is more access to good offensive film than ever before. Coaches like Mike Vrabel, Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott don’t seem to have a hard time making this work.
With regard to special teams coaches specifically, we’ll direct you back to the top of this article. Special teams coaches post–John Harbaugh, in the eyes of people who do the hiring, could unfortunately be labeled as Joe Judge Guys. Joe Judge was fired last year as head coach of the Giants after two seasons, largely due to a horrendous personnel situation. But the assumption is that other special teams coaches would do the same. I would give careful consideration to some special teams coaches on this list.
That said, we don’t want to sound entirely cynical. The young offensive coaches who have been hired en masse off the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan trees are performing incredibly well. Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Zac Taylor and others have proven they are not just great play callers but great organizational leaders as well.
As for the breakdown, we have:
• 15 offensive coordinators
• 16 defensive coordinators
• 2 special teams coordinators
• 16 offensive assistants
• 8 offensive assistants
• 8 college coaches
• 1 Josh McCown
One more note: Sean Payton is still under contract with the Saints and is not included here. With that, on to the list, presented in no particular order …
TOP CANDIDATES FOR 2023
Shane Steichen (left) and Jonathan Gannon will be among the top candidates in the next hiring cycle.
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Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator, Eagles
Well, the first one is in order. Steichen is our top candidate for the 2023 season. In the pressing search for the next great offensive-minded head coach, Steichen seems to have slipped between the cracks despite a strong track record. He was instrumental in preparing Justin Herbert for his surprise rookie season (Herbert was thrust into a starting role with almost no preparation) and has been equally important in the development of Jalen Hurts—the Eagles’ offense is behind only Miami, Kansas City and Baltimore in terms of efficiency. It’s not hard to see their multifaceted approach, which helps Hurts and the Eagles transcend the idea of a “system,” being copied around the league. Steichen is a mastermind at creating mismatches and had a roster trending in the right direction with a rookie receiver as the primary passing threat in ’21 before Philadelphia upgraded their talent set.
DeMeco Ryans, Defensive Coordinator, 49ers
Kyle Shanahan said of Ryans last year: “DeMeco is going to be a head coach. He’s too good not to be, whether it’s this year, whether it’s next year, whether it’s anytime.”
Ryans had the 49ers sixth against the pass last year and picked up right where he left off in 2022. Currently, the 49ers are fourth in EPA per play, fifth against the pass and ninth against the run. Ryans interviewed with the Vikings last winter but declined a second interview with the club.
As with Raheem Morris, Ryans should have access to a solid support staff—the Rams and 49ers are both deep with talented offensive coaches like Thomas Brown, Zac Robinson in L.A. and Anthony Lynn in San Francisco, among others. And, as mentioned above, the idea that a defensive coach cannot build a solid offense is dated and indirectly harmful to many coaches in the candidate pool.
Ejiro Evero, Defensive Coordinator, Broncos
Evero made his first appearance on our list last year. While Denver is still working its way through a new quarterback acquisition, the defense has been dominant. Denver is third in passing yards per attempt, tied for second in passing touchdowns allowed and fourth in first downs allowed via the run. Evero comes from the Rams, where he was the defensive passing game coordinator for the 2021 Super Bowl team. He was one of McVay’s initial hires in L.A. back in ’17.
Kellen more pregame at a preseason game
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Kellen Moore, Offensive Coordinator, Cowboys
Moore’s stock was boosted after a stellar round of interviews last year with the Jaguars, Broncos, Vikings and Dolphins. Moore, 34, has served as either a quarterbacks coach or an offensive coordinator in Dallas since 2018, and has a chance to cement his candidacy with a strong performance sans Dak Prescott. Two weeks ago, Cooper Rush posted a 95 quarterback rating in a surprising win over the Bengals and on Monday night posted a QB rating just shy of 100 against the Giants in a victory. All the while, regardless of who is under center for Dallas, there have been open receivers and chunk plays available.
Dan Quinn, Defensive Coordinator, Cowboys
Quinn needs no introduction. His second act in Dallas has reinvigorated his head coaching prospects, as he fielded requests from six different teams to interview for a top job last winter. For now, he is sticking by his creative muse, Micah Parsons, and fueling one of the most impressive rises of a young pass rusher we’ve seen in the NFL. Quinn’s personality is infectious, his positivity is relentless, and it’s impossible, even as a bystander, to walk into a building where he is in a leadership role and not feel like you are somehow part of the team.
Marcus Brady, Offensive Coordinator, Colts
Now in his second season as the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis, Brady, a former CFL quarterback, has experience all over the offensive coaching side of the business. He broke into the NFL in 2018 as the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach. For some additional intel, I reached out to Marc Trestman, a three-time Grey Cup champion as a coach as well as the former Bears head coach and Ravens offensive coordinator. Trestman is an innovative mind who, after jumping from the CFL to the Bears back in ’13, had the second-highest scoring offense in the NFL. He assembled a star coaching staff at the time that included Mel Tucker (Michigan State head coach), Joe DeCamillis (Rams special teams coordinator), Aaron Kromer (Bills offensive line coach) and Sean Desai (Seahawks associate head coach).
Trestman was also the first coach to hire Brady when his playing career was finished. He describes Brady as “unflappable. Even keeled. Incredible teammate. Extremely bright, poised and unselfish. Incredible family. Marcus is fully educated both in the run and the pass. He sees it all; he’s a highly detailed guy. Marcus is capable of doing everything. Creative. Really knows the game at a high level.”
Raheem Morris is ready for another head coaching job.
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Raheem Morris, Defensive Coordinator, Rams
When discussing this year’s available coaches, one industry source made it a point to mention that, because the offensive coaching landscape has essentially been strip-mined, a ton of defensive coaches who have been patiently waiting their turn are overripe on the vine. Morris, the former Buccaneers coach, checks all the boxes. He is coaching the best run defense in the NFL this year. He has head coaching experience, which was a major plus on the market last year. He has experience as an offensive coach, serving as Kyle Shanahan’s passing game coordinator in Atlanta, and he is working in Los Angeles, which means he could assemble a staff that contains some talented younger coaches on the McVay coaching tree. Morris is beyond ready for his second shot as a head coach.
Brian Callahan, Offensive Coordinator, Bengals
Callahan interviewed for the Broncos’ vacancy a year ago, a job that ended up going to Nathaniel Hackett. Players rave about Callahan’s demeanor and the way he can grip their attention in meeting rooms. Joe Burrow praised the offensive staff as one that effectively avoids micromanaging. The son of legendary offensive line guru Bill Callahan, Brian held various coaching assistant roles in Denver during the Peyton Manning era before taking QB-centric roles in Detroit (2016–17) and Oakland (’18). One former NFL coach who knows Callahan well says Callahan “has a great personality, is really smart, relates to players well and is creative.”
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor tells us: “One of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around. He has a tremendous IQ, his background growing up in a coaching home, all the success he’s experienced. … He brought that to Cincinnati to help us become a winning team.”
Jonathan Gannon, Defensive Coordinator, Eagles
If you had taken a drink every time Troy Aikman said “Jonathan Gannon” during the Eagles’ Monday Night Football dismantling of the Vikings in Week 2, you would have needed a stomach pumping. This is for good reason, though. Gannon was high on the Texans’ wish list a year ago and interviewed with the team before they promoted Lovie Smith. This offseason, Gannon’s list should be far more substantial. His Eagles defense is currently the third-most efficient passing defense in the NFL. As a complement to its offense, the unit is versatile and ever-changing to fit the strengths of its personnel.
Frank Smith, Offensive Coordinator, Dolphins
Smith could be the first apple off the Mike McDaniel tree. If the Dolphins continue to succeed, so, thankfully, will the idea that coaches should care about their players. Read about what star Raiders tight end Darren Waller said about Smith, who was Waller’s position coach after he returned to the NFL from suspension: “I never had a relationship with a coach like I do with Frank. I honestly text him more than I text my friends. We laugh every day at practice, but I seriously respect him as a teacher and a coach and an authority figure you can talk to as a friend. Nothing’s off limits. We can be real and honest with each other about everything. That’s so important to me, having him in my life.”
Ask around, and you’ll hear stories about Smith going all out as a person as well as a coach, which is, ultimately, what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
Patrick Graham, Defensive Coordinator, Raiders
Graham was a star of the NFL’s offseason minority coaching summit this year. Considered a brilliant mind—he is referred to as the “Black Picasso”—the Yale graduate has simply had some bad luck in terms of locale after leaving the Dolphins in 2019. Graham still compiled a formidable defense—19th and 18th in defense-adjusted value over average, respectively—despite a bottom-tier roster that resulted in the stepping down of the team’s G.M. following the ’21 season. Graham’s unit is still among the best in the NFL this year in terms of opponent rushing EPA (expected points added per attempt). If the Raiders turn it around, so will Graham’s candidacy.
Ben Johnson, Offensive Coordinator, Lions
Any time you hear the m-word—“McVay,” that is—thrown around in a conversation about coaches, your ears perk up. Johnson, who is not from the McVay coaching tree but is viewed as an up-and-coming young offensive mind, has carved out a niche as a future offensive trendsetter all on his own. The former walk-on QB at North Carolina broke into the NFL back in 2012 with the Dolphins and has helped the Lions transform into the second-highest-scoring offense in the NFL through three weeks. If there is a surprise name in this cycle, it will be Johnson’s.
Jerod Mayo is considered the next coach off the Belichick tree.
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Jerod Mayo, Inside Linebackers Coach, Patriots
Mayo is beloved in New England. Perhaps the best fit may be waiting out whatever the future brings in Foxborough, although the secret is out: Mayo interviewed with both the Broncos and the Raiders and has been championed as a future head coach. The Patriot Brand may have taken a hit, but that doesn’t change the fact that Mayo is worth bringing in.
Aaron Glenn, Defensive Coordinator, Lions
If (or perhaps when) the Lions turn this thing around, everyone will want a piece of Dan Campbell’s staff. Glenn is a former NFL star defensive back who is widely respected throughout the league. Detroit’s attacking mentality is popular with players and Glenn would have no problem recruiting in his next locale. He is relentless on the practice field in a way that can naturally foster the competitiveness that teams often struggle to grow organically.
Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, who had Glenn as a scout with the organization before Glenn got into coaching, tells us: “Tremendous. Should be a head coach very, very soon.”
Don Martindale, Defensive Coordinator, Giants
Martindale has been one of the most successful coordinators in the NFL over the last half-decade. While he’s been described as a Vic Fangio–type coach, people who know Martindale say he’s quite the opposite: a new-school thinker who connects well with his locker room. Despite being a bit typecast, he is held in high regard in East Rutherford.
Byron Leftwich has had success in Tampa with and without Brady.
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Byron Letftwich, Offensive Coordinator, Buccaneers
Leftwich had a number of interviews last year, including with the Jaguars and Bears. The 42-year-old has been on the Bruce Arians’s tree since 2016, when he entered the NFL coaching sphere as an intern before quickly rising to quarterbacks coach. While some owners may unfairly tie their opinions of Leftwich to the performance of Tom Brady, Leftwich’s offense was first in passing yards, third in total yards and third in points scored with Jameis Winston under center.
Lou Anarumo, Defensive Coordinator, Bengals
Neglecting to include Anarumo on last year’s list was a major regret, so this year I made an extra phone call to Tim Murphy, the legendary coach at Harvard and one of the first coaches Anarumo worked for. Murphy calls him “Staten Island” (Anarumo’s birthplace) in the best possible way. He’s tough in the right way but can fit in with anyone in the room. Murphy says Anarumo is an expert at taking pieces and formulating them into a potent defense. Some of Harvard’s most dominant units came from 1995 to 2000, when the pair worked together. Last year, Anarumo led one of the best defenses in football with a collection of non-household names.
Taylor, the Bengals’ head coach, says: “He does a great job engaging and relating to the players. They know he’s going to give them a chance to succeed, put them in a great position to do what they do best with a lot of confidence. He’s got a great relationship with those guys.”
Adam Stenavich, Offensive Coordinator, Packers
Stenavich was one of the stars of a piece we did a year ago about the rise in offensive line coaches around the league. As we correctly predicted, Stenavich was the first in a wave of talented offensive line coaches who earned offensive coordinator titles. This will happen more and more as teams continue to adopt traits of the popular Kyle Shanahan–Sean McVay offense. Chris Foerster, another offensive line guru, is now the offensive coordinator of the 49ers. Coaches in the know feel like the Shanahan system takes at least two years of expertise to learn from a blocking perspective.
Vance Joseph, Defensive Coordinator, Cardinals
Joseph interviewed for the Dolphins’ opening last year. The former Broncos coach should get the chance to run a franchise that has a more capable plan at the quarterback position. And in many ways, with the green Kliff Kingsbury coming from college, we’ve seen what kind of imprint Joseph can have in a CEO-type role. Joseph has a big share of the responsibility chart in Arizona and coached one of the better defenses in the NFL last year.
Eric Bieniemy, Offensive Coordinator, Chiefs
There remains optimism around Bieniemy eventually landing a head coaching gig, though time might start to run out on the 53-year-old offensive coordinator. Bieniemy surfaced in our consciousness this year because of an on-field disagreement with Patrick Mahomes, which I actually find to be a positive. It seems to reflect his competitiveness and willingness to challenge a great quarterback.
A longtime Andy Reid assistant, Mike Kafka's tenure with the Giants is off to a good start.
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Mike Kafka, Offensive Coordinator, Giants
Kafka was behind Eric Bieniemy in Kansas City and needed an opportunity to break out. Unfortunately for Kafka, Bieniemy never got a head coaching job despite a good deal of interviews. Potentially the next hire off the Andy Reid tree, Kafka is already making his mark in East Rutherford, letting loose Saquon Barkley and helping repair the damage sustained by Daniel Jones after a few rough seasons.
Chris Horton, Special Teams Coordinator, Ravens
Horton, 37, has been the Ravens’ special teams coordinator since 2019. In those three years, Football Outsiders, who use their defense-adjusted value over average metric to evaluate special teams as well, rated Baltimore No. 9, No. 2 and No. 1 over Horton’s three seasons, respectively. Horton, whose head coach, John Harbaugh, was a longtime special teams mastermind, is in an important place within the Ravens’ organization.
General manager Eric DeCosta told the Associated Press of Horton: “He’s an excellent coach. I think players relate to him very well. He’s detailed. He’s passionate. The only thing he can’t do is beat me on the Peloton, really. That’s about the only thing he can’t do, but other than that, he’s great in my mind.”
Bubba Ventrone at Colts practice.
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Bubba Ventrone, Special Teams Coordinator, Colts
Ventrone is a nine-year NFL veteran who’s coached with the Patriots and, since 2018, the Colts. While special teams coordinators are a tough sell right now, Ventrone, like Horton, wields a commanding presence on the field. As we look around at teams gashed by injury already through four weeks in a season, the ability to have special teams experience and apply the patchwork skill set to a roster could save an otherwise lost campaign.
Colts head coach Frank Reich told The Athletic of his first conversation with Ventrone: “You could feel it oozing through the phone that this guy was a winner.”
Brian Flores, Linebackers Coach, Steelers
Though Flores is in active litigation against the NFL, that shouldn’t detract from what was a notable run with the Dolphins, taking a team in the midst of a teardown to two winning seasons in three years. While the struggles of his offensive coaching staff contributed to his downfall, there is little doubt he could lead a locker room.
Zach Azzanni, Wide Receivers Coach, Broncos
An interesting anomaly I stumbled on when researching Azzanni, who has the reputation as one of the most in-demand position coaches in the NFL: He has survived three different NFL coaching staffs in Denver, including a polar-opposite switch (in terms of personality and coaching style) from the Vic Fangio regime to the Nathaniel Hackett regime. That simply doesn’t happen. Azzanni has had success developing players, identifying talent and being a passing game coordinator in his career. He has the chops to help an organization come together.
Leslie Frazier, Defensive Coordinator, Bills
Frazier headlined a list of coaches last year who would have been second-chance candidates in the 2022 cycle, a year that, experts predicted, would be rife with second-chance hires. Frazier has interviewed with the Bears, Giants and Texans, among other teams, in recent years and has been an integral part of the massive turnaround in Buffalo. So far, hiring coaches from Sean McDermott’s Bills staff has paid dividends. Early this season, Buffalo’s defense is holding up despite a rash of injuries decimating its backfield.
Josh McCown, Former NFL Quarterback
It’s going to be difficult for observers of the last coaching cycle to forget about McCown and his connection to the Texans. It’s a story line that probably won’t go away any time soon. McCown talked with the Jaguars briefly during the hiring process last year. The longtime NFL quarterback found a niche toward the end of his career as an on-field coach who was instrumental for young quarterbacks. While Sam Darnold did not pan out in New York, there is no doubt McCown made his time there easier.
FUTURE NAMES TO WATCH, POSITION COACHES ON THE RISE, COLLEGE COACHES
Mike Caldwell's defense is one of the NFL's most improved units early in the 2022 season.
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Mike Caldwell, Defensive Coordinator, Jaguars
Caldwell had a 10-year NFL career, including a stint under the influential Bill Belichick–Nick Saban tandem in Cleveland. He has taken a young Jaguars defense to new heights thus far in 2022; Jacksonville is third in EPA/play allowed and has the NFL’s best opponent rush success rate.
Liam Coen, Offensive Coordinator, Rams
Coen could quickly jump this list, as the Rams’ offensive coordinator position seems like it puts a candidacy in hyperdrive. Coen was in Kentucky last year, where he helped prime the hype train of QB Will Levis.
Chris Harris, Defensive Backs Coach, Commanders
Harris, we were told last year, is a “star in the making.” That doesn’t change after one season, even if the Commanders’ circumstances have. Harris has been with the respected Ron Rivera in Washington since 2020.
Ken Dorsey, Offensive Coordinator, Bills
The Bills’ offensive coordinator is picking up right where Brian Daboll left off. Fiery? Sure. Talented? No doubt. Dorsey was on staff for the near-undefeated, NFC champion 2015 Panthers as well.
Jason Vrable is tasked with getting the Packers' young receivers up to speed with vets like Randall Cobb.
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Jason Vrable, Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, Packers
Vrable (no relation to Mike Vrabel) is helping break in a new crop of wide receivers post–Davante Adams and fitting them into a Packers offense that teams around the NFL are trying to crib.
Joe Brady, Quarterbacks Coach, Bills
Brady’s rise as the offensive coordinator at LSU during its 2019 national championship run was interrupted by a set of bad circumstances in Carolina, where he was the offensive coordinator for fewer than two seasons. He’ll be a head coach sooner rather than later.
Shane Day, Quarterbacks Coach, Chargers
A former quarterbacks coach for Kyle Shanahan, Day has experience at multiple positions across the offense, including offensive line and tight ends. Day is now the passing game coordinator for Justin Herbert.
Luke Getsy, Offensive Coordinator, Bears
Getsy is in his first year as a play caller, for the 2–1 Bears. Despite needing to win in unorthodox ways, it appears Justin Fields looks more comfortable under the new coaching staff. Getsy was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 and their passing game coordinator in ’20–21.
Renaldo Hill, Defensive Coordinator, Chargers
Hill played for Nick Saban at Michigan State, had a nine-year career as an NFL defensive back and worked his way up the coaching ladder through the college ranks at Wyoming and Pittsburgh before breaking into the league with the Dolphins in 2018. Hill is now calling the highly sought-after Vic Fangio–inspired defense in Los Angeles.
Staley will be a rising star if the Lions continue to look much-improved.
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Duce Staley, Assistant Head Coach, Lions
Staley, a nine-year NFL running back, spent a large portion of his career coaching and playing under the Andy Reid tree in Philadelphia. Now the assistant head coach of the Lions, Staley has interviewed for head coaching jobs each of the last two seasons.
Larry Foote, Defensive Coordinator, Buccaneers
Foote added the defensive passing game coordinator tag to his title this year, also assuming responsibility for the inside linebackers room, which is vital to the lifeblood of a Todd Bowles defense. Foote played for both Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh during his 12-year NFL career.
Press Taylor, Offensive Coordinator, Jaguars
What a difference a year makes for the Jaguars offense. Taylor, the brother of Bengals head coach Zac, has Trevor Lawrence playing like a Pro Bowler. It may not be long before he finds himself on a team’s short list.
Anthony Weaver, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line, Ravens
Another (somewhat) hidden gem on a loaded John Harbaugh staff in Baltimore. Weaver played in the NFL for six seasons before entering the coaching profession in 2010. This is his first year in Baltimore with the assistant head coach tag after serving as the team’s defensive run game coordinator a year ago.
Zac Robinson, Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Rams
Until the Rams start losing (and maybe even after that), their offensive meeting room is going to get mobbed by teams searching for an answer to their schematic woes. Robinson, a Patriots draft pick as a QB out of Oklahoma State in 2010, has been with L.A. since ’19. He took a leap in responsibility this year following the departure of Kevin O’Connell to the Vikings.
Matt Campbell has been linked to the NFL for a few years.
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Matt Campbell, Head Coach, Iowa State University
Campbell’s name has been associated with NFL coaching searches for a few years, but his best opportunities right now may be in college. Also, the professional game may be averse to making another collegiate hire for a few years following the tenure of Urban Meyer and Matt Rhule’s struggles to break through in Carolina. Still, Campbell has been on the NFL radar.
Chris Klieman, Head Coach, Kansas State University
For more, see our Albert Breer from Monday. Klieman, like the other college coaches we have on this list, does more with less. Instead of hiring big-time program coaches used to flattening competition with superior talent, why aren’t we looking for guys who have gotten the most out of lesser talent?
Luke Fickell, Head Coach, University of Cincinnati
Fickell, according to NFL Network, interviewed for the Lions job during the same cycle in which they hired Dan Campbell. Fickell has revived a UC program since taking over in 2017, winning 51 games and making a stunning trip to the College Football Playoff last season.
Jamey Chadwell, Head Coach, Coastal Carolina
An impressive stat on Chadwell: He is one of three NCAA coaches ever to win the Associated Press Coach of the Year award who is not part of a Power 5 program (Gary Patterson and Scott Frost are the others). The Chanticleers are pumping out NFL talent and are establishing themselves as a legitimate program.
Dave Clawson, Head Coach, and Warren Ruggiero, Offensive Coordinator, Wake Forest University
I put the Wake duo on here because I’ve personally heard so much intrigue about the way they run their program and how they come up with a truly creative offensive scheme. The Demon Deacons are in the Top 25 and took a far more talented Clemson team to the brink last week. If I were an NFL coach, I’d ask to hang out in Winston-Salem during the offseason.
Brian Johnson, Quarterbacks Coach, Eagles
Johnson has a high-powered offensive lineage, as Dak Prescott’s quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State, an offensive coordinator and QB coach at the University of Houston under Major Applewhite and a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Dan Mullen, who is well-liked in NFL circles. Now, in Philadelphia, he’s had a critical role in developing Jalen Hurts into a top-tier quarterback.
Josh Boyer, Defensive Coordinator, Dolphins
Boyer was a holdover from the Brian Flores staff and found himself in the right place under Mike McDaniel. A longtime Patriots defensive assistant, Boyer has consistently coached one of the most aggressive defenses in the league. In each of his two full seasons as a defensive coordinator, the Dolphins have been a top-12 team in takeaways; they allowed the sixth-fewest points in the NFL in 2020.
Thomas Brown (right) has taken on the demanding tight ends coach job in L.A.
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Thomas Brown, Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach, Rams
Brown first earned the assistant head coach title last year during the Rams’ trip to the Super Bowl. A longtime running backs coach, Brown made a shift to the tight ends room, often a springboard for upward mobility. As we’ve mentioned in these columns before, tight ends coaches have their hands in all aspects of the offense, from the running game to the offensive line and the pass game.
Jeff Howard, Defensive Passing Game Coordinator, Browns
The Browns’ defense has one of the better drop-back success rates in the NFL this season. Last year, Cleveland was third in net yards per attempt allowed and fifth in passing yards allowed despite piecing together a brand new secondary.
Drew Wilkins, Outside Linebackers Coach, Giants
Wilkins is tasked with the development of No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux after arriving from Baltimore, where he worked with some of the better pass rushers in the NFL over the past decade, like Elvis Dumervil and Matthew Judon.
Hank Fraley, Offensive Line Coach, Lions
Fraley is manning one of the most potentially talented position groups in the NFL. So far, with the Lions third in the NFL in EPA on rush plays and Jared Goff being one of the least-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL (4 sacks—for perspective, Carson Wentz and Joe Burrow have already been sacked 15 times apiece), Fraley could be another offensive line coach we talk about transcending the pipeline.
Charles London, Quarterbacks Coach, Falcons
A longtime running backs coach, London transitioned to the Falcons’ quarterback room in 2021. London is a part of a creative, if somewhat undermanned Atlanta offense. Marcus Mariota has performed admirably this year, with top-10 rankings in EPA+CPOE composite and adjusted EPA per snap.
Jonathan Cooley, Defensive Backs Coach, Rams
Any coach that has been in the Ejiro Evero/Raheem Morris orbit is valuable to a team. Cooley, a former John Carroll Blue Streak standout, coached at his alma mater—a football factory that has produced the likes of former Jaguars GM and Eagles personnel man Dave Caldwell, Texans GM Nick Caserio, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, among others. Cooley has been in Los Angeles working in the secondary room since 2020.
Todd Monken, Offensive Coordinator, University of Georgia
Monken has been in the NFL, as a wide receivers coach for the Jaguars and an offensive coordinator with the Buccaneers and Browns. Currently, Georgia is rewriting its statistical record book under the 56-year-old.
Nick Rallis, Linebackers Coach, Eagles
Rallis, 29, is one of the youngest position coaches in the NFL and is in a great spot alongside the rising Jonathan Gannon. Thought of as a defensive coordinator in the making, Rallis started his coaching career at Wake Forest before working for the Vikings under Mike Zimmer in a quality control role. He’s been with the Eagles since 2021.
Shane Bowen, Defensive Coordinator, Titans
Bowen became the Titans’ defensive coordinator in 2021, a critical seat next to Mike Vrabel, and that year coordinated a defense that was sixth in points allowed and second in rush yards allowed.
Spencer Whipple and Cam Turner, Co-Passing Game Coordinators, Cardinals
They are two important pieces of a collaborative offensive room with impressive coaching lineage. Whipple is the son of Mark Whipple (currently the Nebraska offensive coordinator), and Turner is the son of longtime coach Ron Turner and the nephew of Norv Turner. Both have been key factors in helping the Cardinals retrofit the Air Raid into a more potent NFL scheme.
Nick Caley, Tight Ends Coach, Patriots
Caley could very well be a passing game coordinator or offensive coordinator soon. He has been with the Patriots as a tight ends coach and fullbacks coach since 2017 and joined the Patriots in 2015.
Dante Scarnecchia, the legendary Patriots offensive line guru says of Caley: “Very hard worker, very smart; he asks a lot of his players, and they improve throughout the year. He is a pleasure to work with.”
Stump Mitchell, Running Backs Coach, Browns
Mitchell has been on our list for a few years now and continues to lead one of the most dominant position groups in the NFL. He has also served as head coach at both Morgan State and Southern.
Rich Scangarello, Offensive Coordinator, University of Kentucky
Scangarello has held critical positions on Kyle Shanahan’s staff over the years and served as Vic Fangio’s first offensive coordinator in Denver. He’s now mentoring potential No. 1 pick Will Levis at Kentucky.
Jim Bob Cooter, Passing Game Coordinator, Jaguars
Cooter has been instrumental in helping the Jaguars recover from an ugly season in 2021. The former offensive coordinator in Detroit was most recently the Jets’ running backs coach and an Eagles consultant last year.
Tim Kelly, Passing Game Coordinator, Titans
Kelly was the offensive coordinator during the tail end of Bill O’Brien’s tenure in Houston, where in 2020 the Texans were the No. 1 team in the league in net yards per passing attempt. We should get a nice visual of how instrumental his efforts were when we see Deshaun Watson suit up in a new offense this year and how Pep Hamilton finishes the season in Houston this year.
Pep Hamilton, Offensive Coordinator, Texans
Hamilton has a chance to maximize a still-developing young roster and bolster a candidacy that gained some steam after his time as the Chargers’ quarterbacks coach. Hamilton has head coaching experience in the XFL and has been in the league in some offensive coaching capacity since 2003. He previously called plays on occasion during the Hue Jackson tenure in Cleveland and as Andrew Luck’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis.
Update, Sept. 29, 1:03 p.m. ET: This list has been updated to include Pep Hamilton.
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