For this article, I am going to grade the most notable hires on a scale from ten (the highest) to one (the lowest) and I am going to explain in detail why I have it at that particular grade. This piece will feature just the seven new head coaches and most intriguing coordinators.
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JIM HARBAUGH TO THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (10/10)
It’s about time that Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL, and of all the places he could have landed, this was the perfect spot for him. Remember, he was a quarterback for the Chargers back when they were in San Diego, when he was getting the start over the second overall pick Ryan Leaf. It’s also not the first time that he’ll have a chance to prove himself in California. One of his first coaching jobs was at San Diego State, his first head coaching job was at Stanford with Andrew Luck, and then we saw how great of a job he did with the San Francisco 49ers in a three-year span from 2011 to 2013. Now he is back with the Los Angeles Chargers, who have a generational quarterback in Justin Herbert and plenty of talent on different levels of the roster. The one downside with this team is that they are close to $45 million over the cap because they have four guys with over $30 million cap hits, so the front office really needs to decide who they can move on from this offseason. But that is for their new general manager Joe Horitz to navigate, who was also a perfect guy for the job after what he’s been able to do for the Baltimore Ravens over the past twenty-five years.
To me, this is the best head coaching hire for a lot of different reasons. First off, he is an incredible leader and knows how to win over a locker room. That is going to be incredibly important with the face of the franchise, who is hoping to not only get back to the playoffs but enter that elite discussion with the likes of his division rival Patrick Mahomes. Another reason is that the running game is going to improve dramatically, and if I was the general manager, one of my first moves would be trying to get Saquon Barkley to really serve as that bread-and-butter of the offense. The third reason is that no matter where Harbaugh goes, you know that the defense will have a great chance to improve. Again, I don’t know what they are going to do this offseason because of their cap space, so time will tell to see if that is the case in 2024. I think that the Chargers should have a great possibility of making the playoffs just knowing that the Harbaugh-Herbert connection is going to be dangerous to watch, especially if their quarterback is fully healthy and ready to come back with a vengeance.
ANTONIO PIERCE TO THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (9/10)
The only reason why I’m not giving this team a ten is because I really don’t think that the Raiders are going to get any better than they were in 2023, but I will give it a nine because Mark Davis made the right decision by keeping Pierce on board. Nobody expected this team to be 8-9 after they fired Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler in the middle of the season, but the former linebackers coach rallied this team from despair and he’s gotten them to not only play tremendously better, but fight for him until the very end. You know that the defense is still going to be a top ten unit at best, fifteen at worst, especially knowing that Maxx Crosby is going to stay for the time being. It might not be the best defensive roster on paper, but Patrick Graham is one hell of a coordinator, and I think that a couple more tweaks will make this a formidable unit.
Another reason why I won’t say that this is a ten is because of the direction that this offense is heading into 2024. They hired Luke Getsy to be the offensive coordinator, which I’ll talk about later in this article, but look at the roster itself. Josh Jacobs is a free agent and he will most likely not be back after a downgrade of a 2023 season, so that’s one of their best players that might not be on the roster anymore. But more importantly, who the heck is going to be their starting quarterback? I think we all doubt that it is going to be Jimmy Garoppolo again, even though he has an albatross contract for the next two seasons. I also don’t believe it should be Aidan O’Connell because while he’s not completely terrible, he hasn’t proven to be a starting caliber guy in this league. I know that the Raiders still have Davante Adams and a few other guys that have proven to be serviceable weapons, but at the same time, we all know that this team is not going to progress if they don’t have the right quarterback in charge.
As for their new general manager, I am not too thrilled that they hired Tom Telesco. I know that he is good at finding talent and that he’s not afraid to spend money, but that also has proven to be one of his biggest weakness. Look at the Mike Williams extension, the JC Jackson signing, and some of the other draft decisions that he made with Kenneth Murray Jr. and Quentin Johnston. As a Raiders fan, you’re hoping that Telesco can upgrade the roster, but you also know that some of his decisions can really backfire. Also, their new assistant head coach is Marvin Lewis. I don't know what the heck his responsibilities are going to be with this football team, but I won't judge this move too much because at least Pierce will have somebody in his ear that has proven to be a decent head coach in the NFL.
I’ll give the Raiders seven or eight wins at the moment, since you know that the players are going to fight and try to win for their head coach, but we all know that this roster isn’t just that good enough to get back into the playoffs unless they make massive changes on either side of the ball.
MIKE MACDONALD TO THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9/10)
I think that the Seahawks made a great hire by bringing in the hotshot defensive coordinator from the Baltimore Ravens. One of the best parts about this decision is seeing how he is going to set up their young studs up for success, especially in the secondary. Devon Witherspoon is hoping to step up his game after a promising rookie season, but more importantly, it is a chance for Tariq Woolen to get his career back on track because his sophomore year was just so miserable and disappointing. MacDonald has a lot of work to do with this defense, and while health was a big factor for why they didn’t perform as well, the scheme that Carroll had implemented for so long was starting to get out of touch. This unit has so much talent on all three levels, yet we only see them on display in flashes, so it’s time for the youngest head coach in the league to take it up a notch.
The only thing that makes me doubt the Seahawks in 2024 is their offensive potential. While I loved how Geno Smith was able to save his career from disaster in 2022 with a renaissance season for the ages, we were expecting better after he got a well-deserved contract extension, but we just saw more of the same in 2023. The offensive line was still an eyesore, the passing game never really took off and excelled, and Geno dropped off in almost every quarterback category. Maybe Shane Waldron leaving will clean up some of those mistakes, but at the same time, it is only a matter of time before Seattle finds a new face of the franchise. I don’t expect this team to be any worse than last year, nor do I think they will be better, so think of 2024 as more of an evaluation season than anything.
VIC FANGIO AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (9/10)
I thought it was a surprise when the Miami Dolphins and Vic Fangio decided to part ways after an improved 2023 season, but I understood why they made the decision. Fangio wanted to be closer to his family, who lived in the Pennsylvania area, so I though it was respectful of Miami to grant him the decision to potentially fill the vacant defensive coordinator position for the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year, that defense was an absolute trainwreck of a disaster. I get that there were so many injuries that derailed the unit, but at the same time, the scheme was garbage and so many players underachieved. The pass rush completely disappeared down the stretch, the secondary couldn’t cover or tackle anybody worth a damn, and it was a huge reason why the Eagles collapsed down the stretch. People were saying that Matt Patricia wasn’t that much of a downgrade from Sean Desai, but Patriots fans were absolutely laughing hysterically once they heard that he was taking over play-calling duties. Now that Fangio will have control of the defense, I think we are going to see a lot of improvements. First off, the pass rush is still going to be a key focal point of the unit, but their youth needs to take the next step to help out the aging veterans. The big detail that we all need to pay attention to, however, is how their secondary performs in 2024. The fact that they didn’t upgrade their safety room last season was really alarming, so not only do they need to fix that weakness badly, but they also need to analyze which cornerbacks can make this unit better, especially with their two starters Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
How this defense plays against quality opponents will also be paramount, because that was something that the Miami Dolphins could not do last year. Even though injuries completely ran that defense into the ground in 2023, the word “overrated” was screaming loud and clear with this team, especially on that side of the ball. The reason why I’m giving this a nine is because any time you have Vic Fangio, you know that your defense is going to improve, but it’s not a ten due to the fact that the Eagles have a lot to make up for after last year’s collapse.
ERIC WASHINGTON AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE CHICAGO BEARS (9/10)
To me, this is the most underrated hire of the entire cycle because I think Eric Washington will be a great fit to a defense that hit a lot of strides towards the latter half of the season last year. More importantly, because of his success as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills, you know that the Bears are going to have a better pass rush. Montez Sweat will make sure that the front four gets the job done on their part, but the Bears have a lot of money in cap space to make sure that the unit gets better on paper. Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards have proven to be an outstanding linebacker duo, two studs that have balled out in the first years of their huge contracts, and they both know that it is only just the beginning. In terms of their secondary, it is a unit that is still young and scrappy, but can thrive with the amount of experience that they’ve had in a scheme that has proven to slow down the more prominent offenses in the league. Obviously Ryan Poles needs to sign a couple of more veterans that can really solidify this defense into a formidable unit, but I honestly love this hire and I think it is going to work out well for head coach Matt Eberflus, who is really going to fight for his job in 2024.
RAHEEM MORRIS TO THE ATLANTA FALCONS (8/10)
For the second time in his career, Raheem Morris will be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. If you don’t remember, he was the interim guy in charge in 2020, after Dan Quinn was fired from the organization. The team finished 4-12 that year, but I don’t place any of the blame on Morris, since he got thrown into the fire in a pretty messy situation. Fast forward to three years later, things have been a little better, but there are a lot of issues that need to be fixed. I like the coordinators that he brought with him from Los Angeles, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, but one of the key things that is missing is a true franchise quarterback. If they enter 2024 with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke as the only two guys on their depth chart, then they are either going to finish with seven wins or worse. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not completely terrible, but they’re nowhere near starting caliber quarterbacks in this league. Either trade for somebody like Justin Fields or move up higher in the draft to select a top prospect, because at least you know that their best skill players will no longer have wasted seasons. I don’t think that Arthur Smith was a completely terrible head coach, but one of the reasons why he got fired from this organization was because he didn’t get the ball in the hands of their best playmakers. You’ve got a running back that was the sixth overall pick in Bijan Robinson, a wide receiver that was a top ten pick in Drake London, and a generational tight end in Kyle Pitts. One of the reasons why Morris was excited about this roster, according to him, was because of those three guys so that should give fans a bit more optimism.
The good news about the Morris hire is that he doesn’t need to completely overhaul the defense. While they had their fair share of disappointing performances, they were still a respectable unit and they have plenty of young talent that can still take that next step in their careers. In 2023, Morris was largely responsible for the development of a lot of young defensive studs in Los Angeles. Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Ernest Jones, Darrion Kendrick, and Michael Hoecht are just some names to point out that have helped Aaron Donald out by picking up some of the load to getting them back in the playoffs. My only big concern is that the Falcons announced that all football decisions would be reported to their owner Arthur Blank, instead of their CEO Rich McKay, so I am really hoping that it doesn't destroy Morris' tenure with the team nor his reputation in the league. Time will tell to see how Morris does with this organization, but with the necessary moves that they need to make, there is hope.
DAN QUINN TO THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (7/10)
We all know that Dan Quinn was not the head coach that Washington wanted to hire in the first place, because if it was not for Ben Johnson announcing that he is staying in Detroit, then I think the Commanders would and should have done everything in their power to hire them. However, he is not a terrible consolation prize to have as your head coach. Yes, he’s been known for blowing big leads and completely crumbling apart in big playoff games, but one thing we know about him is that he can turn around defenses. Let’s go back to 2015, when he was in his first year as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. While it might not be impressive on the surface that they were fourteenth in points allowed, it was a significant improvement from 2014, when they were the sixth worst under Mike Nolan and Mike Smith. In 2021, he got his career back on track by engineering the Cowboys to having the seventh best scoring defense in football, after they were ranked twenty-eighth just the year before under… Mike Nolan.
This will be Quinn’s last chance to prove himself as a head coach, or else this will most likely be his final destination. Fortunately, he’s got a young GM in Adam Peters that will have close to 85 million dollars in cap space to spend this offseason, plus the second overall pick in the draft. Not only will they try to make substantial upgrades with the defense, after they finished dead last in almost every single category in 2023, but they will assess their options at quarterback because of how high of a draft pick they have this year. I don’t think this team will get significantly better in 2024 as of right now, but I think they can be respectable if they end up getting the right pieces that they so desperately need.
JEROD MAYO TO THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7/10)
It feels like forever since the Patriots announced that they were going to part ways with Bill Belichick and that Jerod Mayo would be appointed as the successor, but I don’t think I’ve had a chance to write about that until now. First off, let me just say that I liked that there was no resentment or bad blood at the press conference when Belichick said his final goodbyes. For all of the hard work that he put into this organization, constructing one of the best dynasties to give them six Super Bowl championships, there should not have been animosity whatsoever. I’ve been very clear that I thought this was the right time for Belichick to just walk away, because the roster decisions that he’s made over the last few years, plus the results that the team has generated without Tom Brady have just been flat out unacceptable. That’s one of the reasons why I think he’s not going to have a coaching job this year, because teams are just worried that they are going to get a bit worse and not a bit better with the decisions that he’s been notorious for making. But having said all of that, thank you for everything Bill and the Patriots fans will always welcome you back as a spectator with open arms.
As for the Mayo hire, I truly don’t mind the decision that they made. I thought that they should have assessed all of the options that they had before anything, but I love Mayo as a leader and as a coach. You know that the defense is not going to regress, but more importantly, the players are going to play with more intensity and emotion due to his incredible leadership. This will be an interesting offseason because they have the third overall pick plus over seventy million dollars in cap space, but the most important thing that I think that New England needs to do is overhaul the offense. It’s not just the quarterback situation that they have to address. They don’t have receivers that can get open nor the certain lineman that can block, so they need to be careful about who they want to bring back over the next two months. I certainly expect the Patriots to have more than four wins in 2024, but if the roster does not make any significant upgrades on either side of the ball, then you might as well write them off in terms of their playoff chances.
BRIAN CALLAHAN TO THE TENNESSEE TITANS (7/10)
I don’t have any problem with this hire because the Titans definitely needed to find the right offensive mind that was going to make sure that Will Levis could blossom into a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL. To be quite honest, they found a solid option by bringing in Joe Burrow’s offensive coordinator. There are a couple of reasons why I’m only going as high as a seven, the first is the supporting cast around Levis. I think it’s inevitable that Derrick Henry won’t be back with the team as an unrestricted free agent, meaning that the face of their franchise is most likely going to change heading into this upcoming season and that their running game is most likely going to drop off dramatically. Next, we look at the receivers at his disposal. DeAndre Hopkins has proven that he is far from washed up, but he can’t be the only focal point of this offense. The Titans can’t enter this upcoming year with Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as two of their top three starting receivers. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not terrible at all, but this team needs somebody else that is going to be a game-changer for this offense and that can create space for anybody else on the field. Finally, we all know that their offensive line is a complete trainwreck right now. It was just as bad as we all expected it to be after the massive changes that they made the year before, and now all we can hope for is that Pete Skoronski lives up to his first round pedigree in his sophomore season.
The second reason why I give this a seven is because of their defense. I like the front seven that they have, because you have a lot of guys that can attack the quarterback and plenty more that can slow down the run. Their biggest issue is the secondary, which is why I like that they hired Dennard Wilson to be the defensive coordinator. We all know that is a unit full of plenty of reaches that haven’t really blossomed into legitimate starters in this league. They show flashes on occasion, but if they’re not getting burnt on touchdown plays, then they’re taking brutal penalties. Fortunately, this team has plenty of cap space and a pretty high draft pick, so this organization is going to have more than enough opportunities to make sure that they return to respectability.
ALEX VAN PELT AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7/10)
I’m not the biggest fan of this hire for the Patriots, but I also don’t hate it at the same time. Even though he was the offensive coordinator for the Browns from 2020 to 2023, Kevin Stefanski was the one calling the plays, so I really don’t know how much of a success that their unit had was because of Van Pelt. Even though 2023 was a successful year for this organization, getting back to the playoffs thanks to Joe Flacco and an outstanding defense, the offense also lead the league in turnovers, which ended up biting them in the butt in their blowout loss in the Wild Card to the Houston Texans. All I can hope for is that the Patriots overhaul that unit and bring in a splurge of talent to fix that side of the ball, or else it’s going to be another tragic and nightmarish season for this football team. It’s a low-reward move, but they could have hired somebody way worse, so that’s why I don’t completely dislike the hire at all.
SHANE WALDRON AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE CHICAGO BEARS (6/10)
I mean this is definitely an upgrade over Luke Getsy, but that’s not saying a whole lot. I know that Shane Waldron has had success in this league, especially with Geno Smith over the last couple of seasons, but I don’t know if this was the guy that Chicago truly needed for the job, especially with the uncertainty revolving around the offense. The most important thing that the Bears need to figure out is who the hell their quarterback is going to be in 2024. Will Justin Fields have one last shot to prove himself as a legitimate starter, or do they end up sticking with the first overall pick to select Caleb Williams? To say that this offense underachieved last year was a big understatement. They didn’t have a truly legitimate starter at running back, the offensive line was once again a disgrace, and the only receivers that made true contributions were DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Yes, Waldron is going to bring the Sean McVay offense to a team that definitely needs more explosiveness and creativity, but the pieces that the Bars have right now are just not good enough. Who knows what happens to this organization in this upcoming offseason, but I don’t think that they got any better with this move.
LIAM COEN AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6/10)
This is another low-reward move that could be consequential if the offense doesn’t significantly improve this offseason. The fact that Liam Coen bounced back and forth between the NFL and Kentucky is one reason why I have to be a little skeptical about this move, because you don’t know how much better or worse he is going to be in 2024. The one reason why I will say that this was a good move for the Buccaneers is because he was the offensive coordinator for the Rams when Baker Mayfield took over in the latter half of the 2022 season, so I think it is a way of the front office saying that they would love to have him back as the face of the franchise. I also understand that Coen was the offensive coordinator when Will Levis was still in Kentucky, so maybe this unit marginally improves with him calling the plays. However, not only has this team been pathetic in terms of running the football, but the Bucs need to have a Plan B for their wide receiver room if Mike Evans decides to leave in free agency. As well as Baker did this past season, we also know that the future hall of fame receiver was a big reason why they performed consistently well, so losing him would be a major loss that could result in big regressions all over the place. I don’t completely hate that he was the consolation prize for Dave Canales leaving to take the head coaching job for the Panthers, but time will tell to see if this really works out for Tampa Bay.
KELLEN MOORE AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5/10)
Kellen Moore being hired as the new offensive coordinator for the Eagles is hard to rule as a truly successful move. One positive I will say is that when he has talent that is fully healthy, the offense is usually a top ten unit. The fact that he has one of the most loaded offenses in the league on paper should tell you that this unit should still be strong and dangerous to look out for in 2024. However, the big fear that can creep into the back of people’s minds is that his offenses get figured out as the season winds down, which is something that ended up happening to the Eagles just last year. I gave this hire a five because you know what type of success that he can bring to a football team and an offense in general, but you are also concerned if it is going to play consistently at the championship level that their fans expect them to play at this upcoming season. Nick Sirianni’s job is already on hot ice after they just made the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, so the last thing that this team can afford is another late-season collapse with everything falling flat on its face.
MIKE ZIMMER AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS (4/10)
After Dan Quinn departed to be the head coach for the Washington Commanders, it was going to be a tall task for Jerry Jones to find a new man to take charge of the defense. Candidates included Rex Ryan and Ron Rivera for whatever reason, but they ended up landing with Mike Zimmer as the new guy in charge. Obviously, I don’t love that they hired a man that hasn’t been in the NFL the last two seasons, whose defenses just whittled and crumbled apart in his final years with the Minnesota Vikings. Another reason why I don’t like this move for the Cowboys too much is because I don’t believe that he is going to bring a positive attitude towards the defensive side of the ball the way that Dan Quinn during his tenure with the team. Look at the dramatic difference of play with the Vikings from 2021 to 2022. They went from 7-9 with little to no hope at all, to a team that soared to the top of their division with Kevin O’Connell bringing a fresh vision and more optimistic future ahead. I’m not saying that Zimmer is a horrible person at all, but I’m just really skeptical about how the players will respond to him over the course of the 2024 season.
If there is one silver lining to be excited about, it’s that when he was the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, he did a pretty good job of running them. In his last year with the team, before he ended up taking the head coach position for the Vikings, his defense gave up the sixth fewest points in all of football. Now that he’s in Dallas, he’s got two superstars in Micah Parsons and Tre’von Diggs that are instant game-changers every time that are on the field, along with a solid supporting cast that can always make plays at any given moment. This is certainly a high-risk move for the Dallas Cowboys because either one of two outcomes will take place: either Zimmer replicates the success that Quinn had and gets his career back on track, or it’s just another Mike Nolan taking over and the move blows up in their faces spectacularly. Honestly, with Mike McCarthy as the head coach, I’m expecting the latter more than the former.
KLIFF KINGSBURY AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4/10)
At first, Kliff Kingsbury was going to be the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, but talks fell apart and he ended up joining Dan Quinn in Washington DC. I am certainly not a huge fan of this hire, which a lot of NFL fans would agree, but I also know that it is not the worst move that took place. I can only hope that the Commanders significantly improve that side of the ball, because even though they had the worst defense in the league, the offense was not that far behind. The offensive line was a train-wreck that gave up the most sacks in football, which caused Sam Howell to lose so much confidence over the 2023 season, and it was a huge reason why he led the league in interceptions. Their skill-position players are incredibly talented that can thrive anywhere in the NFL, but if they don’t have a quarterback that they can fully trust to bring the team back to respectability, then they are just going to be a bottom-feeder for another season. I don’t know if Kingsbury is going to completely fix all of those problems. He’s not going to have Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray under center, and it’s a longshot for them to luck themselves into drafting Caleb Williams, so I hope that things don’t fall off a cliff too rapidly. I don’t really like this move for the Washington Commanders, and I can only hope that they get a transcendent and generational quarterback that can camoflauge the types of flaws and woes that this team has right now.
GREG ROMAN AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (3/10)
Although I’m super excited that Jim Harbaugh is going to be the next head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers, I’m not too sure why they decided to go with Greg Roman as the offensive coordinator. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had plenty of success with quarterbacks in the past. He helped get an MVP season out of Lamar Jackson in 2019, he was the OC for Colin Kaepernick when he was taking the league by storm in 2012 and 2013, and he helped get the best statistical seasons out of Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo in 2015 and 2016. The common denominator with all three of them were that they were running quarterbacks in those vintage seasons. Justin Herbert is absolutely athletic, but his main instinct is not to take off and run with the football. I’m sure that if the Chargers sign a premium running back that still can play at a high level that the running game will absolutely take off, but when it comes to the passing game, his success is left to be desired. I think we all know that Harbaugh is not going to be the one calling the plays, so Roman having a large control of the offense is one that I am scared is going to hurt their chances of getting back in the playoffs. You’re pretty much praying that the success that their offense has is because of the generational quarterback that they have under center having the season of his life.
ARTHUR SMITH AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2/10)
The moment that this hire was announced, I thought to myself that this is not going to work out at all for the Steelers. Anybody is an upgrade over Matt Canada, but I don’t know what Mike Tomlin saw from Arthur Smith’s offenses in the three years that he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Everybody is hoping that he can replicate the type of success that he had in 2019 and 2020, when Derrick Henry was leading the league in rushing and Ryan Tannehill had two resurgent seasons as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. Don’t get me wrong, the Steelers have plenty of talent on their offense. Najee Harris is a solid back that has proven to be a franchise starter for any football team, and Jaylen Warren gives this team an extra spark, but both of them are not freaking King Henry. More importantly, we still don’t know who Kenny Pickett is as a starting quarterback, and he is heading into his third season. When you’re still questioning if he is the guy at that stage in your career, then there is a good chance that he is not, but time will tell to see if that narrative stands out. Other issues to point out with Pittsburgh is that their offensive line has not been anywhere near respectable over the last few seasons, and that their two starting wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are talented players that unfortunately have proven to take time off during plays when they’re on the field.
The biggest reason why I don’t like the Arthur Smith hire is because of the three seasons that he had in Atlanta. Three straight seven-win and ten-loss years, no legitimate starting quarterback, and three top ten picks that have been underutilized and wasted. He had three transcendent talents in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts that can launch an offense when the ball is in their hands. Instead, he’s prioritized the offense to go through guys like Jonnu Smith and Mack Hollins. The quarterback situation was an even bigger conundrum. We had Matt Ryan in his twilight in 2021, freaking Marcus Mariota in 2022, and then the most uninspiring duo of Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke in the final year. Pickett has had a hard time staying healthy, and we all know that Mitchell Trubisky nor Mason Rudolph is going to bring this team out of the brink, so Arthur Smith is literally back in the same situation that he left.
This Steelers offense didn’t get any better than it was in the past two seasons. Instead, it’s just proven that they are going to be another mediocre football team that will only back into the playoffs because of somebody else completely self-destructing. That’s why I hate this hire, because instead of finding a guy that was going to unlock the potential of their starting quarterback, they found somebody that was just going to try to prioritize the skill position players.
LUKE GETSY AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (1/10)
Of all of the assistant hires that took place, this was the one that made the least sense to me. I didn’t think that initially going with Kliff Kingsbury was the greatest decision that the offense needed to make, but it was certainly better than hiring Luke Getsy, a man that only had success as a passing-game coordinator because Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback. I am really rooting for Antonio Pierce to do well in his first year as the full-time head coach for the Raiders, but he didn’t do a good job with the offense so far. First off, you don’t know who your starting quarterback is going to be yet. I think we all know that is not going to be Jimmy Garoppolo, and we don’t know what will happen with the future of Aidan O’Connell, so that fact alone is one reason why this unit is not going to get better. Secondly, Josh Jacobs is an unrestricted free agent, and Mark Davis is not keeping him unless he somehow gets a massive overpayment. Although the receiving group is not too bad, and the offensive line is one of the least penalized units in the league, the fact that you don’t have a starting running back or a legitimate quarterback proves that this offense is going to be the weak link of this football team again. This is one of my least favorite coaching hires of the last two months, because Getsy has not proven to have any sort of success when he’s had full control of the offense.
DAVE CANALES TO THE CAROLINA PANTHERS (1/10)
Let me just start by saying that my grade for this hire as a one has NOTHING to do with Dave Canales. I think that what he’s been able to do with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in back-to-back years has been extremely impressive, allowing them to have resurgent seasons in their career, even with the odds stacked against them. Canales has proven to be a solid coach in the league that still can get better, and I believe that the players are going to trust him in due time. Having said all of that, the reason why I think this is the worst head coaching hire is because of two words: David Tepper. Let’s be completely honest here for a couple minutes. The hottest head coaching prospects at the end of the regular season were Ben Johnson, Jim Harbaugh, and even Bill Belichick. If either of them said that they would love to join the Carolina Panthers, do you really think that Tepper would have hired Canales as his first choice? Of course not. Do you know why they ended up settling for the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? It’s because nobody else wanted the damn job. They know that if they work for a man like Tepper, then a rigorous and unnecessary power struggle is going to ensue, because you know that this owner wants to get his hands on every single football decision that is made. Until he realizes that meddling owners never succeed in sports, then the Panthers are going to still be a laughing stock of an organization.
I’m also wishing nothing but the best for their new general manager Dan Morgan, because he’s always wanted an opportunity to have this type of role. I really hope that Morgan and Canales do well despite who the rotting fish is at the top of the organization. Their top priority is making sure that Bryce Young’s career is not permanently damaged. I didn’t mind that they made the trade to get him with the first overall pick, because they needed a quarterback badly, but now they need to give him as much help as possible. Miles Sanders was a complete free agent bust, Adam Thielen was the only receiver that showed up, and the offensive line is still of a turnstile as ever. I like that Canales brought in Harold Goodwin from Tampa Bay and that he kept Ejiro Evero, because you need to keep two respected faces that know how to connect with their players, which at least ensures that there will no longer be deception or mistrust. I’m really hoping that the Carolina Panthers get better and that the GM-head coach duo will be the biggest reason for that turnaround, but as long as Tepper is their owner, I can’t give this team any hope until the roster gets dramatically better.
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