We’re about halfway through the NFL season and that means movement in the realm of coaches across the NFL. The trade deadline and coaching carousel are in full effect which means notable players and coaches are moving around the league. This year’s coaching carousel is full of names that many fans and analysts saw coming from a mile away, but as always there were a few surprises.
NFL Coaches Carousel
New Orleans Saints
Dennis Allen was a surprise because this is the first time the Saints organization has fired a coach midseason since Tom Benson purchased the team in 1985. That’s what’s going to happen when you lose seven straight games with the final game being a loss to the worst team in the known football universe, the Carolina Panthers.
The Carolina Panthers are so bad that Pat McAfee doesn’t think they could get into the college football playoff bracket. Losing to a team that bad surely drove the last nail in Allen’s Coffin. In 43 games as head coach, Allen compiled an 18-25 record (.419) and will be succeeded by special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as interim head coach.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders’ first full campaign under head coach Antonio Pierce has been a mess which has resulted in three coaches losing their jobs. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, quarterback coach Rich Scangarello, and offensive lineman coach James Cregg. The Raiders offense has looked dreadful this season – it’s ranked 28th in yards and 25th in points. Their lack of quality quarterback play has been a severe issue, but the coaching staff couldn’t muster any run game to help out the passing game either.
This is the second time this year Luke Getsy has been fired, he was let go from the Bears shortly after the 2023 regular season ended and now, he won’t finish his first year with the Raiders. Coach Pierce will continue to look for answers on offense as the season progresses, but his job might be dangerous too considering the tumultuous nature of job stability in the NFL.
New York Jets
Robert Saleh was the first coach to lose his job this season. The team started 2-3 and was reportedly surprised by his firing. But if you zoom out to his 56-game tenure the team finished 20-36 and looked increasingly lackluster as this season went on. The team just got its first win under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich last Thursday night in New Jersey against the Houston Texans. They’re 3-6 going into a matchup in the desert against the Arizona Cardinals.
On the Hot Seat?
Chicago Bears
Head Coach Matt Eberflus felt like a lame duck going into the season and that increasingly feels like the case. The season feels over after two brutal losses that featured two of the worst defensive plays in the history of the NFL. Star players are talking shit to fans and walking off the field during meaningful plays and the optics of the entire situation are of a sinking ship. Eberflus’s tenure seems to be circling death’s door and Bear’s faithful couldn’t be more ready for a change among the coaches.
Indianapolis Colts
Shane Steichen’s handling of the Colts quarterback situation has left Colts fans scratching their heads. Their first-round quarterback Anthony Richardson was benched because he self-admittedly tapped out on a play, something no professional quarterback has ever done. But the offense looked even worse under veteran Joe Flacco’s leadership. Steichen seems to be quickly losing Colts fans’ good faith when it comes to the Colts’ coaches.
New York Giants
Brian Daboll’s fate seems to be tied to the fate of Daniel Jones and he’s one of the worst quarterbacks in the league, so it doesn’t look good for either one of them after the end of the season. It’s hard to imagine a world where Jones or Daboll or both don’t lose their jobs with the Giants.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys look lost following a horrible playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers last season. Following one of the least eventful offseason in recent memory the team has looked dull and boring all year. Now Dak Prescott is out dealing with a hamstring injury for the next several weeks and it seems like there could be a full restart down in Jerry-World at the end of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles
The situation with the coaches here is interesting because the Eagles look great. Their roster is good, relatively healthy, and winning games. But many Eagles fans don’t care and still want Nick Sirianni canned. Sirianni has drawn lots of criticism for his aggressive approach which sees him passing up field goals and extra points for fourth down and two-point conversion attempts all the time.
People are starting to question why Sirianni is so quick to leave automatic points on the board, especially when the team has two score leads. If Sirianni just let his field goal kicker play some football the Philly fans probably wouldn’t be calling for his head on social media every Monday.
Stay tuned for updates on the changes with NFL coaches via RespectMyRegion.com.
