Despite all eyes being focused on the upcoming season, some NFL head coaches are on the hot seat entering 2023 after some lingering doubts from 2022.
The off-season is a time of hope for many teams. While some teams enter this season continuing to build off prior success, some will look to make an early impact as they unveil a new generation of football. However, a handful of teams enter this season with a coach on their last legs, needing to something to show for this season in order to stay in their gigs. These five coaches are candidates to be on the hot seat next season:
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5 NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat In 2023
Mike McCarthy – Cowboys
After an abysmal finish to their seasons in back-to-back years, Mike McCarthy may find himself on a shorter leash. Dallas have already thrown Kellen Moore to the wolves, forcing him to shoulder the blame for the short comings of these seasons. Both mistakes that caused these seasons to end prematurely, however, demonstrate a failure in coaching rather than a failure in play calling. McCarthy is now left without a scapegoat and, while every team in the division seemed to get better, the Cowboys appear to be treading water.
Top to bottom this is one of the most talented rosters in the league. Dallas has multiple playmakers on offense, an above-average quarterback in Dak Prescott, and one of the best defensive players in the league in Micah Parsons. In a little over the past decade, division rivals Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants have been to a combined four Super Bowls, winning three of them. The pressure is ramped up in Dallas for McCarthy to make a deep playoff run in order to show he is keeping pace with the competition.
Brandon Staley – Chargers
While making the playoffs this past season did help buy him some time, Brandon Staley is certainly an NFL head coach on the hot seat in 2023. An epic collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars at least made some hold their breath to see if he would be safe or not. Now the coach who many were anointing his successor (Sean Payton), has taken a job within the division. The heat will be on this season and if Sean Payton finishes with a better record than Staley, he may find himself without a job.
This would have been the most sought-after coaching job this off-season, with multiple high-profile candidates throwing their names in the potential ring. With Justin Herbert around it is not hard to see why. The Chargers have an arsenal of weapons for Herbert on offense, alongside a stout defense. With division rival Kansas City Chiefs coming off their second Super Bowl victory in less than five years, the expectations are high for Staley and there are some who doubt he can deliver.
Josh McDaniels – Raiders
Josh McDaniels has a history of running starting quarterbacks out of town before sinking the ship. Derek Carr was not the best quarterback in the league, but he was a steady hand who had done things the right way and produced consistently. While it has been reported that there was more to the decision than this, Carr is now with the Saints. Subsequently, McDaniels brought in his former protégé, Jimmy Garoppolo.
A current issue is that Garoppolo may not be able to pass his physical. To exile a long-time leader in Carr and have the succession plan implode on the track would leave even the best coaches getting the side-eye. McDaniels will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat in order to prove this is not past behavior repeating itself. This Raiders team will at least need to push for a playoff spot for McDaniels to maintain his second chance.
Kevin Stefanski – Browns
It is fair to question what the realistic expectations for this team are. A deep playoff run would not be realistic. However, there is a growing sense that there needs to be more shown with Deshaun Watson. Not playing the entire season prior, and missing eleven games last season, would give most a good reason to be rusty. But ‘most’ are not making the same amount that Watson is making.
In a move of desperation by Cleveland, Watson scored an unprecedented contract which has muddied the waters for others in the business. They need attention drawn away from this, as well as Watson’s documented off-the-field issues. The best way to have fans forget about both is winning. While this appears to be a dog fight between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens for the division, Kevin Stefanski needs to improve this Browns team or Cleveland will look to alternatives.
Dennis Allen – Saints
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Since Drew Brees retired from football, it feels like he took all of the Saints hype with him. They have tinkered with the quarterback situation quite a bit since then, going from Jameis Winston to Taysom Hill to Andy Dalton and now Carr. While Carr hopefully brings stability, the rest of this team must also improve under Dennis Allen.
Tom Brady is no longer in the division, and Payton is back with another team. To think that Saints fans will not be watching and comparing records with the Denver Broncos would be foolish. This division is ripe for the taking, but there are serious questions about whether Allen is the right man for the job. Michael Thomas has not been back to the elite level he previously showed, Kamara is most likely suspended and seems to have lost a step, and this defense is getting older. Another mediocre season could lead to a full overhaul.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
