Head Coach Churn Continues

On the day the Buffalo Bills joined the teams looking for a new head coach, two of those teams found their new head coach. The Bills stunned many when they fired Sean McDermott. It can be a handicap to join the process a couple weeks after the other teams. Perhaps the Bills did so with a coach in mind. Brian Daboll? Who knows? This year’s version of the annual head coach churn includes 10 teams. There was a time when it looked like this could be a light year. That didn’t last long as 10 is a hefty number. 

The Buffalo Bills are now looking for a new head coach. As that happened, the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans found their new head coach. The Dolphins hired former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. The Titans hired former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. There’s a lightly held belief that teams often hire the opposite of the coach that was fired. That’s actually the case with these two teams. The Dolphins replaced offensive-minded Mike McDaniel with defensive-minded Hafley. The Titans replaced offensive-minded Brian Callahan with defensive-minded Saleh. I saw a rumor that McDaniel could be Saleh’s offensive coordinator. 

Two weeks into the offseason and 40% of the 10 head coach vacancies have been filled.

Head Coach Churn

New York Giants

Hired: John Harbaugh

Fired: Brian Daboll

Atlanta Falcons

Hired: Kevin Stefanski

Fired: Raheem Morris

Miami Dolphins

Hired: Jeff Hafley

Fired: Mike McDaniel

Tennessee Titans

Hired: Robert Saleh

Fired: Brian Callahan

Arizona Cardinals

Fired: Jonathan Gannon

Baltimore Ravens

Fired: John Harbaugh

Cleveland Browns

Fired: Kevin Stefanski

Las Vegas Raiders

Fired: Pete Carroll

Pittsburgh Steelers 

Stepped Away: Mike Tomlin

Buffalo Bills

Fired: Sean McDermott

Here are some guesses at the head coach hires of the six teams still looking.

Arizona Cardinals: Klint Kubiak

Baltimore Ravens: Joe Brady

Cleveland Browns: Grant Udinski

Las Vegas Raiders: Matt Nagy

Pittsburgh Steelers: Anthony Weaver

Buffalo Bills: Brian Daboll

It’s probably a bit early for the 30-year old Grant Udinski. He’s been a non-play calling offensive coordinator for a single season. Just like when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired a too-young Mike Tomlin in 2006, I can see Udinski wowing the Cleveland Browns decision-makers. He’s apparently impressed enough for a second interview. Placing Anthony Weaver with the Pittsburgh Steelers might be as much about keeping Brian Flores in Minnesota. Still, Anthony Weaver feels a lot like the last three head coach decisions of the Steelers. Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin were young, on-the-rise defensive coaches when the Steelers hired them. Much like Weaver. I can see it. 

The NFL’s annual head coach churn continues.