Here’s a look at some of the best fits for coaches and teams this off season. Check out this brief synopsis below showing age and possible assistant targets. Enjoy!
Los Angeles Chargers – Brian Daboll (45)
Philosophy: Do Your Job Approach. Communication. Score a lot of points. Erhardt-Perkins (E-P) Concept Driven Passing Game but more Versatile/Adaptable.
*Strengths: Offensive Minded. QB friendly. With this move Justin Herbert will be a MVP candidate in 2021. Josh Allen and Justin Herbert’s game isn’t all that different. Pair that with the front office already having a prior relationship with Daboll and this is a shoe in signing. This could easily be one of the best unions this off season. The AFC West will be fun to watch for years to come.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Jim Caldwell (65) or Urban Meyer (56)
Philosophy: Family Environment/Competitive, Tough, Smart, Leadership. Meyer – QB run/Adaptable. Caldwell – Erhardt-Perkins (E-P) Concept Driven Passing Game.
*Strengths: They both know how to earn trust quickly and get players to play for them. Their biggest obstacle is going to be the assistants they hire. Caldwell has quite the NFL pipeline and reputation. It will be interesting to see if he would find a young offensive coordinator to implement a modern offense, find an experienced OC or he could just call the plays. Meyer could target Bill O’Brien as OC, Brian Hartline as WR coach and sign current free agent QB Dwayne Haskins, whom he coached at Ohio State. Haskins would be the back up to the eventual QB of the future in Jacksonville. Both Caldwell and Meyer would have similar results in my opinion. Although I’d give a slight edge to Meyer due to his connection to Florida and a repetitive history of culture building.
Houston Texans – Eric Bieniemy (51)
Philosophy: High Energy. Accountable. West Coast/Adaptable.
*Strengths: Offensive Minded. QB friendly. Bieniemy will look to recreate the magic he had with Patrick Mahomes but with Deshaun Watson this time. Media will overhype the lack of resources Houston has to reload but it will be more simple than projected. Bieniemy’s defensive hires will be the key. A pairing with Wade Phillips would be a fit. Anthony Lynn would be a great hire on his staff in some capacity as an offensive assistant. Say what you want about Lynn, players play for him and he can teach. Overall this is a pair that makes the most sense for all parties involved.
New York Jets – Brandon Staley (38) or Steve Spagnuolo (61)
Philosophy: Staley – Cerebral and Calculative. 34 Defense 2 Shell, Spagnuolo – Simple, Play Fast, Compete. 43 Defense/Multiple.
*Strengths: Defensive minded. What Brandon Staley has done in Los Angeles for the Rams is exceptional. Granted, he does have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey but he’d at least have one promising defensive linemen to work with in Quinnen Williams. Talent acquisition is the name of the name of the off season game so he can get his defensive backs he needs through free agency and the draft. I like Steve Spagnuolo’s progression as an assistant and his experience facing the top offenses in this league is appealing. Not to mention he’s a Super Bowl winning caliber defensive mind. Both coaches would be smart to acquire offensive assistant coaches from their previous teams.
Atlanta Falcons – Arthur Smith (38)
Philosophy: No Frontrunners, Work for Everything, Preparation Driven. Establish Run/Adaptable.
*Strengths: Good Script. Game planner. I’ll just go ahead and say it. If the Falcons hire Smith they’d have to draft North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. It would expedite how quickly he could turn around that franchise. Lance is very similar to Ryan Tannehill stylistically. He’d more than likely have to steal someone away from Tennessee to help with defense or go with a veteran free agent coordinator. Arthur Smith’s best strength as a play caller in my opinion is his timing and expertise in recognizing defensive tendency. That, much like his offense in Tennessee, is ‘pack and play’ and should translate.
Detroit Lions – Robert Saleh (41)
Philosophy: High Energy. Cover 3/Multiple/Adaptable.
*Strengths: Defensive Minded. I expect Mike McDaniel or Mike LaFleur to follow him to Detroit to be Offensive Coordinator. It would be smart to try and grab Assistant Offensive Line Coach Andy Dickerson from the Los Angeles Rams as well. Atlanta Falcons Defensive Line Coach Tosh Lupoi would be a good grab to help get the defense started. DeMeco Ryans would be an excellent Defensive Coordinator but more than likely will be elevated by the 49ers. So early in his regime, Saleh should be calling plays for his defense in Detroit. Robert Saleh’s strength is maximizing situations and player’s ability. He schemes up defenses week to week that match the opponents’ personnel and disguises it in covert fashion with consistency. His energy paired with fan excitement would re-energize that area and bring attention to Motor City.