It was a long ride, but the NFL coaching carousel is finally over. A total of nine teams have hired a new head coach since the end of the season. Now it’s time to look at what teams made a smart choice and what teams left us scratching our heads. Here is our ranking of the new head coaches in the NFL for the 2022 season.
9. Matt Eberflus, Bears
It’s debatable whether the Bears upgraded over Matt Nagy with this hire. To be fair, Eberflus has done a great job as the Indianapolis defensive coordinator over the last four years. However, Chicago might have made a mistake by hiring a defensive-minded head coach when they have a young quarterback who needs to be groomed.
8. Josh McDaniels, Raiders
This was an interesting hire in many ways. McDaniels is only 45 and has been groomed by Bill Belichick. It’s also been more than a decade since he crashed and burned as head coach of the rival Broncos. But how much has he matured since then? Also, could he return to New England if Bill Belichick retires in a year or two?
7. Dennis Allen, Saints
The Saints were put in a tough position when Sean Payton decided to step away. In a lot of ways, Allen was hired to promote consistency within the organization. He and the Saints had plenty of success over the last seven seasons of Allen serving as the team’s defensive coordinator. Of course, you can’t argue that Allen isn’t qualified for the job. Despite going 8-28 as head coach of the Raiders, Allen at least has experience.
6. Mike McDaniel, Dolphins
Let’s be honest, the Dolphins were foolish to fire Brian Flores. That being said, McDaniel is a young, offensive-minded coach, which is very much in vogue right now. He’s been a part of the 49ers reaching the NFC Championship Game twice in the last three years. However, he has just one year of experience as a coordinator.
5. Lovie Smith, Texans
Smith was surely an interesting choice by Houston. He’s not particularly young, nor is he an offensive-minded head coach. Plus, until he joined the Texans last year as the defensive coordinator, he had spent the previous five seasons at the college level. That being said, the Texans got a chance to know him over the past year. He also has experience as an NFL head coach, so it’s tough to get too up in arms about this hire.
4. Nathaniel Hackett, Broncos
Between college and the NFL, Hackett has 10 years of experience as an offensive coordinator. He’s worked under some good head coaches and is the son of a former NFL and college head coach. In short, Hackett is an offensive-minded coach with great credentials, making him a promising hire. If Hackett can help woo Aaron Rodgers to the Broncos, that’d be great too.
3. Kevin O’Connell, Vikings
O’Connell was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Rams, so the Vikings have to be satisfied with this hire. With the recent success of young head coaches, hiring a 36-year-old isn’t that big of a deal. The Vikings can only hope that a lot of Sean McVay has rubbed off on O’Connell over the last two years.
2. Doug Pederson, Jaguars
Let’s remember that Pederson is just a few years removed from winning a Super Bowl. While his tenure in Philly ended in ugly fashion, he got the Eagles to playoffs three times in five seasons. He’s also a longtime disciple of Andy Reid, which doesn’t hurt his resume. After creating a disaster with Urban Meyer last year, Pederson is a sound choice to bring some stability to the Jaguars.
1. Brian Daboll, Giants
For once, the Giants made a good decision. Daboll has done great things with the Bills over the last two seasons and has nearly a decade of experience as an offensive coordinator. He’s also a branch off the coaching tree of both Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. Frankly, Daboll was the crown jewel of this year’s class of new coaches.