Grading Every New NFL Coaching Hire
The Amateurs evaluate the NFL’s newest head coaches and grade how great (or bad) each hiring is for each team.
The NFL has seen a season very different from the ones gone but one thing still remains constant (or maybe two as Tom Brady wins his seventh Super Bowl) as some teams will be looking to start next season with new coaching staffs. Seven NFL teams, the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Los Angeles Chargers, the New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles, made new hires this offseason. The hirings were diverse in terms of experience with some being position coaches, some being longtime coordinators, and some jumping from the college ranks. As the offseason officially starts, here’s The Amateurs’ ranking of every new coaching hiring.
Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons)
Arthur Smith followed his Titans predecessor Matt LaFleur to making the jump from offensive coordinator to head coach. The Atlanta Falcons hired Smith after firing Dan Quinn, who brought the team to Super Bowl 51, in week 6 after the team went 0–5. The 38-year old Smith may seem young but he has more than 10 years of coaching experience under his belt, the longest being with the Titans where he started as the defensive quality control coach in 2011. Not only did he make the Titans a top 10 offense in 2019 and a top 5 offense in 2020, but he also oversaw the resurgence of Ryan Tannehill and Corey Davis, the emergence of AJ Brown, and helping Derrick Henry fulfill his potential.
Hiring Arthur Smith was a great move by the Atlanta Falcons, who haven’t been playing to their ceiling since their loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl 51. The defense has let the team down a lot in the past few seasons but their offense has also suffered from lackluster playcalling. The Falcons were fourth in passing attempts in 2020 but only 16th in points scored. Just like Ryan Tannehill did, Matt Ryan can see a revival late in his career that might bring his performance back to MVP level. Smith also has a plethora of weapons he can utilize with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley at wide receiver, Hayden Hurst at tight end, and a stable of running backs led by Todd Gurley. Jones and Ridley are expected to maintain their performance from recent seasons but Hayden Hurst might see a jump in both usage and numbers as he is a dynamic runner with the ball just like Jonnu Smith is. Without a Derrick Henry-like running back, Smith’s Falcons offense might be more pass-heavy compared to his Titans offense.
Notable experience: Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator (2019–2020)
Grade: A
Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers)
Brandon Staley is the latest of young head coaches hired from Sean McVay’s coaching staff. However, unlike the offensive coaches teams usually pluck from McVay, Staley is a defensive coach. Staley only spent one year as the Rams defensive coordinator, replacing Wade Phillips who was let go after his defense underperformed post-Super Bowl 53. Staley didn’t take long to revamp the Rams defense, making them a top 5 defense in 2020. The presence of Aaron Donald was disruptive to the opposition’s offensive line but the shining light of the Rams defense was the secondary. Led by Jalen Ramsey, the Rams secondary was elite against the pass. They were first in allowing passing yards, ninth in interception rate, and fourth in numbers of interception.
Staley’s personnel at the Chargers will be similar to his personnel with the Rams. The Chargers have great weapons on defense with Joey Bosa, Kenneth Murray, and Derwin James. If these players can be fully healthy, the Chargers defense might be a top 10 or even possibly a top 5 defense in the NFL next season. Unlike most of the new coaching hirings, Staley already has himself a franchise quarterback in offensive rookie of the year Justin Herbert. Herbert is already surrounded with excellent weapons around him with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams as wide receivers and Austin Ekeler and Kalen Ballage as the duo in the backfield. Don’t be surprised if the Chargers upset teams in the upcoming NFL season.
Notable experience: Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator (2020)
Grade: A
Robert Saleh (New York Jets)
Robert Saleh finally lands a head coaching job and it definitely won’t be an easy one. Saleh will look to turn around a Jets team that has fallen even deeper as the NFL’s punching bag under Adam Gase. The 49ers’ defense became one of the most formidable defensive units in the league under Saleh’s tutelage. In his three years in charge of the defense from 2018 to 2020, Saleh led the 49ers to 13th, 2nd, and 5th in yards allowed to the opposing offense. Despite missing key personnel such as Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, and Solomon Thomas in the 2020 season, Saleh still put together a solid defensive unit.
The Jets will change their defense to 4–3 after deploying the 3–4 for years going back to the Bill Parcells’ era. With that in mind, Saleh might bring a veteran player previously under his charge to New York to help with transitioning the defense from 3–4 to 4–3. Don’t be surprised to see Richard Sherman, Solomon Thomas, or K’Waun Williams in different colors entering the 2021 season as they are about to be free agents soon. Despite Gregg Williams’ play-calling last season, Saleh actually inherited a roster with some nice pieces attached to it. Expect the Jets to make the jump under Saleh with him at the helm at defense and Mike LaFleur as the offensive coordinator calling the offensive plays and finally developing Sam Darnold.
Notable experience: San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator (2017–2020)
Grade: A-
Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
The Eagles fired Super Bowl-winning Doug Pederson after a season where Carson Wentz led the league in interceptions, key players spending more time on the PUP list, and failing to make the playoffs in probably the worst division in the NFL. Pederson was replaced by Nick Sirianni, who came to Philadelphia by way of Indianapolis where he served under Frank Reich as the offensive coordinator. Under Sirianni’s charge, the Colts were 5th, 17th, and 9th in points scored from 2018 to 2020. Even with the surprise of Andrew Luck retiring in 2018, he was able to lead the offense into becoming league average with Jacoby Brissett under center with the support of a top five run offense. Expect an improved Eagles offense, whether with a resurgent Carson Wentz or the up-and-coming sophomore Jalen Hurts. With Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson very likely to move on from the team, Sirianni will also have a young wide receiver corps he can shape to his offense and a dynamic running back in Miles Sanders to supplement his playcalling.
Notable experience: Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator (2018–2020)
Grade: B
Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
Dan Campbell should hope that his most memorable moment as the Detroit Lions head coach is not his introductory press conference. Hired to replace Matt Patricia, Campbell’s press conference resembled more that of a WWE press conference, saying as far as things like “we’re going to bite a kneecap off” and “we’re going to take another hunk out of you.” As far as being a charismatic leader, Campbell is definitely better at that than the emotionless hunk of flesh Patricia is. Campbell, together with new general manager Brad Holmes, will rebuild this Lions team almost from scratch, especially with longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford gone and veteran players such as Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay becoming free agents. The next two drafts will be crucial to the Campbell-Holmes’ reign in Detroit, especially with the addition of first-round draft picks from the Matthew Stafford trade with the Rams.
Campbell himself inherits several great young players in D’Andre Swift, Jeff Okudah, and T.J. Hockenson. Jared Goff is also serviceable as a transitional quarterback if the Lions decide to stick with him this season. Campbell doesn’t have the track record as some of these new head coaches had as coordinators but he has the potential to finally bring the Lions out of the dark ages. The Lions should be a fun team to follow in the next couple of seasons, based on the personality of Dan Campbell alone.
Notable experience: New Orleans Saints assistant head coach and tight ends coach (2016–2020), Miami Dolphins interim head coach (2015)
Grade: B-
Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Urban Meyer will bring a culture of winning to Jacksonville, something that’s been missing from this Jaguars team for quite a while. Whether or not that translates to actual wins on the field is another matter for Meyer who will take on the NFL after conquering college football with Florida and Ohio State. The NFL is a completely different beast compared to college football, where Meyer year after year can attract the best talents to his team, which he now won’t have the luxury of having. Now Meyer will also be dealing with adult players so what worked for him in college might not work in Jacksonville. He’s also already dealt with controversy this early in his tenure when he hired Chris Doyle, who was accused of abuse, bullying, and discrimination during his time at the University of Iowa, as the Jaguars’ director of sports performance. Doyle resigned a day after his hiring by the Jaguars was announced.
Meyer’s coaching acumen will be tested, especially with such a young roster under his charge. He will also be in charge of developing a rookie quarterback, whether it be Trevor Lawrence or someone else he’s going to pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Meyer also surrounds himself with a highly experienced staff, including Darrell Bevell as his offensive coordinator and longtime NFL defensive line coach Joe Cullen as his defensive coordinator. It will be interesting to see how someone as successful in the college ranks as Urban Meyer navigates the coaching world of the NFL.
Notable experience: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach (2012–2018), Florida Gators head coach (2005–2010)
Grade: C+
David Culley (Houston Texans)
The Houston Texans hired an adult to babysit the kids and that’s about it as what can be written about David Culley’s hiring by Houston. Culley’s hiring came out of left field, especially when his competitors were the likes of Eric Bienemy, Leslie Frazier, Joe Brady, and former NFL head coaches Marvin Lewis and Jim Caldwell. Even though many head coaches have made the jump directly from position coach without ever being a coordinator, Culley did it at the “tender” age of 65. Even Dan Campbell, who made the jump from the Saints tight ends coach, has had experience as an interim head coach for the Miami Dolphins. He’s probably best known as the wide receivers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs when none of their receivers scored a single touchdown in 2014. Knowing how dysfunctional the Texans management is under Jack Easterby, it wouldn’t be surprising if Culley is hired solely on having a “good character” and giving of a “friendly grandfather” vibes, or to be exact, someone Easterby can control easily.
No one is blaming Culley if he takes this job just to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a head coach this late in his career. With a longtime face of the team in JJ Watt gone from the team, Culley will enter a Houston Texans team filled with problems, including a disgruntled Deshaun Watson who upon hearing the news of Culley’s hiring immediately requested a trade. Realistically, it’s probably best for Culley if he rents a living space instead of buying one because his time in Houston won’t be long.
Notable experience: Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator (2019–2020), Kansas City Chiefs assistant head coach and wide receivers coach (2013–2016), Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver coach (1999–2012)
Grade: D
Julian Tirtadjaja is a sports enthusiast with a passion for American Football. Tirtadjaja worked as a photographer and photo editor for The Daily Nebraskan during his time in college where he shot college football and college basketball games in different places across the United States. He also played D-1 collegiate rugby at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a Nebraska Huskers and Green Bay Packers fan.
