The NFL’s head coaching carousel ended last week when the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals hired Eagles’ coordinators Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon. As a result, five teams will enter the 2023 season with new head coaches. Of course, it will take some time to determine which hires will work and which won’t. Still, some NFL executives believe that the Panthers’ hiring of Frank Reich and the Texans’ hiring of DeMeco Ryans were the best hires of the cycle.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe polled nine people — a combination of general managers, personnel executives, head coaches and assistant coaches who were granted anonymity so they could speak freely — with a simple question: Who was your favorite head-coaching hire?
According to Howe’s poll, Reich and Ryans were the favorites in a landslide. Reich earned 5.5 votes, and Ryans received 3.5. Sean Payton, Shane Steichen, and Jonathan Gannon received no votes. Reich is walking into one of the better situations of the five coaches in Carolina. He’s also done a great job filling out his staff thus far.
“I honestly like Frank Reich as a coach,” an assistant coach said. “I do think he’s good, and he hired a good staff. Maybe a Doug Pederson 2.0?”
Reich and the Panthers need a quarterback, but a good staff and a half-dozen draft picks acquired in the Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson trades last season have Reich set up for success in his second go-round as an NFL head coach.
You can read the full story from Howe here:
Why NFL execs, coaches think Frank Reich, DeMeco Ryans are easily best NFL hires
I’m not sure how much XFL you caught this weekend (I was busy watching the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club). But if you caught any of the games, you likely saw the XFL’s replay review system in action.
XFL VP of Officiating and Rules Innovation Dean Blandino was in charge of the control room, offering fast and efficient replays all weekend. The NFL should take some notes from the XFL on this front.
A look at the XFL Command Center and replay system on the ESPN broadcast.
Dean Blandino, the XFL VP of officiating and rules innovation, relays a review ruling to the ref. 🏈📺🦓 pic.twitter.com/VPiNQNedgJ— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 18, 2023
The speed is a big plus. But so is the live look into the process. Having Blandino and the on-field officials mic’d up throughout the review process gave viewers an insight into the process and explanation of the decisions. This type of setup offers accountability and transparency that the NFL would be wise to consider moving forward.
Brandon Staley and the Chargers will join the Broncos and Eagles in searches for new defensive coordinators. This after Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill has left Los Angeles to join Vic Fangio’s staff in Miami. Hill will serve as the Dolphins’ defensive pass-game coordinator.
Chargers’ DC Renaldo Hill is leaving LA to reunite with Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and become the Dolphins defensive pass-game coordinator, per source. Hill was Fangio’s top target and out of respect to his former boss, Chargers’ HC Brandon Staley allowed his… https://t.co/wHFKnMCPvJ— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 20, 2023
According to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, teams can stop dreaming about adding Orlando Brown Jr. this offseason. Tayor reported that the Chiefs intend to place the franchise tag on Brown for the second straight season.
Similar to last year, the Chiefs are expected to place the franchise tag on Brown, which will prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. Such a move will allow both parties more time to negotiate a lucrative contract extension.
Of course, that’s bad news for the Bears. Luis wrote about that on Sunday:
We’ve got 10 offseason previews lined up for you this week! We’ll drop two daily, starting with the Browns and Lions later this afternoon. But, if you missed Friday’s Bengals and Bears installments, here they are:
Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
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