Dennis Allen may be the only former NFL head coach that has received a pink slip thus far this season, but there are going to be a ton of openings when the offseason rolls around.
Among the teams that could very well be looking for new head coaches are the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons. All five are already scouting potential replacements, at least from an ownership standpoint.
These potential openings gives assistant coaches and coordinators around the NFL an opportunity to get some play as candidates.
Here are five names to look at moving forward this season and heading into the offseason.
Hue Jackson, Offensive Coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals
Courtesy of Fox Sports: Hue Jackson should be at the top of many teams lists.
When Jackson was unceremoniously dumped by then Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis following the 2011 season, a lot of people around the football world questioned it. The team had finished the 2011 campaign with an 8-8 record and seemed to be going in the right direction at that time.
Since then, Jackson’s career has been on the upswing while the Raiders have faltered at every single turn. After spending 2012 as the Cincinnati Bengals secondary coach, Jackson moved to the offensive side of the ball to be the running backs coach last season. He was then promoted to offensive coordinator when Jay Gruden accepted the Washington Redskins head coaching job.
While the results haven’t been immediate this season, Cincinnati is deploying more balance after asking Andy Dalton to do too much in the past. And outside of his tenure in Cincinnati, Jackson has had a ton of success in a coaching career that dates back to 1987. He definitely deserves another shot at a head coaching gig.
Matt Patricia, Defensive Coordinator, New England Patriots
Courtesy of USA Today: Patricia doesn’t get a lot of recognition, but he’s sure to be a candidate.
Patricia has been the Patriots defensive coordinator in name only since the start of the 2012 season. Before that, he called the defensive plays for years under head coach Bill Belichick, who some may have forgotten is a defensive-minded coach himself. In any event, Patricia has had a ton of success in this role for a Patriots defense that has improved a great deal in recent seasons.
Last year saw this unit finish in the top half of the league in points against while finishing in the bottom fourth in yards against. Based on the personnel New England deployed, it was more of a “bend but do not break” unit. This year has been different. After adding Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner to the mix, New England’s secondary has picked it up big time. It ranks second in the NFL in passing yards against and has allowed an 86.8 rating. Some of that has to do with the pressure the front seven is getting (21 sacks in eight games), but Patricia has proven he can call a game with the best of them.
Give this veteran coach a good offensive staff, which is already a necessity in the NFL for a defensive-minded head coach, and he will have a ton of success. A team like the Oakland Raiders, who could use a change in culture, might be a really good fit here.
Todd Bowles, Defensive Coordinator, Arizona Cardinals
Bowles’ success since taking the Cardinals defensive coordinator job prior to last season cannot be overstated. Focusing on a pressure-first scheme with multiple blitz packages, he’s helped Arizona’s defense become one of the best in the NFL. It ranks fifth in the league in scoring and third against the run. While the unit has racked up just seven sacks on the season, it has intercepted 10 passes through seven games. That’s a sign of the defense putting consistent pressure on the quarterback with blitz packages that are masked better than any other unit in the NFL.
In reality, Bowles is an up-and-coming defensive mind that may scare off some teams because of his lack of coordinating experience in the NFL. But don’t let that fool you. He has the football mind and leadership ability to take on a head coaching gig and not look back.
Pep Hamilton, Offensive Coordinator, Indianapolis Colts
Before too long, there is going to be a Jim Harbaugh coaching tree in both college football and the NFL. Hamilton, who worked under Harbaugh in a variety of roles at Stanford, is considered one of the best offensive minds in the league. After struggling to find some balance with Andrew Luck and Co. last season, the Colts offense has taken off big time this season. They ranked second in scoring, first in total yards and first in passing offense.
The interesting dynamic here is that Hamilton’s offense features two running backs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson, who are on pace to combine for 2,332 total yards and 20 touchdowns. This is just an example of Hamilton’s schematic ability on the offensive side of the ball. And in reality, there is no reason to believe he won’t take that with him to a head coaching gig next season.
Jim Tomsula, Defensive Line Coach, San Francisco 49ers
Courtesy of Zimbio: Teams have already discussed Tomsula as a head coaching candidate.
The only positional coach on this list, Tomsula is more than qualified to become a head coach in the not-so-distant future. He replaced Mike Singletary for one game after the former 49ers head coach was fired prior to Week 17 in 2010. And there are some out there that believe the mentality he brought to the table in that one game, a 38-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals, helped change the culture in the locker room before Jim Harbaugh eventually became the head coach less than a month later.
Tomsula helped this defensive line become one of the best in the league. Justin Smith turned the corner from a borderline Pro Bowler to one of the best overall players in the NFL. Ray McDonald went from a rotational player to an underrated force opposite Smith. In addition to this, the likes of Ricky Jean-Francois and Isaac Sopoaga, who haven’t done much since leaving San Francisco, exceeded their talent levels under Tomsula’s leadership.
Surprisingly to some, Tomsula isn’t without head coaching experience. Outside of that one game for the 49ers in 2010, Tomsula was the head coach of the Rhein Fire of the now defunct NFL Europe. He is a player’s coach and gets the most from the talent that his men possess. If put in the right situation, Tomsula could very well end up being a great head coach in the NFL.
Photo: USA Today