There’s going to be as many as a dozen head coaching openings around the NFL when the 2017 regular season comes to an end here soon. Sure there’s those obvious names out there who will receive interviews and likely be hired.
This list includes the likes of Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia and Dave Toub. These names are already known.
Instead of pointing out the obvious, let’s check in on seven under-the-radar head coaching candidates heading into the offseason. From a certain assistant in New England who has helped his receivers a great deal to a defensive coordinator in New Orleans who has overseen an improved unit, here are some lesser-known NFL head coaching candidates.
Chad O’Shea, New England Patriots
The Patriots’ wide receiver coach since 2009, O’Shea has done a tremendous job mentoring a plethora of under-the-radar pass catchers during his span. Did anyone really expect Chris Hogan to turn into this reliable target when he signed with New England back in 2016? What about the seamless transition for Brandin Cooks from New Orleans to the Patriots this season? Sure having Tom Brady under center helps here, but O’Shea should be given some praise.
One of the issues for advancement in New England is the presence of Josh McDaniels — a viable head coaching candidate himself — as the team’s offensive coordinator. Should he find a job somewhere else, that would give O’Shea an opportunity for advancement. Though, with 15 years of NFL coaching experience himself, we would not be surprised if O’Shea got some play as a head coach this upcoming offseason or in the near future.
Wade Wilson, Dallas Cowboys
A 19-year NFL vet as a backup quarterback, Wilson knows all about what it means to watch and analyze a game from the sideline. Mere three years after his retirement, Wilson took over as the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach from 2000-2002. After a brief stint in Chicago, he returned to Dallas in the same role and helped oversee the progression of Tony Romo from undrafted rookie free agent to Pro Bowl signal caller. More recently, he’s helped morph Dak Prescott into a viable starter as a mid-round rookie.
Teams in today’s NFL value coaches that can work with quarterbacks. We’ve seen this in Cleveland (Hue Jackson) and San Francisco (Kyle Shanahan). While it doesn’t always work out, there’s an urge to push coaches of this ilk to the front of the line. With 36-plus years experience in the NFL as either a quarterback or a quarterbacks coach, look for Wilson to get some play this offseason.
Mike Vrabel, Houston Texans
Vrabel’s brand might have taken a hit this season after moving on from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator. That’s magnified by the fact that Houston’s defense has regressed a great deal. Though, it’s also pretty much nothing more than a narrative right now. Whitney Mercilus and three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt have suited up for a combined 10 games. Try having success with those two elite-level talents sidelined for a vast majority of the year.
For Varbel, a former All-Pro linebacker with New England, it’s all about how individual youngsters have performed on this unit. Rookie second-round pick Zach Cunningham and fellow linebacker, third-year player Benardrick McKinney, have both performed exceptionally well in starting roles.
It’s also important to note here that Houston moved on from former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel after last season to install Vrabel in the same role. This came after multiple teams showed interest in bringing Vrabel in as a defensive coordinator. He’s widely respected around the NFL, and will soon enough be considered a legit head coaching candidate.
Frank Reich, Philadelphia Eagles
Much like Wilson and Vrabel, Reich is a former NFL player who has a stellar reputation around the NFL. As 14-year backup quarterback in the league, it took Reich more than a decade to get into the coaching profession. And after stops as an assistant at Indianapolis and Arizona, he earned his first offensive coordinator job with the then San Diego Chargers back in 2014.
While that unit struggled as a whole in two seasons under Reich’s tutelage, he’s more than made a name for himself as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator since the start of last season. Working with head coach Doug Pederson, he’s helped aid in the progress of Carson Wentz from wide-eyed rookie to MVP candidate. As a former quarterback himself, Reich’s role in this progression cannot be overstated. Long considered a potential head coaching candidate, now is the time for this man to cash in.
Todd Wash, Jacksonville Jaguars
In today’s NFL, buzz surrounding potential head coaching candidates is as much about recency bias as anything else. This is why assistants and coordinators look to cash in with interviews immediately after seeing their teams put up big performances. Wash is no exception here.
Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator since 2016, Wash has overseen one of the most-dramatic turnarounds in recent NFL history. Here’s a unit that finished the 2015 campaign in the bottom 10 of the NFL. It improved to top six in Wash’s first season before taking that step to elite status in 2017.
Heading into Week 16, Jacksonville’s defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL in total yards, against the pass and points allowed. It’s also racked up a whopping 51 sacks. Sure the presence of veterans Calais Campbell and Malik Jackson help here, but the progression we’ve seen from youngsters on this unit cannot be ignored. And it won’t be ignored by those looking at potentially the next hot head coaching commodity.
George Edwards, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings’ defensive coordinator since 2014, Edwards has helped oversee the progressions of Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith from talented youngsters to Pro Bowler caliber players in just a short period of time. It’s this that’s helped morph the Vikings into legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2017 despite the team seeing its entire starting backfield go down to injury early in the season.
With the exception of one year at Florida, Edwards has served as an assistant coach or coordinator at the NFL level since 1998. He has a strong reputation around the league — something the long-time assistant might look to cash in on with head coaching interviews this winter. He’s definitely a name to watch.
Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
Back in 2012, Allen became one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history with the Oakland Raiders. It didn’t end too swimmingly. He finished with an 8-28 record in two-plus seasons, showing immaturity in the process and being fired after just four games in 2014.
Despite this, Allen has built himself back up to become one to the better coordinators in the NFL. He was promoted from defensive assistant to defensive coordinator in New Orleans back in 2015 after the team fired Rob Ryan. Since then, it’s been nothing but progression for a Saints defense that had been among the worst in NFL history prior to Allen’s promotion.
This unit heads into Week 16 ranked 11th in total yards, ninth in points allowed and seventh against the pass. That’s a major swing for a defense that finished the 2015 campaign in the bottom two in all three categories. Allen will surely get another shot as a head coach. It’s just a matter of when that’s going to happen.