NFL Coaching News, Vacancies: Top Hires for Each Role

The NFL regular season has concluded and there’s loads of NFL coaching news in terms of vacancies. 

In addition to the Jets, Saints and Bears, who elected to fire their coaches midseason, the Jaguars and Patriots dismissed Doug Pederson and Jerod Mayo, respectively. 

Then, the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday. That will give Las Vegas a new head coach for the second time in three seasons.

Below, we’ll outline the top fits for the current openings. 

NFL Coaching Vacancies: Top Hires for Each Role

Chicago Bears: Mike Vrabel

Ben Johnson will garner most of the attention given the Bears’ lack of offensive production last season. 

However, there’s a case that Chicago struggled due to the quality of competition. The Bears ranked 29th in offensive DVOA, but it faced the sixth-hardest set of opposing defenses. 

Vrabel offers something different in that he’s quite experienced producing positive results as an underdog. 

The former Patriots linebacker is 25-28 SU as a market underdog. Only four coaches own a superior SU record in that spot. 

Given Chicago will close market underdogs frequently next year, Vrabel offers strong candidacy for the Bears. 

New York Jets: Aaron Glenn

Myriad questions surround the Jets offense. However, the top priority for New York should be fixing a weak defense. 

From 2022-2023, the Jets ranked third in defensive EPA per play and first in defensive success rate. 

Last year, New York ranked 21st and 17th, respectively. Most concerning is that they played the 26th-hardest schedule of opposing offenses. 

Glenn’s defensive record in Detroit in spite of countless injuries should be admired. This year, the Lions ranked seventh in defensive DVOA against the 11th-hardest set of offenses. 

While four of New York’s five interview requests are offensive coordinators, a continuous lackluster defense won’t help them achieve preferred results. 

New England Patriots: Ben Johnson

Johnson has agreed to meet with the Bears and Patriots, but New England offers greater upside. 

The Lions offensive coordinator would join a promising young quarterback (Drake Maye) along with an established GM with loads of cap space. 

Johnson’s fast-paced offensive style could benefit New England, which currently faces issues with the offensive line. 

It’s also a strong fit for the Patriots, who sit in a division with the Bills. Historically, Buffalo has dominated the AFC East due to strong offensive play. 

Accordingly, Johnson and New England are a strong match this offseason. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Brian Flores

Much like Chicago, Jacksonville should experience some positive regression offensively with an easier schedule. 

Jacksonville ranked 17th in offensive DVOA, but that record came against the hardest set of opposing defenses. 

The bigger concern comes on defense. Jacksonville ranked 31st in defensive DVOA against the easiest set of opposing offenses, per ftnfantasy.com. 

Enter Flores, who turned around a Minnesota defense this season. The Vikings ranked second in defensive DVOA against the 11th-hardest set of offenses. 

Flores’ defensive mindset could aid Jacksonville in a division with three offenses that all ranked 20th or worse in offensive DVOA. 

New Orleans Saints: Vance Joseph

Whoever takes on the Saints job will have to do a lot with a little as the Saints currently find themselves in a terrible salary cap situation. 

That said, a defensive-minded head coach should be the priority. For all the jokes about the NFC South, two offenses ranked 14th or better in DVOA. 

Next year, all of the Bucs, Panthers and Falcons could fit that designation, given the improvement of Bryce Young. 

Joseph’s Broncos defense performed well above expectations this season, ranking fourth in defensive DVOA. 

Although it came against a pretty easy strength of schedule, Joseph’s defensive acumen could fix a Saints defense that ranked 21st in the category against a similar strength of schedule. 

Las Vegas Raiders: Deion Sanders

One would assume the Sanders father and son come as a package duo. That means, in all likelihood, the Raiders would need to trade up from the sixth spot.

But if there’s an organization primed to do that, I’d bet it’s the Raiders. 

Neither Gardner Minshew nor Aidan O’Connell looked like a franchise quarterback last season. 

Amongst 40 quarterbacks with at least 250 snaps, the duo ranked 34th and 35th, respectively, in EPA per play plus completion percentage over expected. 

That creates a definitive need at quarterback for Las Vegas. 

As a result, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Vegas elects to go the Sanders route.