The NFL calendar never stops. With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, attention around the league is now focused on the hiring cycle, where 16 new coordinators — evenly split between offense and defense — have already been named.
Let’s run through the 10 remaining offensive and defensive coordinator vacancies and see where things stand. We’ll start in Arizona, where the Cardinals made their head coaching decision earlier this week.
NFL Offensive and Defensive Coordinator Openings
Arizona Cardinals | OC and DC
Four teams with new head coaches are still searching for a coordinator on at least one side of the ball. DeMeco Ryans — who hired Bobby Slowik to run the Texans’ offense and Matt Burke to lead the team’s defense — is the only first-year HC to have filled both slots.
New Cardinals head man Jonathan Gannon was the last head coach hired during the 2023 cycle, so he’s still in the early stages of formulating his staff.
As Gannon determines who he wants to guide Kyler Murray and the rest of Arizona’s offense, the early signs point to Browns quarterback coach Drew Petzing. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported Sunday that Petzing — who overlapped with Gannon on the Vikings’ staff from 2014-17 — would be the leading candidate for the role if Gannon landed the Cardinals’ job. Arizona formally requested permission to interview Petzing Thursday.
Gannon also put in requests to meet with Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas and Commanders receivers coach Drew Terrell, who could offer alternatives to Petzing. Gannon briefly worked alongside Thomas at Louisville two decades ago, when Gannon was a student assistant, and Thomas was the Cardinals’ RBs coach.
Aside from those options, Gannon could theoretically dip into his Eagles roots as he looks for an offensive play-caller. Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson is the favorite to replace departed Eagles OC Shane Steichen, but passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo could be in the mix, as well. Whichever of that pair doesn’t get promoted in Philadelphia might become a realistic candidate in the desert.
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On defense, Gannon could conceivably call plays himself after doing so for the Eagles over the past two years. At his introductory press conference, Gannon said he wasn’t sure if he would take on that responsibility.
The Cardinals released Vance Joseph, the Cardinals’ DC for the duration of Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure, from his contract on Thursday. Gannon said he would meet with Joseph to see if their defensive plans aligned and “go from there,” but given that Joseph is garnering interest elsewhere, it never seemed likely he’d stick in Arizona with a new head coach in place.
If Gannon wants to hire a DC he’s familiar with, I wonder if he would target former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who hired Gannon as Minnesota’s assistant DBs coach in 2014. Zimmer, 66, was out of the NFL in 2022 but would lend an air of credibility and leadership to Gannon’s initial staff in Arizona.
Carolina Panthers | OC
Frank Reich was the first head coach hired in the 2023 cycle, so he’s had ample time to formulate a staff. He already scored a coup at defensive coordinator by hiring former Broncos DC Ejiro Evero. On the offensive side of the ball, Reich added experience by bringing in former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant.
Reich hasn’t announced whether he’ll call offensive plays for Carolina, something he did during his stint as the Colts’ head coach. However, it does seem evident that Reich is moving on from incumbent OC Ben McAdoo, who led the 20th-ranked scoring offense during his year as the Panthers’ play-caller.
Reich interviewed Rams tight ends coach Thomas Brown for the second time on Thursday, while he’s also met with Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. Brown, who also interviewed for OC vacancies with the Cowboys, Chargers, and Buccaneers, could bring Sean McVay’s scheme to Carolina and create a composite offense with Reich.
Like Gannon, Reich could also go back to his Philadelphia roots and target either Johnson or Patullo. The Eagles’ job is clearly preferable to the Panthers’, but the Philly coach who isn’t promoted to OC would likely consider a gig in Carolina if it included play-calling duties.
Denver Broncos | OC and DC
Sean Payton is the most experienced of the five new head coaches, and he has the Rolodex of contacts that comes with spending decades in the NFL.
Payton will call offensive plays for the Broncos, so his choice of offensive coordinator is less critical than it might be for other teams. So far, he’s only interviewed one candidate: Ronald Curry, who worked as wide receivers and quarterbacks coach under Payton in New Orleans.
Things are much more interesting on defense, where Payton has reportedly expressed interest in a number of candidates. Broncos ownership was apparently hoping Payton would retain Evero, but he’s already departed for Carolina. Brian Flores and Vic Fangio were also on Denver’s radar, but they’ve been hired by the Vikings and Dolphins, respectively.
For now, former Jets head coach and longtime NFL coordinator Rex Ryan appears to be the favorite to take over the Broncos’ defense. As Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller noted Thursday, Ryan’s preference for odd-front looks would mesh perfectly with Denver’s existing personnel.
Other candidates in Denver include Kris Richard, who worked under Payton on the Saints’ staff in 2021; Joseph, who is unlikely to be retained in Arizona; and former Bears defensive coordinator/current Seahawks assistant Sean Desai, who was also a candidate in Miami and Minnesota.
Indianapolis Colts | OC and DC
Shane Steichen will call offensive plays for the Colts, so it might be tough for the first-time head coach to lure potential offensive coordinator candidates. Given his relative inexperience, it might behoove Steichen to find a veteran to work alongside him, perhaps with an associate head coach title.
I’m not sure there’s anyone who worked with Steichen on the Eagles’ staff who fits that bill. But if we go back to Steichen’s tenure with the Chargers from 2014-20, several names begin to stand out.
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Mike McCoy, currently the Jaguars’ quarterbacks coach, was Steichen’s boss as L.A.’s head coach until 2016. His replacement, Anthony Lynn, is now the 49ers’ running backs coach. And Pep Hamilton — the Chargers’ QBs coach while Steichen was the club’s offensive coordinator — is now a free agent after spending the past two seasons with the Texans.
Thus far, Steichen has only put in permission to interview one OC candidate: Ravens wide receivers coach Tee Martin. After winning an NCAA title as Tennessee’s quarterback in 1998, Martin spent 15 years as a college coach, including serving as USC’s offensive coordinator from 2016-18. He interviewed to replace Brian Daboll as the Bills’ OC last year before Buffalo promoted Ken Dorsey to the role.
On the other side of the ball, I’d expect Steichen to retain Gus Bradley, who would offer the head coach experience he might be looking for in a defensive partner. Bradley’s defense finished 13th in expected points added per play last season despite suffering numerous injuries. Plus, Bradley’s time as the Chargers’ DC overlapped with Steichen’s run in Los Angeles.
Philadelphia Eagles | OC and DC
The Eagles became the first team in nearly a decade to lose both of their coordinators in one offseason, joining the 2014 Bengals, who saw OC Jay Gruden and DC Mike Zimmer leave for head coaching jobs in Washington and Minnesota, respectively.
On offense, Johnson appears to be the overwhelming favorite to replace Steichen. Johnson was crucial in turning Jalen Hurts into an MVP candidate, and Philadelphia has no reason to turn away from an offensive scheme that was among the best in the NFL. Patullo may also be in the mix, but it looks like the Eagles’ play-calling job is Johnson’s to lose.
If Philadelphia also wants to opt for continuity on defense, incumbent passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson should be considered the most likely candidate. Wilson has not only helped develop Day 3 picks like Marcus Epps and Avonte Maddox into starters, but he’s been able to design a secondary comprised of external additions such as Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson into a formidable unit.
The Eagles reportedly eyed Fangio — who served as Philadelphia’s consultant throughout the season — as their replacement for Gannon, but he’s now with the Dolphins. Meanwhile, the Eagles requested an interview with Joseph on Thursday, so they might not be committed to sticking with an internal promotion.
Washington Commanders | OC
After parting ways with Scott Turner following three seasons together, Ron Rivera has led an exhaustive search to find Washington’s next offensive coordinator. Brown and Lynn both interviewed, as did former Browns and Giants head Pat Shurmur, Dolphins running backs coach Eric Studesville, and Commanders quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy interviewed for the role on Thursday and remains the top candidate in Washington. Bieniemy, who’s been in Kansas City since 2013 and served as the club’s OC since 2018, has been lauded for his work with Patrick Mahomes but hasn’t been able to secure a head coaching position. Moving to a new team and calling his own offensive plays — something he doesn’t do with the Chiefs — could help him land a top job in 2024.
If Bieniemy decides to stay in Kansas City, I wouldn’t be surprised if former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman is Rivera’s second choice.
Roman, who interviewed with Washington earlier this week, has a history of designing offenses around mobile quarterbacks like Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor, and Lamar Jackson. That skill set could be useful for the Commanders and projected starting QB Sam Howell, who rushed for more than 800 yards during his final season at North Carolina.
