A quarter of the NFL season is through and while there is a lot of ball left to be played, there are already some NFL head coaches who are feeling the heat.
NFL Head Coaches on the Hot Seat
Matt Eberflus – Chicago Bears
Record: 3-18
The fact of the matter is this team has gone nearly one calendar year without winning a game. For a guy who was hired for his defensive aptitude, the stats land the Bears at the bottom of the league in both years of Eberflus’s tenure in Chicago. Flus has done zero developing of Quarterback Justin Fields and just does not seem to have his team inspired to play football. I believe this will happen sooner rather than later as a means for GM Ryan Poles to scapegoat his own job.
Josh McDaniels – Las Vegas Raiders
Record: 7-14
Despite a roster turnover including the departures of long-time Raiders QB Derek Carr (New Orleans) and TE Darren Waller (New York Giants), McDaniels had a vision of how he wanted his team assembled. A slow 1-3 start doesn’t help, but the (currently) 29th-ranked offense is a massive failure. Veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo leads the league in interceptions (6). This underperforming unit is on the brink of disaster.
To fuel the flames, franchise stars like Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams have recently expressed frustration with the overall state of this team. Cornerback Marcus Peters liked a post referring to the firing of McDaniels on Wednesday Tuesday, October 3.
Raiders brass has remarked that there is no plan to get rid of McDaniels, but I think if he continues to make horrendous in-game coaching decisions and loses grip on the locker room, Owner Mark Davis may have a decision to make.
Brandon Staley – Los Angeles Chargers
Record: 21-17 (0-1 playoff appearances)
Not only has Staley always had questionable game management (some could say lack thereof). But he can no longer blame former Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi this year for any missteps. Lombardi was fired in January of 2023 after a colossal collapse against the Jags in a Wild Card matchup.
The man has a generational quarterback at his fingertips who is being wasted through poor decision-making and coaching efforts. If Staley cannot get the Chargers to the playoffs-or they have an embarrassing series of events-he will be toast.
Ron Rivera – Washington Commanders
Record: 24-29-1 (0-1 playoff appearances)
Ron Rivera, aptly known as Riverboat Ron, is trying to keep his head above water as the Commanders continue to struggle through mediocre seasons. With Sam Howell leading the charge under center and mastermind Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy now laying the groundwork, I know Rivera is hoping this is the season everything gels for Washington.
New ownership under the Harris group was the bigger storyline for the Commanders this year. So, Rivera got a pass of sorts. Now, it’s time for him to prove he can win with a stout defense and a long list of playmakers on offense. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2005. I would have to imagine a playoff appearance, if not a win, would preserve his time in D.C. Otherwise, we may see the final stretch of this franchise facelift by the 2024 season.
There are definitely some warmer seats out there too. However, I wanted to zero in on the coaches with the biggest target on their backs. Are there any other coaches you can see being fired in 2023? Let me know @MirdaSheWrote and be sure to follow @DraftCountdown on X!
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