1 Goal Each New NFL Head Coach Must Accomplish in 2023
Things never really stop in the National Football League, even during the offseason. The pre-draft process is already underway, free agency kicks off in a matter of days (March 15) and teams will go straight from April's draft to minicamps and organized team activities.
The league's 32 franchises are always busy at work, but five of them will be working harder than most this offseason. This is because five teams—the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts—hired new head coaches earlier this year.
These five teams will be working to install new systems, philosophies and game plans over the next few months, while tailoring rosters to match. That's on top of the usual offseason tasks, like managing free agency and navigating the draft.
It's a lot, but it doesn't mean that a first-year head coach cannot lead his team to early success. Brian Daboll did it with the New York Giants this past season, in large part because he accomplished his biggest goal—getting the most out of quarterback Daniel Jones and the offense.
Similarly, each coach from this year's hiring cycle should have one significant goal that outweighs everything else in 2023. Every top goal is team- and coach-specific, and we're going to dive into each of them here.
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals: Forge a Respectable Defense
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Unlike many of the teams who hired new coaches this offseason, the Cardinals have a perceived franchise quarterback in place. While Kyler Murray has yet to deliver a playoff win, he has earned a second contract from Arizona and is signed through 2028.
However, Murray probably won't be available for the start of the 2023 season, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. New head coach Jonathan Gannon has no control over that.
What Gannon can—and must—do is pair Murray with a defense that isn't a complete liability. Last year, Arizona ranked 21st in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed. Only the Chicago Bears surrendered more points.
Arizona's need for a better defense likely played a role in the hiring of Gannon, who most recently served as the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator. Gannon brought with him former Eagles linebackers coach Nick Rallis to be his defensive coordinator.
General manager Monti Ossenfort will be tasked with finding players who fit the defensive vision of Gannon and Rallis. The good news is that he'll have $28.6 million in projected cap space and the third overall pick in the draft with which to work.
However, it will be Gannon's job to get his squad playing at a championship level. He did just that in Philadelphia, but now he'll have to do it while also handling the day-to-day duties of a head coach.
If Gannon can accomplish this in his first season, Arizona will have a chance to overcome Murray's early season absence and perhaps make a playoff run. If Arizona's defense isn't significantly improved, however, the Cardinals are likely staring down another lost season.
Frank Reich, Carolina Panthers: Build on Last Year's Momentum
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The Panthers do need to find a franchise quarterback, and new head coach Frank Reich has been very upfront about that.
"I mean, I think anybody would say, in the ideal world, you draft a guy who was your quarterback for the next 15 years," Reich said, per Darin Gantt of the team's official website.
On Friday, the Panthers agreed to acquire the No. 1 pick in April's draft from the Chicago Bears, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. The move is undoubtedly for a quarterback, and settling on the right one is a task for both Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer.
What Reich must also accomplish this season is this: He has to continue building on the momentum Carolina forged under interim coach Steve Wilks late in 2022.
Wilks had the Panthers playing like a postseason contender. Carolina won six of its final 11 games and came very close to winning the NFC South—the Panthers blew a 21-10 fourth-quarter lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17 in what was essentially the divisional championship game.
Wilks' Panthers didn't have a franchise quarterback. He instead relied on Sam Darnold, in his second chance with the franchise after being replaced by Baker Mayfield to open the season. Wilks proved that could make Carolina an NFC South contender even without a top quarterback. Yet he was replaced by Reich after the season anyway.
Reich must keep his team focused, playing at a high level and, ideally, showing progress—even with a rookie quarterback. Otherwise, he'll run the risk of losing a locker room that became galvanized under Wilks, and Reich's hiring could be viewed as a massive misstep.
Sean Payton, Denver Broncos: Return Russell Wilson to Pro Bowl Form
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To a large degree, the only goal of new Broncos head coach Sean Payton will be returning quarterback Russell Wilson to the Pro Bowl level of play he showcased with the Seattle Seahawks.
Denver paid a hefty premium to acquire Wilson last offseason. It sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant to Seattle for Wilson and a fourth-round selection.
Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowler, was supposed to stabilize Denver's quarterback position for the first time since Peyton Manning's 2016 retirement. However, the 34-year-old was a total flop in Year 1.
The Broncos offense, and Wilson in particular, couldn't find any semblance of rhythm or identity under rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Wilson finished the year with 16 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and a lowly 84.4 passer rating.
Hackett was fired before the 2022 season even ended, and it's now Payton's job to salvage the Broncos' costly quarterback gamble.
If he can't there's a chance that it will end in a failed experiment, and Wilson could be out.
"He's got one year to prove himself or Payton will move on," an unnamed source told Matthew Berry of NBC Sports Edge.
Wilson will have $85 million in dead money remaining on his contract after this season, but the Broncos could theoretically release him after June 1 and not accrue an additional 2024 cap hit. That could become a viable option if Wilson isn't markedly better in 2023 than he was this past season.
The Broncos trade a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-rounder to acquire Payton, who was under contract with New Orleans. Winning would be nice, but if Payton can't get Wilson back on track, the last two offseasons will be viewed as a Denver disaster.
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DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans: Build a Solid Foundation
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The Texans are widely expected to draft their next quarterback of the future with the second overall pick in April's draft. Finding a reliable quarterback is Step 1 in turning around the Texans franchise.
However, new head coach DeMeco Ryans isn't inheriting a team that is a quarterback away. He's inheriting a team that 30th in total defense, 31st in total offense, 27th in points allowed and 30th in scoring last season.
Houston has won just 11 games over the past three seasons and largely needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Ryans' goal is to help build a solid foundation upon which the franchise can grow. That means reworking one of the worst rosters in the league—a task he'll share with general manager Nick Caserio—and building a winning culture.
From a culture standpoint, Ryans was the perfect hire for Houston. He played linebacker for the franchise for seven seasons and spent six seasons coaching for the San Francisco 49ers—a franchise that has been to one Super Bowl and three NFC title games in the last four seasons.
Ryans knows the Texans, and he knows what it takes to create sustained success. His job is to both build a winner and put Houston's losing ways behind it.
"I'm not really focused on what happened in the past, but where we are right now, moving forward in our organization," Ryans said, per The Athletic's Mike Jones.
For Ryans, 2023 success won't necessarily be measured in the standings. If he can get the Texans to consistently play competitively, start believing in themselves and uncover a few franchise building blocks (hopefully at quarterback), it'll be a huge win for the franchise.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts: Develop Indy's Next QB
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Like the Texans, the Colts are widely expected to draft a quarterback in April. They have the fourth overall pick, and they could potentially trade up a spot. With Carolina jumping to No. 1, the Cardinals' third overall pick could now be a prime trade target for quarterback-needy teams.
Whichever quarterback Indianapolis lands—be it Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young or Florida's Anthony Richardson—it will be the job of new head coach Shane Steichen to develop him.
This is, presumably, the primary reason Steichen was hired.
In Philadelphia, Steichen helped develop Jalen Hurts into a Pro Bowl quarterback and legitimate MVP candidate. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni credited the relationship between Steichen and Hurts for the quarterback's quick success—including a Super Bowl appearance in his second season as the starter.
"I think Shane does a good job with Jalen of connecting with him, not just in football, and I think Shane has continued to do a very good job of connecting with all the offensive players." Sirianni said in September, per Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Since Andrew Luck's surprise 2019 retirement, the Colts have had a different veteran starter every single year—Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and most recently Matt Ryan. None has worked out. Indy now has a chance to dip back into the draft pool, and it's Steichen's job to set up the incoming rookie for long-term success.
This doesn't mean making the playoffs in 2023 or necessarily turning a rookie into a Week 1 starter. It simply means laying the groundwork for Indy's next quarterback to be successful in Year 3, Year 4 and beyond.
*Cap information via Spotrac
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