NFL Coach Firings That Would Kickstart Much-Needed Change for 5 Teams
There may still be three weeks left to play before the 2023 NFL season concludes, but several teams should already be mulling making a coaching change at the onset of the offseason. While there are currently only three official vacancies following Friday's firing of Brandon Staley by the Los Angeles Chargers, along with the in-season firings of Josh McDaniels and Frank Reich by the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, respectively, there are almost certain to be plenty more come early January.
Replacing a head coach can result in the type of culture change teams need to get out of a rut. A fresh approach can help maximize the talents on the roster and a shift in scheme and play-calling could turn an underperforming squad into a contender. Although there's certainly risk in making these types of sweeping changes from the top down and they don't always work out, there's rarely a better option for franchises hoping to orchestrate a quick turnaround.
With that in mind, here are five NFL coach firings that could be the catalyst for some much-needed change around the organization.
Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears were fighting hard to keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive by winning three out of four games leading up to Week 15, but a tough 20-17 defeat to the Cleveland Browns this weekend all but ended that dream. It was a disheartening result that has left the Bears with just a 15 percent shot at making the postseason if they can win out—less than one percent if they falter in any of the next three games—and should have the team considering a coaching change in the near future.
Matt Eberflus simply hasn't been the right man for this job. The Chicago head coach has only won eight of 31 games since taking over at the start of 2022, an especially disappointing showing given the optimism surrounding this team heading into 2023. The Bears punted on the chance to take a new quarterback at the top of the draft, instead trading out and trusting Justin Fields to make a leap in his third season. That hasn't come to fruition, as Fields has struggled with injuries and familiar accuracy woes while going just 3-7 in his 10 starts this season.
Failing to properly develop Fields isn't the only problem plaguing Eberflus' tenure in the Windy City. His decision-making has been highly questionable, and the staff he's put in place, most notably offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, isn't getting the job done. This issue was on full display against the Browns over the weekend, as the team blew a 10-point third-quarter lead largely because of its inability to convert on a pair of fourth-down tries. The uninspiring play calls in those situations, as well as plenty of others, have been a real detriment to Chicago's ability to win games.
With the Bears underperforming on offense and having their relatively strong defensive efforts thwarted by poor play-calling and other coaching issues, there is a clear need for a change here. There are some great building blocks in place, but it won't amount to anything if Chicago can't find the right coach to run the show.
Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
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Ron Rivera's tenure with the Washington Commanders can best be summed up as mediocre. The team has not been good enough to contend but hasn't been awful enough to bottom out and earn the type of franchise-altering prospects found at the top of drafts. It's resulted in yet another poor year in the nation's capital, as the 4-10 squad is now officially eliminated from postseason contention—its third consecutive year missing out—and is left playing out the string.
With a new ownership group now at the reins of this long-suffering franchise, it's also time for a new coach to pace the sidelines. Given the Commanders haven't made it past the Wild Card round since 2005 and haven't advanced beyond the Divisional round since winning it all back in 1991, some sweeping adjustments are needed. Rivera isn't a terrible coach by any means, but this organization needs a visionary who can craft a contender from the ground up.
While there are some intriguing pieces in place such as wideout Terry McLaurin, quarterback Sam Howell and defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, there is still plenty of roster-building work to be done in Washington. Howell may have had some bright moments during his first year as the starter, but he was benched for Jacoby Brissett during Sunday's blowout defeat to the Los Angeles Rams and may not be the long-term answer under center. It will be up to the next coach to decide his future and potential alternatives for a franchise that hasn't had a quarterback start at least 10 games over four consecutive seasons since Mark Rypien in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Considering the Commanders have reportedly already decided to axe Rivera as soon as the season wraps up, it now remains to be seen which coach will take on the task of turning this franchise around. Big names like Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh have been linked with Washington, and their star-power and proven track records may be exactly what this group needs to forge a new path.
Robert Saleh, New York Jets
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The New York Jets entered the Robert Saleh era with hopes that the new head coach would finally turn around a franchise that had been starved of a playoff berth for a decade. Unfortunately for fans of Gang Green, it's been more of the same familiar disappointment during the three seasons Saleh has been at the helm.
The Jets suffered through yet another embarrassing loss on Sunday, a 30-0 thrashing by the rival Miami Dolphins that officially slammed the door on the team's already microscopic playoff chances. With Saleh now a paltry 16-32 since taking the reins and left going through the motions for the remainder of New York's league-worst 13th consecutive campaign without a postseason berth, it's hard to see a path forward for the organization that also keeps Saleh at his post.
While plenty of New York's troubles stem from unfortunate and unpredictable events—such as prized offseason acquisition Aaron Rodgers' Achilles tear just four plays into the season—Saleh has mismanaged controllable aspects. Continually sticking with Zach Wilson as the starting quarterback despite his well-documented struggles cost New York any chance of salvaging the season and staying in contention while Rodgers healed. The development of young stars like Garrett Wilson is being squandered. The defense, which ranked in the top-five last year, has regressed to a much more average unit.
Wholesale changes are needed for the Jets to reverse course. The team cannot continue sticking with Saleh and expect things to change, even with Rodgers slated to return in 2024. Getting a new staff in place will be the best move this offseason and will potentially allow the Jets to return to contention if things finally break their way.
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Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons
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The Atlanta Falcons seem to have just about everything a team needs to succeed in the modern NFL besides the most critical piece: a viable starting quarterback. This has been Falcons' Achilles heel over the past few years and could result in the dismissal of head coach Arthur Smith after just three seasons.
While Atlanta is currently 6-8 and only a game behind the 7-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints in the NFC South race, this team is no real threat to make any noise if it does somehow slip into the playoffs. The Falcons only average 327.2 yards and 18.4 points per game, atrocious numbers for an offense that has invested so heavily into skill-position talent in recent drafts.
These are simply unacceptable marks after bringing in potential stars like Kyle Pitts (No. 4 overall in 2021), Drake London (No. 8 overall in 2022) and Bijan Robinson (No. 8 overall in 2023) over the past three years. Since parting ways with Matt Ryan after the 2021 season, Atlanta has cycled through three different starting quarterbacks but found the same middling results regardless of whether Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke has been under center.
It's clear that the trajectory the Falcons are on isn't one that will bring sustained success. The team must find a coach who can develop a quarterback capable of running an offense chock-full of supporting talent. Atlanta doesn't even need to use a premium first-round pick to find its next starter, as teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are thriving with quarterbacks not taken on Day 1 of the draft.
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Mike Tomlin's 17th season as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has been one of his most trying. While his team is still .500 with three games left to play, it's looking quite probable that he'll finally suffer his first losing season since taking the reins in 2007. Tomlin nearly had that longstanding record broken last season before Pittsburgh went on a four-game winning streak, but this year's Steelers aren't approaching the finish line with nearly as much momentum.
Pittsburgh suffered its third consecutive loss and fourth defeat in five games in ugly fashion on Saturday. The team was dismantled by a depleted Indianapolis Colts squad in a 30-13 loss, a defeat punctuated by several confounding calls from Tomlin.
The coach elected to punt in the third quarter rather than try a long field goal that would have brought them within a single score of closing the gap and couldn't find a way to stop an Indianapolis offense—a unit missing its top two running backs—from rushing the ball 13 consecutive times to set up a field goal in the fourth quarter. The Steelers were also flagged for eight penalties, costing them over 100 yards and severely setting the squad back.
While Tomlin has been a cornerstone of this organization for nearly two decades, it's time for a change. He may have won Super Bowl XLIII and took the team back to the big game two years later, but he hasn't won a single playoff game in three tries dating back to the 2017 season. With the team facing uphill odds to change that this season (and far more likely to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year), it's past time to relieve the coach of his duties and look elsewhere.
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