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site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | section: | slug:
grading-2023-nfl-head-coaching-hires-colts-get-b-for-adding-shane-steichen-cardinals-still-have-questions
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GRADING 2023 NFL HEAD COACHING HIRES: COLTS GET 'B' FOR ADDING SHANE STEICHEN,
CARDINALS STILL HAVE QUESTIONS


INSTANT ANALYSIS OF ALL FIVE HEAD COACHING MOVES THIS OFFSEASON

By Tyler Sullivan
Feb 15, 2023 at 7:58 am ET • 5 min read
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Getty Images

The head coaching hiring cycle officially came to a close on Tuesday with the
Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals plucking coordinators Shane Steichen
and Jonathan Gannon out of Philadelphia. Now, all five vacancies have been
filled and there's a wide array of coaching talent being stretched across the
NFL. Some of these teams opted for veteran minds, while three clubs are trying
their luck with first-time head coaches. 

So, which teams made the right hire? That question likely needs years to
marinate before we get a true answer. That said, let's take a look at each head
coaching hire and hand out our grades.


DENVER BRONCOS: SEAN PAYTON

Previous role: Saints head coach (2013-2021)
Replacing: Nathaniel Hackett (2022)

Denver needed to swing for the fences to help unravel their tumultuous season in
2022 and did just that by acquiring Sean Payton in a rare coaching trade with
the Saints. The only reason why this gets an "A" instead of an "A+" is due to
the price tag attached to getting Payton as the Broncos needed to send New
Orleans their 2023 first-rounder (No. 30 overall) and a 2024 second. Denver also
received a 2024 third along with Payton. That said, if Payton can change the
culture at Mile High and help Russell Wilson rekindle the elite play we once saw
out of him in Seattle, this will be a worthwhile investment by the Broncos.
Bringing Payton on as the head coach gives the Broncos the best chance of fixing
Wilson, who they are attached to through at least the 2025 season. Because of
Wilson's contract, you couldn't wipe the slate clean, so a veteran coach with an
offensive mind was needed. Payton fits that exact bill.

Grade: A


ARIZONA CARDINALS: JONATHAN GANNON

Previous role: Eagles defensive coordinator (2021-2022)
Replacing: Kliff Kingsbury (2019-2022)



In a vacuum, Gannon is a great defensive mind that led one of the best units in
the NFL last season. The Eagles defense ranked No. 6 in the NFL in DVOA and
Gannon deploying his array of pass rushers was a big reason why. With the
Cardinals ranking 24th in the NFL in DVOA on that side of the ball and allowing
26.4 points per game (second-most in the NFL), Gannon's arrival is a welcome
sight. That major question that is still to be determined, however, is the
offense. Gannon will now need to find the right offensive coordinator who helps
cater things around Kyler Murray. Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing is a
leading candidate, per Cleveland.com. No matter who gets hired for that spot,
they along with Gannon need to have a cohesive relationship with Murray, who the
team signed to a massive contract extension last offseason. Part of Arizona's
undoing a year ago was the souring relationship between Murray and former head
coach Kliff Kingsbury, so the chemistry between Gannon and his new QB could be
the linchpin that determines if this hire is a successful one or not. 

Grade: C+




INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: SHANE STEICHEN

Previous role: Eagles offensive coordinator (2021-2022)
Replacing: Frank Reich (2018-2022), Jeff Saturday (interim)

First and foremost, he's not Jeff Saturday, so the Colts will be getting someone
with extensive experience as a coach in the NFL. The arrival of Steichen is
fascinating because it may tell us what Indianapolis is thinking in terms of how
it wants to approach identifying its vacant quarterback position. Steichen, who
is now the youngest head coach in the franchise's history, has experience not
only developing young quarterbacks but developing them to an elite level. He was
on hand as the OC in Los Angeles when Justin Herbert burst onto the scene and
helped him throw for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns during his rookie season in
2020. More recently in Philly, Steichen also helped Jalen Hurts develop into a
runner-up for NFL MVP. So, if the Colts do decide to draft a quarterback with
their No. 4 overall pick, they now have a coach equipped with the skills to help
him make that transition to the NFL a bit easier. 



Grade: B


CAROLINA PANTHERS: FRANK REICH

Previous role: Colts head coach (2018-2022)
Replacing: Matt Rhule (2020-2022), Steve Wilks (interim)

In my mind, Steve Wilks did enough to have the interim tag taken off and hired
as Carolina's next head coach but, independent of that, the hire of Frank Reich
is a good one. Reich got a raw deal in Indianapolis. He was second fiddle after
Josh McDaniels left the organization at the alter and needed to scramble to
assemble a staff, and then Andrew Luck retired. That sent Reich down a road of
veteran quarterbacks rotating in and out during his tenure. Even with all that
turmoil at the game's most important position, he largely kept Indy afloat with
a 40-33-1 record. He is capable of leading a winning program, but finding the
right quarterback is imperative. Maybe they could be a landing spot for Derek
Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo, or maybe Reich is content with going young after what
he just endured in Indy? Regardless, Reich has shown us that he can stay above
.500 with subpar QB play, but he'll need to pair himself with someone with a
higher ceiling than an aging Matt Ryan or broken down Carson Wentz for the
Panthers to truly turn things around.  

Grade: B


HOUSTON TEXANS: DEMECO RYANS

Previous role: 49ers defensive coordinator (2021-2022)
Replacing: Lovie Smith (2022)



After back-to-back years where the Houston Texans hired someone who most around
the NFL assumed had a short shelf life, they've finally brought someone in where
it feels like they actually put down roots. Outside of Payton, DeMeco Ryans was
the top candidate this hiring cycle, and for good reason. He just helped lead
one of the best defenses in the NFL in San Francisco and has widely been tapped
as the next great coach to come out of the Shanahan tree. Ryans, who was drafted
by the Texans in 2006 and spent the first six years of his playing career in
Houston, has a blank slate to work with, which can be looked at as a great
opportunity to build the proper foundation of a winner. The Texans have the No.
2 and No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft this year and could use one of those
selections on a young quarterback to mold the franchise around. The organization
also has the sixth-most amount of cap space this offseason, so there's also the
capital for Ryans and GM Nick Caserio to continue building the roster. Armed
with those assets and experience as both a coach and player in the NFL, Ryans is
as set up as you'd hope to be to begin a head coaching tenure. 

Grade: A









NFL FREE AGENCY 2023: RANKING THE TOP 25 OFFENSIVE PLAYERS WITH QUARTERBACKS
TAKING TOP FIVE SPOTS


LAMAR JACKSON HEADLINES A SOLID CROP OF FREE AGENTS ON OFFENSE

By Jared Dubin
5 hrs ago • 3 min read
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Watch Now:

The 2022 NFL season is over, and the Kansas City Chiefs are world champions.
Though free agency doesn't officially open until next month, the race to
overtake the Chiefs has already begun. Teams are building their free-agent
boards, studying the draft, and figuring out how they can close the gap between
themselves and the league's elite. 

With that in mind, we are going to take a look over the next couple days at the
top available players this offseason. We'll begin today with the offensive side
of the ball, where there are not necessarily star-level players up for grabs,
but there will be plenty of talent that can help teams become both more
efficient and more explosive. 

RankPlayerPositionTeamAgeFA Type25Odell Beckham Jr.WRN/A30UFA24Connor
McGovernLGCowboys26UFA23Miles SandersRBEagles25UFA22Dalton
RisnerLGBroncos28UFA21Jacoby BrissettQBBrowns31UFA20Kaleb
McGaryRTFalcons28UFA19JuJu Smith-SchusterWRChiefs27UFA18Will
HernandezRGCardinals28UFA17Jakobi MeyersWRPatriots26UFA16Saquon
BarkleyRBGiants26UFA15Dalton SchultzTECowboys27UFA14Evan
EngramTEJaguars29UFA13Mike McGlincheyRT49ers28UFA12Tony
PollardRBCowboys26UFA11Isaac SeumaloRGEagles30UFA10Terence
SteeleRTCowboys26RFA9Josh JacobsRBRaiders25UFA8Jawaan
TaylorRTJaguars26UFA7Orlando BrownLTChiefs27UFA6Ben PowersLGRavens27UFA5Geno
SmithQBSeahawks32UFA4Jimmy GaroppoloQB49ers31UFA3Derek CarrQBRaiders31UFA2Daniel
JonesQBGiants25UFA1Lamar JacksonQBRavens26UFA

The top of the free-agent market is all about the quarterback position. Former
MVP Lamar Jackson is far and away the best player available ... you know, if he
becomes available. It seems highly likely that even if the Ravens decide to move
on from Jackson, they will first use the franchise tag on him so they can get
something for him in a trade. Daniel Jones could be headed for the tag as well,
if he and the Giants can't come to an agreement on a long-term deal. That makes
it likely that Carr and Garoppolo will be the top available passers. Neither
necessarily brings a super high ceiling, but teams with top-flight rosters and
poor play under center (*cough* New York Jets *cough*) could be interested at
the right price. Geno Smith seems likely to come to some sort of medium-term
deal to remain in Seattle, even if the Seahawks don't necessarily go all-in on
him as their quarterback of the future. 



The offensive line group in free agency is pretty good, though not necessarily
chock full of star talent. That's mostly because the star talents on the line
rarely actually reach free agency. That's why you usually have to pay top dollar
for mid-level production up front. But between Brown, Taylor, McGlinchey, and
McGary, there is some average-or-better tackle talent available on both sides of
the line. (Steele is a restricted free-agent and thus exceedingly likely to end
up back in Dallas.) Plus, Powers was one of the best pass-blocking guards this
season, Seumalo has developed into a very dependable starter, and Hernandez,
Risner, and McGovern have ample experience up front. 

In addition to this supposedly being a strong running-back class in the NFL
draft, there's a ton of talent available in the free-agent market. Jacobs is
coming off an All-Pro season. Pollard finally got just shy of 50% of the snaps
in Dallas and dramatically outplayed Ezekiel Elliott. We know Barkley has
gamebreaking talent, though it's only shown up in fits and starts the past few
years. (He seemed to wear down under a significant workload this past season as
well.) 



Between Schultz and Engram, there are tight ends for whatever type of play
strikes your fancy, be it athleticism (Engram) or underneath dependability
(Schultz). It's not the best crop of wide receivers available, but in addition
to Meyers, JuJu, and Odell, there's also Michael Thomas, Allen Lazard, Noah
Brown, Darius Slayton, D.J. Chark, Richie James, Nelson Agholor, and Mecole
Hardman available. That gives teams an opportunity to pursue whatever type of
wideout they need, and hopefully not have to pay too high a price to find it. 


















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