Revisiting the previous season, a total of five coaches got the axe. Kliff Kingsbury, Lovie Smith, Matt Rhule, Frank Reich and Nathaniel Hackett are all out. Of the five that were let go, only Frank Reich landed another NFL Head Coaching position as he signed on with the Carolina Panthers. You can expect around the same number to be fired next year if not more. NFL teams are hiring and firing coaches more quickly now (see Hackett).

With that said we picked five coaches that are currently on the hot seat for the upcoming season. Keep an eye on these coaches as it will be important for all of them to start fast when the season starts.

Robert Saleh – New York Jets

Robert Saleh very well could’ve been fired following the 2022-2023 season. The Jets spiraled out of the NFL playoff picture losing their last 6 games. Despite having a stellar NFL Draft, they lacked a true offensive identity and finished near the bottom in total points (296).

In steps Aaron Rodgers to try and revitalize the Jets franchise. Rodgers brought with him some old friends in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. He also has Nathaniel Hackett running the offense as the two former Packers team up again. The expectations are now sky-high and if the Jets start off the season slow it may be Saleh that pays the price.

Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns

Kevin Stefanski had a dream debut season for Cleveland. The Browns finished that season with an 11-5 record and made the playoffs. In their Wild Card matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offense was unstoppable and they put up a whopping 48 points. It seemed as if Stefanski and Baker Mayfield were the perfect match. Since then things haven’t gone as planned. Mayfield is no longer with the Browns and Deshaun Watson was brought in on a massive contract.

Cleveland is now predicted to finish last in the AFC North next season. Stefanski will need a strong season from Watson and the offense as a whole to keep his job.

Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys

If this were any other team in the NFL Mike McCarthy would be safe. The Cowboys finished last season with a 12-5 record and a playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yet there is a sense of urgency that Dallas needs to produce better postseason results.

They since have let go of their promising offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. McCarthy has taken over the play-calling duties and with that is more added pressure. If the Cowboys don’t make the playoffs or fail to advance in the postseason, Jerry Jones may lose his patience.

Matt LaFleur – Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have officially entered the Jordan Love era. Whether it’s fair or not, Matt LaFleur’s future depends on how well Love progresses. Aaron Rodgers leaving could be a blessing in disguise for the Packers franchise. It could also end up being the start of a stretch where Green Bay is no longer relevant and they are back in the quarterback market next year. Regardless, the microscope will be on LaFleur as he enters the upcoming season.

Ron Rivera – Washington Commanders

It’s already been an unusual offseason for Head Coach Ron Rivera. The Washington Commanders are finally getting rid of their hated owner Dan Snyder. This alone has caused a new level of optimism around the franchise. They also brought in Eric Bieniemy as Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. With that, there is a bit of strange dynamic while they wait for future owner Josh Harris to take over.

Will Rivera be safe until next year? No one really knows but don’t discount the Bieniemy effect. Early reports from Commanders OTA’s are saying Rivera has delegated many duties to Bieniemy. It’s plausible that Bieniemy has been tabbed the Head Coach in waiting. This situation is worth keeping an eye on as we get into training camp.

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The post NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat Right Now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The NFL stands for “not for long” and it isn’t easy for any NFL profile to remain a consistent force in the professional football league over a long duration of time. In particular, there are countless NFL head coaches that meet the grim reaper and get fired at the end of each NFL season. With that said, I’m going to outline many coaching faces that are standing on hot coals entering the 2022 NFL season.

• Matt Rhule

The Carolina Panthers axed Joe Brady after they started 5-7 last season and it’s clear they expect progress from their quarterback and offense in 2022. I’m really not convinced that the Panthers and Matt Rhule have improved their QB situation (contrary to Sam Darnold’s self-reflection on Barstool) this offseason. I don’t believe that Sam Darnold or any of the 2022 rookie signal-callers will prevent Rhule from facing the music (such as “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga).

The Panthers were also gifted bad news when Tom Brady unretired and New Orleans re-signed the 5-2 starting QB in New Orleans, Jameis Winston. Rhule’s team will defintely have four difficult match-ups in the NFC South next season

• Kevin Stefanski

The Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski clearly has high expectations for the second season in a row. Stefanski led the most disappointing team in 2021 and he will face a dire reality if the Browns fail to make the playoffs with an improved 2022 roster. The Deshaun Watson featured Browns might even receive familiar faces in Jadeveon Clowney and OBJ. It’s safe to say that the 2020 coach of the year won’t be “paid to lose games” and he will likely meet the chopping block if his team finishes with 7 or fewer wins for the second season in a row.

• Ron Rivera

The Washington Commanders were desperate for an attractive QB mate at the dance this offseason. Unfortunately, the Commanders weren’t able to acquire Patrick Mahomes or any other elite QB. Ron Rivera is really relying on Carson Wentz to have a career revival and become a modest starting QB. Wentz will most likely not follow in Aaron Rodgers’s old path by ascending from an underperforming QB to an MVP-caliber QB, but he can save his head coach’s future by helping his team make the playoffs for the “second time in three seasons”.

• Jon Harbaugh

The GOAT Tom Brady almost passed the torch to Lamar Jackson, but the NFL world still knows LJ is a special athlete. The Ravens HC-QB combination needs to find a way to return to the AFC playoff gauntlet in the gutsy AFC North. The Super Bowl XLVII magic is wearing off John Harbaugh and he needs to prove his vision with a Lamar Jackson-led squad. The Steelers legendary head coach Mike Tomlin found a way to dig deep and bring the Steelers to the post-season last season and now it’s time for Harbaugh to keep a chip on his shoulder and discover at least a playoff berth next season.

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By: Andy Davies

Last season, the Cleveland Browns earned their first playoff appearance since the 2002 campaign and their first postseason win since New Year’s Day in 1995. 

As a result, they went into the 2021 season with plenty of hype. However, it hasn’t worked out like this. The team’s current record is 5-5 and they are in a division where every team has at least 5 wins. 

So, what has gone wrong for a team that many had down as AFC North division winners? Is there still a chance to win it?

Inconsistent Division

The short answer is yes, they can. The AFC North is fast becoming one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, but no team has managed to get some sort of consistency. Baltimore Ravens fans will certainly tell you that. 

They had a 5-1 start, which included a 46-35 win over the reigning AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs. The week after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 34-6, a team that many have as a Super Bowl dark horse, they lost 41-17 to division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals. On Thursday night, they lost 22-10 to the Miami Dolphins, who were 2-6 before the game. More worryingly for the Ravens, the Dolphins appeared to show the entire league the blueprint as to how to beat them. 

The Cincinnati Bengals were briefly top of the division just a matter of weeks ago but now sits in 3^rd place. We have seen the excitement of the Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase partnership but have equally seen the defense allow at least 34 points their last two games as they suffered defeats to the Browns and New York Jets.

There was a difficult start made by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the surprise 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week One, they lost their next three games to go 1-3. However, they have not lost a game since and now sit 5-3-1. Head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, but they still have to face the Chargers, Ravens twice, the current AFC number one seed in the Tennessee Titans as well as Cleveland.

Cleveland themselves have to also play the Packers on Christmas Day and the rest of their AFC North rivals, but also get to play a 0-8-1 Detroit Lions and an inconsistent Las Vegas Raiders. Their schedule is fairly favourable, but they have to cut out their own erratic performances if they are to succeed.

Sorting Out Their Own Inconsistencies

The Browns have really struggled for consistency this season. They won three straight games after their opening day loss to the Chiefs but have failed to win consecutive games since. 

If a team is to win championships, then they have to win games consistently. Whilst is it more important how you play in January than how you play in October or November, but you have to make sure you play in January past the regular season.

What have the great New England Patriots sides done in the past? Gotten a consistent run of good form down the stretch. This is exactly what the Browns need to do as runs like this help build momentum and confidence in the crucial postseason games.

The Baker Conundrum

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is easily one of the more polarising players in his position. There are some that feel he is the guy. There are others that view him as nothing more than a ”˜game manager’. 

So far in 2021, he has 1,990 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. This has him projected to finish the campaign with just under 3,980 yards but crucially just under 18 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. This would have him at around his career best in terms of yardage but his worst season when it comes to touchdown passes.

His career so far has defined patchy. He had amazing seasons in both the 2018 and 2020 campaigns but has been poor in 2019 and 2021. He will be expecting a good season in 2022 judging by how his time as a pro has gone, but there is no guarantee he will earn his new contract. This ends after the conclusion of the 2022 season, which may see him raise his game. He has to be careful that he doesn’t suffer a further dip in form. 

Quarterbacks such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Tua Tagovailoa may be available that would fit into the game manager role and allow the excellent run game to flourish. He will have plenty of suitors due to being the number one overall pick in 2018 and the two excellent seasons he has had but he will want to succeed in Cleveland. This is clear to see. One thing that hasn’t helped is the broken-down relationship with wide receiver OBJ.

The OBJ Dilemma

Say what you want about Odell Beckham Jr, the dynamic around him and Baker’s relationship cannot have helped things in Cleveland. Throughout Beckham’s time in Ohio, the talk of a lack of chemistry between the pair has been a constant talking point.

There is substance to this, with the fact that the Browns made the playoffs last season with Odell injured. 

The loss of running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to injury hasn’t helped, despite the best efforts of D’Ernest Johnson. The one-two punch of both backs reduced the need for Baker to throw to ball to. Instead, these injuries have meant Baker has had to throw to ball to. This can be seen by his stats, with Baker projected to throw for career highs in completed passes and his second highest total in attempted passes. 

OBJ’s dad has posted videos on social media of the amount of times Beckham has been open and not received the ball. There is clear frustration from the Odell camp. Now that he has gone, along with the return of Chubb and Hunt, will help ease the tension at the franchise. Should the struggles ease, with such a good plethora of offensive and defensive talent, this should see head coach Kevin Stefanski guide them to another playoff appearance (or two). Should things further unravel, then Baker will be vastly looking over his shoulder at Free Agency and the 2023 draft quarterback prospects.

The post Looking at the Browns Inconsistent 2021 Season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.