NFL coordinators with something to prove: Which ones are trying to keep job, which ones could be head coaches?

With only a few games remaining in the regular season, most of the attention in and around the NFL is focused on the playoff race. And that’s not surprising, because that’s what really matters in the end.

But there are also other issues at stake, particularly regarding the future of the league. Not everyone in their current job will have that job next year, for one reason or another. There are always players changing teams and moving in or out of the league, and there will always be coaching changes.

We’re here to talk about the latter of these things, and specifically coordinators. There are coordinators around the league who have a lot to prove in the final weeks of the season and potentially heading into the playoffs, and we want to highlight some of them here.

We’re going to separate this (not necessarily exhaustive) list of coordinators into three categories: coordinators trying to keep their jobs, coordinators trying to prove their mettle as head coaching candidates, and coordinators who are likely already in the running for head coaching jobs this offseason.

Trying to keep their job

Patullo has been criticized almost all year, and mostly for good reasons. Sure, the Eagles played the Raiders last weekend, but they’re the Raiders. The offense was listless for most of the season and Patullo seemed to not have the answers. We know the Eagles aren’t afraid to change coordinators after a season where they struggled — even when the guy they promoted to the position came from within.

Jerry Jones all but confirmed earlier this week that Eberflus was coaching at his position during the final weeks of the season. Again, it makes sense that this is the case. His unit has struggled for most of the year, and he seems to be trying to fit square pegs into round holes by not adjusting his system to the available talent. He asks man-to-man corners to play a ton of zone, for example, and that allowed everyone to be able to throw the ball against Dallas. Dealing with him is somewhat difficult because the Cowboys made this priority No. 1, but everything else fell apart.

Robinson’s fate may be tied to that of head coach Raheem Morris, but it’s still disappointing to watch Atlanta’s offense this year. Despite employing Bijan Robinson, the Falcons are only a league-average rushing team, and their passing attack has been wildly inconsistent throughout the year. Robinson failed to get the best out of Kirk Cousins ​​(last year) or Michael Penix Jr. (this year), and if it comes down to choosing between losing a coordinator or losing a job, you have to think Morris might decide to move on and try something new next year.

Golden was hired to fix Lou Anarumo’s unit (more on Anarumo in a minute) and didn’t come close to doing it. Firing a coordinator after a year when he doesn’t have the required talent on hand might be an overreaction, but we also know that the Bengals probably won’t be paying multiple head coaches at once and so Zac Taylor probably isn’t going anywhere, which means shuffling the defense deck chairs again is more likely to be the big change they make this offseason.

Potential candidates for head coach

There have been various times this season where Brady could have been in one of the other two sections on this list. Buffalo’s offense has looked unstoppable at times and at others it has looked lost. He’s overall done a really good job steering the ship for Josh Allen, and leaning into running the ball more often and then using heavy formations and throwing them has been a good formula for the Bills. Some teams may want to see more here.

If this was last year, Monken might be on the next list. He had just completed two straight seasons as coordinator of one of the NFL’s best offenses, having found a similar level of success at Georgia. But the Ravens took a major step back this year. A lot of that is due to Lamar Jackson’s injury, obviously, but teams will likely be reluctant to hire a new 59-year-old head coach if his unit isn’t coming off an elite season.

Anarumo is reportedly in the running for some jobs this offseason. He was probably vindicated in the Bengals’ defensive disaster given how bad the team still was under Golden (see above), and the improvement he got from the Colts this year has been impressive. With true veteran players, he can build a competent or better defense. He’s also shown at times that he can generate answers against the best quarterbacks in the league, when he has the players. The only things keeping him here are the end of the Bengals’ tenure, plus the fact that teams might find some of the younger defensive minds (see below) more intriguing.

Kingsbury is another offensive guy who might have been a more popular name last year, after helping Jayden Daniels turn around the Commanders in one season. He could also be a good player who is currently in the role that suits him best. Coordinating an attack and not having to worry about other things might just be what he’s best at. However, he’s intriguing enough as an offensive designer to have looks, and he’s still young enough to have plenty of chances if he wants to make the jump again.

Then we get to the young defensive coordinators who might be about a year away from being top candidates, but who could potentially attract some looks this year if there are enough openings and if teams decide that the “how to stop the best offenses in the league” archetype is one they want to pursue. Campanile is 43, Sheppard is 37, and Burke (who runs Houston’s defensive plays despite DeMeco Ryans being the head coach) is 49. They could all fit the mold of a Mike Macdonald type, and given the success he had in Seattle and the relative lack of obvious offensive-minded candidates, they could throw themselves into the mix as well.

Already in the mix

There is also a list of coordinators who are likely to be at or near the top of many interview lists this offseason because they have already proven their mettle to one degree or another given the success of their respective units and their connections to specific coaching archetypes or coaching trees.

That list includes, but is not limited to, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores (there are, admittedly, complicating factors here given Flores’ lawsuit against the league), Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.