NFL coaching carousel to be bizarre

The NFL has a cycle. Men are hired as head coaches, and then there are usually given at least two years to prove they were the right choice for the job. After that, coaches either stay on or get fired the day after (or sometimes the second) Week 17 ends.

This year, the cycle is coming fast and furious once again. We have already seen the New York Giants fire Ben McAdoo, while the Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly getting ready to mutually part ways with longtime head coach Marvin Lewis. However, look for plenty more vacancies to be created before the end of New Year’s Day.

In Indianapolis, the Colts are going to be getting rid of Chuck Pagano, who has not been able to get the franchise turned in the right direction since going to the AFC Championship Game in 2014. In the three years since, the Colts have failed to post a winning record.

It’s also a safe assumption that the New York Jets will be handing the pink slip to Todd Bowles after three playoff-less seasons in the Big Apple, while the Chicago Bears have certainly seen enough of John Fox after three rancid campaigns. Other jobs that could open up include the Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals (Bruce Arians has endured health issues in recent years, so he could retire) and Cleveland Browns, although all those seem more unlikely than likely.

However, unlike last year, there are not a ton of great coaching candidates to take jobs. Looking around the league, the Detroit Lions have a pair of intriguing coordinators in Jim Bob Cooter on the offensive side and Teryl Austin on the defensive side. The Kansas City Chiefs also have two names to watch in special teams guru Dave Toub and young offensive assistant Matt Nagy. Finally, there are the New England Patriots who have Josh McDaniels (offensive) and Matt Patricia (defensive), but none of those names are hot in the way Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay were this time last year.

All told, teams that are on the fence might decide to stand pat hoping for a better crop in 2018. Nothing against the aforementioned names on this list, but in some cases there is plenty to be proven, while in others there are age questions.

It will be interesting to see who emerges as the candidate that every team wants, and which ones are once again going to be passed over, hoping for another chance.