Indianapolis Colts fans can breathe. The is finally wait is over, and Shane Steichen is the new head coach for the franchise.
Now the question is, who will be his offensive coordinator? The 37-year-old coach will have to make the decision if he will want to call plays on gamedays or hand those duties off to whoever his offensive coordinator will be.
That decision could potentially impact the desire of a coach to take that job if they wish to be calling plays in that role. We should get that answer in Steichen’s opening press conference Tuesday, which could give better insight into who he may target.
But for now, let’s take a look at some potential names for the new offensive coordinator for Indianapolis:
1
Brian Johnson
Current Role: Philadelphia Eagles QB Coach
When looking for potential names that Steichen could hire, you can narrow it down to people he has worked with in his coaching career. One guy he can try to convince to join him in Indy is the sought-after QB coach who’s done great work with Jalen Hurts in the past two seasons in Brian Johnson.
The two have worked together only in Philadelphia and it is expected that Johnson will take the promotion with the Eagles.
Eagles’ QB coach Brian Johnson, one of the NFL's most sought-after assistant coaches, who has received multiple requests to interview for offensive coordinator positions, would be expected to replace Shane Steichen as Philadelphia’s OC.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 12, 2023
It would make sense for Johnson to stick with Nick Sirianni since he gave him his first NFL coaching job and that job is a faster path to a head coach gig for him. But if Jim Irsay is willing to open up his wallet, maybe the Colts can make a strong offer for him to join their staff.
2
Kevin Patullo
Current Role: Philadelphia Eagles Passing Game Coordinator
Another name to watch for from the Eagles coaching staff is Kevin Patullo. The two worked together for the last two years to help build one of the best offenses in the NFL for the 2022 season. Philadelphia averaged 241.5 passing YPG this past year, which was the ninth-highest in the league.
With Ben Johnson expected to get the OC job for the Eagles, Patullo taking the promotion with the Colts would make sense for the next step in his coaching career. Plus, he has a recent history working for the franchise as the wide receivers coach (2018-2019) and pass game specialist (2020).
3
Pep Hamilton
Current Role: Former Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator
A familiar name for the Colts to watch for is Pep Hamilton. The one-time offensive coordinator for the organization is currently on the market after the Houston Texans decided to go in a different direction with their new coaching staff. Steichen worked with Hamilton, who was the quarterbacks coach, with the Los Angeles Chargers for a season.
The former OC has done great things with young quarterbacks like Andrew Luck and Justin Herbert it would be ideal to bring him in to help develop the incoming rookie quarterback. The question would be, does Hamilton want to work for the team that once fired him from the role he once had with them?
4
Ken Whisenhunt
Current Role: Penn State Offensive Analyst
If Steichen elects to call the plays on gamedays then it would make sense for him to target a coach that has head coaching experience. One wild-card name would be Ken Whisenhunt. Steichen worked as the quarterbacks coach under Whisenhunt, who was the Chargers offensive coordinator from 2016-2019. Steichen took over as the interim offensive coordinator in 2019 when Whisenhunt was fired.
While Whisenhunt didn’t work out as a head coach, he’s had plenty of success as an offensive coordinator, including winning a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He can help provide guidance to the young head coach and his vast experience can be beneficial when coming up with gameplans.
5
Anthony Lynn
Current Role: San Francisco 49ers Running Backs Coach
Another coach that can offer the same thing that has worked with Steichen is Anthony Lynn. The two worked with each other with the Chargers between 2017-2020. This hire wouldn’t be exactly the most exciting move for the staff because of how Lynn looked in his time as a head coach for Los Angeles and that he only lasted a season as the OC for the Detroit Lions.
The Lions’ offense looked much better when Dan Campbell took play-calling duties from Lynn on gamedays. But, if Steichen is going to handle that on Sundays then Lynn does offer his experience for the new head coach to lean on.
6
Jemal Singleton
Current Role: Eagles Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach
Singleton is another current Eagles coach that has previous connections to the Colts. He spent two seasons as the running backs coach with the Colts during the final two years of the Chuck Pagano era (2016-2017), helping Frank Gore total 1,986 rushing yards in that span.
With Steichen’s ability to create an explosive and dynamic rushing attack, it would make sense to keep some continuity there with Singleton in hopes of bringing Jonathan Taylor back to his elite status. Singleton also served as the running backs coach for the Cincinnati Bengals (2019-2020) and the Oakland Raiders (2018).
7
Eric Bieniemy
Current Role: Chiefs Offensive Coordinator
One name to watch for that doesn’t have a connection to Steichen is Eric Bieniemy. The Chiefs offensive coordinator’s contract is up and he’s set to interview with teams across the NFL that are looking for a new offensive coordinator. If Steichen decides he wants his offensive coordinator calling plays then the Colts can give Bieniemy his first chance to do that on Sundays.
It does sound like Andy Reid expects that Bieniemy will be moving on.
“Eric Bieniemy has been tremendous for us and I think tremendous for the National Football League,” Reid said via KSHB. “I’m hoping he has an opportunity to go somewhere and do his thing where he can run the show and be Eric Bieniemy.”
It should be considered that Bieniemy might not want to work for the guy that got the job he did an interview for even if there’s a connection with Chris Ballard. But it will be interesting to see if Steichen is open to working with coaches he hasn’t spent time with on a previous staff. After a putrid season the Colts’ offense had in 2022, it would be great to have the two offensive coordinators that just combined for 66 points in the Super Bowl on their new staff.
