Of the eight NFL teams that had head coach openings in this cycle, there are only two left. The Washington Commanders cut ties with Ron Rivera at the end of their season and are currently searching for his replacement. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks removed Pete Carroll as their head coach and have been in no hurry to find his successor.
As expected, Seattle general manager John Schneider has been deliberate. While several teams filled their head coach vacancies within days, the Seahawks have made it clear they’re willing to wait to get the right candidate for the job.
Things may be coming to a climax soon, though. The latest news from John Keim at ESPN is that Washington will be interviewing five head coach candidates this week, three of which have or will interview with the Seahawks. That would be Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Maconald, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Washington has five interviews set for this week (Weaver, Macdonald, Quinn, Glenn and Johnson). Based on what I’ve gathered, those should be wrapped up Tuesday night. Should be. No guarantee. Then will depend on if their guy is still in postseason or not.
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 28, 2024
Macdonald’s Ravens were just eliminated from the playoffs by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but it was far from his fault. Baltimore’s defense held the greatest competitor in the game to just 17 points in the loss. However, Lamar Jackson had another disappointing playoff performance – despite a few flashes of otherworldly briliance. That and a poor gameplan from offensive coordinator Todd Monken doomed the Ravens far more than anything Macdonald drew up.
As for the Lions, they lost to the 49ers in on-brand heartbreaking fashion, imploding in the second half after running up a 24-7 lead at halftime. Johnson can’t make catches for his receivers and he drew up a good gameplan against the toughest defense in the NFC. With even a slightly-below-average bit of luck, Detroit would probably be in the Super Bowl right now. Johnson’s candidacy should still be considered strong.
Dan Quinn’s Cowboys didn’t far so well in the postseason, though. Dallas was sent home from the tournament early yet again despite posting a third-consecutive 12-5 regular season record. Quinn’s defense was lit up by another Shanhan-tree Matt LaFleur’s offense for 48 points, and it wasn’t the first time he’s struggled against that group. Quinn may be the least exciting of the potential candidates, but he does have a wealth of experience – having served as head coach of the Falcons for six years.
Stay tuned…
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