The NFL coaching cycle is now in full swing. There were predictions that many positions might have to wait longer to be resolved, but the Lions' stunning loss to the Commanders in the NFC Divisional Playoffs hastened that timeline. Now that two of Detroit's most popular coaching products are free to interview and hire, teams without a coach can quickly start planning so they don't realize they're on the lookout. It would be better to set up
Scoring coaches can be a difficult task. The head coaching position is often about executing a vision holistically, rather than a monolith at the top. Dan Quinn wasn't the most exciting hire of the 2024 cycle, but look at the offensive turnaround under Kliff Kingsbury and Jaden Daniels and suddenly he's the best coaching hire in the NFL. It became.
Nevertheless, there are ways to read the tea leaves when a coach is hired. And we evaluate every new coach in the NFL.
Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson
It's been a long time since the Bears hired someone who was actually coveted for an NFL job, rather than because they needed someone to fill the role. Chicago, known for its flashy moves in recent years, pulled off its biggest coup yet by hiring Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to stay in the NFC North and play against his former team.
There is no doubt that Johnson is a home run hire. His schemer ability and creative offensive game planning took the Lions to new heights and turned Jared Goff into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Johnson also showed tremendous talent for inventing the run game, exemplified by the one-two punch of Jahmil Gibbs and David Montgomery this season.
With the help of heaping praises, it's also worth wondering if this is the best fit. Johnson is very creative, but the majority of his work is done pre-snap. He's not someone who thrives on his players going off-script or starting to create on their own. As a result, the chemistry between Caleb Williams and DJ Moore is a little awkward. Both are inventors rather than robotics — Williams tends to improvise after the snap, while Moore is not a route technician and instead finds ways to find open avenues. The top of his route.
Please don't misinterpret it. This hire is still very good, and Johnson won't take the job unless he's confident he can pull this all off. It's worth pausing for a moment to consider how all of this fits together.
Grade: B+
New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel
The Patriots were the obvious champions this year. In fact, the speed with which they moved on from Jerod Mayo, quickly scrapped the Rooney Rule interview, and immediately hired Vrabel seems to indicate this was the plan all along.
When you trade one former player for another, it's clear New England has a type. There are many different perspectives on Vrabel leading the Pats, but the general feeling is that it's solid and unspectacular.
Vrabel is an old-school soccer player with old-school tendencies. He's going to want to run the ball and beat teams on defense. There are no tricks and it will rarely come out clean, but it will work to some extent. At least New England will win more games. This is purely because this team was already on a roll under Mayo, and Vrabel should be able to put together a solid staff.
Someone who doesn't like this is Drake May. Giving a rookie QB two coaches in two years is never great, but Vrabel will naturally de-emphasize the passing game and focus on the run. If it leads to a major overhaul of the offensive line, that's good, but given Maye's growth in his rookie season, it's like buying a sports car and refusing to shift it from third. It also makes me feel good.
All in all, Vrabel is a good employer with a cap. He will win the football game. He might even be able to get the Pats back to the playoffs. He's not a coach who can lead a team to the Super Bowl. We have yet to see the creativity and guile required to win a chess match against other top minds in the NFL.
Grade: C+
We will update this story as more teams hire coaches.
