The coaching carousel in the NFL is fascinating every year. Usually about a quarter of the franchises fire coaches each season. Fired coaches are replaced by coaches who have been fired elsewhere or young coaches who will likely be fired in four years.
Right now, there are 13 coaches in the league entering their first or second season with their current team. Longevity is difficult to achieve in the NFL. How many fan bases in the NFL are happy with their current head coaches? Maybe half of the teams, right?
Over the next month, we will rank the coaches in each division. After each division is completed, we will rank the top five coaches in the league.
The NFC East is up first since it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. Some of the most passionate fan bases in the country reside in the NFC East. It’s safe to assume not many are pleased with their current coaching situations.
NFC East Coach Rankings
- Pat Shurmur, New York Giants
The Giants decided to move on from Ben McAdoo after a 2-10 start to the season in 2017. McAdoo led the Giants to 11 wins and a playoff berth in his first season. However, it was clear the franchise needed to move in a different direction.
Shortly after the regular season ended, the Giants hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. During the 2017 season, Shurmur’s offense was 11th in scoring in the NFL despite Sam Bradford being injured in the first week of the season. The Vikings still had an efficient offense with backup Case Keenum running Shurmur’s offense.
This isn’t Shurmur’s first stop as a head coach. He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2011 and 2012, and he was 9-23 during those two seasons. It’s tough to judge coaches based solely on a tenure with the Browns, so it will be intriguing to see how Shurmur has adapted and improved over the last few years. The Giants have talent, but they also have an aging quarterback in Eli Manning and plenty of questions for the future. Aside from the McAdoo tenure, New York is typically patient with head coaches. So, Shurmur will have a few years to right the ship and win the NFC East.
- Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys
Garrett has been the head coach of the Cowboys for 7.5 years because he’s the perfect coach for Jerry Jones. When Garrett has good teams, Jones and the players get the credit. But when the Cowboys don’t live up to expectations, Garrett is the fall guy.
The combination of last year’s 9-7 season and the Philadelphia Eagles winning a Super Bowl might be enough to finally put Garrett on the hot seat. Garrett is 67-53 overall, but he’s only led the Cowboys to the playoffs twice. Dallas has won only two playoff games in the last two decades, which is more of an indictment on Jones than it is of Garrett.
This really should be a make-or-break season for Jason Garrett. They need to go deep into the playoffs in order for him to survive.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) May 14, 2018
Nevertheless, no one is confusing Garrett with Bill Belichick. And if the Cowboys underachieve again in 2018, the responsibility will fall on Garrett’s shoulders.
- Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins
Gruden has a worse record than Garrett, but he’s also had less talent and coached under a worse owner. It’s hard to imagine Washington having long term success as long as Dan Snyder owns the team, but Gruden has done a solid, albeit unremarkable job with the team during his four seasons.
Washington has one playoff berth under Gruden, and they are 24-23-1 over the last three years. Gruden led the team to one NFC East title, but they haven’t made the playoffs since. Swapping Kirk Cousins for Alex Smith probably doesn’t move the needle in either direction, and they will likely hover around .500 again next year.
Regardless, Gruden is a competent coach, and it would be intriguing to see him in a different coaching situation. Perhaps he could return to the Cincinnati Bengals if they move on from Marvin Lewis after next season. It’s tough to gauge whether Gruden is on the hot seat, and he’ll have a challenging season ahead of him in 2018. Well, any season working for Dan Snyder is a challenging season.
- Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles
It only took Pederson two seasons as a head coach to win his first Super Bowl. Now, he joins a very short list of current head coaches with a Super Bowl ring, and he has a roster ready to compete for another title in 2018. When Pederson took over in 2016, the Eagles weren’t exactly ready to contend, and they finished 7-9 in his first year.
However, they exploded for 13 wins last season, and Pederson won his first title despite losing MVP candidate Carson Wentz during the season. Pederson and backup quarterback Nick Foles outmaneuvered Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, and Pederson silenced any doubters in the process.
Wentz will return to the field at some point this season after tearing his ACL last fall. The Eagles have a loaded roster on both sides of the ball. The rest of the teams in the NFC East are in difficult positions, and the Eagles should become the first team in 14 years to repeat as division champs.
Pederson has already established himself as one of the best coaches in the league. Now, he has plenty of job security and time to guide the Eagles to another Super Bowl.
