3 NFL Head Coaches That Could Be Fired

The NFL season has just began, but it’s never to early to speculate on which Head Coach may get fired during this season.

MATT RHULE – CAROLINA PANTHERS

Matt Rhule was hired to replace Ron Rivera in 2020. Rhule had a challenging start to his NFL coaching career, which began during the 2020 COVID season. Carolina’s first move under Rhule was to sign veteran Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater only lasted one season with the Panthers before being traded.

Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield were acquired via trade, but neither has looked effective under Rhule.

Carolina has had five different starting Quarterbacks since Matt Rhule became coach of the Carolina Panthers. Currently, Carolina is sitting at 1-2, which seems to put the franchise in prime position to start a massive rebuild next offseason. The Panthers may be a loss or two away from starting their rebuild early, which would require them to let go of Matt Rhule.

FRANK REICH – INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The Indianapolis Colts need to acquire a young Quarterback! Since Andrew Luck retired, the Colts have chose to go with veteran QBs, such as Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. The Colts are 0-2 and it would appear they need to hit the reset button. Frank Reich is a good coach and he’d get another job immediately.

This choice is admittedly a stretch, but after a second year where the Colts fail to hit expectations, it may be time for both parties to move on. Frank Reich’s first year as coach, he led his team to 10-6 and a playoff win. Quarterback is still a glaring need for the Colts, and the overall talent hasn’t noticeably improved. This isn’t all Reich’s fault, but if their 1-2 start is a sign of what’s to come for the rest of the season, it may be time for everyone to move on.

Pressure is building and it shouldn’t be shocking if the Colts decide to make a clean break from their GM and coach by the end of the 2022 season.

NATHANEIL HACKETT – DENVER BRONCOS

Nathaniel Hackett is a rookie Head Coach, but his first two game have been disastrous. The job looks to big for Hackett, who is making critical mistakes that has already cost the Broncos a win. Denver traded two first and second round picks for Russell Wilson, which was supposed to get the Broncos back into the playoffs. Wilson has struggled mightily the first two games as he acclimates to his new team.

The Broncos play in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, they can’t afford to have their coach consistently put them at a disadvantage. Hackett may become a decent Head Coach one day, but if his struggles continue, the Broncos may look towards another option to maximize their time with Russell Wilson. The worst thing Denver can do is to lose games because their coach can’t get basic coaching decisions correct. This why the Broncos could choose to move on from Nathaniel Hackett, despite his limited sample size.

Honorable Mentions:

Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had a big win against the Bengals in week 2, but Dallas has lacked consistently with McCarthy in charge. McCarthy is probably going to get fired, unless the Cowboys can make a run in the playoffs.

Arthur Smith – Atlanta Falcons

Arthur Smith doesn’t look like an incompetent coach, but the job feels too big for him as of now. Smith’s press conferences come off as a bit too emotional, there’s is a fine line between coaching with emotion and complaining that the media thinks your bad team is bad.

Lovie Smith – Houston Texans

The Texans shouldn’t fire Lovie Smith, regardless of how bad they are this season. Houston fired David Culley following the 2021 season, after going 4-13. Culley wasn’t great, but he won 4 games with arguably the worst roster in the NFL. The Texans are 0-2-1, but have played two close games with Smith in charge. The Texans don’t seem to have a plan, so firing another coach doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.