Going into 2023 five different NFL franchises decided to go in a new direction following disappointing seasons. The Carolina Panthers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Denver Broncos, the Houston Texans, and the Arizona Cardinals all decided to pull the plug on their head coaches. This is everything you need to know about the offseason coaching carosel .
Carolina Panthers
In 2022 the Panthers struggled early and often. They went through four different quarterbacks, three of which started in five or more games. The team started 1-4 which led to the firing of coach Matt Rhule, who was replaced with interim coach Steve Wilkes who finished the season going 6-6. In the offseason the franchise interviewed nine different candidates and eventually settled on former Carolina Panthers quarterback Frank Reich. Reich is the first offensive minded head coach in franchise history which played a key role in the decision to hire him over Wilks. Reich, the former Eagles Offensive coordinator and Colts Head coach, is the sixth head coach in franchise history and will be the lead play caller going into the Bryce Young era in Carolina.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts offense in 2022 was very underwhelming. After Matt Ryan’s disappointing start they let both Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger start multiple games. The team opened up the season 3-5-1 before they fired Frank Reich in November. Jeff Saturday was named as the interim head coach before they finished the season 1-7 with him at the helm. During the job search the franchise interviewed 14 different candidates before naming former Eagles offensive coordinator, and Chargers quarterbacks coach Shane Steichen the 16th head coach in Colts history. Indianapolis is hoping that Shane Steichen will be able work out the issues with the offense and mentor rookie QB Anthony Richardson.
Denver Broncos
In 2022 the beginning of the Russell Wilson era in Denver got off to a disastrous start. The team was last in the NFL in points scored, suffered two different losing streaks of four games or more, lost nine games that were decided by one score and the offense only scored more than 20 points six times. After just 15 games as the head coach of the Broncos with a 4-11 record the franchise decided to part ways with Nathaniel Hackett hiring Jerry Rosburg to lead the team in their last two games. This offseason the Broncos hired undoubtedly the most high profile candidate in this year’s coaching carousel. In a deal with the New Orleans Saints the Broncos sent their 2023 First round pick and 2024 second round pick in exchange for the Saints 2023 third round pick and the negotiation rights to Super Bowl winning coach Sean Payton. The former coach of the year had a 152-89 record in his 15 years as the head coach of the Saints. After quick negotiations, Payton was named the 20th head coach in Broncos franchise history and he had made it clear he intends to turn Denver around.
Houston Texans
Last season the Houston Texans had another abysmal campaign. The team went 3-13-1 and head coach Lovie Smith was let go after just one season. During the offseason the team made a move to hire former Texans linebacker and 49ers defensive coordinator Demeco Ryans as the sixth head coach in franchise history and fourth in as many years. In this year’s draft the Texans took Ohio State’s star quarterback C.J Stroud with the second pick and Alabama’s generational pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. just one pick later. Going forward the Texans are hoping that Coach Ryans will finally be the guy to lead Houston’s Rebuild.
Arizona Cardinals
In 2022 just about everything that could’ve gone wrong with the Cardinals went wrong. To begin the season former All Pro wide receiver Deandre Hopkins was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s foreign substance policy and it all went downhill from there. After going 11-6 in 2021, Arizona failed to meet almost all expectations in 2022 which eventually led to the termination of Kliff Kingsbury’s contract following the season. During the offseason Arizona was the last team to pick a new head coach when they hired former Eagles Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. After losing star quarterback Kyler Murray to an ACL injury last season and severing ties with Deandre Hopkins to save money the Cardinals are expected to be a completely different team going forward. Gannon is being tasked with leading an entire rebuild as 31 of the players are expected to become unrestricted free agents.
