2018 NFL Coaching Carousel: Quick Takes On Hires So Far

The 2018 NFL coaching carousel continues to spin. Six vacancies opened up since the end of the regular season. Now they’ve started to fill.

Two of the six positions are locked up. Barring a late chance four remain open and the scramble is picking up among both teams and candidates to secure them. With that it might be a good time to get an assessment on the hires that have happened thus far. Did the teams make the right call or were they led down a dangerous path by misguided feelings? Per usual it’s never as black and white as that. Still, suffice to say the hires to this point were fascinating.

Oakland Raiders:  Jon Gruden

If nothing else Mark Davis deserves props. He knew exactly who he wanted and spared no expense to get him. The Raiders agreed to pay Gruden $100 million over the next 10 years to make his long-awaited coaching return. He hasn’t been on an NFL sideline since 2008 when he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 9-7 record. He retired shortly after in order to spend more time with his family. The game was never far away though has he took up the job as head analyst for Monday Night Football.

This feels like a political swing as much as a football one. The Raiders are going to be moving to Las Vegas in the next couple years. They want to generate as much excitement as possible for when that happens. Making a household name like Gruden their coach certainly helps. Also Gruden is noted for his connections around the league, so he should be able to assemble a strong staff. The big question mark is whether he can turn around Derek Carr who regressed in 2017.

It’s worth noting Gruden has yet to have sustained success with a QB under the age of 30.

Chicago Bears:  Matt Nagy

One thing about Bears GM Ryan Pace is this. He’s sure not afraid of making the bold decision. Last April he shocked the NFL when he chose Mitch Trubisky as his quarterback of the future. Now he’s doubled down on putting his stock in the inexperienced and still slightly unknown Nagy as coach. Just 10 years ago the man was a thriving quarterback himself in the Arena League. In that time he became an intern for the Eagles, came under the wing of Andy Reid and rose to offensive coordinator in Kansas City.

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Unlike others like Josh McDaniels and Pat Shurmur though, Nagy has only provided a snippet of his prowess as an offensive mind. He called plays for the Chiefs back in December, during which the team averaged over 28 points per game. At the same time there are serious question about how ready he is for this shot and how strong a staff he can put together. Right now his biggest selling point is being an obvious asset for Trubisky whom he reportedly has loved since meeting him before the draft.

Outside of that it feels like this is a calculated gamble.