NFLMocks’ 5 for 5: Coaches on the Hot Seat, True Freshmen to Watch for 2025 NFL Draft, and More!

Headline #2: NFL Coaching Hot Seats

•No. 1: Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers)

This is far from a hot take, as many folks around the league have been questioning Matt Rhule’s ability to be a head coach in the NFL. The Carolina Panthers inked him to a seven-year deal worth $60 million in January 2020. Not bad for a guy with such minimal head coaching experience.

The Panthers brass hoped that Rhule could craft a winning culture in Carolina, similar to what he did with the Baylor Bears and Temple Owls before them. It quickly became evident how different of a game the NFL is from college football.

Rhule brought some college RPO concepts with him to the league, nothing too jarring because many teams use these plays in 2022. However, overreliance is something that makes an offense grow stale. And the Carolina offense is staler than the french fry you dropped in the couch cushion a month ago.

Rhule has swung and missed on his quarterback acquisitions, failing to “fix” Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Darnold. Baker Mayfield added his name to the mix when the team traded for him this offseason, but few believe he’s a legitimate long-term answer.

Maybe Rhule can convince owner David Tepper to give him another year to get things right, but with where things are right now, the polarizing head coach is the leader in the clubhouse to get the boot at season’s end.

•No. 2: Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts)

Matt Rhule may be in the worst spot currently, but Frank Reich is coming off the worst coaching performance of anyone on this list.

The Colts had their season cut short in 2021 when they dropped back-to-back games in weeks 17 and 18 to miss the playoffs for the second time in four seasons under Reich. It’s not that they lost, it’s how they lost.

Carson Wentz put up the worst final week stat line that I’ve ever seen when the team traveled to Jacksonville. After an offseason of shuffling around the roster, Matt Ryan led the team to Jacksonville in week two and suffered the same fate as his predecessor.

If the tie with the Houston Texans didn’t have Reich’s seat warming up, the 24-0 smackdown from the Jacksonville Jaguars should do it. Reich has a ton of goodwill built up with the general manager, Chris Ballard, but if things don’t do a 180°, the writing is on the wall for a change.

Reich is, by all accounts, a great person and brilliant offensive mind. However, it is starting to show that he might not be cut out to lead a locker room. A fresh voice could be the kick in the butt that the stagnant Colts roster needs.

•No. 3: Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals)

I know, I know… I can hear it already, “but the Cardinals won”! The comeback was fascinating by Arizona on Sunday, this cannot be denied. To say that Kingsbury did much to spark the comeback would be disingenuous if you ask me.

Sure, he called some great plays down the stretch, but a handful of times, Kyler Murray was the sole reason that the Cardinals moved the ball at all. He went full Madden mode, highlighted by this absurd two-point conversion that took a total of 21 seconds in real-time.

Much like Reich, few would say that Kingsbury isn’t a sharp person, but that is not enough to make you a great head coach in the NFL. I understand that DeAndre Hopkins is missing, but the coaching staff knew this would be the case so it’s not a valid excuse.

Sunday’s win possibly buys Kingsbury more life, but the more I watch the Arizona Cardinals, the more that it feels like Kliff and Kyler aren’t meant to be together.

•No. 4: Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders)

The Washington Commanders probably won’t move on from Ron Rivera, but they probably should. Rivera was a fine, if not uninspiring, hire for DC. He took the Panthers to a Super Bowl in 2015 but boasts little success outside of that outlier run.

After he was shelved by Carolina, he signed with the Commanders in 2020, winning seven games in each of his first two seasons. This highlights the fact that he is solid, but nothing more than that.

Rivera is seemingly beloved by the front office, and following the trend of the past three on this list, he is well-liked by the players themselves. It’s all a matter of expectation when it comes to whether or not Washington will consider moving on next offseason.

Are the Commanders content with being “good enough” or do they want someone who can elevate them to a “great” team one day?

•No. 5: Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints)

Dennis Allen served as Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator from 2015-2021 and was promoted to the head coaching position in the wake of Payton’s surprise retirement. Allen worked his way up and earned the favor of the Saint’s front office, so he’s another name that’s unlikely to be discarded after one year.

My reason for adding him to the list lies solely with the fact that the Saints are always looking to go all in and improve their roster for immediate success. Now that they are mostly capped out and have few future draft picks to work with, their best path to improvement could very well be a young offensive specialist that can follow in the footsteps of what Payton did for the franchise.

It’ll take a terribly bad season and will require a worthwhile candidate emerging, but there’s a greater than zero chance that Dennis Allen fails to get more than one year as the head coach. If you think the contract will keep Gayle Benson from writing another check, you haven’t been paying attention.