Black Monday ended without too many layoffs in the league and not because team owners are intentional about their layoffs. Instead, several teams have made a leap to get rid of the one and only reason their teams aren’t up to speed, including the early removals of Matt Rhule from the Carolina Panthers, Nathaniel Hackett from the Denver Broncos and Frank Reich from the Indianapolis Colts.
OK, these teams had a lot of issues that went beyond the head coach. While Rhule found a new job, many others on Monday found themselves either jobless or watching the head coach who hired them leave.
Not only is it notable NFL news, but more importantly, it can be important for the Falcons. Arthur Smith should be on the lookout for improvements in the coaching staff, including replacing Dean Pees, who retired on Monday morning.
Let’s see who’s gone.
The Cardinals took a swing and things went amazingly well… for a while. Then things fell faster than any team in recent memory. In fact, Kingsbury is just 10 months away from a contract extension after coaching 2x Pro Bowl QB Kyler Murray, not even six months away from a nearly quarter billion dollar deal.
Arizona’s offense plummeted, and the team spent most of 2022 without a rudder. Kingsbury lacked any guidance when things didn’t go as planned. Kingsbury looks most likely to return to college. While I’m on the lookout for a potential connection to Atlanta wherever possible, there isn’t one here.
What would make sense in Atlanta is Kingsbury’s defense coordinator Vance Joseph. Joseph will not be fired, but his time in Arizona is almost certainly over. Coaches remain in limbo while still under contract with a team currently interviewing replacements for the head coach. Joseph may actually get some head coaching interviews, but he’ll most likely be stuck with defensive coordinator again in 2023.
Joseph would be an excellent replacement for Dean Pees if and when he should become available.
Smith became the second coach to be fired after a season without Deshaun Watson among the Houston Texans. While he probably knew what he was getting into when he was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach 12 months ago, Smith was still summarily dropped when he was given a poor roster to work with.
Smith is a great coach with over a decade of experience as a head coach in the NFL. Would he fit for the Falcons? Maybe he’d bring the same old-school defensive mindset we saw from Dean Pees, but even with that, the Texans were in the bottom three defensively in 2021 and 2022.
Todd Downing, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator
Look, you know what I’m getting at with this. Arthur Smith has so far brought in coaches he is familiar with. Dean Pees worked with Smith in Tennessee. Downing worked with Smith in Tennessee.
Unlike Pees, Downing is struggling to put together a temporary offense but some blame has to be placed on trading AJ Brown and injuring Ryan Tannehill. Downing is also freshly cleared of a DUI charge that led to NFL teams being reminded not to let staff drink alcohol on team planes.
While most of Smith’s offensive coaches do have ties to coordinator Dave Ragone, this is one of the few former Titans coaches who has become available. Justin Peelle appears to be doing a great job as the team’s tight end coach, meaning Downing is unlikely to take his old place under Smith. However, there are many wizard roles that can be created to reunite the two.
Joe Woods, defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns
A defense coordinator? Why the Falcons were looking for one of all.
Of course, three years into Cleveland, Woods showed some major problems with consistency and effectiveness. Even at his worst, his defense has been far better than Atlanta’s, with two league averages and a top-five unit in 2021. Is that good enough to take on Dean Pees? The level of talent in Atlanta will be nowhere near what he had in Cleveland.