The NFL coaching hot seat is heating up for many coaches around the league. We have already seen two fired, Josh McDaniels and Frank Reich. Surely, these two won’t be the only coaches to get the axe before the season is over. With so many coaches likely to follow suit, who’s next to be out of a job? With four weeks left in the 2023 NFL season, here are the next three NFL head coaches who could be out of a job sooner rather than later.
NFL Coaches On the Hot Seat Entering Week 15
Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers)
To be frank, Brandon Staley shouldn’t have even been head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers to begin the 2023 season. If we’re being honest, he probably never should’ve been a head coach in the first place. Staley was hired by the Chargers in 2021 after just one season as a coordinator in the NFL, and just five years removed from his stint as a defensive coordinator at Division III John Carroll (Ohio).
A fanatic of analytics from the beginning, Staley inherited a team quarterbacked by star Justin Herbert. In his first season, he led Los Angeles to a 9-7 record before making two incredibly questionable decisions in the final game against the Las Vegas Raiders. A failed fourth down conversion deep in their own territory and calling a timeout when the Raiders were gunning for a tie, robbed the Chargers of a playoff spot.
This past year, the Chargers made the playoffs as a Wild Card. After getting out to a 27-0 lead, the Chargers were outscored 31-3 the rest of the way as the Jacksonville Jaguars knocked them off thanks to the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history. Now sitting at 5-8 on the year and 24-23 in his tenure, it’s clear that this team is grossly underachieving with Staley at the helm. He wasn’t ready for an NFL head coach gig when he was hired, and he clearly hasn’t learned along the way.
Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears)
Out of everyone on this list, Matt Eberflus is the least at fault for his team’s woes. With that in mind, Eberflus is far from the solution as head coach in Chicago. Since pulling off a huge upset of the San Francisco 49ers in his first game last season, the Bears have gone 6-22 since.
The main reason for the Bears needing to move on is their anemic offense. Eberflus is a defensive coach, but his inability to adapt to his players and find a suitable offense even with talented players such as Justin Fields, D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet on their roster is a big problem. Chicago was 24th in points scored and dead last in points allowed in 2022, and this season hasn’t been much better.
For a defensive NFL head coach, this isn’t good enough. It’s one thing to have a lackadaisical offense. To have a bad defense, especially with how much the front office has invested in it, is unforgivable. If Staley isn’t the first to go, it will likely be Eberflus.
Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders)
Unfortunately for Ron Rivera, he didn’t get the Hollywood script he was looking for in the nation’s capital. Although hiring Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator has helped the Commanders improve, the defense is the main problem. Rivera’s team is dead last in points allowed this year and there has been no improvement since he took over in 2020.
In his first year, Rivera’s Commanders only sported a 7-9 record but sneaked into the playoffs via the Wild Card. Since being edged out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in that game, the Commanders have combined for a 19-27-1 record including a 4-9 record this season. Rivera was expected to take the Commanders to the next level, and has nothing but struggle to finish .500. Ron Rivera very much deserves a job in the NFL, just not as a head coach for the Washington Commanders.
