NFL analyst ranks Aaron Rodgers' head coach nearly dead last ahead of 2023 season
Aaron Rodgers is seen by most as the savior of the New York Jets. While not everyone believes this, there is certainly a lot of curiosity to see how he performs in a new team with a new coach.
One NFL analyst has an interesting view on the situation in New York, as he ranks Jets coach Robert Saleh right near the bottom of the pack.
Writing for CBS Sports, Cody Benjamin ranked Saleh 26th of 32 head coaches. The only coaches he placed behind Saleh were Dennis Allen, Todd Bowles, Arthur Smith, Josh McDaniels, Jonathan Gannon, and Matt Eberflus.
2023 marks Robert Saleh's second season as the head man in New York, coming from the San Francisco 49ers and the tutelage of Kyle Shanahan. The defensive coordinator coached in the 49ers' 2020 Super Bowl loss against Patrick Mahomes.
While they lost the game, Saleh soon gained the head coaching job at the Jets. In his debut season, he brought the franchise to within a stone's throw of being competitive at the end of the season. However, their 7-6 record through 13 games turned into a 7-10 disappointment.
Turnover at the quarterback position was the biggest obstacle for the team, as Zach Wilson's mistakes put the Jets in a hole they could not get out of.
The lone consistent praise directed at the team all season long was its defense, which ranked fourth in yards allowed per game, according to ESPN.
Robert Saleh hopes for improvement with Aaron Rodgers
The running theory is that once Aaron Rodgers erases the troubles at quarterback, the already stout defense will be able to carry the team to the playoffs. Of course, this is assuming the team's lack of playoff experience doesn't come into play and that everything else goes to plan.
While Rodgers and Saleh both have been to single elimination before, most of the roster has not. Saleh doesn't have playoff experience as a head coach either, meaning that most would write him off as a playoff veteran in 2023.
It will be interesting to see if the Jets can make the postseason, and then how they perform thereon. With the money the franchise has invested in Aaron Rodgers, Robert Saleh's job could depend on an improved season.