3 NFL head coaches who could be fired during the 2022-23 season
Being the head coach of an NFL team is not an easy job. Sure, if you win a Super Bowl, or even make the playoffs, your team's fans will love you.
However, if your team struggles, the same fans will be the first in line to crucify you.
That is the nature of the job, and some head coaches just can't handle the pressure. It is not unusual to see coaches being fired in the middle of a season, especially if a team goes on a long losing streak or risks missing out on a playoff spot.
Here are three head coaches whose jobs might be in danger during the 2022-23 season.
#1 Dan Campbell - Detriot Lions
The Detroit Lions have been bad in recent years. At least part of the blame falls on their head coach Dan Campbell. He is relatively inexperienced, having done this job for only two years.
His current record with the Lions is 3-13-1, and chances are he will be fired if the Lions go on a losing streak in the upcoming NFL season.
Lions gotta fire Dan Campbell. This is a reoccurring theme
#2 Brandon Staley - Los Angeles Chargers
Brandon Staley is a unique head coach. He does not base his decisions on what is traditionally accepted in the NFL, but on what statistics and analytics say.
Many people, including a few in the Chargers camp, do not abide by this type of thinking. It is important to note that some people believe that Staley's questionable decision-making cost the Chargers a playoff spot last season.
In their Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chargers needed a tie or win to advance to the postseason. With a few seconds left in overtime in a tied game, the Chargers took a timeout on a Raiders third down well outside field goal range.
NFL fans argue that without the timeout, the Raiders would have failed to convert on third down and would have elected to run the clock down instead.
Staley claimed that he called the timeout to get the right players on the field. The timeout proved to be costly as the Raiders kicked a 47-yard field goal and won the game.
Matt Nagy: “I am the worst head coach in the NFL”
Brandon Staley after the Chargers lost because he called a timeout with 38 seconds left: https://t.co/PQKpObCSeL
If similar calls are made in the 2022-23 NFL season, and if they result in losses, Staley could find himself on the chopping block.
#3 Josh McDaniels - Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders hired Josh McDaniels this offseason. Their last head coach, Jon Gruden, resigned after a scandal in the middle of the 2021 season.
Interim head coach, Rich Bisaccia, led the Raiders to the postseason, where they came undone against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bisaccia left his role at the end of the season to join the Green Bay Packers as a special teams coordinator.
McDaniels has some head coaching experience under his belt. However, his performance was not exactly commendable. He was head coach for two years with the Denver Broncos, and he had a record of 11-17 in that timespan.
His record as an offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots was much better, but his role was much different than that of a head coach.
Will he be able to outperform his previous record as a head coach? Or will he lead the Raiders to a losing campaign and get himself fired before the season is up? The second possibility looks stronger.
Note: Although the three coaches listed above are prime candidates for firing, there is no guarantee that they will lose their jobs. If they have a good start to the new NFL season, and finish strong, they can prove to the team that they deserve the head coach job for the foreseeable future.
Although making the playoffs is extremely improbable for some of these teams, avoiding last place in their division might be enough for their respective coaches to save their jobs, at least, for another year.