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Jeremy Fowler
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ESPN Staff Writer- ESPN Staff Writer
- Previously a college football reporter for CBSSports.com
- Graduated from the University of Florida
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Dan Graziano
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ESPN Staff Writer- Joined ESPN in 2011
- Born in New Jersey and the author of two published novels
Seven NFL teams have fired their head coaches in this cycle – three during the 2020 season and four after the regular season – and now the first 2021 hires have been confirmed.
The Jacksonville Jaguars targeted former college coach Urban Meyer, who was announced as the new coach, and the New York Jets announced they had reached an agreement to hire former San Francisco 49ers defense coordinator Robert Saleh. The Atlanta Falcons reached an agreement with former Tennessee Titans attack coordinator Arthur Smith. The Los Angeles Chargers hired former Los Angeles defense coordinator Rams Brandon Staley. And the Detroit Lions recruited former New Orleans Saints assistant Dan Campbell as their coach.
How did the lions, chargers, falcons, jaguars and jets fare with their personnel? We asked the ESPN’s national NFL writers Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler to discuss each move and give their numbers, starting with the most recent at the top.
Jump to a team:
Lions | Chargers
Falcons | Jaguars | Jets
Background: Assistant to the Head and Tight Ends Coach for New Orleans Saints (2016-2020); tight ends coach for Miami Dolphins (2011-15)
Graziano: Campbell gained a bit of experience as a head coach when he was the Dolphins’ interim coach for the last 12 games of the 2015 season following Joe Philbin’s resignation, and he caught the bug. He has since been employed by Sean Payton in New Orleans and was eager to get another shot at the big job. As a former tight NFL player who played for 10 years for the Giants, Cowboys and Lions, Campbell has a fiery personality and high energy level as a coach – anyone who remembers his news conferences when he took the job in Miami already knows this. an internship at Payton could only have helped, I would think. Definitely an out-the-box hire by the Lions, but how can you argue with a team in their situation trying something non-traditional?