Top 10 NFL Head Coaching Candidates For 2024 - Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik, and more

January 10, 2024

Jackson lists the top ten head coaching candidates going into the 2024 season. Who are the top targets for head coaching vacancies in 2024?

After every NFL regular season concludes, there is always a slew of coaches who are relieved of their duties. This year, a few coaches didn't even make it to the end of the season. It's time for the coaching carousel to begin.

Frank Reich, Ron Rivera, Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, Brandon Staley Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, and Arthur Smith are out the door, leaving four NFC and four AFC jobs open. There could still be more firing to come, but those are the men who are officially free agents.

Who could be given a head coaching opportunity this offseason? Let's dive into ten candidates and discuss their resumes to this point.

Dave Canales

Team/Role: Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Offensive Coordinator

Dave Canales isn't likely to be any team's No. 1 target, but he did a fantastic job as Geno Smith's quarterback coach in Seattle last season, and Baker Mayfield is playing the best football of his career under Canales in Tampa Bay.

NFL general managers and owners are clamoring for coaches who can get the most out of franchise quarterbacks, and Canales has done that with two signal-callers who were considered busts before working with him. Although the Tampa Bay offense isn't one of the best in the league, Mayfield was one of just ten 4,000-yard passers this season.

Brian Flores

Team/Role: Minnesota Vikings/Defensive Coordinator

Brian Flores is a four-time Super Bowl champion as an assistant coach in New England, but his time as the Miami Dolphins head coach delivered mixed results. Miami went 24-25 in his three seasons at the helm, and he's been criticized for failing to help develop Tua Tagovailoa early in his career.

However, he turned a Vikings defense that ranked 31st in yards allowed per game in 2022 into a respectable unit in 2023. The Vikings ranked 11th in defensive DVOA this season -- compared to 24th in 2022.

The league has been trending toward an offensive-focused game, so it's always difficult to know if defensive-minded coaches will be given serious consideration.

307 lb Harrison Phillips with the cat-like jump to 0--Williams gets over to Metellus too late and pressure forces the incompletion

Brian Flores' D is must-watch TV every week pic.twitter.com/WWPDA3zBQT

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 13, 2023

Aaron Glenn

Team/Role: Detroit Lions/Defensive Coordinator

Like Flores, Aaron Glenn has turned an atrocious defense into at least a solid one that has noticeable strengths. Last season's Lions' team ranked 27th in defensive DVOA. This year, it ranks 13th. The Detroit front seven surrendered the second-fewest rushing yards per game (88.8), but the secondary was still a glaring weakness.

Glenn played 15 seasons in the NFL as a three-time Pro Bowl defensive back -- something a lot of teams and players value. He might not get a head coaching job during this cycle, but his time could be coming soon.

Frank Smith

Team/Role: Miami Dolphins/Offensive Coordinator

Frank Smith spent the 2021 season as Sean McVay's run game coordinator and offensive line coach in Los Angeles. In 2022, he joined Mike McDaniel's Miami staff to be the offensive coordinator. While McDaniel is actually the one calling plays and running the show on offense, that won't disqualify Smith from head coach consideration.

In fact, McDaniel earned the Miami job after being the San Francisco 49ers run game coordinator and then offensive coordinator, and we all know Kyle Shanahan called the shots there. Most of the coaches from the Shanahan/McVay tree have been successful, and Smith might be the next in line to be given an opportunity. Sometimes, being in the right system and around the right people gives candidates the benefit of the doubt.

Eric Bieniemy

Team/Role: Washington Commanders/Offensive Coordinator

Eric Bieniemy is in the headlines every offseason. He was on Andy Reid's staff in Kansas City from 2013 to 2022 before taking the Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator job ahead of the 2023 season. He came to Washington seeking a new opportunity to have full control of the offense, but it remains to be seen if he did enough to showcase his ability.

Although he was stuck with Sam Howell at quarterback, the numbers weren't there. Washington ranked 26th in offensive DVOA, 24th in total offense per game, 18th in passing yards per game, 27th in rushing yards per game, and 25th in points per game. Wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson seemingly regressed in the first year in his system.

That said, he's still likely to draw interest as he's done each of the last three to four offseasons, so we'll see if 2024 is the sweet spot for him to land a head job.

Josh Harris asked if Eric Bieniemy will get a look for #Commanders head coach. Says he wants to get football operations nailed down first and then conduct the HC search “with Eric and others.”

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 8, 2024

Raheem Morris

Team/Role: Los Angeles Rams/ Defensive Coordinator

Morris has already been a head coach, going 17-31 in three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the defensive guru entered that position when he was just 32 years old. Now 47, he spent six seasons in Atlanta under Dan Quinn and has been calling the shots for the Los Angeles Rams since 2021.

We know how strong the Rams' defense was during the Super Bowl 55 run, but he's doing a solid job this season with a ton of young players, including a slew of undrafted guys. On his current defense heading into the playoffs, Aaron Donald is the only starter who was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. None of the other starters were selected before the third round.

Morris is viewed as a leader of men and a strong defensive mind, so he might get a second chance at leading an organization.

Mike Macdonald

Team/Role: Baltimore Ravens/Defensive Coordinator

The Baltimore Ravens defense led by Mike Macdonald ranks No. 1 in DVOA after ranking No. 8 last season. The 36-year-old has been with Baltimore in various roles since 2014 -- with a one-year pause in 2021 as the defensive coordinator at Michigan.

It might be a little early for the young coach to become the face of an organization, but teams are looking for the next "young hot" candidate in search of bringing stability to their franchise. Head coach John Harbaugh has been the model of consistency in his 16 seasons at the helm, and Macdonald could be viewed as his protégé.

#Ravens promising DC Mike MacDonald received a request to interview with the #Commanders, source said. One of the bright young minds.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 8, 2024

Dan Quinn

Team/Role: Dallas Cowboys/Defensive Coordinator

Dan Quinn is the hottest defensive-minded candidate on the market. His Cowboys' defenses over the last three years have been disruptive and suffocating -- leading the NFL in takeaways in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Dallas ranked 12th with 26 takeaways. Dallas ranked first in defensive touchdowns in 2021 and 2023, and they've been in the top five of defensive DVOA in all three seasons under Quinn.

Oh yeah, and he's already taken a team to the Super Bowl as a head coach. Sure, the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead against Tom Brady and the Patriots, but he got them there. It feels like Quinn will finally get a second chance this offseason, and he's proven to lead elite defenses when the general manager gives him talent to work with.

.@DaRon_Bland is the 2023 INT King 👑

Over half of his league-leading 9 interceptions went for touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/aUVooVodyh

— NFL (@NFL) January 9, 2024

Bobby Slowik

Team/Role: Houston Texans/Offensive Coordinator

DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud, and Bobby Slowik have been quite a trio for the Houston Texans. Houston was expected to be one of the worst five teams in the NFL this year, yet they won the AFC South and are set to host a playoff game during Wild Card Weekend.

Houston passed for the seventh-most yards per game (245.5) and scored 22.2 points per game, despite having a rookie signal-caller and unproven or aging skill players including Devin Singletary, Robert Woods, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Dalton Schultz, and Noah Brown.

Slowik's work this season speaks for itself, and his ties to Kyle Shanahan from 2011 to 2022 with the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers certainly won't hurt his chances to land a job this offseason. Slowik was a part of the famous 2013 Washington coaching staff that featured Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, and Sean McVay. It'd be surprising if he's not a head coach by 2025.

gonna need a documentary about the 2013 Redskins at some point pic.twitter.com/mZjJ9qMLmt

— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) November 13, 2023

Ben Johnson

Team/Role: Detroit Lions/Offensive Coordinator

Ben Johnson appears to be the crown jewel of this year's coaching carousel. The 37-year-old initially joined Dan Campbell's staff in 2021 as the Lions' passing game coordinator before being promoted to offensive coordinator and play-caller in 2022. The Lions ranked fifth in offensive DVOA this year, and Jared Goff has thrown for 9,013 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions in two years under his tutelage.

Not only is the passing game explosive under Johnson, but the rushing attack has averaged at least the 11th-most yards per game in 2022 and 2023. Johnson could be a product of an elite offensive line and underrated quarterback led by one of the league's great motivators in Campbell, but the numbers are great, and he might get to pick exactly where he lands this offseason if he wants to upgrade his job title.

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