NFL Coaching Carousel
2017-05-26 02:40:20
By JEFF PAUR @jeffpaur
Sr Fantasy Writer
Once again, we had plenty of changes at head coach in the NFL this offseason. We have six new coaches in the league, making it four straight seasons with at least six new coaches in the NFL. This isn't a huge surprise, though, as teams are in a win-now mode more than ever. There is little margin for error these days, especially if you consider how quickly teams seem to be able to turn it around.
The big question is how do these coaching hires impact fantasy teams? Well, that is what we are here to tell you. We'll give you the lowdown on all the coaching moves and how they could impact fantasy players on those teams moving forward.
The Jaguars fired coach Gus Bradley during last season and named Doug Marrone the interim coach. Marrone made an impression on the Jaguars and was named the permanent coach after the season. This is good news for the Jaguars offense, which played it's best football of the season after Marrone took over as head coach. He did a great job of getting the most out of Blake Bortles, which is good news for him going forward. This is a good fantasy hire, getting an offensive-minded coach at the helm with a history of producing some very good offenses.
The 49ers fired an offensive-minded coach and hired another, making Kyle Shanahan their next head coach. Shanahan took the Falcons offense to another level last year and has been a respected coordinator over the years. The 49ers are still missing plenty on the offensive side of the ball, but Shanahan should breath some life into that offense. He is a good hire for fantasy teams going forward.
The Chargers hired Anthony Lynn to take over their head coaching duties, taking over for Mike McCoy. Lynn is another coach that comes from an offensive background. He probably won't air it out quite as much as past seasons, using more of a run-first offense. This has been his philosophy past seasons and should continue to ring true with the Chargers. This might not be great new for Philip Rivers, but Melvin Gordon owners should be very excited. He could get a lot of touches in this offense.
The Rams made Sean McVay the youngest coach in NFL history, hiring him to be their next coach at age 31. McVay is considered one of the bright young minds in the game, though, and made the Redskins one of the best offenses in football last year. McVay was brought in to give the Rams offense a big boost. This unit has grossly underperformed in recent seasons. McVay might not have the pieces in place just yet for big success, but should make the most of what he currently has to work with. He will be a big shot in the arm for all Rams offensive players, which is good news for fantasy teams.
Buffalo fired a defensive-minded coach (Rex Ryan) and hired a defensive-minded coach in Sean McDermott, who was the defensive coordinator for the Panthers the last six seasons. He did a great job with the Panthers defense while at the helm. McDermott did hire an experienced offensive coach to be his offensive coordinator, tabbing Rick Dennison for the job. Dennison has done a good job in past seasons with the Broncos and Ravens, and should bring a balanced offensive approach to the Bills offense. He won't have a high-flying offense but does a good job with play-action and keeping defenses off balance.
The Broncos had some big shoes to fill this offseason with Gary Kubiak retiring. The team stayed in-house, though, hiring defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to be their head coach. Joseph is well respected in the Broncos locker room and highly respected in NFL circles. He brought back Mike McCoy to run the offense, which is a positive for the Broncos. McCoy was in charge of some of the best offenses in recent years for the Broncos. He will open things up a little more than the past few year for the Broncos. This is a positive hire for fantasy purposes.