In some stunning early Week 6 news, the New York Jets have reportedly fired head coach Robert Saleh.
A team with Super Bowl aspirations, the Jets currently sit at 2-3 five games into the season. The defensive side of the ball for New York, which Saleh is the play-caller for, has fared well.
According to PFF, the Jets currently rank eighth in EPA (expected points added) per play. However, on the offensive side of the ball, which ultimately also falls on Saleh’s shoulders as the head coach, New York ranks 32nd in EPA.
The Indianapolis Colts, as we know, are currently going through their own issues, many of which stem from the play on the defensive side of the football under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
The 24.4 points per game allowed through five weeks ranks 25th in the NFL and the 419.2 total yards per contest ranks last. Of course, the litany of injuries that the Colts are dealing with haven’t helped matters.
Naturally, I’m sure there will be chatter outside of the building among the fanbase about bringing in Saleh as the new defensive coordinator for the Colts.
However, there’s a few things we have to discuss first. One, at least as of now, I don’t expect the Colts moving on from Bradley midseason. And two, there’s no reason for Saleh to take a defensive coordinator position this season.
He will in all likelihood be the top defensive coordinator candidate this upcoming offseason, where he can see which jobs are available and weigh all of his options. Waiting makes the most sense for Saleh.
The Colts could certainly make a push at that time–again, if they move on from Bradley–but it’s fare to wonder how this job will stack up compared to others, given the major unknowns this unit has in the secondary.
In the meantime, perhaps Saleh joins a team for the remainder of the season as a defensive consultant or he could also sit out and wait for the offseason to arrive.