There were nine head coaching vacancies this offseason and there are still two left to be filled (Saints, Texans). The NFL has never had so many head coaching openings during one offseason and the list of potential candidates wasn’t the deepest either.
So how did the Raiders do during this cycle? Did they get one of the better coaches on the market or did they have to settle for just an average coach?
In a recent article by ESPN’s insiders, they graded every head coaching hire. The Raiders got one of the best grades (A-) after stealing Josh McDaniels away from the Patriots.
Here is what ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler had to say about McDaniels joining the Raiders:
“McDaniels is absolutely qualified. He understands the things that are important for a head coach, from the X’s and O’s on up to the critical alignment of coaching staff and front office on salary-cap and other issues. That he’s coming with Ziegler, with whom he already has a strong working relationship, makes me like it even more. I just wish I knew who the QB was going to be.”
McDaniels is one of the few coaches this cycle with head coaching experience and it also doesn’t hurt that he has worked with Bill Belichek and Tom Brady for more than a decade.
At just the age of 45, McDaniels is still one of the younger coaches in the league. And if he works out for the Raiders, it’s possible that he could be with the team for the next decade (or beyond).
Considering how good of an offensive mind he is and all of his experience, the Raiders should receive high marks for this hire.
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