The Falcons are one of eight organizations that are looking for a new head coach. It’s set to be one of the most exciting cycles in recent memory because the openings are enthralling, but the candidates are even more captivating.
Jim Harbaugh is primed to return to the NFL fresh off a National Championship. Mike Vrabel was shockingly let go from the Titans, and there will be no shortage of suitors for him. The GOAT is also a free agent as Bill Belichick and the Patriots parted ways. Then, as always, there are the attractive offensive minds like Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik.
The hiring pool is robust with candidates of all kinds, but the competition for their services will be stiff. Just like clubs are weighing candidates, potential head coaches are weighing the organizations right back. So, where would the Falcons fall in the hierarchy of vacancies?
Well, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated thinks Atlanta is the top spot among the seven (Jerod Mayo has been named the next head coach of the Patriots) openings. He used a few different factors to compare the situations: ownership quality, perceived job pressures, quarterback skills, nonquarterback roster ability, and divisional difficulty.
Here’s how he graded the Falcons:
- Ownership quality: 9
- Perceived job pressures: 2
- Quarterback skills: 3
- Nonquarterback roster ability: 8
- Divisional difficulty: 10
- Total score: 32
Here’s what Orr said about the Falcons job opening:
I ranked the Falcons’ ownership score quite high because, generally, I feel like Arthur Blank is a reasonable person, and he’s rarely seen as a meddler in affairs. While I feel Art Smith was hung out to dry a little bit after having to spend one season absorbing the end of the Matt Ryan era and another taking on Ryan’s dead-cap hit, Blank seems to be intuitive in terms of providing a nice way of life for players and being patient with his head coaches. Indeed, the Falcons ranked highly on some critical components of ownership ability in the NFLPA report card: The training staff was great, the travel accommodations were good and so, too, was the way families were treated.
The drawbacks here are obvious: Blank abandoned a long-term build with Smith because he wants to win now. He is 82. This is the reason he has been linked to Belichick so intimately early in the process. That means there is a pressure to win instantly in a division that, while not great, is a slog. It will also get better. New Orleans will find a more Derek Carr–centric offensive coordinator. The Panthers cannot get any worse and, I suspect, will have Bryce Young playing better.
If the Desmond Ridder–Taylor Heinicke platoon were replaced, say, by someone such as Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins or even Baker Mayfield, I don’t think we would even be questioning which job is the most desirable. The Falcons boast stalwart offensive line talent, a good cornerback and excellent young skill-position players when fully healthy.
I think Orr’s assessment is pretty accurate. The new head coach will have a talented roster in the worst division in football with an owner who is willing to do anything to win.
I do think that the quarterback situation isn’t as bad as some fans make it out to be. Do the Falcons have a Justin Herbert? No, but they have a blank canvas with plenty of draft picks and cap space to get the quarterback that the new head coach desires. It could be seen as a positive in some capacity.
The Falcons opening is certainly one of the best, but an argument could be made that the Chargers, Seahawks, and Commanders are right there for varying reasons. It will be a competitive hiring cycle.
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Photographer: Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire
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