Grading 2022 NFL head coaching hires

With the hires of Lovie Smith and Dennis Allen by the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints, the 2022 NFL coaching carousel has come to an end. Plenty of new faces are in different places, and Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports is grading all the 2022 NFL head coaching hires.

Moreover, the new crop of coaches comes from multiple different backgrounds. Still, they’ve all ascended to the top of their profession in the same offseason. Here’s who Benjamin believes will be the best of the best from this cycle.

Grading 2022 NFL coaching hires:

Houston Texans: Lovie Smith — To begin, Benjamin was taken aback by the hire of Smith. Simply, he’s wondering how this all came about — the Texans made another head-scratching hire. Grade: D

Chicago Bears: Matt Eberflus — In the least surprising move of the offseason, the Bears decided to move on from Matt Nagy. However, Benjamin wonders if Eberflus’ defensive background was the right decision for quarterback Justin Fields. Grade: C+

Las Vegas Raiders: Josh McDaniels — Can the latest in the Bill Belichick tree buck the trend? For the Raiders’ sake, hopefully McDaniels learned what not to do in his first stint with the Broncos. Grade: C+

New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen — Continuity was important for the Saints, and Allen has been groomed for this position since joining New Orleans. While Benjamin states it feels like a stopgap, Allen is ready for another opportunity after failing with the Raiders earlier in his career. Grade: C+

Denver Broncos: Nathaniel Hackett — “Is he just a giant token to lure Aaron Rodgers to Denver? If so, and it works, then good on them, because they’re an A-Rod away from contending. If not, or if it fails, this is still a reasonable hire,” writes Benjamin.

The Broncos offense is broken. Hackett is an experienced coordinator, but he’ll have to get his hands on a quarterback who can find victories against stars like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Grade: B

Miami Dolphins: Mike McDaniel — Finding a coach who can maximize Tua Tagovailoa was the mission, and the Dolphins did just that. Moreover, Benjamin loves the hire, stating “they’re rightfully swinging for the fences after the curious dismissal of Brian Flores.” Grade: B+

Minnesota Vikings: Kevin O’Connell — It’ll be official after the Super Bowl, but O’Connell takes over the Vikings after Jim Harbaugh was spurned. There’s talent of the Vikings offense. Now, we’ll see if O’Connell can bring it out. Grade: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Pederson — It was a winding-road to get here, but the Jaguars made a great hire for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Benjamin states that there are “few men better wired for a rise from the ashes,” which should be music to Jacksonville’s ears. Grade: A-

New York Giants: Brian Daboll — The big fish of the 2022 coaching cycle, the Giants got the offensive mind they needed. Additionally, Benjamin believes pairing the coach with a familiar general manager will only strengthen the team.

“Pairing coaching and GM’s shouldn’t be a necessity, but Daboll arriving with ex-Bills executive Joe Schoen makes his hire all the more encouraging,” wrote Benjamin. Grade: A-