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Robert Saleh is the NFL's first coach fired in 2024, but he certainly won’t be the last.
It may be a bit of a surprise that Saleh was dismissed by the Jets shortly after they lost to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in London and that he didn’t get a chance to take the team to midseason, but his time was clearly short. Saleh had been in his fourth year with the Jets and there had been no progress on the offensive side of the ball.
Saleh had a major excuse last year when Aaron Rodgers went down in the first quarter of his first game with the Jets. The team was doomed to fail after that and it bought Saleh an extra year.
While he came in with a sharp reputation as an excellent defensive coordinator with the 49ers, Saleh never demonstrated the growth it takes to grab hold of an NFL team and deliver any kind of legitimate plan for winning.
The defense certainly was solid throughout the majority of his tenure, but the offense never showed any signs of coming around. The Jets won two of their first three games, but a home loss to the Denver Broncos and another defeat at the hands of the undefeated Vikings was too much for owner Woody Johnson to bear.
The thought behind the firing is that the Jets have plenty of time to turn things around in a flawed AFC East, and the Jets need some more decisiveness at the head coaching position. Owner Woody Johnson cited Jeff Ullrich’s command and leadership as a “tough coach” in naming him the interim leader of the team the rest of this NFL season.
Doug Pederson is on thin ice in Jacksonville
There are several other coaches who may be set to follow Saleh on the firing line, and Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson does not have much rope left. The Jaguars collapsed last season after an 8-3 start and have only won one game this year.
They escaped with a 37-34 victory over the Colts in Week 5, and it was a win they were lucky to get. The Colts roared back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the score, with the Jaguars needing a 49-yard field goal from rookie placekicker Cam Little in the final seconds to win the game.
Now the Jaguars go to London for a pair of games against the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots, and Pederson will almost certainly get the heave-ho if they lose both games. Even if they beat lowly New England, the Jaguars have four brutal games coming up against the Packers, Eagles, Vikings and Lions — and that will almost certainly end Pederson’s NFL tenure in Jacksonville.
“I don’t know that any of his players are listening to him because he doesn’t seem to have any answers at this point,” said one NFC general manager. “You see a good man in Pederson who gets decent results right away but then can’t really hold on after that. It happened in Philadelphia and it is happening now in Jacksonville.”
Much of the problem lies with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is supposed to be an upper-tier signal caller with elite physical talent. However, there does not appear to be much growth in his game. There is plenty of blame to go around — offensive coordinator Press Taylor and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy are clearly involved — but it is the head man who always takes ultimate responsibility in the NFL.
Quarterback woes have Kevin Stefanski grasping at straws
Kevin Stefanski is in a brutal situation in Cleveland because few quarterbacks are playing worse than Deshaun Watson. The quarterback has one of the most onerous contracts in the NFL — five years, $230 million — and the terms simply won’t allow the Browns to get rid of him this year or next.
So what is Stefanski supposed to do with a quarterback who has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game this season?
Last year the Browns thrived with backup quarterback Joe Flacco after Watson went down with a fractured right shoulder socket, but he’s with the Colts this year. Jameis Winston is the backup, and his track record indicates that multiple mistakes are the likely result if he gets a chance to take over.
Many thought the Browns would battle the Ravens for the division title because of a dominating defense, but the team is 1-4 and seemingly going nowhere.
McDermott and Taylor may last the season despite gaffes
Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills and Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals are also on shaky ground considering their brutal in-game coaching decisions, but both men are likely to last the rest of the season and have a chance to right their ships.
McDermott’s biggest issue in his eighth season is his disappointing playoff record. He has suffered some painful regular-season losses often due to his brutal clock management, but the Bills have made it to the playoffs for five consecutive seasons and that will buy him time. If the Bills falter the rest of the way or go out in the Wild Card or Divisional Playoffs, McDermott could be facing an uncomfortable conversation with owner Terry Pegula.
Taylor and his Bengals came up with a maximum effort against the Ravens in Week 5 but still came out on the short end of a 41-38 overtime defeat. Joe Burrow played a sensational game as he threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns, but it was not enough.
The Bengals had a chance to win in overtime after recovering a Lamar Jackson fumble at the Baltimore 38. However, instead of attacking the Ravens, the Bengals settled for three consecutive interior running plays that netted three yards. The subsequent 53-yard field goal attempt by Evan McPherson failed when holder Ryan Rehkow could not place the ball properly on the ground.
It was a painful loss and the Bengals are reeling at 1-4, but Taylor should get the rest of the season to turn things around.
This and that …
— The Vikings ranked 28th in points allowed in 2022, and that defense was the main reason they were eliminated in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs by an ordinary New York Giants team. Brian Flores was hired as defensive coordinator after that and the Vikings improved to 13th in that category last year. The improvement has continued as the Vikings are fourth in points allowed at 15.2 per game. The Vikings lead the NFL with 11 interceptions and rank second in sacks with 20.
— After an ordinary start to his career with the Bears that saw Chicago lose two of its first three games, Caleb Williams is starting to get it. The Bears have won their last two games, and he was razor sharp in the 36-10 blowout of the Panthers. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and no fumbles. Washington's Jayden Daniels may be getting all the press for his brilliant start and that is fine with Williams. That takes a little bit of pressure off the No. 1 draft pick, and he is starting to thrive.
— Drake Maye's time in New England is here. Jacoby Brissett was supposed to be a steadying influence for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, but the ninth-year quarterback couldn't stop the bleeding as the starter. He has completed just 58.5 percent of his passes for 696 yards, and that paltry 5.2 yards per pass is now leading him to the bench. The Patriots have lost four games in a row after a Week 1 upset of Cincinnati, but now it's Maye's team.
