NFL coaching changes: Broncos land Hackett, Bears hire Eberflus

Thu, Jan 27, 2022
NFL News (AP)

After the NFL's regular season ended, several teams decided to move on from their head coaches.

Now, several new faces are heading to new places, as the NFL coaching carousel begins to come full circle.

Here is the latest on the most recent coaching moves:

Denver Broncos

The Broncos hired Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach, in a move that's sure to spark intrigue, given Hackett's close ties to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has been openly uncertain about the future of his career.

Hackett was scheduled to interview with the Jaguars on Thursday, but the Broncos stepped in on Wednesday night to keep that from happening.

Hackett replaces Vic Fangio, who was let go after going 7-10, the Broncos' fifth straight losing season. It will be Hackett's first stint as head coach.

The Broncos have about $50 million in projected cap space, 11 picks in the upcoming draft and a strong defense.

But they were lacking in quarterback play, with Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock both getting starts. So the Rodgers speculation is inevitable.

Chicago Bears

Having previously fired Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace after the team finished third in the NFC North at 6-11, some thought the Bears might seek out an offensive-minded coach to groom young quarterback Justin Fields.

Instead, they went with Eberflus, who will join new general manager Ryan Poles in trying to turn around a franchise that has missed the playoffs in nine of the past 11 seasons.

Eberflus has spent the past four seasons as defensive coordinator of the Colts, where his squad has finished in the top 10 in scoring defense three times.

Chicago also interviewed Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell for the job.

Dallas Cowboys

There has been much speculation in Dallas that head coach Mike McCarthy's job could be in jeopardy after the team's disappointing exit from the playoffs. And now, the reported decision by Quinn - a hot commodity who has interviewed for several head coaching jobs - to stay put figures to only add fuel to the fire.

Quinn helped turn around the Cowboys' defense. A year after it allowed a franchise-record 473 points, the squad finished seventh in points allowed per game and led the NFL with 34 takeaways.

He has been a head coach before, having led the Atlanta Falcons to a 43-42 record from 2015-20 and guiding them to the Super Bowl in 2016.

The remaining head coaching openings are:

- New Orleans, which saw Sean Payton step down this week.

- Miami, which fired Brian Flores after three seasons despite a strong finish to 2021 - a stretch that included a seven-game winning streak.

- Minnesota, which fired Mike Zimmer after eight seasons.

- New York Giants, who fired Joe Judge a day after general manager Dave Gettleman announced his retirement.

- Jacksonville, which fire Urban Meyer in December.

- Houston, which fired David Culley after just one season.

- Las Vegas, which forced out Jon Gruden in October, then went 7-6 under interim coach Rich Bisaccia.

Stay tuned for more updates.