A good coaching staff is essential to sustaining success in the NFL, and with it consistency in its ranks. Having the same strong team of coaches on the sideline year after year can fast-track the development of key players within a scheme that remains largely the same. Of course, we know that coaching changes are frequent and myriad each offseason.
It’s not just the teams facing losing situations, either. Successful teams see their coaches handed new opportunities and promotions. That’s especially true within the AFC East this past offseason. Today on the AFC East Roundup, we look back at recent coaching changes within the division.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen will have a new offensive coordinator for the first time in his NFL career after former coordinator Brian Daboll moved to the tri-state area as the new head coach of the New York Giants. Taking his place is Ken Dorsey who was promoted after previously serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. Dorsey has been with Allen since 2019 so the chemistry is there between the both of them. It will be interesting to see how the high-powered offense looks with someone new calling the shots on offense. Buffalo continued promoting in-house candidates by naming Matthew Smiley as Special Teams Coordinator. Previously, Smiley held the assistant special teams coach title. The Bills also brought back a familiar name in Aaron Kromer, who returns as the team’s offensive line coach.
New England Patriots
The Patriots also had to retool their offensive coaching staff after coordinator Josh McDaniels became the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s still unclear who will take over the play calling but there appears to be two candidates. The first is Joe Judge who is listed as an offensive assistant. Judge was originally a special teams coach for New England before leaving to become head coach of the Giants. After getting fired from that job last season, Judge found himself back home with Bill Belichick. The other candidate is Matt Patricia who is listed as a senior football advisor on the team’s website. Patricia was formerly a defensive coordinator for the team before taking a head coaching job with the Detroit Lions—which didn’t work out.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins had some coaching overhaul on offense after the firing of head coach Brian Flores last season. Taking his place in 2022 is Mike McDaniel, who became the franchise’s 14th head coach. This is the first head-coaching opportunity for McDaniel, who was previously offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Joining him as offensive coordinator is Frank Smith, who was the run game coordinator and offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Chargers last season. Darrel Bevell also joins the offensive coaching staff as the quarterbacks coach. Bevell previously held the title of offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bevell hopes to unlock Tua Tagovailoa’s true potential after being the brains behind top-ten offenses six different times in his career.
New York Jets
The Jets are the only team in the division that retain its head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator from the previous season. As mentioned above, this consistency could prove vital for a team trying to establish a new winning culture under second-year head coach Robert Saleh. The icing on the cake? Even their special teams coordinator is returning—for his eighth season with the Jets.
Loading comments...