Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia Reportedly On List Of NFL Head Coaching Candidates
BOSTON (CBS) -- In what's becoming an annual rite of winter, a pair of Patriots assistant coaches are having their names bandied about as head coaching candidates.
According to Mike Lombardi, via Pro Football Talk, the list of head coaching candidates distributed to all 32 NFL teams includes Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
The list, compiled by the NFL's Career Development Advisory Panel, is made to spotlight some of the stronger head coaching candidates who are available to any teams in need of a head coach. And this coming offseason, there could be a large number of teams looking for a new coach.
The Giants, Bears, Buccaneers, Browns, Bengals, Colts, Broncos are among the teams who may be in need of a new head coach.
Per the report, the list also includes former Patriots linebacker and current Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, as well as former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell, among others.
McDaniels, 41, has head coaching experience, as he led the Broncos to an 11-17 record over the course of almost two seasons before getting fired in December of 2010. He stopped in St. Louis for a brief coaching stint with the Rams before returning to New England, where he had been the offensive coordinator for the record-setting 2007 season.
Patricia, 43, has risen to NFL prominence over the last few years, after officially getting the defensive coordinator title in 2012. Though the Patriots' current defense has struggled mightily in some high-profile games this year, the Patriots have won two Super Bowls with Patricia as the defensive coordinator, with the Patriots leading the NFL in scoring defense in the Super Bowl-winning 2016 season.
