As the playoffs begin, some teams are narrowing in on their preferred targets. Some teams don’t need to worry about the playoffs because their candidate isn’t participating, while others may just be waiting until their candidate’s season is over.
Jason La Canfora, of CBS Sports, reported that former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is considered the favorite to get the Texans’ open head-coaching position. He suggests that firing David Culley may have been a reaction to Flores’ surprising availability. Both firings came as a shock to NFL media, so it’s not outrageous to presume that the Texans saw Flores get cut loose and decided to make a bold move of their own.
Flores and Texans general manager Nick Caserio worked together as scouts in the Patriots’ system. Flores won eight of his final nine games in Miami this year, showing promising potential, not to mention that Flores was a factor in Deshaun Watson waiving his no-trade clause for the Dolphins earlier this year, before that deal fell through. The Texans have other candidates, but Flores has interviewed with the Bears and will continue to be a target for other teams, so Houston will likely want to secure its target sooner, rather than later.
Tom Pelissero, of NFL Network, reported that Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is looking like the favorite to replace Vic Fangio in Denver. This situation is a little more fraught. The connections aren’t quite clear. Obviously Quinn’s resume speaks for itself as he made it to the Super Bowl with Atlanta and has helped develop an impressive, young Cowboys defense, but the Broncos just fired a defensive-minded coach in Fangio, and it’s a bit surprising to see them double down on that philosophy.
There’s also the issue that, unlike Flores, Quinn isn’t currently available. He hasn’t even interviewed with any teams. Even when he does interview, it seems those teams may be in competition with his current employer. La Canfora put out a report that Dallas holds Quinn in such high regard that it might be willing to move on from current head coach Mike McCarthy in order to secure Quinn as his successor.
There are plenty of moves to be had and plenty of time for it all to play out. Be sure to follow all our updates on the 2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker.
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