Frank Reich fired: Ranking seven candidates Colts should consider for head coaching vacancy

The Indianapolis Colts decided to move on from Frank Reich on Monday, despite his 40-33-1 record in nearly five seasons leading the team. While Reich made the playoffs twice, he had seven different quarterbacks during his time with Indianapolis and never had the same starting quarterback for two consecutive seasons. 

Indianapolis averaged just 14.7 points per game — the worst in the NFL — a product of their offensive line and rushing attack going to shambles. The Colts are 30th in the NFL in rushing (87.8 yards per game) and have allowed 35 sacks on the year (most in NFL), using several different offensive line combinations to salvage a unit that’s gotten worse each passing year. 

While general manager Chris Ballard’s job is up in the air — and with Jeff Saturday taking over as interim head coach — the Colts will have an intriguing pool of candidates to choose from for their next head coach. Reich was essentially the scapegoat for the revolving door at quarterback, so that’s the first issue the Colts need to fix. Perhaps another offensive mind would do the trick. 

There are the seven candidates the Colts should consider for their next head coach, along with how each candidate can turn around the franchise. 

1. Shane Steichen

If the Colts want to go to the Philadelphia Eagles coordinator pipeline again, they should look no further than Steichen. The Eagles offensive coordinator is getting serious consideration for head coaching jobs this year thanks to the development of Jalen Hurts and the high-powered Eagles offense. Hurts is sixth in the league in completion percentage (68.2), 10th in passing yards (2,042), second in yards per attempt (8.5) and second in quarterback rating (107.8) as the Eagles are the lone unbeaten in the league at 8-0.

An innovative play caller who gets the most out of his personnel, Steichen was responsible for the Eagles having the No. 1 run offense last year and has received rave reviews from Hurts and Justin Herbert back when he was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Eagles are second in the NFL in points per game (28.1), fourth in yards per game (391), and have the fewest giveaways (three), while leading the league in rushing touchdowns (16). 

The Eagles rank in the top five of 14 major offensive categories, courtesy of Steichen. The 37-year-old offensive coordinator is getting a head coaching shot soon. 

2. Eric Bieniemy

Bieniemy should have been an NFL head coach by now. The Kansas City Chiefs have scored the most points per game in the NFL (30.3) since Bieniemy became the offensive coordinator in 2018, along with the most yards per game (405.4). Kansas City also has the best record in the NFL during Bieniemy’s run, going 56-17 with three conference championship game appearances and a Super Bowl title in the 2019 season. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also has the most passing yards, passing touchdowns, and the highest passer rating since the start of the 2018 season — all with Bieniemy as the offensive coordinator.

The Chiefs are first in the NFL in scoring (30.4) and second in yards per game (415.3) this season, by the way. 

Bieniemy is a branch on the Andy Reid coaching tree, and Reid’s assistants have had plenty of success in the NFL (see John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott). Reid develops coaches like Bieniemy to be innovative play callers and leaders of a football team. Certainly, Bieniemy will know what type of quarterback he’s looking for — something the Colts don’t know at this point. 

The 53-year-old Bieniemy deserves an NFL shot.

Ryans is a defensive coordinator who certainly deserves an opportunity to become a head coach in the league, and will get that opportunity this offseason. The San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator didn’t think he was ready to become a head coach last offseason, but this year may change his mind. 

San Francisco is sixth in the NFL in points per game allowed (18.4) and are first in yards per game (285.9) at the midway point, allowing the lowest yards per carry average (3.4) in the league and third fewest passing touchdowns (eight). A defensive coordinator for two years, Ryans has never ran a defense that has been ranked lower than third in yards per game — and the 49ers defense is even better in year two under his system. 

Ryans rose up the ranks with the 49ers since being hired as a defensive quality control coach in 2017, this after the 38 year old was a star linebacker for 10 years in the NFL — winning defensive rookie of the year and earning two Pro Bowl invites. 

4. Frank Smith

The Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator is rising up the coaching ranks based on how explosive the offense has been in his first season in Miami. The 41-year-old has his first coordinator job and plays a significant role in a Dolphins offense that is second in the NFL in passing yards per game (293.6) and third in passing touchdowns (18). 

Miami’s offense is even more explosive in the six games Tua Tagovailoa has started and finished, averaging 382.2 yards per game and 27.5 points per game. The Dolphins are averaging 301 pass yards per game in those games, as Tagovailoa has completed 69.9% of his passes (third in NFL), 15 touchdowns (tied for fourth), touchdown percentage of 6.9% (first), and a 115.9 passer rating (first). 

Smith can develop a quarterback and revitalize the Colts offensive line with his six years as a tight ends coach and his year coaching the offensive line with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 41-year-old Smith would be an outside-the-box hire — but so was Mike McDaniel for the Dolphins. 

5. Ejiro Evero

The Denver Broncos are a mess on offense, but their defense is arguably the best in the NFL. Denver has allowed the second-fewest points (16.5) and yards (288.4) per game in the league, while allowing the fewest yards (24.9) and points per possession (1.35). Denver also allows the fewest passing yards per game (165.8) and fewest passing touchdowns (four). 

Evero, the Broncos defensive coordinator, was  safeties coach on the Los Angeles Rams for four years before being promoted to secondary coach. Evero has thrived in year one with the Broncos and his rising up the head coach prospects list. The 41-year-old may get a few interviews this hiring cycle, and would be another underrated hire if he can impress Jim Irsay. 

Moore has been the offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys for four years, and the 33-year-old former Boise State quarterback has excelled in his short NFL coaching career.  In the two full seasons the Cowboys had Dak Prescott as quarterback, the Cowboys led the NFL in yards per game. Dallas ranked sixth in points per game in 2019 and first in 2021 in those two seasons with Prescott. 

The work Moore has done with Cooper Rush — who was on the Cowboys practice squad at the beginning of the season — is telling. In the four games Rush filled in for Prescott, he completed 58% of his passes for 956 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions with an 81.2 rating — as the Cowboys did enough to go 3-1 in his starts. Rush didn’t throw an interception until his final start, having a 90-plus passer rating in his first three starts. 

Is Moore ready to become a head coach? The Colts should at least give him an opportunity at an interview. He certainly can coach any quarterback that lines up under center. 

There’s a reason the New York Giants are 6-2 and already have surpassed their win total from last year. Kafka, their offensive coordinator, has played a major role in the development of Daniel Jones, making the quarterback competent and is getting the most out of an offense that is down several wide receivers and has one of the worst offensive lines in football. 

What can Kafka come up with if he actually has talent? Another member of the Reid coaching tree, Kafka was the Chiefs quarterbacks coach since 2018 and part of the brain trust that developed Patrick Mahomes into the best quarterback in the league. Kafka also played under Reid when he was the head coach of the Eagles, providing vast knowledge of the position. 

Just 35 years old, Kafka may be a year away from serious head coaching consideration. He could be another outside-the-box hire that pays tremendous dividends, just like Reid did with the Eagles 23 years ago. 

Think how Kafka can revitalize Jonathan Taylor’s career, just like he’s doing for Saquon Barkley this year.