Offensive Coordinator Candidates

Edition #791

☀️ Good morning! ☕

The Jets have their guys in place, they’ve introduced them officially and if Darren Mougey is to be believed, they’re already hard at work. In fact he seemed to suggest that they would be going straight from the introductory press conference to roster evaluation meetings.

Now, I feel we can really get on with the off-season and this is going to be one of the most interesting off-seasons in recent memory, based solely on all the decisions that need to be made and in a timely fa shion. Heading into free agency you need a clear idea who’s going to be here and wh o’s not. So all those decisions on the playing staff need to be made within the next 4-6 weeks.

One of the first key decisions will be the offensive coordinator. Glenn seems like a great leader and obviously he knows a lot about defence. He’s also spent considerable time learning about offence, but he’ll need to do what so many have failed to do over the years, get the offensive coordinator decision right. I don’t mind if he takes his time if it means we get it right, he’s been around one of the best and most highly regarded offensive minds in football in Detroit with Ben Johnson, so I’m hopeful that he knows what he’s looking for when it comes to a modern day offensive coordinator.

Today I’m going to introduce 10 candidates who could be under consideration.

🟢 PFF had a new mock out yesterday and they had the Jets going wide receiver in McMillan from Arizona: “It’s unlikely that Aaron Rodgers will return to the Jets, in turn making it doubtful that Davante Adams will come back. McMillan would form one of the most exciting wide receiver duos in the league with Garrett Wilson. He is a prototype X-receiver at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. His 35 contested catches over the past two years led all FBS receivers. McMillan proved he’s more than just a big body as a junior, though, placing second among FBS wideouts with 29 forced missed tackles after the catch.”

🟢 I like to keep an eye on the Senior Bowl and the players weighed in over the weekend. Marshall’s Mike Green came in at 251 pounds, which is significantly higher than his listed weight (215) and his perceived playing weight (225). He had 17 sacks and 23 tackles for a loss last year and if he can maintain his explosion at that weight, he’s going to see his stock absolutely skyrocket over the next couple of months. Deon Walker the NT from Kentucky came in at 6’7 and 340lbs which is just enormous. Miami TE Elijah Arroyo also helped his stock coming in at 6’4 and 251 pounds and he’ll probably run a 4.65 in the combine. His stats won’t blow you away but teams will love that size & speed combination.

Let’s talk offensive coordinator. One of the biggest fails of the Robert Saleh era was his inability to piece together an offensive coaching staff. The Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett to placate and entice Aaron Rodgers, putting the one above the many. Then you have Todd Downing, Keith Carter and a number of other hires that just didn’t work. Now Glenn gets the opportunity to put all that right.

Here are some potential coordinators who I feel the Jets may be interested in. I’ve put pictures next to the three candidates that I’d most like to see given serious consideration.

Nick Caley (LA Rams Tight ends coach & pass game coordinator)

Largely considered to be one of the hottest name in coaching circles right now is Sean McVay’s right hand man Nick Cawley who turned down the Patriots OC job last off-season to stay in LA and gain a year of experience as the pass-game coordinator. The Rams had a top-10 offence when it came to passing the football last season averaging 229.5 passing yards per game. He won 2 Super Bowls while a coach with New England and has now worked under McVay, one of the brightest minds in the game.

Marcus Brady (LA Chargers Passing game coordinator)

Brady is a former QB himself who has prior coordinator experience with the Indianapolis Colts under Frank Reich. In his first year the Colts were 8th with 26.5 points per game. 2022 was a different story although I believe Reich was calling the plays, Indianapolis ranked 30th in points per game (16.1), was tied for the most turnovers in the league (16) and was 31st in offensive EPA (minus-36.54) when Brady was fired. But he was hired straight away by Nick Sirianni who he worked with in Indianapolis, which says a lot to me.

Grant Udinski (Vikings Assistant OC & Assistant QB coach)

Here is an interesting one as Grant is only 29 having been coaching since 2020 where he was a graduate assistant with Baylor. He was with Matt Rhule in Carolina before Kevin O’Connell brought him to Minnesota as an assistant to the head coach. After just one year he was promoted to assistant QB coach and then a year later was given the title of assistant offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. It may be too soon for Udinski but with Minnesota scoring the ninth-most points in the NFL (25.4 per game) ranking sixth in passing yards (237.8) and seventh in yards per pass play (7.38), he’s certainly a name you’ll probably be hearing a lot in the coming years.