We're just over a quarter of the way through the 2022 NFL season, but we've already had our first head coach firing. The Carolina Panthers' decision to show Matt Rhule the door Monday kicked off this season's edition of the coaching carousel early.
Rhule's struggles started much earlier than this season, but getting off to a 1-4 start didn't help.
Now the question shifts to who will be next on the chopping block. Last season, the league saw 10 head coaching changes. Despite that much turnover, other jobs could still be available by season's end.
Based on this year's results and each team's outlook, these coaches all have a shot at being the next to go.
Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell spent the preseason endearing himself to a national audience on Hard Knocks. The coach's gift for rousing speeches and hard-nosed approach to football is easy to like, and it led to some high-profile stories and hype surrounding the coach.
Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, none of it has led to positive on-field results.
The Lions are 1-4, giving them a nearly identical win percentage as their 3-13-1 campaign last season. The Lions' last loss came at the hands of the New England Patriots, who were starting a fourth-round rookie quarterback in Bailey Zappe for the first time.
Detroit was shut out 29-0. Campbell acknowledged that's a new low.
“To me, it’s about as bad as it gets. This is the worst,” Campbell told reporters. “This is where we’re at, and sometimes it’s gonna get bad before it gets better and I believe we hit rock bottom. So, now the only place to go is back up.”
Going "back up" won't be easy. According to Tankathon, they have the fourth-most difficult remaining schedule.
Better health should help the offense. They have a bye this week to get healthier after missing running back D'Andre Swift and receivers D.J. Chark and Quintez Cephus in Week 5. They are still waiting for rookie first-round receiver Jameson Williams to make his debut as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in the national title game with Alabama.
There's still hope for Campbell, and it's tough to fire a coach in his second season, but they need to start showing improvement quickly.
Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos
Neither Russell Wilson nor Nathaniel Hackett has lived up to the hype with the Denver Broncos.
If one of them is going to go, it won't be the star quarterback who just signed a contract with a guaranteed $161 million.
Hackett was brought on to revive an offense that was ineffective under defensive-minded coach Vic Fangio. So the fact that the Broncos are 31st in scoring, 18th in yards per play and last in red-zone touchdown percentage puts him squarely on the hot seat.
The offensive woes aren't the only damning evidence against Hackett either. He has struggled to adapt to the quick decision-making required of a head coach.
The Broncos had to hire Jerry Rosburg as a game management coach after Week 2. It's good that Hackett acknowledged a weakness and sought help, but the Broncos are 1-2 since the hire and suffered a dreadful overtime loss to the Colts on national television last week.
Jordan Schultz of The Score reported on Oct. 7 that an NFC executive told him he'd "give [Hackett] one more week, maybe two. Otherwise, this season's over before it even started."
The Broncos have put a ton of resources into bringing in Wilson and ostensibly becoming a contender. It's not hard to envision Hackett becoming the scapegoat and the Broncos going right back into the coaching market.