21 Major takeaways from the 2020 NFL season so far
By Zach Cohen
9. Don’t trade away your star receiver
Look away, Texans’ fans. Maybe I could’ve rephrased that to “Don’t agitate your star receiver,” though you get the point. We all know how Hopkins was shockingly dealt to Arizona for, essentially, a handful of beans (and not the magic kind). The move kick-started Bill O’Brien’s doomsday clock in Houston and, while the team has picked up the pace under interim head coach Romeo Crennel, there’s no doubt that O’Brien’s tenure scarred the franchise.
I could go on about this disastrous move and how tough it’ll be for the Texans to rebuild without a first- or second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but I only have so much space left. As for Hopkins, he’s third in receptions, right behind Stefon Diggs, who, hey, wasn’t he also traded? Luckily for the Vikings, they seemed to have found a viable replacement in rookie Justin Jefferson.
Either way, Minnesota isn’t winning anything anytime soon. On the other hand, the Bills are challenging for a top playoff spot and look to be the AFC East favorites. A big part of that has been Diggs, who combined with an improved Josh Allen, gives Buffalo something they haven’t seen in a while: A good offense.
It seems only fitting that two of the best receivers in 2020 were both traded in the offseason. If you’re reading this, Bill O’Brien, I’d suggest skipping the next takeaway as well.
8. Adam Gase and Doug Marrone are next on the chopping block
Well, duh. I could just end it right there. The Jets and Jaguars are the two worst teams in the NFL, with the Jets still searching for their first win. It’s nice to know that you and I have the same amount of wins as an NFL team. As for the Jaguars, It’s only a matter of time before Marrone joins Jacksonville’s former GM, Dave Caldwell, on the unemployment list. Aside from their surprise run to the conference championship in 2017, Marrone has had no winning seasons in his five-year tenure as the Jaguars‘ head coach.
We’ve already seen three coaches kicked to the curb this year (O’Brien, Dan Quinn and, recently, Matt Patricia), so I wouldn’t be surprised if Gase and Marrone are fired before the season ends. At this point, they’re battling for the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes.
A pair of coaches who are less popular candidates to be fired could be the Bengals’ Zac Taylor and the Chargers’ Anthony Lynn. Both franchises have been relatively patient with head coaches in the past, so I can see them sticking around for at least another year. However, the recent reports out of Cincinnati don’t bode well for Taylor and the Chargers should be better than 3-8 if it weren’t for some poor coaching decisions in recent weeks.
Just like with quarterbacks, there may be some significant coaching movement this offseason.
7. Joe Brady is in line for a head coaching job
We already know there will be some jobs available and Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady should definitely get some consideration. Just look at what he’s done with Carolina‘s offense. Despite being 4-8, the banged-up Panthers have surpassed low expectations in Matt Rhule’s first season. Only two of the team’s losses have been more than two possessions and a lot of that could be credited to Brady.
Mike Davis has been a viable fill-in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, Robby Anderson has never looked better, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are budding stars, and, for the most part, Teddy Bridgewater looks like he could be the guy in Carolina. No name has been hotter than Brady in recent years after he worked his magic as LSU’s passing coordinator during their historic 2019 season.
It’s only a matter of time before Brady is the head honcho of an NFL team. Some other top coaching candidates: Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.