Predicting the first 3 NFL coaches to be fired in 2021-22

Vic Fangio is on the hot seat with the Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos finished strong in the 2019 season, going 4-1 over their final five games and showing promise with young Drew Lock as their quarterback.

Vic Fangio made the decision to fire young offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello in the 2020 offseason, bringing in veteran play-caller Pat Shurmur instead.

That decision had a ripple effect that has led to where we are today — with Fangio looking like he will be one of the top defensive coordinator hires in the NFL in 2022.

Fangio still has seven games to prove he deserves to be the head coach of the Denver Broncos. At 5-5, they are hardly a mess in terms of their record and still have a good shot at the AFC playoffs at this point in time.

With that said, Fangio has not been a good game manager as a head coach in the NFL, routinely making bizarre decisions with challenges and timeouts.

Fangio knows football as well as anyone in the league, and the guy can coach a defense, by golly. He has been as adaptable as anyone in the NFL as far as creating schemes to stop NFL offenses, no matter what era we’re talking about.

Even as strong as Fangio is as a defensive play-caller, there remain major questions at this point about whether he’s the best long-term fit for the Denver Broncos as a head coach.

If the Broncos don’t go 4-3 or better in their final seven games of 2021, Fangio is likely going to be looking for a job for the 2022 season elsewhere, and quite frankly, he won’t have a hard time getting one. He’s still exceptional as a defensive coordinator.