5 NFL Coordinators Who Deserve Head Coaching Jobs

The final week of the 2019 NFL regular season is set for this weekend. While that means the playoffs are set to begin, it also means the scourge of Black Monday is on the horizon, a morning that begins with underperforming head coaches being handed their walking papers.

While many NFL clubs will look to find a veteran coach to solve their woes from this season, there are plenty of current coordinators who deserve to earn a head coaching job in 2020, for teams looking to start fresh.

Here are five who should get that coveted promotion.

5. Don "Wink" Martindale, Baltimore Ravens

At the start of the 2019 league year, the Ravens lost CJ Mosley, Za'Darius Smith, and Terrell Suggs. Even with those losses, coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale made Baltimore's defense even stronger, something we thought wasn't possible. He even turned a struggling Rams corner in Marcus Peters into one of the best in the league. Baltimore has allowed the fifth-fewest offensive yards per game (309.4). Any team in need of defensive prowess and the chance to get the most out players, "Wink" is your guy. He's said he'll only leave for a dream opportunity...well, who's got one?

4. Kevin Stefanski, Minnesota Vikings

Kevin Stefanski has long been a well-regarded offensive mind in the NFL. In fact, head coach Mike Zimmer barred other teams from making Stefanski their offensive coordinator back in 2018. Stefanski helped turn around a once-struggling Vikings offense this year, while getting better-than-expected results out of quarterback Kirk Cousins. More importantly, he developed Dalvin Cook into one of the better running backs in the game. It seems like Zimmer won't be able to hold onto Stefanski this time, however, because he's highly likely to be a head coach in 2020. The Cleveland Browns must be kicking themselves for picking Freddie Kitchens over him last year.

3. Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City Chiefs

The fact that Eric Bieniemy wasn't hired as an NFL head coach in 2019 is a disgrace. In his first year as Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, Bieniemy played a role in developing quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who went onto win the NFL MVP in 2018. This season, Bieniemy has been even more impressive. He lost Mahomes for three games due to a knee injury and dealt with a revolving door of running backs. Even with those issues, Kansas City owns the fourth-best offense in the league (382.1 yards/game). Eric Bieniemy shouldn't be denied a head coaching gig in 2020.

2. Robert Saleh, San Francisco 49ers

Of course, the energetic Robert Saleh makes the list. A disciple of Pete Carroll during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, Saleh implemented what he's learned throughout his coaching career and executed it to perfection with a stacked San Francisco 49ers defense. Through 15 games, Saleh's squad ranks as the second-best defense in the league (277.4 yards allowed/game) and the top-ranked pass defense (165.6 yards/game). A team with defensive deficiencies will have Saleh at the top of their list, and would be wise to hire him.

1. Greg Roman, Baltimore Ravens

This is a no-brainer. When looking at the MVP-caliber season that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has had in 2019, you have to look towards coordinator Greg Roman. Before Roman got the gig earlier this year, Baltimore's offense had notoriously been rather unexciting under previous coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Now, Roman has made the Ravens arguably the most dangerous squad in the NFL, and that's thanks to their ground attack, which averages a staggering 204.1 yards per game. More importantly, Roman developed Jackson into an accurate passer, further passing on the lessons he once imparted on Colin Kaepernick. Get Greg Roman a head coaching job, stat!