Fantasy fans, paying attention during the offseason is one of the biggest things you can do to help boost your odds of victory during the season. There are so many changes in the NFL from season to season, and it is important to know how these will affect the fantasy landscape. The first of these changes that we need to focus on is the coaching carousel. Many teams update their coaching staffs during the offseason, and it is important to note how these changes will impact our fantasy teams. If you were following me last offseason, you will remember that I advocated for CeeDee Lamb as the WR1. The reason for that was my understanding of how McCarthy was different from Kellen Moore as a play caller. Today I will be noting a few of these changes that I think may have a substantial impact on our fantasy teams this fall. I won’t be diving into predictions and projections yet, just giving you an idea of things to look at.

Head Coaching Changes

Somewhat obviously, I think our first area of focus needs to be on the head coaching changes that have seen during this cycle. Let’s start with the most notable head coaching hire, Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers made it clear from the start that they wanted to make a big splash in their coaching hire this time around, and it became clear early on during the search that they were focused on Harbaugh. Harbaugh brings a history of success with him, and I think our long suffering Charger fans should have hope for the short-term future with this hire. The biggest issue with Harbaugh is that he famously has short tenures at his coaching stops, and we would be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t question it. Other than that though, I think this hire is a slam dunk. Harbaugh has championship pedigree, and has proven he knows how to win in the NFL as well.

On the other side of the pendulum is the head coaching hire that I like the least. I have real questions about the hiring of Dan Quinn by the Commanders. Based off reports, it almost feels like he was the third choice at best. He also doesn’t have a great history as a head coach. While he did lead a team to a Super Bowl, the seasons that followed seemed to spiral out of his control, and the team never really looked competitive again. In the last few years under Mike McCarthy, he has proven that he can build a formidable defense, but I am unsure if he has what it takes to completely turn over a depleted roster, and turn it into a contender.

Let’s move on to a couple of hires that I think have promise in two former players. Both Antonio Pierce and Jerrod Mayo were hired to be head coaches during this cycle. I think both of these hires are intriguing. 

Let’s start with Pierce. Antonio Pierce is taking over a team in a division where he will be coaching against Andy Reid, Sean Payton, and Jim Harbaugh twice a year. That is a heckuva challenge. Each of those guys, if they aren’t HoF caliber already, easily could be. The roster that he is inheriting also has some big question marks, especially at the Quarterback position. During his time as interim head coach last year, it does seem like the players really responded to him, but how much of that was due to them just being glad to be rid of Josh McDaniels? While I do like this hire, and think he deserved to keep the job, I will be intrigued to see how he does in his first full year.

Jerrod Mayo is another interesting case. In the past few years, he has been groomed for this opportunity, and has shown some promise as a Linebacker coach. He is inheriting a team with what should be a pretty good defense, but nothing notable on offense. It will be interesting to see what New England does in the first year of the post-Belichick era. I will be watching closely.

Offensive Coordinators

In this and the following section, I am only going to touch on teams that did not make a head coaching change as well. This is because when a new head coach comes in, it is understood that he will almost certainly be bringing in a new staff of his choosing.

The first notable OC hiring that I want to bring to light is the Philadelphia Eagles hiring Kellen Moore. Over the past couple of years, the Eagles have had a pretty specific identity, and I think Kellen Moore brings a pretty significant shift in thinking. While he still values the run game, he is all about putting up a lot of points in the passing game. I am very interested to see what the Eagles offense looks like this year.

The next name I want to point out is Arthur Smith being hired by the Steelers. I am still working through what to make of this hire. I do think it bodes well for the Pittsburgh running game, but the Quarterback and passing games are another story. If Smith can focus on the development of whoever the Quarterback ends up being, I think that the Steelers have the skill position players to be competitive on offense. But, during his tenure in Atlanta I failed to see that developmental focus.

Let’s talk about one more OC hire, and that is Shane Waldron being hired by the Chicago Bears. I believe that this is a great hire for whoever the Quarterback in Chicago ends up being. In the past couple of years Waldron has shown that he understands how to maximize his teams talents. He has also proven to be a fairly innovative play caller. Given the growth we saw in the Bears offense down the stretch, I think he has the opportunity to do some big things.

Defensive Coordinator

Now, I know most of you don’t play in IDP leagues, but I still want to touch on a couple of DC hires that I found interesting.

I am going to start off by going back to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles hired Vic Fangio to be their new defensive mastermind. Fangio has had some great success in the league, but I am really unsure if this was a good hire for the Eagles. Last year with the Dolphins, I don’t think many people would say that the defense was the reason they won games. In fact, I think most people would say that the defense potentially cost them a couple of games. I could be off base here, but I am skeptical of this hire.

The second DC hire I want to discuss is Mike Zimmer to the Cowboys. Zimmer has been around the NFL for a long time, and his teams always had a strong defense. He tends to focus on building his front seven, which bodes really well for the Cowboys since they already have a strong secondary. I think this was a very smart hire, and I will be interested to see how Zimmer can build off of the foundation laid by Dan Quinn.

That wraps up my broad overview of the changing coaching landscape in the NFL this offseason. I hope you found this information useful, and I will recommend taking this information and then reviewing the other coaching changes that occurred as well. This will help you build a foundation for your drafts this fall. As always, you can reach me on X(Twitter) with any questions @2fatguysff