The 2022 NFL season has come to an end, with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVI. But for many teams, the offseason is just the beginning of a new journey.
Some teams find themselves urgently in need of new leadership to begin working to improve their rosters and strategies. That’s why several teams have made significant changes to their coaching and managerial staff in the past few weeks.
Some of these changes may prove crucial in the early season 2023–24, which can definitely catch bookmakers off-guard and let punters cash in on the once-in-a-year opportunity. If you’re thinking of getting started with football betting yourself, sports betting promotions can give you a headstart with deposit bonuses, no-deposit bonuses, risk-free bets, bonus bets, and much more.
Nevertheless, who are these new leading faces, and what do they bring to their new teams? Let’s find out in this exciting roundup of the 2023 NFL offseason.
Cardinals Hire Ossenfort and Gannon
The Arizona Cardinals have revamped their leadership by hiring Monti Ossenfort as their new general manager and Jonathan Gannon as their new head coach. Ossenfort was previously the director of player personnel for the Tennessee Titans, while Gannon was the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gannon has also brought in his former Eagles assistants, Nick Rallis and Drew Petzing, as his defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. The Cardinals hope that Gannon can bring along his last year’s charm with the Eagles, and he is getting everything he thinks he needs to do his best.
Panthers Land Reich as Head Coach
The Carolina Panthers have landed a big name—Frank Reich, who will take over as their head coach. He wasn’t getting the start he was hoping for in the 2022 season, and the Indianapolis Colts decided to fire him in November.
Despite the disappointing end to his career at Indianapolis, he led the Colts to a 40–33–1 regular-season record and a playoff appearance in his four and a half seasons there. The Carolina Panthers believe he has what it takes to pull them out of last season’s 7–10–0 disappointment.
Reich will be joined by Ejiro Evero, the former defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, to run the Panthers’ defense. Former Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown is also brought in to manage the team’s offensive side of the play.
Browns Hire Schwartz as Defensive Coordinator
The Cleveland Browns have hired former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Jim Schwartz as their new defensive coordinator—another move resulting from the Eagles’ spectacular 2022 season and a season full of defensive instability on the Browns’ part.
Schwartz has a wealth of experience in the NFL, having coached for 28 years, among which he spent eight years as a head coach for the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. Now he has a dire job at hand—to improve a Browns defense that ranked 22nd in points allowed and 17th in yards allowed in 2022.
Ravens Replace Roman with Monken
The Baltimore Ravens have replaced their longtime offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, with Todd Monken, who was the offensive coordinator at the University of Georgia for the past two seasons.
Monken has previously coordinated offenses in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cleveland Browns, and he is known for his aggressive and creative attacking style. Now, he is to sharpen a dull-looking Ravens offense, working closely with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had a career-low 20 passing touchdowns in 2022.
Falcons Hire Nielsen as Defensive Coordinator
The Atlanta Falcons have hired former New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator Ry Nielsen to run their defense. Nielsen spent six seasons with the Saints, working closely with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Nielsen has helped develop a Saints defense that ranked fourth in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed in 2022. Compared to that, the Falcons’ defense ranked 25th in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed last season, and Nielsen has been given the job of turning the tide.
What’s Next?
These are just some of the coaching and managerial changes that took place during this NFL offseason as teams prepare for the upcoming draft and free agency. With new faces and new schemes in play, the NFL landscape could look very different this season.
For now, the best we can do is speculate and make educated guesses, while fans hope that their team has made the right moves to improve their chances of success. This much is for sure, the hierarchy of power is definitely getting shaken up with these changes and the player drafts that are yet to be completed.
