Jon Gruden’s reign as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders ended unceremoniously last night. There has rightly been a tonne of focus and scrutiny on Gruden’s conduct, but the Raiders will be keen to move on swiftly and get back to winning ways. Here are four potential candidates to replace Gruden as the head coach in Vegas.
Eric Bienemy
Current position: Offensive Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
Why it works: Bienemy has been a leading candidate for every head coaching vacancy over the last few years. He has been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator since 2018, helping them to win two AFC Championships and a Lombardi Trophy. In that time the Chiefs offense has ranked inside the top four in points per drive every season. They have also led the league in EPA per play and play success rate over that period. Few other candidates can match Bienemy’s recent record.
Why it doesn’t: Whilst he has helped to build the offensive juggernaut that is the Chiefs, Bienemy has never called the plays. That task has stuck with Andy Reid and some will have concerns about whether Bienemy can replicate the Chiefs’ success on his own. The other obvious obstacle is that Bienemy may not want to move to a division rival.
Kellen Moore
Current position: Offensive Coordinator, Dallas Cowboys
Why it works: Moore is widely recognised as one of the brightest young minds in football and has earned a reputation as a talented play caller. He has been the driving force behind the success of the Cowboys’ offense this season and has shown the ability to get the most out of his quarterback. The Cowboys currently rank third in drive success rate, fifth in points per drive and sixth in yards per drive. Under Moore they have also become the only team in the NFL to rank inside the top five in EPA per dropback and EPA per run.
Why it doesn’t: Like Bienemy, Moore does not have any experience as a head coach at any level. He is also still fairly inexperienced, with 2021 marking just the fourth year of his coaching career and his third as an offensive coordinator. It is also unclear whether Moore would want the job. With the Cowboys at 4-1 and the clear favourites for the NFC East, he may want to stay in Texas and see if he can help guide this team to postseason success.
Joe Brady
Current position: Offensive Coordinator, Carolina Panthers
Why it works: Much like Kellen Moore, Brady is beginning to establish himself as one of the NFL’s best young coaches. He had success in college football as the offensive coordinator at LSU, helping to lead them to a National Championship. He was also instrumental in Joe Burrow delivering the best college season we have seen from a quarterback in decades. Brady’s play calling at Carolina has been the subject of a lot of praise and he could help to maximise the offensive potential of this Raiders team.
Why it doesn’t: Brady is another candidate who has not yet held a head coaching role. He is also in just his second season of coaching in the NFL. Whilst his results speak for themselves, there may be worries that he doesn’t yet have sufficient experience to take on the responsibility of running an NFL franchise.
Doug Pederson
Current position: Unemployed
Why it works: Unlike all of the other candidates on this list, Pederson has head coaching experience. He also has experience leading a team to a Super Bowl win. There is one other obvious advantage to Pederson – he is currently without a job and could potentially start much sooner than others, who may want to see out the season with their respective teams. Everyone knows how his time in Philadelphia ended, but there is no getting away from the fact that he led the Eagles to the playoffs in three of his five seasons as head coach.
Why it doesn’t: Pederson was at the helm during the Eagles’ disastrious 2020 season that saw them win just four games. This may be too fresh in the minds of the Raiders’ brass for them to consider him. There were also reports that towards the end of his tenure, Pederson lost the locker room. With the Raiders in need of a unifying figure after the Gruden debacle, this may harm his chances.
