Dan Campbell in Detroit Lions, Brandon Staley in Los Angeles Chargers, more

Seven NFL teams fired their head coaches in this cycle (three during the 2020 season and four after the regular season) and the first 2021 signings have now been confirmed.

The Jacksonville Jaguars focused on former Urban Meyer University coach, who was announced as the new coach. The New York Jets announced they had reached an agreement to hire former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh The Atlanta Falcons reached an agreement with former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Los Angeles Chargers hired Brandon Staley, a former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator. And the Detroit Lions used Dan Campbell, a former New Orleans Saints assistant, as coach.

How did lions, loaders, hawks, jaguars, and jets work with their hires? We asked ESPN’s NFL national writers Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler to discuss each move and give their ratings, starting with the most recent at the top.

Go to a team:
Lions | Chargers
Falcons | Jaguars | Jets

Background: Assistant to the head coach and coach of the New Orleans Saints (2016-2020); Miami Dolphins coach (2011-15)

Graziano: Campbell had some coaching experience when he was the Dolphins ’interim coach for the last 12 games of the 2015 season following the dismissal of Joe Philbin, and he caught the error. He has since worked on Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans and is eager to get a new chance. Campbell, a former NFL finalist who played ten years with the Giants, Cowboys and Lions, has a fiery personality and a high level of energy as a coach; anyone who remembers his press conferences when he had a job in Miami already knows this. I think five years of learning with Payton can only help. Definitely an out-of-the-box rental for the Lions, but how can you argue with a team in their situation by trying something non-traditional?