Ravens’ Head Coaching Opening Still Ranked No. 1 After Tomlin Steps Down
The consensus last week was that the Ravens’ head coaching job was the most desirable of all the vacancies.
The Steelers becoming the ninth team to be seeking a new head coach changes the landscape, but the Ravens still have the best job opening, according to multiple pundits.
“The Ravens are an elite, blueblood franchise with a top GM, a front office that is a font for talent and have a top five NFL quarterback under contract,” Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote. “They have an owner who kept the previous coach for 18 seasons and a draft strategy that regularly primes the pipe with talent in the middle and late rounds. For these reasons, this is the ideal landing spot for either a veteran head coach or a young head coach who needs guardrails to help him grow into the job.”
Orr ranked the Steelers’ job at No. 4, behind the Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Giants.
“I have the team at No. 4, reflecting both the prestige of the job and its challenges ahead,” Orr wrote. “Replacing Tomlin means that the floor for the expectations in this job is eight losses, despite having no quarterback, an aging roster and a noticeable lack of skill-position talent.”
NFL.com columnist Judy Battista had similar rankings.
“I have the Ravens as No. 1 and that’s because of Lamar Jackson, and I have the Giants at No. 2 because they have [quarterback] Jaxson Dart,” Battista said. “I have the Steelers at No. 3, just barely behind those two teams simply because they don’t have a quarterback and there are some older players on the roster. By my count there’s 15 players who are in their thirties, and so you would think there’s probably going to be a significant roster reset.”
CBS Sports’ Leger Douzable went as far as to call the Steelers’ opening “one of the least attractive jobs in the NFL.”