Dan Campbell at the Detroit Lions, Brandon Staley at the Los Angeles Chargers, more

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

The Jacksonville Jaguars have approached the former coach of Urban Meyer College, who has been announced as the new coach. The New York Jets have announced that they have reached an agreement to hire former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. The Atlanta Falcons have reached an agreement with former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Los Angeles Chargers hired former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. The Detroit Lions also chose former New Orleans Saints assistant Dan Campbell as their coach.

How did the Lions, Chargers, Falcons, Jaguars and Jets go with their jobs? I asked ESPN national writers Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler to discuss each move and give their grades, starting with the latest from the top.

Jump to a team:
Leii | Chargers
Falcons | Jaguari | jets

Background: Assistant Head Coach and Tight Top Coach for the New Orleans Saints (2016-2020); coach for the Miami Dolphins (2011-15)

Graziano: Campbell had a bit of head coach experience when he was the Dolphins’ interim coach for the last 12 games of the 2015 season after Joe Philbin was fired and caught the bug. Since then, he has been part of Sean Payton’s team in New Orleans and has been eager to get another shot at work. A former NFL finalist who played 10 years for the Giants, Cowboys and Lions, Campbell has a strong personality and a high level of energy as a coach – anyone who remembers his press conferences when he got his job in Miami already knows this. I think five years of apprenticeship under Payton could only help. Sure, an exclusive rental from the Lions, but how can you argue with a team in their situation trying something unconventional?