Josh McDaniels decided to stay in New England and left the Colts scrambling to find a new head coach. Luckily, there are still some qualified candidates available.
While there will be plenty of time to criticize Josh McDaniels for leading on the Colts throughout this entire process, Indianapolis’ front office needs to immediately turn their focus to finding a new coaching candidate.
Including McDaniels, the Colts only brought in five candidates for an interview. Three of them are currently off the table, so who should Chris Ballard take a look at now?
Kris Richard
Kris Richard is the only head coaching candidate to interview with the Colts that is currently available for them to hire. It is unclear whether Indianapolis merely brought him in to satisfy the Rooney Rule, or whether he was seriously being considered by Chris Ballard and the Colts front office.
Richard is currently slated to be the Cowboys’ defensive passing game coordinator after he was essentially let go following his time as the defensive coordinator in Seattle. I don’t think Richard is the best coaching candidate available, but the Colts have already met with him and done all the background work.
If you want to learn more about Richard, you can check out his complete candidate profile.
Dave Toub
Dave Toub and Chris Ballard worked together in Kansas City from 2013-16, and he could be a solid backup option after this whole McDaniels situation. Toub has a great reputation around the league, and many people feel that giving him a chance at a head coaching job is long overdue.
We’ve already written a complete candidate profile on Toub and why he would be a reliable option for the Colts.
Jim Bob Cooter
The Lions are reportedly expected to keep Jim Bob Cooter on their coaching staff with Matt Patricia as their new head coach, but he would likely be willing to take a head coaching job if offered.
Cooter was an assistant coach for the Colts from 2009-11, and he could make a return to Indianapolis as a head coach. Cooter worked wonders with Matthew Stafford in Detroit, and he could do the same with a quarterback as talented as Andrew Luck.
Here is his complete candidate profile.
David Shaw
I’ve been on the David Shaw to Indianapolis bandwagon for a while now, and I think he’d be a perfect fit for the Colts. He already runs a “pro style” offense at Stanford, and he’s had success working with Andrew Luck during their time together in college.
The only question would be whether Shaw would want to leave for Indianapolis. If Shaw has any plans of becoming an NFL head coach, this may be the best opportunity he’ll ever have.
Here is the complete profile of my favorite candidate for the Colts.
Jim Schwartz
I thought Jim Schwartz was one of the best coaching candidates available this offseason, but he didn’t get much of a look during the coaching carousel. It’s possible that Schwartz is content being a coordinator for the rest of his career after winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles, but I think he’d be a good fit with the Colts if he wants another shot at being a head coach.
Schwartz has transformed defenses immediately everywhere he’s gone, and you can check out his complete candidate profile describing his résumé and possible fit in Indianapolis.