The best OC hires in the NFL

In the modern NFL, the role of offensive coordinator is arguably the most important on a coaching staff.

This offseason, 20 new offensive coordinators have been hired, with the Rams as the lone team yet to fill their vacancy.

With all of the new faces in new places, let’s look at the best OC hires that took place this offseason.

Detroit Lions: Drew Petzing

Both sides of this move are coming from precarious situations.

Starting with the Lions, it looks as though their championship window is not just closing, but slamming shut. Coming off a 15-win season and first-round upset loss in the playoffs, Detroit went just 9-8 this season, missing out on the playoffs entirely.

Things became so dire for the Lions that Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties from OC John Morton, who was fired at the end of the season.

As for Petzing, he spent three years as the play-caller in Arizona, working with an offensive unit that was… not super talented, to put it kindly.

In his three seasons with the Cardinals, they finished second in yards-per-rush (4.92) and ninth in rushing yards (6,399). This downhill offensive philosophy should mesh well with what is arguably the best running back tandem in the NFL, in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Despite their talent in the backfield, the Lions were not even a top 12 rushing offense last season. This was a big part of the reason Detroit became an incredibly inefficient fourth-down team last year, a huge damper on their identity as an aggressive offense.

While the move is not flashy, it should fill the offensive deficiency that the Lions had last season, making this a good hire for Detroit.

Tennessee Titans: Brian Daboll

In Cam Ward’s first season, it became clear that his talent was not being maximized.

Between the lack of talent on the Titans' roster and the lack of good coaches in the building, Ward was only able to show flashes of his potential last season.

So, what is the fix for this? Bring in a quarterback whisperer as your offensive coordinator.

Even though he did not pan out as a head coach, there is no doubting Brian Daboll’s knowledge on the offensive side of the football.

This will be Daboll’s 26th season as an NFL coach. One of his most notable coaching stops was in Buffalo during Josh Allen’s first seasons, helping to develop him into the MVP candidate that he is today.

Even at the collegiate level, Daboll was the OC for Alabama in 2017, winning a national championship and helping to develop Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.

The Titans also have the most cap space this offseason, meaning they can make an emphasis on putting weapons around Ward and this offense.

Daboll has a distinct track record of maximizing quarterback talent, making this a slam-dunk hire for Tennessee.

Los Angeles Chargers: Mike McDaniel

Imagine owning a sports car that can only go 50 miles per hour.

Yes, the car looks amazing. Yes, you still get from Point A to Point B. However, when you get on the highway, you are going to get passed by the faster cars around you.

This has been the Chargers' offense the last few seasons under Greg Roman. Roman has always embodied a smash-mouth, possession-maintaining brand of football, which has proved to be a solid regular-season offense, but always left something to be desired from an offense quarterbacked by Justin Herbert.

When it comes to the playoffs, though, this type of offense has always sputtered and underperformed.

Enter Mike McDaniel. He is going to sit down in the sports car of this offense and rip out the brakes.

The philosophies of Roman and McDaniel can not be more different. In the modern NFL, creativity and big plays reign supreme, and McDaniel thrives in calling a high-octane offense.

Furthermore, he has never had a quarterback as talented as Herbert. If five seasons ago, McDaniel was able to turn an offense led by Tua Tagovailoa into one of the most electric in the league, imagine what could be done with this current Chargers team.

Add in the fact that Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater should be healthy to start the season, and this LA team should be at full strength to begin the season. There should be zero doubts that this offense now has the capability to be one, if not the best, in the entire NFL.

Brendan Kern is a second-year majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email bwk5372@psu.edu.