The Carolina Panthers have fired their fourth-ever head coach in franchise history after going 5-7 through 12 games. They’re currently tied for third in their division with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With their playoff hopes all but gone, the Panthers felt it’d be best to move on from Ron Rivera.
Rivera went 76-63-1 in his tenure with the Panthers and led them to three division titles and a Super Bowl appearance in 2015. Rivera is regarded as one of the better coaches and is considered a leader that players love to play for. There’s no doubt he’ll be a highly sought after candidate for many teams. Here are two teams I see potentially being Ron Rivera’s next stop.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ season has been a disappointment, to say the least. Coming into the season, they were expected to break out and become a true contender. I was someone who doubted the Freddie Kitchens hire to begin with. In my opinion, letting go of Greg Williams, who led the team to as many wins in eight games as Hue Jackson had in his entire tenure, was a bad idea. Kitchens had no prior head coaching experience prior to this season, and it shows. He’s made poor in-game decisions while not utilizing the talent he has on offense with Mayfield, Chubb, Hunt, OBJ, and Landry. That’s too much offensive firepower for a 5-7 NFL team.
Rivera could significantly help the Browns, who obviously lack leadership. The Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph incident showed how much leadership this team truly needs. There’s not enough there, and Rivera could be a very quick fix to that problem. He could bring the Browns from third in their division to a true Super Bowl contender with his ability to run a defense and lead a team. All of these factors make Cleveland a great destination. Could the “Dawg Pound” be Ron Rivera’s next stop?
Dallas Cowboys
Jason Garrett is just awful; plain and simple. He’s brought the Cowboys to the playoffs just three times, losing in the divisional round each time. This season is the best example of how bad of a coach Garrett is. The Cowboys have the a top-five offensive line, a top-five running back, a top-10 wide receiver, a front seven full of ferocity, and Byron Jones in their secondary. Not many teams have that kind of talent. In by far the worst division in football, this team should have a much better record than 6-6. Honestly, it’s quite pathetic how little the Cowboys’ players look like they want to play for Garrett.
Rivera, as I have previously stated, is a true leader of men. His players never lost faith in him as a coach. They always bought into what he was selling as a coach. Even after the loss of Cam Newton, the team was still able to win games somewhat consistently. At this point, Jerry Jones will do anything to get a Super Bowl, and Ron Rivera could definitely be the guy who gets it for him.