What Type of Staff Could Shane Steichen Build in Indy?
The Indianapolis Colts may have found their guy at head coach, as Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that the team is targeting Philadelphia Eagles' Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen to be the next man in charge.
This has been a long and drawn-out process for Colts fans, but in the end, the team will be hiring the right man for the job. The next step for Steichen in this process is building a strong staff to support him in this big move. Steichen has been around the league since 2011, so there is a decent amount of connections and ties that he could draw from to fill out his staff.
In today's article, I dive into a few candidates that Steichen could have in mind for key roles.
Offensive Coordinator
Steichen is likely to be the play-caller in Indy, but the offensive coordinator role is still a major position to fill on the staff. We saw the importance of a non-play-calling OC under former head coach Frank Reich, as the team had noticeably more success with Nick Sirianni in that role than they did with Marcus Brady the past two seasons.
Pep Hamilton, Former Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator
Hamilton is a familiar face for Colts fans, as he was the team's offensive coordinator from 2013-15 with Andrew Luck at quarterback. While he was fired after the 2015 season, Hamilton did call a Colts' offense in 2014 that ranked third in yards per game and sixth in total points per game.
The connection to Steichen comes from their days with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, as Hamilton spent a year as the QB coach when Steichen was the team's offensive coordinator. With Hamilton currently out of a job, it feels like a guarantee that he will join the Colts' staff in some capacity under his old friend for this next season.
Kevin Patullo, Philadelphia Eagles Passing Game Coordinator
Patullo is a 41-year-old coach that has been working in the NFL since 2007. He has spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs (2007-2008), Buffalo Bills (2010-2012), Tennessee Titans (2014), New York Jets (2015-2016), Colts (2018-2020), and now the Eagles.
Steichen didn't work with Patullo until the past two years with the Eagles, but he is a promising young coach that has slowly climbed through the ranks. When you factor in his ties to the Colts in recent seasons, it would make some sense for Patullo to make the trip back to Indy in a promotion.
Anthony Lynn, San Francisco 49ers Running Backs Coach
This may be another name that gives some pause, but Lynn is a coach with a ton of experience in the NFL. He has been coaching in the league since 2000 and has even held some prominent roles such as offensive coordinator (2016 Bills, 2021 Detroit Lions) and head coach (2017-2020 Chargers).
The connection with Steichen is obviously with the Chargers, where Lynn served as the head coach when Steichen was the QB coach (and eventually promoted to offensive coordinator). Lynn has been fairly unsuccessful in his career as a play-caller, but he could work well as another prominent mind in the room alongside Steichen calling plays.
Defensive Coordinator
I'm not going to rattle off too many names for this section, as I am 99% sure that Gus Bradley will be retained to work under Steichen in Indy. Bradley overlapped with Steichen with the Chargers, and by all accounts, the two have a good working relationship. On top of that, Bradley's defense held Steichen's high-powered Eagles' offense to just 17 points this year, so I doubt he would want to change too much on that side of the ball.
Eric Henderson, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Line Coach
The only other option I could see Steichen going with at defensive coordinator is Eric Henderson from the Rams. Henderson, like Bradley, overlapped with Steichen with the Chargers a few years back.
It would be risky to replace Bradley with a young coach that doesn't have much experience calling plays, but I'm not going to completely rule it out. I'll safely give this a 1% chance of happening.
Offensive Line Coach
This will arguably be the most important hire for Steichen during the process. Jeff Stoutland had a major impact on his scheme in Philadelphia, and the Colts will need to find someone that can emulate Stoutland's ability to design a run game and develop offensive linemen (Stoutland is not leaving Philadelphia, by the way).
Roy Istvan, Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Since the Colts won't be able to steal away Stoutland, the next best option is to grab his assistant offensive line coach. Roy Istvan has been coaching for a long time, although a majority of his time has been spent at the college level. He joined the Eagles in 2019 under Stoutland and has helped coach the league's best offensive line for the past four seasons.
Istvan should be the no-brainer hire for the Colts up front. Stoutland is the best OL coach in the league, so grabbing his assistant would be the smartest move the team can make in filling out Steichen's staff.
George Warhop, Former Houston Texans OL Coach
The only other name that could intrigue Steichen is Geroge Warhop. Warhop has an impressive history in the league, as he has been an offensive line coach in the NFL every single season since 1996. He has had some ups and downs, but it is hard to find a coach with that kind of experience on the open market.
Steichen crossed paths with Warhop for a year in Cleveland back in 2013. Is that enough to reunite the two in Indy this next season? Potentially.
Special Teams Coordinator
Bubba Ventrone will be back as the ST Coach in 2023. I also feel confident in predicting that he will be promoted to Assistant Head Coach under Steichen, as the Colts look to showcase him as a potential head coach for teams down the line.
Other Names to Watch for Various Roles
- Jason Michael, Philadelphia Eagles TE Coach
- Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Coach
- Mike McCoy, Jacksonville Jaguars QB Coach
- Giff Smith, Los Angeles Chargers OLB Coach
- James Cregg, San Francisco 49ers Assistant OL Coach
- D'Anton Lynn, Baltimore Ravens Safeties Coach
- Alex Tanney, Philadelphia Eagles Assistant QB Coach
- Philip Rivers, Former Indianapolis Colts QB
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