Ron Rivera predicted to take on high-profile NFL head coaching job

Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is getting a lot of interest during this head coach hiring cycle around the NFL. So far Rivera has reportedly interviewed for three teams: the Chicago Bears, the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders.

So far there hasn't been much movement in this cycle, with the exception of the New England Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel. The dominoes should start to fall once the Dallas Cowboys make their decision, though. Last week the Cowboys allowed Mike McCarthy's contract to expire, opening up the most high-profile coaching position in the entire business.

Among the candidates that Dallas owner Jerry Jones is considering includes former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and ex-Cowboys superstar Deion Sanders, currently coaching at Colorado. One possibility we hadn't considered is that Rivera could work his way into this conversation, as well.

According to one analyst at Bleacher Report, Rivera will wind up taking the Cowboys' job.

"In Dallas, Rivera wouldn't have to worry about the quarterback position, with Dak Prescott entrenched as the starter. He could use his expertise to strengthen the Cowboys defense, which gave up the second-most points and fifth-most yards this past season. With the swirling rumors surrounding Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, Rivera would be a conservative option with low buzz."

A conservative option with low buzz doesn't exactly sound like the kind of thing that Jerry Jones is likely to do, but we can't rule it out, either. Rivera is a two-time Coach of the Year winner with tons of experience at this level.

While it's been 10 years since he led a team that was a legitimate Super Bowl contender, Rivera could definitely help Dallas on the defensive side of the ball, where there's plenty of talent but the group has underperformed in the absence of former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

The Cowboys were hit hard by injuries this season, but they had won 12 games three years running prior to that - and it wouldn't take much to turn them into a playoff team again. This seems like an outside option, but we shouldn't sleep on Rivera to Dallas completely.

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