Last year, it was like there was a scoreboard validating each assistant coach’s candidacy.
Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith got interview requests from all seven teams with openings. Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had such overtures from six of the seven teams, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was five-for-seven, and Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, a latecomer to the party as a first-year coordinator, wound up scoring four interviews.
And if that was a sign that last year the NFL very much knew what it was looking for in that particular cycle, the opposite could wind up being the case this year.