The coaching dominoes are already starting to fall because Matt Rhule has officially been fired by the Carolina Panthers. Rhule was most likely fired due to him being another example of just how difficult it is to transition from the college level to the NFL. In 38 games with Rhule as their head coach, the Panthers had an abysmal record of 11-27. It didn’t look like things were headed in the right direction either considering the Panthers started the season 1-4. His record in the NFL is very different from his record coaching at the University of Baylor, where he had a respectable record of 11-3. Now that Rhule is gone, here are two coaches who should be concerned that they could be next.

Second year head coach Arthur Smith’s job security is the least safe of the three. In 2021, Arthur Smith was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their next head coach after his tenure as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. 

However, the offensive success hasn’t been there at all. In his first season as a head coach, the Falcons were 26th/32 teams in offensive points per game. The offensive personnel in Atlanta wasn’t great, but it doesn’t help that the leading cause of their struggles was Smith misusing Kyle Pitts, who is a generational talent. 

Pitts was the team’s 1st round pick in 2021. In his rookie year, he had over 1,000 receiving yards and proved to be dominant in all areas of the field. However, he was hardly ever used in the redzone, only scoring 1 touchdown all season. This is unusual because most teams usually rely on tight ends in that area. 

Currently sitting at a 3-3 record on the season and a 10-13 record as head coach, Smith better find a way to fix his team’s offensive struggles.

After finishing the year with a 3-13 record in 2019, the Arizona Cardinals brought in Kliff Kingsbury as their next head coach. One of the first things that Kingsbury did after being hired was drafting franchise quarterback Kyler Murray with the 1st overall pick, whom he had a close relationship with for several years. Kingsbury had previously recruited Murray to Texas A&M in 2012, where he was the offensive coordinator.

However, the success hasn’t been there even after bringing in a franchise quarterback. In 54 games, Kingsbury has a record of 26-28-1. What makes this record look even worse is that the Cardinals have collapsed midway through the season in 3 full seasons under him. From 2019-2021, the Cardinals had a combined record of 15-5-1 through the first seven games but had a combined record of 8-18 afterward. There is a reason for this, Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive play calling is so predictable that defenses have figured it out by midseason. So far, the Cardinals are 2-4 on the season, and if they don’t turn it around and play well throughout the season, then Kingsbury’s tenure will likely be over.

A good head coach is key for any team that wants to contend, and at this rate, it looks like these 2 teams are going to be follow in the Carolina Panthers footsteps and part ways with their head coaches.