5 NFL Coaches Who Could Get Fired in 2015 |

5 NFL Coaches Who Could Get Fired in 2015

The 2015 NFL season is still young, but with slow starts comes talk of some coaches being on the chopping block a lot earlier than expected. Some coaches may have technically been on the hot seat coming into the new year, while slow starts often have just about anyone called into question.

There are a few names that stand head and shoulders above the rest, though, and a couple more losses could seal the deal. Let’s see which NFL coaches are most in danger heading into the fourth week of the year:

Jay Gruden – Washington Redskins

Gruden has to be the closest to getting booted so far, as he’s gone against ownership’s desire for Robert Griffin III to be the starting quarterback and his system he brought over from Cincinnati hasn’t exactly worked out. There has been some progress in D.C., of course, as Washington has greatly improved both defensively and on the ground, but not having a quarterback can be killer. Maybe the Redskins’ brass forgives Gruden for not having that franchise passer, or maybe owned Daniel Snyder is miffed because RG3 was there and Gruden couldn’t figure out how to use him. Either way, a second straight down year could be all it takes to force Gruden out of town.

Joe Philbin – Miami Dolphins

Philbin has run a questionable ship during his four years in Miami and with the Fins looking at pedestrian as ever through their 1-2 start, it’s highly likely he’s on the chopping block. Philbin’s offense is good enough but now his defense is trash and the offense is at best inconsistent. It’s possible Ryan Tannehill and co. can turn it around yet, but if they don’t Philbin’s tenure could be over in South Beach.

Mike Pettine – Cleveland Browns

Browns gonna Browns. This isn’t even Pettine’s fault, at least not completely. He actually had a solid defense and with a run-first system a year ago, had the Browns at 7-4 at one point. The Browns. Sorry, but that’s kind of amazing. Now they’re 1-2, though, and Cleveland’s owner has shown to have a knee-jerk way of looking at things. Pettine’s inability to move on from Josh McCown to Johnny Manziel could be the telling sign of his time in Cleveland, too, as it could either save him his job or make him look like a blundering fool. Then again, maybe he caves and goes with Johnny Football in a week and the kid goes on a tear and the Browns are amazing. Nah, Pettine’s getting fired.

Tom Coughlin – New York Giants

How do you fired a coach who got you two Super Bowl wins? When he hasn’t even helped you reach the playoffs for the past four years. Let’s first acknowledge that the Giants are at least very competitive and could easily be 3-0 right now if they knew how to close games. However, they’re 1-2 and their only win is over a sorry Redskins team. New York has the coaching and talent to recover from an 0-2 start and it’s entirely possible they’re in the playoffs thanks to a weak NFC East. But if they’re not, the Giants could decide to finally start over at the top.

Sean Payton – New Orleans Saints

Payton would seem entrenched in New Orleans, and maybe he is, but this guy is part of a fading regime that may want to move on from a regressing Drew Brees. They made some huge, risky trades before the season and a second missed playoff trip could have the Saints brass wondering if he’s still the guy for the job. He’s the least likely on this list to get canned, but an 0-3 start doesn’t usually sit well with ownership and his offense hasn’t been its elite self for a couple of years now.