The Las Vegas Raiders have dived headfirst into the coaching candidate wilderness in the last week, as they fired Pete Carroll on Monday and are immediately seeking his replacement. The list of current candidates ranges from incredibly exciting to terribly mundane and underwhelming.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has been the frontrunner within Raider Nation, and the team recently requested to interview him. But Las Vegas is also interviewing Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Davis Webb, who has quickly become a favorite.
Relatively boring candidates, who may just be interviewing so that Las Vegas can learn something about their AFC West foes, include Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Neither is considered a top option for the franchise.
Being bold and embracing out-of-the-box thinking is what gets you a competitive advantage in the league, however. If the Raiders made one of these out-of-nowhere head coach hires, however, it could completely tilt the NFL world on its axis.
Raiders could get ahead of the curve by hiring these longshot coaches
1. Ejiro Evero, DC, Carolina Panthers
Evero is actually picking up steam as a head coach, but it may be a year too early. Still, Evero is the perfect blend in a lot of ways because he is still young at 45 years old, has a reputation for being an incredible leader and culture setter, and his defense has improved dramatically in Carolina.
Fans may be worried about a defensive-minded head coach, but Evero has learned under Jon Gruden, Sean McVay, Jim Harbaugh and Mike McCarthy, so he has plenty of great offensive resources to pull from and good offensive coaching trees to tap into.
Evero, originally from London, grew up in California and played college football at UC Davis. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent back in 2004, so he has a tie to the franchise and could make a grand return.
2. Nate Scheelhaase, Passing Game Coordinator, Los Angeles Rams
Scheelhase is just 35 years old and currently learning the football gospel from McVay, arguably the most innovative offensive mind in the sport. As a former quarterback, he rose through the major college coaching ranks quickly and received a promotion after just one season with the Rams.
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Having a former quarterback who is also a branch of the McVay tree around to help out with a rookie quarterback would be a huge benefit for the young player. He may need a little seasoning, and it's perhaps a year too early on Scheelhaase as well, but he could be a sleeping giant in the profession.
While Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is getting most of the attention in this coaching cycle, both ESPN's Peter Schrager and Jeremy Fowler reported that Scheelhaase is getting legit buzz in multiple NFL front offices.
3. Thomas Brown, Passing Game Coordinator, New England Patriots
Brown was not only an incredible player in the SEC for the Georgia Bulldogs, but he also played a few seasons in the NFL before becoming a fast riser in the coaching ranks. Originally starting as a running backs coach, he became an offensive coordinator and interim head coach before his current post.
He has worked under McVay as well as Frank Reich, another creative offensive mind, so Brown should have quite the catalog to pull from. Brown has also surely learned great leadership and team management skills from Mike Vrabel this year in New England.
Still just 39 years old, it may also be a bit too soon to consider Brown as well. But just two years ago, he was considered the second-best offensive coordinator in the league by the NFL Players' Association. Brown is young, has experience as a player, and tons of respect as a coach.