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Bill Barnwell, ESPN Staff Writer
Week 15 felt like the end for three of the AFC’s most disappointing teams in 2023. On Thursday night, the Chargers gave up 63 points to the Raiders and fired coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Friday morning. The Jets were blown out by the Dolphins and eliminated from playoff contention. And amid rumors about Bill Belichick’s future in New England, a 27-17 loss to the Chiefs confirmed that the Patriots will lose 11 games for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s first season with the franchise.
While acknowledging that there are more NFL teams frustrated by their performance this season, these are three of the most disappointing franchises in the league. The Chargers already confirmed they’ll make major changes, and they’re not alone. The Jets and Patriots could also make coaching moves this offseason. These franchises could look very different in 2024.
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After their Week 15 losses, I’m going to help them along the way. I’ll lay out a blueprint for what each of these teams should do over the next nine months to be back in contention by September. Obviously, a lot will depend on factors that are outside of what we know at this point, like who’s available in the first two rounds of the 2024 draft, but we can outline general ideas for what they need to address and who is likely to be available in free agency.
Let’s start with the Chargers, who we already know will be in the market for a new coach and GM. We’ll start there and work our way through the roster:
Jump to a team:
Chargers | Jets | Patriots
1. Hire away Mike Macdonald from the Ravens. The Chargers tried to hire a young program-builder with a defensive background when they poached Staley from Sean McVay’s staff after one season in Los Angeles. It didn’t work. Staley’s defense never seemed to come together, with the Raiders and Jaguars tormenting him in games that ended his seasons. This team’s weakness, as it has been for the Justin Herbert era, is on the defensive side of the ball.
Hiring Macdonald could be seen as more of the same, given that he’s a 36-year-old with just two years of experience as a defensive coordinator. The big difference between Macdonald and Staley comes down to what they’ve done as coordinators. Staley was excellent in his lone season with the Rams, but he inherited a good defense with future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who helped make his gap-and-a-half scheme work along the line of scrimmage.
Macdonald doesn’t have any Hall of Famers, but he has routinely and consistently made the players on his defense better than they were before he arrived. Young Baltimore players such as Justin Madubuike and Kyle Hamilton have developed into superstars this season. Known imports Jadeveon Clowney and Roquan Smith have improved after arriving, but it’s not just them. Journeymen such as Kyle Van Noy and Arthur Maulet don’t just look passable in this defense; they’ve been standouts. Macdonald’s defense ranks second in the league in points allowed per drive over the past two seasons.