8 realistic candidates to be the Vikings next head coach
By Adam Patrick
Greg Roman
- Age: 49-years-old
- Current Role: Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator
Under the guidance of Greg Roman during the last few seasons, the Ravens have developed into a team with arguably the best rushing attack in the NFL. Baltimore topped the league in rushing yards in both 2019 and 2020 with Roman as their offensive coordinator and their rushing attack currently ranks third in the NFL after the first 13 weeks of the season.
The thing with Roman though is that his system seems to rely a lot on the run game, which to some, isn’t as favorable in the modern NFL as an offensive scheme that is built more around passing the ball.
Jonathan Gannon
- Age: 38-years-old
- Current Role: Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator
After spending 2014 to 2017 as an assistant with the Vikings and 2018 to 2020 on the sidelines of the Indianapolis Colts, Jonathan Gannon was given a great opportunity to be the defensive coordinator for the Eagles this year.
So far, Philadelphia’s defense is right around the middle of the pack under Gannon (15th in points allowed and 11th in yards allowed), but they’ve still shown plenty of signs of improvement compared to the unit that was on the field in 2020.
Even though he has a defensive background, his age and connection to Minnesota might give him an advantage over some other candidates that could be in the running to replace Mike Zimmer.