Who will be named 2022 NFL Coach of the Year?

The NFL Coach of the Year is awarded following every season to the head coach who has done the best job of working with what he has on his roster. Last season, Tennessee Titans HC Mike Vrabel won the award following an impressive campaign. The Titans finished with a 12-5 record, which made them the top seed in the AFC conference. What's even more impressive is that they did this without star running back Derrick Henry for several matches due to his injury.

Several coaches could be in contention for COTY in the upcoming NFL season. It wasn't easy to predict this one as the award normally goes to a team with a top record and there are many coaches that realistically fit the bill.

Here are my top three candidates to take home NFL Coach of the Year honors this upcoming season:

#1. Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley

I had Brandon Staley down to win the NFL COTY early last offseason because I thought the Los Angeles Chargers would go from a 7-9 team to a playoff contender.I also liked his view on the game. It looked like a smart bet up to the point where they were 8-5 and had a chance to sweep the Kansas City Chiefs and take the lead in the race for the AFC West. They lost a heartbreaker in overtime against those guys and did the same in the final game of the regular season against the Las Vegas Raiders. This eliminated the Chargers from postseason contention.

Even if that last game ended in a tie and they just snuck, I doubt Staley would have received this honor. People questioned their defensive mindset, especially from a guy who got the job after coordinating the NFL’s number one defense with the Los Angeles Rams. They had special team woes and there were some questionable general game management decisions, particularly fourth-down decisions.

But I like his commitment to analytics and aggressiveness in that regard, having an alien at quarterback like Justin Herbert. Now I want them to also show that in allowing him to push the ball down the field instead of having him in the Ben Roethlisberger range for deep pass attempts. If they allow him to be an MVP candidate, along with having the bodies on the D-line to not put them at a disadvantage in run fits and less of those aggressive decisions coming up in losses (since I have them winning the West), I believe the coach will get his respect.

#2. Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell

There is almost a recipe for how to win this award. You’re looking for a coach under whom a team makes some changes schematically, but mostly uses the same personnel and leads them to new heights.

The Minnesota Vikings did go 8-9 last season, but since they never surpassed the .500 mark, they never felt like a legitimate contender for the playoffs. There are multiple statistics that point towards them regressing to the mean, such as finishing top-five in turnover differential (+11). Where I expect to see improvement is across the board offensively. With Kevin O’Connell coming in from the Rams, I expect them to work a lot more out of 11 personnel and diversify the run game, even if the basis remains the same.

Justin Jefferson is my pick for NFL Offensive Player of the Year. With improved offensive line play and opening up the attack, I expect the Vikings to field a top-ten offense. They also added more youth to the secondary and pass-rush weapons, along with adapting more modern split-safety principles. If they win double-digit games, another member from the Sean McVay tree should receive plenty of attention.

#3. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell

Don’t believe I’m just buying the Hard Knocks hype here, I’ve been on the Detroit Lions all offseason long. They didn’t go out and make any huge signings in free agency, but they brought back basically all their key pieces bound to hit the open market and made a couple of under-the-radar signings (such as wide receiver D.J. Chark and safety DeShon Elliott) at positions of need.

Then of course they put together a banger draft class, with Aidan Hutchinson as the new face of their defense at the top, but throughout the weekend, with late-round gems like linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (who has been blowing away coaches even more so than I believed he would). There may not be as many household names, but they could easily have a top-five offensive line in the NFL and they're extremely deep on the D-line, having added guys on the perimeter on either side of the ball to go with the focus on the trenches.

Detroit went 1-6-1 in one-score games last NFL season, but now they have a more talented roster, likely won’t suffer as many injuries again and this group has had time to grow together. I love the coaching staff led by Dan Campbell and I think if they do challenge for a Wild Card spot, a year after winning just three games, voters are going to take note.

If you enjoyed this breakdown, please make sure to check out the original piece, where I also predict all the other NFL awards and the playoff picture, leading up to Super Bowl LVII.