Update: In a shocking move, the Colts named Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach Monday.
The Indianapolis Colts made a statement Monday by firing head coach Frank Reich after five and a half seasons.
Though Reich finished with a 40-33-1 record as head coach in the regular season, the team made the playoffs just twice during his tenure and the recent downward spiral of the team was the nail in the coffin.
While the Colts are likely to announce an interim head coach during their press conference Monday evening, here are three candidates the team could consider:
DC Gus Bradley
Currently the defensive coordinator, Bradley is probably the most logical option to take over as the head coach for the remainder of the season. He has experience in that area when he was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for four seasons (2013-2016). The Colts defense has been a strong spot this season, ranking 10th in defensive DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. Considering his experience and current role, Bradley makes the most sense.
STC Bubba Ventrone
Though special teams coordinators don’t often get immediate consideration to take over as interim head coaches, there could be some consideration for Ventrone. He’s led a special teams unit that constantly ranks in the top of the league and if the Colts want to consider him as a candidate following the regular season, they could give him a bit of a trial run for the remaining eight games.
John Fox
This is more unlikely than the two options above, but Fox is like Bradley in the sense that he has previous head coaching experience. Because his role with the Colts as senior defensive assistant is considered more behind-the-scenes work, it isn’t clear if the Colts will consider him a candidate to replace Reich. Simply given his history as a head coach in the NFL, though, it wouldn’t be totally shocking if they went this route.
