The NFL preseason is heating up, with only two games left on the summer slate and two weeks to go until the regular season kicks off.
While this time of the year is usually a time for optimism and fresh beginnings, there is more than a handful of coaches that are feeling the pressure going into the season for various reasons. While coaches like Bill Belichick and Sean Payton might not be worried about their job security, some coaches know that they either must perform in 2019 or find themselves without a position.
Here are four NFL coaches that are on the hot seat and under pressure going into the beginning of the 2019 season.
Jay Gruden: Washington Redskins
Jay Gruden joked before the season started that he knows that he’ll be on his way out in Washington if his team doesn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2019, and it seems like that scenario is more likely than not.
Gruden has spent five years at the helm of the Redskins without accomplishing a playoff win, and this is the last year of his contract. If he doesn’t qualify this year, which will be a big task without injured QB Alex Smith, he could be on his way out.
Doug Marrone: Jacksonville Jaguars
Marrone’s Jaguars were the talk of the league in 2017, making a surprise run to the AFC Championship Game before eventually falling to the New England Patriots.
His team last year was a huge disappointment, finishing with a 5-11 record in last place in the AFC South. If the Jags don’t get their mojo back in 2019, it seems likely that the Marrone Magic in Florida will have run out.
Jason Garrett: Dallas Cowboys
Being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is never easy, and it’s even more difficult when the pressure is on after you haven’t made a Super Bowl after nine years on the job.
Garrett and the Cowboys are undergoing a rough preseason, with contract negotiations stalling the arrivals of QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott to camp. This could lead the team to struggle with drama and ineffectiveness, which could lead to Garrett’s decade in Dallas coming to a close.
Pat Shurmur: New York Giants
Pat Shurmur has only been at the helm of the Giants for one season, but the disastrous 5-11 season that he led the team to last year has some fans already calling for his head.
The Giants don’t figure to be much better this season in the ultra-competitive NFC East, and he could be forced out if the team doesn’t at least compete for a playoff spot.
