Rush to hire coaches hurts candidates who can't be hired yet

The annual spinning of the coaching carousel during the NFL postseason creates real distractions for assistant coaches on playoff teams who are in line for promotions. At a time when every waking moment should be devoted to preparing for the next game, precious hours, minutes, and seconds are siphoned away.

A conflict arises. Finishing the current job versus trying to get the next one. The bigger one. The life-altering one.

Then there's the reality that success in the current position will delay, if not derail, other opportunities.

Consider the candidates who are coaching this weekend: Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Broncos quarterback coach/passing game coordinator Davis Webb, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde. None has been available to be hired, as five of 10 openings have been filled.

Sometimes, a team will wait through the Super Bowl to make its hire. (And, on at least one occasion, an unofficial deal fell apart.) If it's close between a candidate who can be hired now and a candidate who may not be available for 17 more days, how can that not be a factor?

Consider Vance Joseph. Unlike the others listed above, he has head-coaching experience. And he has done an excellent job with the Denver defense, finishing second in the NFL in yards allowed (only only yard per game behind the Texans) and third in points per game for the top-seeded Broncos.

This week alone, three defensive coordinators were hired - Robert Saleh with the Titans, Jeff Hafley with the Dolphins, Jesse Minter with the Ravens. It's unknown whether Joseph may have gotten any of those jobs, if the Broncos had lost last weekend to the Bills. It is known that no one can hire him until the Denver season ends.

There's no simple solution, unless the league is willing to pause the interview and hiring process until after the Super Bowl. And while that may be the best outcome, the clock starts ticking loudly on the offseason, by the time the confetti falls. The Scouting Combine, free agency, the draft. Teams need time to get coaches in place, and coaches need time to get staffs hired.

Still, the current approach is flawed, in multiple ways. Coaches and their teams pay for success, by having the candidates' time and attention diluted. And the coaches who are in line to get hired potentially lose, with every playoff win.