Colts Head Coach Rumors: Reich, Frazier Among Candidates To Replace Josh McDaniels?

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels caused a stir Tuesday night when he changed his mind about becoming the Indianapolis Colts' head coach. The surprising decision to spurn the Colts caused his agent to drop him as a client.

Even Tony Dungy, the mild-mannered former coach of the Colts, expressed dismay over McDaniels’ move.

McDaniels' decision forced the Colts to re-evaluate their options, though general manager Chris Ballard emphasized in a Wednesday press conference that the team has a strong list of candidates.

Recent reports have provided some insight into Indianapolis' search. The Colts reportedly want to interview New Orleans Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich and Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, NFL.com reported. According to the same report, the Colts could also look at Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, Oakland Raiders offensive line coach Tom Cable and Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.

The candidates are all offensive coaches with head coaching experience, which is consistent with their interest in McDaniels. Campbell was the head coach for most of the Miami Dolphins’ 2015 season after Joe Philbin got fired, leading the team to a lackluster 5-7 record. Former longtime head coach Bill Parcells personally recommended Campbell to Ballard.

Frazier coached the Minnesota Vikings for three seasons after Brad Childress was fired midway through the 2010 season. While the Vikings earned wild-card playoff berth in 2012 fueled by Adrian Peterson’s MVP season, Frazier had a dismal 21-32 record. However, he was once a Colts assistant under Dungy and owner Jim Irsay is reportedly a fan.

As head coach of the Raiders during the waning years of Al Davis’s ownership, Cable accumulated a disappointing 17-27 record. The Raiders did have decent rushing attacks under Cable, but little else went right before he was fired in favor of Hue Jackson. After serving as an assistant coach with the Seattle Seahawks from 2011 to 2017, Cable rejoined the Raiders on Jan. 13 as the offensive line coach, so he might be a longshot to become the Colts' head coach.

The other candidates seem to have a better shot at winning the job.

Reich and DeFilippo are coming off a Super Bowl victory under backup quarterback Nick Foles. Both longtime assistants have never served as a head coach and would almost certainly jump on the opportunity to oversee the return of star quarterback Andrew Luck.

Toub, meanwhile, has been a highly respected assistant around the NFL for years, consistently putting together strong punt and kickoff units with the Chicago Bears and Chiefs. Though special teams coaches are generally overlooked as head coaching candidates, highly successful coaches like Dick Vermeil, Marv Levy and John Harbaugh served in that role at one point or another.