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8 teams that should hire Josh McDaniels as head coach

Greg M. Cooper / USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will likely be in high demand at the end of the 2016 season.

McDaniels said he loves his job, but that doesn't mean teams won't try to lure him away to become their next head coach.

With that in mind, here are eight teams that ought to hire the coveted coordinator:

Los Angeles Rams

Jeff Fisher has become synonymous with mediocrity, posting four consecutive losing seasons since taking over as the Rams head coach. Fisher's last playoff appearance was in 2008 when he was the Tennessee Titans head coach. For perspective, Todd Gurley was 13 at the time. McDaniels spent one season with the Rams in 2011, but the personnel from that team is largely gone and the allure of Los Angeles could get him to leave Boston. Fisher's banal offensive schemes is minimizing the sum of talent around him, and McDaniels would be a breath of fresh air for a younger team looking to ascend in the daunting NFC West.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Gus Bradley is on a scorching hot seat, sputtering to a 12-39 record as head coach. Considered a forward thinking defensive mind when he was hired by the Jaguars, Bradley's units have routinely struggled under his tutelage. In Bradley's defense, he's cultivated an emerging passing game with Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns at the forefront, but McDaniels would easily find ways to get the most out of the offense. This would be a no-brainer, if McDaniels were willing to accept the position.

Chicago Bears

John Fox was lauded for engineering a record-setting Broncos offense in 2013, but he's been tremendously uninspiring since taking the Bears job in January 2015. After slumping to a 6-10 record in his first year with the team, the Bears are off to an 0-3 start and are in serious contention of securing the first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. McDaniels excels at getting his receivers into space, which would be welcome relief for Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, who are often isolated on an island. Jay Cutler and McDaniels have a frosty relationship, and hiring the 40-year-old would provide ample reason to cut ties with the veteran quarterback to start anew.

Indianapolis Colts

Barring a catastrophe, Chuck Pagano's job is safe after signing a four-year extension at the end of the 2015 season. Pagano's offensive play calling has become stagnant over the past two seasons, relying solely on Andrew Luck to bail the offense out of disastrous scenarios, time and again. The defense is an absolute mess and McDaniels has been groomed by a master tactician in Bill Belichick to stabilize an erratic unit largely devoid of talent. Giving McDaniels the key to an offense featuring Luck could produce magic.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills' fan base has grown numb to Rex Ryan's bullish, vociferous speeches, and another losing season could spell the end of his time in Buffalo. McDaniels knows the division inside out, and would be presented with the best running back he's ever been afforded in LeSean McCoy. With a calm, pragmatic approach to football, McDaniels would be the stabilizing influence the Bills are in desperate need of.

San Diego Chargers

McDaniels may be averse to taking this job, only because incumbent head coach Mike McCoy once served as his offensive coordinator. That aside, McDaniels would likely extend the latter portion of Philip Rivers' career and continue to find clever ways to utilize the Chargers' running backs. San Diego is a young team that will need a few years to develop and McDaniels would be an ideal fit.

Tennessee Titans

It's surprising to pretty much everyone outside of the Titans organization that head coach Mike Mularkey was retained. In the simplest terms possible, McDaniels would be an upgrade in every facet of the game, and like many teams mentioned above, would be an ideal fit for a young, up-and-coming team. There's a new regime in place, with general manager Jon Robinson navigating the draft astutely since taking over in January, and McDaniels would be a step in the right direction after the mess created by Ruston Webster.

Detroit Lions

Jim Caldwell took the Lions to the playoffs in his first year with the club, but lost some of his luster after a 7-9 finish last year. McDaniels would thrive with Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and Theo Riddick on the roster, finding numerous ways to navigate downfield with a trio that's quickly building chemistry. The Lions rank 27th in scoring defense, and McDaniels should be able to build around Ezekiel Ansah, Glover Quin, Darius Slay, and DeAndre Levy when he returns from injury as foundational pieces.

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