Jay Gruden is gone, but who will replace him in Washington?

4. Matt Campbell

Campbell has done a fantastic job at Iowa State, from 3-9 in his first season to back-to-back eight win campaigns in 2017 and 2018 and a 3-2 mark so far this year. He surfaced as a candidate for NFL jobs after last season, with multiple teams reportedly making contact as he at least turned down an opportunity to interview with the New York Jets. Before the Cleveland Browns promoted Freddie Kitchens to the permanent post, Campbell was a rumored candidate.

Campbell is under contract in Ames through the 2023 season, with a $3.5 million salary this year and a $6 million buyout. He’s an easy candidate to jump to a bigger college job at some point, with a .613 win percentage dating back through his four-plus seasons (2011-2015) as head coach at Toledo. Before being elevated to head coach, he was run game coordinator and offensive line coach for the Rockets for one season (2009) before being promoted to offensive coordinator for nearly two seasons.

Campbell is an offensive mind who has cultivated talent that went on the NFL (running backs Kareem Hunt and David Montgomery, perhaps most notably) during his time as a college coach, and he has helped quarterbacks who weren’t necessarily elite recruits produce at a high level. The line between college and NFL offenses has never been more blurred, so Campbell’s resume makes him plenty qualified to make that jump. And with Haskins as a selling point, the opportunity in Washington may be hard to turn down if it’s presented to him.