After two years in college, will Marvin Lewis return to the NFL as a head coach in 2021?
The NFL’s head coaching carousel is poised to start spinning once again this offseason, as first-time candidates and retreads alike will get their chance to lead a franchise. While some assumed former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis’ time as an NFL coach was in the past, the latest buzz suggests he could be on his way back to the pros.
Per NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, Lewis has been mentioned as a candidate to potentially take over an NFL team as head coach in 2021. Lewis has spent the last two years as an assistant on Herm Edwards’ Arizona State staff, taking the defensive coordinator reigns this season.
One name I keep hearing over and over again for these NFL openings- Marvin Lewis. He's very well respected around the NFL and deserves another shot.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) December 9, 2020
The lack of playoff wins is a concern, but Marvin Lewis changed the culture in Cincinnati
The Forrest Gregg and Sam Wyche glory days in the 1980s were followed by an awful decade from 1992-2002 in which they failed to record a winning season. Under Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, and even the great Dick LeBeau, Cincinnati was a complete dumpster fire, going 56-147 in that span.
While getting Carson Palmer No. 1 overall in 2003 helped, Lewis won 131 games in 15 seasons with the Bengals, recording just two losing seasons in the first 12 years on the job.
Lewis, the defensive mastermind behind the “Blitzburgh” linebacking corps under Bill Cowher’s mid-90s Steelers and the 2000 Ravens defense, was able to hire some quality offensive coaching, and those hires helped Palmer become a legitimate star quarterback and Andy Dalton evolve into a respectable starter for most of his career.
Lewis did all that while managing some powder-keg personalities like Pacman Jones and Vontaze Burfict in addition to being stuck with a cheap organization and subpar front office.
Lewis didn’t win a playoff game, but the Bengals have once again fallen into laughingstock territory under Zac Taylor. Cincinnati has won just four games in the last two seasons. The Bengals were 68-50 in games Dalton started under Lewis, but Dalton has won just three of his last 18 starts without him.
If the 62-year-old Lewis’ age is a turn-off, three different coaches, albeit ones with Super Bowl rings in Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, and Pete Carroll, are all older than him and still coaching.
If you’re a contending team looking for that secret ingredient that will help push you through the playoffs, Lewis’ lack of success in that area should dissuade you from hiring him.
However, if you’re a rebuilding team in need of a stern, veteran coach that will get you out of the doldrums and back to respectability, Lewis is worth a shot.