Is Darrell Bevell’s scheme ideal for the New York Jets?
In addition to Greg Olson, another veteran offensive coordinator who is popularly mentioned as a candidate for the New York Jets is Darrell Bevell.
Bevell, 53, spent 15 consecutive seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2021 (he took the 2018 season off). This included stops in Minnesota (2006-10), Seattle (2011-17), Detroit (2019-20), and Jacksonville (2021). In 2022, Bevell served as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Dolphins.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich overlapped with Bevell in Seattle, so Bevell does have some familiarity with the current New York staff.
The highlights of Bevell’s career came in Minnesota and Seattle. With the Vikings, Bevell helped Brett Favre enjoy the best season of his career in 2009 as Minnesota marched to the NFC Championship Game. Adrian Peterson also rose to stardom under Bevell.
In Seattle, Bevell helped Russell Wilson emerge as a superstar and played a role in Seattle’s 2013 Super Bowl-winning season. At one point, the Seahawks ranked top-10 in points per game in four straight seasons under Bevell (2012-15). Seattle consistently fielded an elite run game under Bevell, ranking top-4 in rushing yards per game each season from 2012-15.
However, Bevell is probably best known for playing a role in the Seahawks’ decision to throw on the one-yard line in Super Bowl XLIX against the Patriots, leading to a game-ending interception. As per usual, coaches get the most attention for what they do wrong rather than what they do right.
Ever since his peak in Seattle, Bevell’s reputation has been dwindling. His final two seasons in Seattle were underwhelming and caused him to be fired. After a year off, he spent two years in Detroit, leading the Lions’ offense to moderate success when Matthew Stafford was healthy. However, the Lions’ offense could not improve beyond middle-of-the-pack, and those years are best known for the Lions’ epic failures under head coach Matt Patricia.
Bevell moved to Jacksonville in 2021 and was one-and-done as he led an anemic offense under another dreadful head coach in Urban Meyer.
The struggles in Detroit and Jacksonville led to the end of Bevell’s long run as an OC. His 2022 season as Miami’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach marks his first non-OC role since 2005, when he was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach.
Still, the 2022 season has been a strong rebound for Bevell’s resume. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa enjoyed a breakout season under Bevell’s coaching. Miami’s passing game was dominant when Tagovailoa was healthy – wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle put up record-setting numbers as a duo.
There is a lot of great stuff on Bevell’s resume. There are also some red flags.
When you take everything into account, is Bevell a good offensive coordinator candidate for the Jets? Or is he someone they should avoid?
To find out, we brought Lions film analyst Morgan Cannon onto the Cool Your Jets Podcast to tell us everything about Bevell. Morgan gave us a detailed overview of Bevell’s tenure in Detroit from 2019-20, breaking down the differences between his Seattle scheme and the one he employed in Detroit. Plus, Morgan dives into Bevell’s 2021 season in Jacksonville.
I haven’t listened to the pod yet but I’m going to, I feel like this article is directed at me…haha. I DO NOT want this guy, I’m sorry. Maybe the pod will change my mind but there is a lot of “not good” on his resume. You mentioned great years with Favre, or Wilson but I thin it was the other way around. Those guys propelled his career. Also, I read in the Post we are interviewing Patoilets TE coach?????? WHAT???!!! Let’s not get too cute with this, we know who’s good and who “might” be good. Let’s get someone proven GOOD.