Ahead of the 2021 NFL season, here is Audacy Sports' ranking of all 32 head coaches in the league:
32.) David Culley - Houston Texans
David Culley
Benny Sieu - USA TODAY Sports
The Texans were 4-12 in 2020 with quarterback Deshaun Watson playing at an extremely high level. The guess here is that Culley will never actually coach Watson in a game, but that he'll have to spend much of his first season as Texans head coach deflecting questions about the quarterback's legal troubles. With the worst roster in the NFL, the 65-year-old isn't set up for success.
31.) Dan Campbell - Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell
Nic Antaya - Getty Images
Whether or not you enjoy Campbell's demeanor, Mark Schlereth of FOX Sports probably put it best when he said that "I don't care how many kneecaps you bite" if your roster doesn't have enough talent. Campbell signed a six-year deal to come to Detroit, and he'll likely need that security in the early going, with the Lions seemingly set up for a few lean years.
30.) Nick Sirianni - Philadelphia Eagles
Nick Sirianni
Mitchell Leff - Getty Images
Sirianni may have been nervous in his introductory press conference, but since then, he's handled the media fine. The reality, though, is we don't know much about the 40-year-old as a coach, given that he's never been a head coach at any level. Additionally, Sirianni has been handed, what may be, the worst Eagles roster in over two decades.
29.) Urban Meyer - Jacksonville Jaguars
Urban Meyer
Matt Pendleton - USA TODAY Sports
Meyer is one of the great collegiate coaches of all-time, having guided both Florida and Ohio State to National Championship wins. Meyer is set up very well in the long run with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, but it will be interesting to see how someone who only lost 32 games in 17 college seasons will handle the peaks and valleys likely to present themselves early in his NFL tenure.
28.) Brandon Staley - Los Angeles Chargers
Brandon Staley
Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports
Staley was the defensive coordinator under Sean McVay for just a season with the Los Angeles Rams, presiding over the league's top-rated defensive unit, led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The 38-year-old now gets his first shot at being a head coach, and he's seemingly set up well, considering that he's inherited the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in quarterback Justin Herbert.
27.) Arthur Smith - Atlanta Falcons
Arthur Smith
Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images
In two seasons, Smith changed the perception of Ryan Tannehill as a potential bust into being seen as a top-half-of-the-league starter. Certainly, Smith benefited from coaching Derrick Henry at the height of his powers. The Falcons probably won't contend for a playoff spot in 2021, but with quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage, and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts at his disposal, Smith should be able to put together a pretty exciting offense.
26.) Robert Saleh - New York Jets
Robert Saleh
Dustin Satloff - Getty Images
Saleh has experience working under Gary Kubiak, Pete Carroll and Kyle Shanahan, a pretty good trio to learn under. Now, the fiery defensive mind will get his first chance to lead an NFL team of his own. For as much as the Jets have been a punchline in the last decade, Saleh should bring stability to an organization that desperately needs it. We're also pretty bullish on his rookie quarterback, Zach Wilson.
25.) Zac Taylor - Cincinnati Bengals
Zac Taylor
Michael Reaves - Getty Images
Record as Bengals head coach: 6-25-1
It would have been unreasonable to expect Taylor to lead the Bengals in either of his first two seasons as the team's head coach, but 25 losses in two years is a ton. Taylor will need to make sure that former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow takes much less of a beating than he did in a rookie season that ended with the quarterback tearing his ACL and MCL in his left knee. The 38-year-old may not need to lead the Bengals to the postseason in 2021, but certainly they'll need to begin to trend that way for Taylor to get a fourth season as the head coach.
24.) Joe Judge - New York Giants
Joe Judge
Corey Perrine - Getty Images
Record as Giants head coach: 6-10
Given that 2021 is seemingly a make-or-break year for both general manager Dave Gettleman and quarterback Daniel Jones, you wonder if Judge's seat is already a bit warm in Year 2. The Giants defense made tremendous strides in Judge's first season, and, what should be, a much-improved offense will need to catch up in Year 2. There is a thought that Judge's style may have a relatively short shelf life, but we'll see.
23.) Kliff Kingsbury - Arizona Cardinals
Kliff Kingsbury
Christian Petersen - Getty Images
Record as Cardinals head coach: 13-18-1
General manager Steve Keim has done a tremendous job re-building the Cardinals in the span of a couple offseasons, and adding defensive end J.J. Watt on a two-year deal in the offseason suggests that the organization believes this team has a chance to make a run in the NFC playoffs. The pairing of quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is a coach's dream on one hand, but with it comes immense expectations, ones that Kingsbury will have to meet in 2021 to keep his job.
22.) Matt Nagy - Chicago Bears
Matt Nagy
Grant Halverson - Getty Images
Record as Bears head coach: 28-20
The Bears snuck into the playoffs at 8-8 in Nagy's third season as the team's head coach, but it was still a pretty taxing campaign in Chicago. The organization hopes that Justin Fields will solve their quarterback woes from a long-term perspective, though the team will likely bring the former Ohio State star along slowly. After all, if Fields replaces Andy Dalton at some point in the middle of the season and flashes, it may go a long way in assuring that Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace return in 2022.
21.) Vic Fangio - Denver Broncos
Vic Fangio
Adam Bettcher - Getty Images
Record as Broncos head coach: 12-20
Fangio is in an unenviable situation because he has a very talented roster, but he's in the NFL's toughest division, and whether it's Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater, the Broncos almost certainly have the weakest quarterback in the AFC West. Fangio is a tremendous defensive coordinator, one that may need the Broncos to overachieve to some degree if he wants to get a fourth year as the team's head coach.
20.) Matt Rhule - Carolina Panthers
Matt Rhule
Justin Casterline - Getty Images
Record as Panthers head coach: 5-11
We don't yet know if Sam Darnold - or even P.J. Walker - will be able to assert themselves as the team's long-term answer at quarterback, but the Panthers could be a surprise playoff contender in 2021 if they get improved play from the position. Rhule has built a tremendous culture at every place he's coached at, and if running back Christian McCaffrey can stay healthy this season, the Panthers could have quite a bit of success in the head coach's second season.
19.) Mike McCarthy - Dallas Cowboys
Mike McCarthy
Christian Petersen - Getty Images
Record as Cowboys head coach: 6-10
McCarthy did lead the Packers to a victory in Super Bowl XLV, but there still is a perception that he underachieved to some degree given that the Packers reached the sport's highest stage just once under his tutelage, despite having Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. McCarthy's first season in Dallas was relatively disastrous, and if there isn't improvement under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and a ton of success with a loaded offense, he may find himself on the hot seat.
18.) Mike Zimmer - Minnesota Vikings
Mike Zimmer
Adam Bettcher - Getty Images
Record as Vikings head coach: 64-47-1
Zimmer has a .576 winning percentage in seven seasons as the Vikings head coach, but the organization has been held back by the inability to acquire an elite quarterback during his tenure. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings proceed this offseason if they miss the playoffs for a second-consecutive season considering they are pretty much married to Kirk Cousins for two more years.
17.) Frank Reich - Indianapolis Colts
Frank Reich
Justin Casterline - Getty Images
Record as Colts head coach: 28-20
Reich landed the Colts head coaching job after helping quarterback Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl title in the absence of Carson Wentz. Since he's taken over with the Colts, the team has played very well, despite a lack of stability at quarterback. Andrew Luck retired after helping the Colts reach the playoffs in Reich's first season. Since then, the Colts have been able to tread water at the position with the likes of Jacoby Brissett and and Philip Rivers, but they certainly hoped reuniting Wentz with Reich would be the answer for quite some time at quarterback. It may be, but Wentz's status for the beginning of the season is already in doubt after he had surgery on his left foot earlier this month. If Wentz returns and rebounds after a disastrous final season in Philadelphia, Reich's Colts could be Super Bowl contenders.
16.) Jon Gruden - Las Vegas Raiders
Jon Gruden
Ethan Miller - Getty Images
Record as Raiders head coach (this stint): 19-29
From here, there's not a lot of doubt about whether Gruden can still out-scheme most defensive coordinators in the league. He's been able to revive Derek Carr's career, but the 57-year-old is wearing, perhaps, too many hats in the Raiders organization. It could very well mean another missed postseason for a fourth-consecutive year under Gruden in 2021.
15.) Brian Flores - Miami Dolphins
Brian Flores
Eric Espada - Getty Images
Record as Dolphins head coach: 15-17
After the first month of Flores' head coaching career, the Dolphins being 15-17 after the conclusion of his second season would have been unthinkable. Flores and general manager Chris Grier have turned the Dolphins around in a hurry, to the point where the team looks a quarterback away from being a serious contender in the AFC. That may be last year's No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa, though the former Alabama star was underwhelming in his rookie season. If the quarterback position keeps the Dolphins out of the postseason in 2021, there will need to be quite a bit of thinking down by Flores and Grier in terms of how to proceed.
14.) Matt LaFleur - Green Bay Packers
Matt LaFleur
Quinn Harris - Getty Images
Record as Packers head coach: 26-6
Being the head coach of an all-time great quarterback isn't always an enviable position. The Packers have gone 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship in each of LaFleur's first two seasons - and they're still quite a few people who feel that the jury is out on the 41-year-old. Granted, his late-game coaching in last year's NFC Championship Game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left a lot to be desired, but this is someone who has pretty quickly made you forget the Packers were so disappointing in 2019 that it led to Mike McCarthy being fired before the end of the regular season. Perhaps we'll never truly give LaFleur his true credit unless he has success with quarterback Jordan Love after the Aaron Rodgers era concludes.
13.) Kevin Stefanski - Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski
Julio Aguilar - Getty Images
Record as Browns head coach: 11-5
While COVID-19 prevented Stefanski from coaching the Browns' postseason win over division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers, he guided the team to an 11-5 record in his first season as their head coach. Mind you, his predecessor, Freddie Kitchens, did such a poor job in the year before Stefanski took over that the Browns went 6-10 and Baker Mayfield's future hardly looked certain.
12.) Pete Carroll - Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll
Chris Unger - Getty Images
Record as Seahawks head coach: 112-63-1
Carroll, now 69, has a very real chance to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when his coaching career concludes. However, he needs to change his stripes in 2021 to have a chance at cementing himself as a Hall of Famer. Russell Wilson is the best player on his team, and one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. If the organization is unable to make a playoff run with Wilson in 2021 and he requests a trade after the season, it would dampen what's otherwise been a tremendous run in Seattle for Carroll.
11.) Mike Vrabel - Tennessee Titans
Mike Vrabel
Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images
Record as Titans head coach: 29-19
Losing offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will be a major test of Vrabel, but under his watch, the Titans have become a team that can beat anyone in the NFL on a given Sunday. The Titans are, perhaps, the clearest example of a team taking on the personality of their head coach.
10.) Sean McDermott - Buffalo Bills
Sean McDermott
Michael Reaves - Getty Images
Record as Bills head coach: 38-26
Give McDermott a ton of credit. He has a defensive background, but after bringing quarterback Josh Allen along slowly in his first two seasons, he allowed offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to unleash a dynamic offense last year. Daboll, inexplicably, didn't get a head coaching job this past offseason, so virtually all of McDermott's key players and coaches that helped the team reach the AFC Championship Game in 2020 are back. It would hardly be a surprise if the 2021 season concludes with McDermott holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
9.) Ron Rivera - Washington Football Team
Ron Rivera
Paul Rutherford - USA TODAY Sports
Record as Washington Football Team head coach: 7-9
Rivera gave Washington what they desperately needed - an adult in the room. Rivera navigated through a name change, organizational sexual assault scandal and a quarterback carousel to help Washington win the lowly NFC East in 2020. Mind you, he did all this while battling cancer. Rivera is a tremendous leader of men, one that may very well help Washington to become the first repeat NFC East winner since the mid-2000s.
8.) Bruce Arians - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bruce Arians
Douglas P. DeFelice - Getty Images
Record as Buccaneers head coach: 18-14
There were parts of the 2020 season where you wondered if Arians and quarterback Tom Brady could co-exist, but the team came together at the right time and ultimately made a Super Bowl run. Arians does things his own way, but it's now worked at multiple stops. This could very well be the 68-year-old's final season as an NFL head coach, but he'll have a chance to win a second-consecutive title if he is on his way out of the league.
7.) Sean McVay - Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay
Katelyn Mulcahy - Getty Images
Record as Rams head coach: 43-21
McVay almost certainly overachieved in four seasons with Jared Goff under center, which makes it scary to imagine what he'll be able to do with Matthew Stafford, who is pretty universally seen as a major talent upgrade. Winning a Super Bowl in the first year with Stafford is a lot to ask, but this roster has that type of talent.
6.) Kyle Shanahan - San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan
Thearon W. Henderson - Getty Images
Record as 49ers head coach: 29-35
Shanahan's record doesn't indicate just how good of a coach he is - the 49ers won two games the season before he arrived and were decimated by injuries last year as they attempted to defend their NFC title. Whether it's Jimmy Garoppolo or rookie Trey Lance at quarterback, we expect the 49ers to be one of the teams to beat when the 2021 NFC playoffs begin.
5.) Mike Tomlin - Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin
Mitchell Leff - Getty Images
Record as Steelers head coach: 145-78-1
If you were going to build a coach who you want to be the face of your organization in a lab, it would be the supremely confident Tomlin. This may be Ben Roethlisberger's final season with the Steelers under center, but Tomlin - entering his 15th season as the team's head coach - will likely be in Pittsburgh as long as he decides to be.
4.) John Harbaugh - Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh
Scott Taetsch - Getty Images
Record as Ravens head coach: 129-79
For all the focus that there was in the early 2010s on his brother, John is the Harbaugh who has put together a resume that may ultimately land him a bust in Canton. The 58-year-old is entering his 14th season as the head coach in Baltimore, and the Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations under Harbaugh, who has already guided the team to one championship.
3.) Andy Reid - Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid
Jamie Squire - Getty Images
Record as Chiefs head coach: 91-37
Reid isn't the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL with one team, but between the Eagles and the Chiefs, Reid has led a team every year since 1999, a streak that's unmatched in the league currently. The 63-year-old is sixth in NFL history with 221 wins, and could very well pass Curly Lambeau and Tom Landry before his Hall of Fame career is up.
2.) Sean Payton - New Orleans Saints
Sean Payton
Scott Taetsch - Getty Images
Record as Saints head coach: 143-81
Payton is one of the greatest offensive minds in NFL history, and given how diminished Drew Brees was at the end of his career, the Saints may actually be better off in 2021 with Taysom Hill and/or Jameis Winston at quarterback. We don't believe the Saints will skip a beat in 2021 - in fact, they may improve from what they were a year ago.
1.) Bill Belichick - New England Patriots
Bill Belichick
Kathryn Riley - Getty Images
Record as Patriots head coach: 244-92
One bad season certainly isn't going to knock Belichick off the top spot. He's a six-time Super Bowl Champion who's not only the greatest coach in NFL history, but, perhaps, in sports history. Consider this: Belichick has coached 336 regular season games as the head coach of the Patriots, and it would take a non-winning season in 2021 for him to reach 100 losses with the organization.
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