(AUDACY) Ahead of the 2021 NFL season, Audacy Sports ranked all 32 head coaches in the league. Here's a look at our list.
32. David Culley, Houston Texans
Benny Sieu/USA Today SportsThe 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 leading the Texans deflecting questions about Watson's legal troubles. With the worst roster in the NFL, the 65-year-old Culley isn't set up for success.
31. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Nic Antaya/Getty ImagesWhether you enjoy Campbell's demeanor, Mark Schlereth of Fox Sports probably put it best when he said, "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
Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesSirianni may have been nervous in his introductory press conference, but he has handled the media fine since then. The reality, though, is we don't know much about the 40-year-old Sirianni, 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 more than two decades.
29. Urban Meyer, Jacksonville Jaguars
Matt Pendleton/USA Today SportsMeyer 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 well in the long run with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, 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
Kirby Lee/USA Today SportsStaley was the defensive coordinator under Rams coach Sean McVay for just a season, presiding over the league's top-rated defensive unit, which was led by lineman Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The 38-year-old Staley now gets his first shot at being a head coach, and he's seemingly set up well considering that he has inherited young star quarterback Justin Herbert, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
27. Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesIn two seasons in Tennessee, Smith changed the perception of quarterback Ryan Tannehill as a potential bust into being seen as a top-half-of-the-league starter. Certainly, Smith benefitted from coaching running back 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, receiver Calvin Ridley, receiver Russell Gage and tight end Kyle Pitts at his disposal, Smith should be able to put together a pretty exciting offense.
26. Robert Saleh, New York Jets
Dustin Satloff/Getty ImagesSaleh has experience working under Gary Kubiak, Pete Carroll and Kyle Shannahan, 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
Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesRecord as Bengals coach: 6-25-1
It would've been unreasonable to expect Taylor to lead the Bengals to much success 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, which ended with him tearing his ACL and MCL in his left knee. The 38-year-old Taylor 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 coach.
24. Joe Judge, New York Giants
Corey Perrine/Getty ImagesRecord as Giants 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 his second year. The Giants defense made tremendous strides in Judge's first season, and what should be a much-improved offense will need to catch up this year.
23. Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesRecord as Cardinals coach: 13-18-1
General manager Steve Keim has done a tremendous job rebuilding 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 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
Grant Halverson/Getty ImagesRecord as Bears 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 rookie Justin Fields will solve its quarterback woes from a long-term perspective, though the team will likely bring him along slowly. 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
Adam Bettcher/Getty ImagesRecord as Broncos coach: 12-20
Fangio is in an unenviable situation because he has a 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 who 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
Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesRecord as Panthers 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 star running back Christian McCaffrey can stay healthy this season, the Panthers could have quite a bit of success in Rhule's second season.
19. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesRecord as Cowboys coach: 6-10
McCarthy led the Packers to a victory in Super Bowl XLV, but there remains 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
Adam Bettcher/Getty ImagesRecord as Vikings 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 quarterback Kirk Cousins for two more years.
17. Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts
Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesRecord as Colts 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 has taken over as Colts' coach, the team has played 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 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
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesRecord as Raiders coach (current stint): 19-29
From here, there's not a lot of doubt about whether Gruden can still outscheme most defensive coordinators in the league. He has revived quarterback Derek Carr's career. However, the 57-year-old Gruden is wearing perhaps too many hats in the Raiders organization, and Las Vegas could well miss the postseason for a fourth consecutive year under Gruden in 2021.
15. Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins
Eric Espada/Getty ImagesRecord as Dolphins 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've been unthinkable. Flores and general manager Chris Grier have turned the Dolphins around in a hurry, to the point in which the team looks a quarterback away from being a serious contender in the AFC. That may be the 2020 No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa, though he 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
Quinn Harris/Getty ImagesRecord as Packers 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 game in each of LaFleur's first two seasons -- and there are still quite a few people who feel that the jury is out on him. Granted, his late-game coaching in the NFC Championship game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season left a lot to be desired, but LaFleur 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 Jordan Love after the Aaron Rodgers era concludes.
13. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Julio Aguilar/Getty ImagesRecord as Browns coach: 11-5
While COVID-19 prevented Stefanski from coaching the Browns' win over the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs last season, he guided the team to an 11-5 record in his first season as Cleveland' coach. Mind you, his predecessor, Freddie Kitchens, did such a poor job in the year before that the Browns went 6-10 and quarterback Baker Mayfield's future hardly looked certain.
12. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
Chris Unger/Getty ImagesRecord as Seahawks coach: 112-63-1
Carroll, 69, has a 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 has otherwise been a tremendous run in Seattle for Carroll.
11. Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans
Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesRecord as Titans 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
Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesRecord as Bills 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 who 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 and the Bills holding up the Lombardi Trophy.
9. Ron Rivera, Washington Football Team
Paul Rutherford/USA Today SportsRecord as Washington Football Team coach: 7-9
Rivera gave Washington what it desperately needed -- an adult in the room. Rivera navigated through a team name change, an 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 who may well help Washington to become the first repeat NFC East winner since the mid-2000s.
8. Bruce Arians, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty ImagesRecord as Buccaneers coach: 18-14
There were times in the 2020 season when you wondered if Arians and star quarterback Tom Brady could co-exist, but the team came together at the right time and ultimately won the Super Bowl. Arians does everything his own way, and it has now worked at multiple stops. This could be the 68-year-old Arians' final season as an NFL head coach, and he'll have a chance to win a second consecutive title if he's on his way out of the league.
7. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty ImagesRecord as Rams coach: 43-21
McVay almost certainly overachieved in four seasons withquarterback Jared Goff, which makes it scary to imagine what he'll be able to do with Matthew Stafford, who's 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 Shannahan, San Francisco 49ers
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesRecord as 49ers coach: 29-35
Shannahan'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 Trey Lance at quarterback, we expect the 49ers to be one of the teams to beat when the NFC playoffs begin in this upcoming season.
5. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesRecord as Steelers coach: 145-78-1
If you were going to build a coach in a lab who you want to be the face of your organization, it would be the supremely confident Tomlin. This may be quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final season with the Steelers, 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
Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesRecord as Ravens 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 Harbaugh is entering his 14th season as the head coach in Baltimore, and the Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations. He has already guided the team to one championship.
3. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesRecord as Chiefs 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 Reid is sixth in NFL history with 221 wins and could pass Curly Lambeau and Tom Landry before his Hall of Fame-worthy career is up.
2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesRecord as Saints 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
Kathryn Riley/Getty ImagesRecord as Patriots 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.
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