Once again there is an influx of new head coaches in the NFL, ten to be exact. Let’s rank them from worst to best and see where we stand.
There is an endless debate about which NFL head coach is the greatest or who will start a new dynasty, similar to the Belichick run with the Patriots.
Instead, lets take a closer look at the new head coaches for the 2022 NFL season and rank them accordingly.
There are 10 new NFL head coaches for 2022, some of which have previous experience but all are experiencing the new shift in leadership and control.
Let’s get into it.
New NFL Head Coach #10- Love Smith- Houston Texans
The Houston Texans went with an inside hire after firing David Culley after one unsuccessful season in Texas by promoting defensive coordinator Lovie Smith to head coach.
Smith is well known throughout the league, a former head coach from Chicago and Tampa Bay, and many members of his former staff found success within the league.
Smith has some success in his past, making a Super Bowl appearance with the Bears.
Smith knows he has little to work with as he was already with the Texans under Culley so he accepted this assignment knowing the future is bleak.
While the Texans scored drafting cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., there isn’t a whole lot of talent spread across the roster.
Davis Mills isn’t the guy and it wouldn’t shock anyone if Smith faces a similar fate as Culley when the ’22 season ends.
Not that Smith’s resume is poor but his chances for continued coaching success after this season seem poor. We wish him lots of luck but the Texans rebuild has barely laid the foundation and Smith won’t be around to put on the finishing touches when it is done.
New NFL head coach no. 9: Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
Another defensive coach promoted within the organization to head coach.
Dennis Allen led a feared New Orleans defense last season who had to carry the slack on an offense that struggled to put points on the board without quarterback Drew Brees.
Allen inherited a mess in terms of both salary cap issues, an unexpected departure of head coach Sean Payton, legal troubles with star running back Alvin Kamara, and a giant question mark at the quarterback position.
Allen’s one-time stint as a head coach was with the Oakland Raiders from 2012-2014 and he was fired in the infancy of his third season.
Allen’s main accomplishment with the Raiders was playing a part in drafting Khalil Mack and Derek Carr in 2014.
With the Saints still continuing to be in a rough salary cap situation and mortgaging a plethora of future picks for wide receiver Chris Olave the capital may not be there to strengthen the team much in 2023.
Unless the team is highly successful in 2022 Allen will likely be joining Lovie Smith in the unemployment line.
New NFL head coach no. 8: Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
Justin Fields was brought into Chicago to become the next franchise quarterback. Former head coach Matt Nagy did little to make the rookie’s transition into the NFL any easier and Fields experienced many of the growing pains rookie tend to deal with.
One would assume for Year #2 the Bears would build up the team on both sides of the ball and hire an offensive guru to steer Fields in the right direction.
Wrong. The Bears hired Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Granted, Eberflus did an excellent job in Indianapolis, especially as a significant factor behind their end of the season demise was their offense. What makes the Eberflus signing more confusing in the Bears let Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks leave, two crucial pieces of their defense.
The Bears did try and sign Larry Ogunjobi but voided his contract due to a failed physical.
One of the resounding arguments was in favor of surrounding Justin Fields with weapons if they weren’t going to give him an offensive-minded coach. They let Allen Robinson go to the Rams and signed Byron Pringle (who was arrested in the offseason) and Equanimeous St. Brown, leaving Darnell Mooney as their #1 receiver.
Not exactly a high-powered offense.
Eberflus has quite the task ahead of him and perhaps he will succeed in Chicago but facing the Packers and Vikings twice a year with a weaker defense and offense does not exactly set himself up for success. Good luck.
New NFL head coach no. 7: Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
This is one of the rookie head coach signings I was not sure about initially, but given the firepower given to new head coach Mike McDaniel in the offseason, opinions have changed.
One of the big coaching trends seems to grab someone/anyone from the McVay or Shanahan coaching tree as quickly as possible and the Dolphins may have scored on this one.
The early reports are, while McDaniel may look more like an NFL data analyst than a head coach, his laid back demeanor but in-depth football knowledge is a combination that is winning on and off the practice field.
General manager Chris Grier stated in May that, “Even the defensive guys about a week ago were saying they cannot believe the transformation on offense and how these guys are doing.”
The Dolphins’ defense has been improving steadily over the last couple of seasons and while quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is a question mark in many inquiring minds you cannot deny the weapons he will be armed with (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle).
McDaniel is set up for success more than most of the incoming head coaches but with zero experience as the head man McDaniel winds up in our #7 spot. Time will tell.
New NFL head coach no. 6: Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos
Head coach Nathaniel Hackett is walking into quite an ideal situation in Denver.
A loaded offense, a disciplined defense, only held back by the absence of a playmaker at the quarterback position.
In walks Russell Wilson, hand in hand with Aaron Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett.
Hackett joins the group of new head coaches that has never held the position prior but as you can see experience may not always take position over the strength of your current roster.
The Broncos are tired of taking the backseat in the AFC West for the last couple of years and they’re armed and ready to rock with the best of them. Hackett’s friendly personality gives the appearance of a “team guy” who easily assumes the mantle of the “Dad” of the locker room.
Hackett’s demeanor in Green Bay always appeared to be fairly easy going and why not? He was working hand in hand with a head coach off the McVay “tree” and one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
It seemed Rodgers was the final decision maker when it came to in game adjustments, so its the natural assumption that Hackett did not have to be too hands-on in Green Bay. It will be a bit different in Denver.
Hackett won’t have a Davante Adams or an Aaron Rodgers and he is the man in charge this time. Hackett is set up to win but his success will truly depend on how effective he is as a leader.
New NFL head coach no. 5: Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
This one was honestly a toss up between Hackett and Kevin O’Connell, but the advantage is going to O’Connell.
O’Connell, who was a quarterback in the NFL and started in New England, just came off his second season as the offensive coordinator for the Rams. O’Connell, yes another McVay disciple, orchestrated an offense that just won a Super Bowl that lost one of their top receivers before halftime.
Even if the Rams lost the Super Bowl O’Connell likely would have won the job but he’s entering Minnesota with an offensive roster that would make any drool.
Kirk Cousins isn’t a top 10 quarterback but he is capable of winning big games. Cousins already has a repertoire with receiver Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson will likely finish the ’22 season as one of the top receivers in the league if not the top receiver.
Add a dangerous rushing tandem of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison to that offense with a defense that is trending upwards, especially in the secondary, and there is a lot to be excited about.
It has to be mentioned that when the Vikings seem to get stronger O’Connell has entered the season at a time where the Green Bay Packers offense looks a bit less dangerous and the Bears and Lions are still working to get to that .500 range.
O’Connell takes the lead over Hackett also because O’Connell has a good chance at taking the division in his opening season as head coach and Hackett is entering a warzone. Advantage O’Connell.
New NFL head coach no. 4: Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Doug Pederson is back. There are so many aspects of this situation that are a perfect fit for Pederson, and others that raise the alarms.
Pederson is coming in to help right the “Trevor Lawrence Ship” that was also capsized by Urban Meyer in his odd and short lived NFL coaching debut.
Pederson has the chance to mentor a young quarterback once again, a similar situation when he was tasked with raising up Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. Lawrence needs a professional head coach to guide him, one that knows how to win. And how did that situation end up in Philly?
It ended up with a bronze statue of Pederson immortalized at Lincoln Financial Field and a Lombardi Trophy. It actually ended in a bad way but we’ll get to that.
What ended Pederson’s career was a multitude of issues but to the public it seemed there was a significant amount of interference from the team owner and the general manager.
Pederson will have to learn to work with Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke who makes similar hits and misses as any general manager.
But if there had to be a comparison with Baalke some of his draft choices are reminiscent of Eagles general manager Howie Roseman (Jalen Reagor/Laviska Shenault).
What will work in Pederson’s favor is if he has a good working relationship with the front office he will pay them back with his leadership and maturity.
Pederson took the Eagles to the playoffs three times in five seasons and won a Super Bowl. The Jaguars rebuild is moving upwards and owner Shad Khan seems dedicated to making it work but without interfering as much as some other owners might be tempted to do so.
Doug Pederson is not Urban Meyer and that is the best thing going for him right now. The Pederson/Lawrence connection may be a match made in heaven.
New NFL head coach no. 3: Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles has the same task as every other head coach on this list; win. But for Bowles, the blueprint to win the Super Bowl was laid out in front of him less than two years ago when the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs in 2020 and hoisted a Lombardi.
Bowles, another defensive coordinator back in the head coach chair, implemented a vicious defensive attack in that Super Bowl that held dynamic Chiefs to 9 total points and zero touchdowns.
Bowles had his time as a head coach in New York with the Jets but was fired after several up and down seasons.
After Bowles put together such an impressive defensive plan that left MVP Patrick Mahomes running for his life the general consensus was that Bowles is best suited as a defensive coordinator.
The head coach at the time, Bruce Arians, had other plans for Bowles and abruptly retired just months ago. Bowles was given the position and Arians promised to stay on in an advisory role.
The Bucs have retained all of their main weapons, sans Antonio Brown, and the defense as a whole has remained together.
Bowles is coming off a recent Super Bowl win, the head coach from that team will be by his side guiding him, and he enters the season with Tom Brady still* as the quarterback.
Bowles has the chance to turn this into a permanent gig if he follows the blueprint. If Bowles deviates the Bucs front office may look for a change as this shift was really initiated by Arians.
But Bowles is truly set up for a positive outcome and he has done this before.
New NFL head coach no. 2: Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Yes, a first time head coach makes the #2 spot. Brian Daboll has been in the league for many years, starting with the New England Patriots and working his way to the Buffalo Bills.
Daboll is best known for undertaking Josh Allen, a “project” quarterback, and transforming him into a top 5 overall QB.
Daboll was a part of five Super Bowl wins with the Patriots and coming from a winning culture of that magnitude is a huge reason why he is in his current position.
Daboll has an interesting task ahead of him, transforming quarterback Daniel ‘Dimes’ Jones will not be as easy as Josh Allen. Daboll has many of the necessary pieces in place in New York to aid his cause.
The Giants added two crucial pieces by drafting defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
What little media is available shows that Daboll’s presence has already been felt inside the building and the staff and players know they are working for a true leader. It’s obvious “Bills Mafia” was sad to see him go but fans of the “Big Blue” should be very excited.
While expectations are high for Daboll there is still more work to be done but at least Daboll isn’t facing a complete rebuild. It would be very shocking if this did not work out for the long haul.
New NFL head coach no. 1: Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders
Here we are at #1 and it is another former Patriots coach. Josh McDaniels was not my favorite hire when the news leaked but the more you examine the situation the better it looks.
We always talk about the McVay/Shanahan tree but the Belichick tree doesn’t have the same level of prestige.
Understandably so as McDaniels was already a head coach for the Denver Broncos in 2009 but after a record of 11-17 he was terminated.
McDaniels learned from that situation when he received his second chance with the Las Vegas Raiders (via ProFootballTalk):
"“When I went to Denver, I knew a little bit of football,” McDaniels said. “I didn’t really know people and how important that aspect of this process, and maintaining the culture and building the team was. And I failed, and I didn’t succeed at it. Looking at that experience has been one of the best things in my life in terms of my overall growth as a person, as a coach. What do I need to do different, how do I need to handle my role, if I have another opportunity, and do better at it? I feel like that’s really an area that I’ve tried to grow in.”"
McDaniels, like Bowles and Pederson, has the benefit of a mulligan. They can reflect on the mistakes they made then and strive to do better now.
While Belichick is the mastermind in New England it cannot be ignored that McDaniels ran the offense as the coordinator for 14 seasons which led to six Super Bowl titles.
Belichick receives the majority of the credit for the success of the Brady era, as he should, but McDaniels wasn’t exactly sitting on the sidelines himself.
Now he enters Las Vegas and spent the offseason acquiring the best wide receiver in the league, Davante Adams, defensive end 2x All-Pro Chandler Jones, and a host of exciting and talented free agents to build up the roster.
Unlike in Denver where McDaniels drafted a rookie in Tim Tebow, he is coming into a building where quarterback Derek Carr has established his leadership and athletic prowess for eight seasons.
The roster still needs some tweaking but McDaniels has surrounded himself with a loaded staff, a dangerous roster, and all his knowledge gained from his time in New England and Denver. The McDaniels era has begun.