8. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
While the Houston Texans have failed to advance past the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs in DeMeco Ryans' tenure, it's clearly been a hugely successful start for Ryans and this era of football. He's won double-digit games in all three years of his coaching career, and Houston did capture the AFC South title in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
His fingerprints are all over the defense, and once again, Houston should be primed for another playoff campaign. Ryans came in and immediately changed the direction of this franchise and is absolutely among the best in the league.
7. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
In year one, Ben Johnson led the Chicago Bears to an 11-6 record, NFC North title, and an appearance in the Divisional Round. Given how quickly this franchise saw success under Johnson, it'd be hard to not put him on this list.
Sure, you could argue that he isn't as proven as others given it's only been one year, but the opposite could be more true - it's all that more impressive that he found success in year one. Chicago's progression on offense was extremely evident, too. Johnson should only get better and better.
6. Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars
Another first-year head coach that shattered expectations, Liam Coen did have the Jacksonville Jaguars alive for the AFC's top playoff seed near the end of the season. And during that second-half stretch, the offense really came together. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence began to heat up and was an MVP candidate by the time the year was over.
Coen took a franchise stuck in the mud and led them to a division title. This impressive lift in year one land's Coen at no. 6 in our power rankings.
5. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Despite all of the injuries the San Francisco 49ers had in 2025, they still managed to win 12 games and were still alive for the NFC's top seed in the playoffs. It was injuries that ended up ending the season, as the Niners just did not have an answer on either side of the ball in the Divisional Round, but it was another insane showing by Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan has already appeared in two Super Bowls and has been among the best since taking over way back in 2027. When his teams don't get hurt, which has been an unfortunate theme, a deep playoff run always occurs.