15. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills
Joe Brady is taking over a Buffalo Bills team that has been in the playoffs each year since 2019, winning the division each year from 2020-2024. The Bills are a juggernaut, and we all know the story with the club. Changing head coaches could end up being the move they needed to make, and Brady is stepping into a situation where he may not have to change much.
We really don't know how he's going to perform as a head coach, so even if we think the Bills win 12 games this year, Brady is an unknown commodity right now.
I'd be shocked if the Bills weren't still near the top of the AFC, as Brady had already been with the franchise and was a part of a lot of winning.
14. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
We won't get too out of hand with Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears after one season. While the arrow is pointing up, Johnson and the Bears have to keep this train moving. We definitely need to see defensive improvement and for the offense to continue taking steps forward, but the total 180 he was able to do with the Bears from 2024 is notable and deserving of praise.
But his 2025 success does not at all guarantee any sort of success in the future. With that said, I do believe it's smart to be high on the Bears for 2026.
13. Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars
Another first-year head coach from 2025 who had a ton of success was Liam Coen, who helped the Jacksonville Jaguars to a stellar 13-4 record and an AFC South title. They couldn't quite get past the Bills in the playoffs, but with how often Buffalo wins in the postseason, it probably wasn't that reasonable to expect a Jaguars victory.
One huge positive to take from Coen's first year was the offensive progression that was made and how good Trevor Lawrence looked down the stretch. In the year prior with Tampa Bay as the offensive coordinator, Coen had Baker Mayfield playing the best football of his career.
Finding offensive success in the NFL is tough, and sustaining it is even tougher. Like Johnson, Coen is another head coach who could make a rapid rise up these rankings if the Jags continue to make strides. Winning 13 games in the NFL is incredibly tough, so I'm not sure that many wins are in the cards in 2026, especially since they lost Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency.
But if this is a formidable football team this year, Coen will continue getting high-end praise. He comes in just outside the top-10 in our head coach rankings.
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