14. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills (rookie)
The Buffalo Bills were another team that moved on from their head coach after the 2025 season ended in major disappointment. Sean McDermott had been the head coach of the Bills since 2017, and oversaw the franchise's ascent with star quarterback Josh Allen.
But there was an apparent ceiling for the Bills under McDermott, and that ceiling was apparently AFC West teams in the playoffs.
The Bills are shifting gears in a dramatic way, going with a rookie head coach in Joe Brady, who was previously the team's offensive coordinator. Not only is Brady a first-time head coach, but he'll have a first-year NFL defensive coordinator in Jim Leonhard. The Bills are taking a big risk in such a competitive window, but they're hoping the offensive wunderkind can push them over the top.
13. Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens (rookie)
Out of all of the rookie head coaches in the AFC this year, Jesse Minter probably had the most dominant individual unit last year, certainly over the last two years. You could make a strong case for Klint Kubiak in that regard, but Minter's defense in Los Angeles has been difficult for even the best offenses in the league to figure out.
And his player development on that side of the ball has been fantastic.
Minter's first NFL job came back in 2017 as a defensive assistant with the Ravens, so this job is sort of a full-circle moment for him. He's going from working under Jim Harbaugh to taking his brother's job in Baltimore, a job John Harbaugh had previously held since 2008.
Because of the enormity of taking a head coaching gig for a team that previously had that kind of stability, the pressure will be on Minter to get this Ravens team back into the top 4 of the AFC in a hurry.
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