4. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans hired DeMeco Ryans at a time where there were rumors he wouldn't even want to take the job because of how bad the organization looked after the Deshaun Watson fiasco.
The Texans either convinced him to take the job, or those rumors were never true. One way or another, Ryans has gone from rocking the No. 59 for the Texans to walking the sidelines with a headset, leading this team to become a true contender in the AFC.
The Texans enter the 2026 season with unquestionably the best defense in the NFL, and that's thanks largely to Ryans and his ability to put players in positions to succeed. He's got elite player development skills dating back to his time with the 49ers, and that has continued with the Texans.
3. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
Although there are off-field issues for Mike Vrabel to deal with this offseason, along with plenty of bad PR, he's still one of the best head coaches in the NFL.
Vrabel was already one of the best coaches in the league with the Tennessee Titans, and while things didn't work out there, there's a reason why the Patriots moved on from Jerod Mayo after just one season and pivoted to Vrabel. He's now a two-time AP Coach of the Year, and helped lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl this past season.
Vrabel's ability to maximize talent and win the chess match of football comes from a long time playing for Bill Belichick. He's hyper aware of game situations and game management, and we saw that on display in last year's playoffs. The Patriots, even struggling offensively, were able to run through a gauntlet of AFC teams en route to another AFC Championship.
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