16. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
Riding a two game win streak into their Week 5 bye, the Chicago Bears may have found something on offense, and second-year QB Caleb Williams might be hitting his stride. He's played a lot better this year and seems to be trending in the right direction, but at 2-2, the Bears haven't done anything overly special, so I can't really justify ranking Ben Johnson much higher than this.
15. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
Matt LaFleur lost and tied their two games before the bye, so the Green Bay Packers are now 2-1-1 on the season. On paper, this is one of the best teams in the NFL, and with how well Jordan Love has played this year, the Packers should be able to ascend into that next tier.
However, they'll have to begin stacking some wins after the bye, but a bad loss to the Browns and a really shaky tie against the Dallas Cowboys doesn't give me a ton of confidence.
14. Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys
Briah Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys have an electric offense that can lead them to a winning record this year, but the defense has been a massive problem thus far. Schottenheimer has been coaching in the NFL for quite some time and is getting his first crack at being a head coach.
If Matt Eberflus can get this defense sorted out a bit, the Cowboys might be able to hit nine or 10 wins this year. Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level, and Schottenheimer deserves a lot of credit for that.
13. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders
Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders were without Jayden Daniels, but they are now 3-2 on the season after a very strong win against the Los Angeles Chargers. When this roster is healthy, it is certainly capable of making a deep run, as we saw in the 2024 NFL Season.
But I am not sure this roster is great, so a lot falls on the shoulders of Quinn and the coaching staff. He's gone 15-7 in the regular season since taking over as their head coach back in 2024 and is again doing a quality coaching job, but the Commanders don't just have making the playoffs as their only goal this year.
Can they get over the hump?