NFL Power Rankings: Which Year 1 head coaches have done the best job?

Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season is nearly upon us, so let's power rank all eight year one head coaches thus far.

There were eight coaches who came into the 2024 NFL Season as "year one" guys. Some are on their second head coaching stint in the NFL and are off to a great start, but others are just struggling mightily.

Many of the best head coaches today struggled across their first seasons on the job, so a year one struggle does not signal the end. Let's power rank all eight year one head coaches.

NFL Power Rankings: Which Year 1 head coaches have done the best job?
8. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers (1-6)

Part of me wonders if first-year head coach Dave Canales just has nothing to do with his team's 1-6 start. They clearly missed big-time with Bryce Young in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the defense went from a top-10 unit-ish in 2023 to among the worst in football.

I'm not sure many head coaches could perform in these conditions, but Canales is only 1-6. The Panthers don't do a single thing well besides lose games if you ask me, and you seriously have to wonder if they will go through yet another one-and-done head coach.

7. Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots (1-6)

I just do not understand the New England Patriots and do not believe that Jerod Mayo has any clue what he is doing. Mayo was long viewed as the heir apparent to Bill Belichick, and that ended up happening following the 2023 NFL Season, but Mayo is yet another figure who was neck-deep in the "Patriot Way," which has turned out to be something that was 99% Tom Brady.

Mayo is simply not an NFL-caliber head coach and has done an astoundingly awful job in year one.

6. Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans (1-5)

The Tennessee Titans are 1-5 on the season and are likely taking a QB in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. First-year head coach Brian Callahan has not been able to develop Will Levis, and the Titans are just among the worst of the worst in the NFL.

They've already traded away DeAndre Hopkins, so the team is clearly building for the long-term, but this team may not have many more wins left on their schedule.

5. Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)

Antonio Pierce has been a disaster for the Las Vegas Raiders in his first year as the permanent head coach. The Raiders are bad on both sides of the ball and could be huge sellers at the NFL Trade Deadline. In a normal cycle, Pierce would probably rank at the very bottom, but there is somehow even worse head coaching jobs than this.

What do the Raiders do well?

4. Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons (4-3)

The Atlanta Falcons may have one of the more talented rosters in the NFL, so you could have expected them to be at least 5-2 at this point, but this team is solid and will continue to rack up some wins. They are still in first in the NFC South, as the 4-3 Buccaneers lost to Atlanta a few weeks ago.

Raheem Morris has done a pretty typical job thus far in his first year with the Falcons.

3. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers (3-3)

The LA Chargers have a bad roster, so them getting to 3-3 thus far is decent work by Jim Harbaugh, who is on his second head coaching stint in the NFL after coaching the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. Harbaugh and the Chargers clearly need another offseason of bringing in talent, but the defense is one of the best in the NFL and the offensive line is in a good spot as well.

2. Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

Blowing out the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, Mike Macdonald is doing a fine job as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The team's ceiling is quite low with Geno Smith at QB, but it's clear that Macdonald has brought immediate change to their defense. I would expect the Seahawks to be neck-deep in QBs when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.

1. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders (5-2)

Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders are unquestionably the breakout team in the 2024 NFL Season thus far. Sure, things can certainly go south, but the change that Quinn and co. have brought to the team has been long overdue.

Many head coaches do perform a lot better in their second stint, and Quinn previously coached the Atlanta Falcons. In that regard, it really shouldn't be a huge surprise that he's off to this insane start.