There are actually quite a few very good head coaches in the NFL, but let's take a stab at ranking all 32 ahead of the 2024 NFL Season.
This was a very high-turnover year, as eight new head coaches will take the stage in the 2024 NFL Season. It’s abundantly clear that without a very good head coach, no NFL team will win may games, and is really only the elite of the elite that are able to win Super Bowls.
Heading into the 2024 NFL Season, there are a ton of high-end head coaches, and a lot of “good” ones as well. Let’s try to rank all 32 approaching the new year.
NFL power rankings: Ranking all 32 head coaches ahead of the 2024 season
Unranked: Jerod Mayo (Patriots), Dave Canales (Panthers), Mike Macdonald (Seahawks), Dan Quinn (Commanders), Brian Callahan (Titans), Antonio Pierce (Raiders), Raheem Morris (Falcons), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers)
There are eight new head coaches in the NFL for the 2024 season. That’s 25% of the total head coaches in the league. It was a heavy-turnover year for this job, and it really is not fair to rank any of these coaches until we see what their teams can do in 2024 and beyond. All of Dan Quinn, Jim Harbaugh, and Raheem Morris have been head coaches in this league before, so their teams might end up being a bit more buttoned up in 2024.
I reckon that Jim Harbaugh and Raheem Morris will probably be a good bit higher on these head coach rankings in about a year’s time. The rest, though, are all unknowns.
New head coaches like Jerod Mayo and Antonio Pierce feel like two that are going to struggle in a big way in the coming season, but to be fair, in many instances, new head coaches are also taking on a full rebuild, so it may not always be fair to judge their first year, as year one of a typical rebuild are not always great.
24. Dennis Allen - New Orleans Saints
The worst head coach in the NFL that is not in year one, it’s puzzling as to why the New Orleans Saints even made Dennis Allen their head coach in the first place. The Saints somehow managed to win just nine games and miss the playoffs in 2023 even though they had a top-10 scoring offense and defense.
It’s just a very odd situation in New Orleans, but it’s clear that neither Allen nor QB Derek Carr are what this franchise needs at the moment, and blowing this thing up at the end of the year is what the franchise needs.
23. Robert Saleh - New York Jets
Robert Saleh has won just 18 games in three seasons as head coach of the New York Jets, but to be fair, GM Joe Douglas did whiff on former second-overall pick Zach Wilson in the 2021 NFL Draft. This then forced Douglas to get more aggressive in trying to fix the QB situation, as their roster was ready to go for 2023. They traded for QB Aaron Rodgers, but a torn Achilles ended his season before it really even began.
Saleh can clearly field a top defense, but larger questions remain about if he is a legitimate NFL head coach.
22. Jonathan Gannon - Arizona Cardinals
I firmly believe that Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is going to shoot up these rankings in the 2024 NFL Season. The Cardinals simply did not have a good roster in 2023, which was not the fault of Gannon or first-year GM Monti Ossenfort. Well, they now have another offseason in the books in adding more talent to the roster, and with QB Kyler Murray now two years removed from his 2022 torn ACL, the Cardinals are poised to double their win total from 2023.
Do not sleep on this team, as they have the formula in place to be a breakout team in 2024.
21 Matt Eberflus - Chicago Bears
It’s now or never for Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who has everything he needs at this point to lead the Bears to a winning record in 2024. The team dumped Justin Fields and reset with a generational QB prospect in Caleb Williams. GM Ryan Poles also added a ton of other talent on offense, and to Eberflus’ credit, the Bears defense finished the year on a hot-streak in 2023.
If the defense can play as well in 2024 as they did toward the end of 2023, and rookie QB Caleb Williams is legit, the Bears could be a Wild Card team this coming year.
20. Brian Daboll - New York Giants
It’s hard to properly gauge Brian Daboll, as he has to endure the ineptitude of his GM, Joe Schoen. Heading into year three now, the New York Giants may have the worst roster in football, so the Giants being bad in 2024 will likely not all be Daboll’s fault. Maybe Brian Daboll can shoot up these power rankings after the 2024 NFL Season.
During the 2022 NFL Season, Brian Daboll and the New York Giants did shock the NFL a bit, as they won nine games and a playoff game, and it was the best year of Daniel Jones career. It seems like the Giants are hoping for some of that 2022 magic in 2024.
19. Todd Bowles - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles has always been an “eh” head coach. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did go 9-8 in the 2023 NFL Season, as QB Baker Mayfield enjoyed the best season of his career. We’ll see if the Bucs can again have another year like 2023, but there is just nothing special about Todd Bowles as a head coach.
18. Nick Sirianni - Philadelphia Eagles
Nick Sirianni seemed to benefit from some extremely talented former coordinators in Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon for a little while, as the 2023 Eagles were just not a great football team. They won 11 games, but were largely a sloppy team up and down, and at the end of the day, that all goes back to the head coach.
Can Sirianni’s new coordinator hires of Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio be enough to stabilize the team this coming season?
17. Zac Taylor - Cincinnati Bengals
I’m not sure Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is all that special. The Bengals did end up finishing with a winning record in 2023, which was Taylor’s best coaching job of his tenure, but I tend to believe that the Bengals are successful more due to Joe Burrow and a very good defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo. We’ll see if the Bengals can again be among the AFC elite in 2024.
16. Shane Steichen - Indianapolis Colts
Shane Steichen did quite the coaching job in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts. Backup QB Gardner Minshew ended up getting most of the starts, and the Colts were still able to go 9-8 and field a very efficient offense. If second-year QB Anthony Richardson is legit, Steichen and the Colts are in business.
However, it is hard for me to rank Steichen higher until there a large body of work.doc
15. Mike McCarthy - Dallas Cowboys
Mike McCarthy has gone 12-5 in each of his last three seasons as the Dallas Cowboys head coach. Poor playoff performances have thrown a ton of questions his way, as McCarthy feels like he's maxed out his potential with the Cowboys. He's got one more year left on his deal, so I could see the Cowboys moving on if it's another season like 2021-2023 have been.
Still, though, there is no denying that McCarthy is a good head coach and knows how to win some games.
14. Sean McDermott - Buffalo Bills
There is something to be said about a head coach who consistent has a top roster, a very good QB, but cannot make much progress in the playoffs. Maybe Sean McDermott has hit his ceiling as a head coach in the NFL? Maybe he's just not that special of a coach? It's hard to envision the Bills winning a Super Bowl with McDermott as the head coach and the turnover-prone Josh Allen at QB.
The Buffalo Bills are a good franchise, but are clearly limited, and a lot of that falls in the shoulders of McDermott and his staff.
13. Kevin O'Connell - Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O'Connell has won 20 games in two seasons as the Minnesota Vikings head coach, and their seven-win 2023 season was perhaps the most impressive of the two, as the team was without QB Kirk Cousins for a majority of the year. O'Connell and his offensive stafff clearly know how to make it work with backup QBs, and they may have to again make it work with a backup QB in 2024, as rookie QB JJ McCarthy has a torn meniscus
12. Doug Pederson - Jacksonville Jaguars
A Super Bowl-winning head coach, Doug Pederson has led the Jacksonville Jaguars to winning seasons in his first two years, but the Jags were a shaky 9-8 team in 2023. Injuries seemed to derail their season, and it's still a question whether the Jags can take the next step in the AFC and become a truly elite team.
They have the coach and might have the QB to take the next step.
11. DeMeco Ryans - Houston Texans
Oh man, what a coaching job by DeMeco Ryans in the 2023 NFL Season. It's clear that the Houston Texans have their guy for the future, as Ryans helped lead this team to 10 wins and a playoff berth. Doing all they did with Ryans as a rookie head coach and CJ Stroud as a rookie QB was insane to watch.
I have predicted for a while now that the Texans actually win the Super Bowl in the 2024 NFL Season.
10. Kevin Stefanski - Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski knows what he's doing and feels like the adult that the Cleveland Browns were missing for years. He's a two-time coach of the year and has won over 55% of his games with the Browns through his first four seasons, so Cleveland is becoming more of a consistent team during his tenure thus far.
Can Stefanski make it work with Deshaun Watson in 2024?
9. Mike McDaniel - Miami Dolphins
One of the very best offensive minds in the NFL, Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins is a stellar head coach who knows how to win games. The Dolphins got better in year two of the McDaniel era, so they are trending in the right direction. There is something to be said about the team not being able to play in cold weather, but perhaps the Dolphins can put that to rest in 2024.
McDaniel might turn people off with his personality, but no one should deny how good of a head coach he is.
8. Sean Payton - Denver Broncos
Have we all forgotten just how good of a head coach Sean Payton is? The Broncos went from an embarrassing five-win team in 2022 to an eight-win team in 2023 that found themselves right in the Wild Card chase. People seem to think that Payton's success in New Orleans was because of Drew Brees, but it's clear that both went were great at what they did.
Payton and the Broncos now have a new identity with Bo Nix under center, so the pressure is on for Payton to perform with a QB that he hand-picked for the long-term.
7. Matt LaFleur - Green Bay Packers
A stellar coaching job from Matt LaFleur in 2023, the Green Bay Packers now all of a sudden feel like a Super Bowl contender. Jordan Love's mid-season turnaround was bonkers, and LaFleur is clearly a head coach that knows what he's doing, as their success in 2023 tells me that he was not made by Aaron Rodgers, who was his QB at the beginning of his tenure.
The Packers are in great hands with LaFleur.
6. Mike Tomlin - Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin has never coached a losing team in his NFL career. Can he again keep this impressive record up in 2024 with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback? Perhaps. The 10-win 2023 Steelers team lost in the first round of the playoffs, which is becoming the new norm in Pittsburgh.
However, Tomlin is clearly among the best in the NFL at what he does.
5. John Harbaugh - Baltimore Ravens
One of the most consistent head coaches of this century, John Harbaugh continues to churn out winning seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. There is something to be said about the lack of recent playoff success and overall playoff underperformance in recent years, but Harbaugh knows how to get his teams to the postseason, which is something that many teams and head coaches cannot say.
4. Dan Campbell - Detroit Lions
Winning 12 games in the 2023 NFL Season and the NFC North division, Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions has firmly established himself as a top head coach in the NFL, and there should be no question about it. Campbell and the Lions are cooking with fire and have a Super Bowl roster.
I have predicted that they will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in 2024, as this roster is secure from top to bottom.
3. Sean McVay - Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay is a Super Bowl champion and did one heck of a coaching job in the 2023 NFL Season with his young Los Angeles Rams team. LA now all of a sudden has a wide open Super Bowl window, and I would not be surprised to see them playing very late in January this coming season.
Can McVay and Matthew Stafford bring another Super Bowl to LA?
2. Kyle Shanahan - San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan has let the San Francisco 49ers to two Super Bowl appearances since 2019, so he's rightfully supposed to be this high on the list. You have to figure that at some point, Shanahan and the 49ers will be able to win the Super Bowl, but I guess it's always possible that never happens.
Brock Purdy is now his franchise QB, and Shanahan is now beginning to string some dominant seasons together after the first chunk of his tenure was basically ruined by player injuries.
1. Andy Reid - Kansas City Chiefs
Yeah, this is pretty conclusive. Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs have won three of the last five Super Bowls, so it's only right that he's ranked no. 1 on this list. Reid is well into his 60s, so you have to wonder when he'll decide to retire, but I bet he tries to coach for as long as he can given that his QB is Patrick Mahomes.
It's a great situation for Reid, and he's now quickly turned into an all-time great over this last half-decade with the Chiefs. He'll be a first-ballot Hall of Fame head coach and will go down in a ton of record books for his work between the Chiefs and his first head coaching stop with the Eagles.