Power Ranking NFL Head Coaches

There’s a saying that the NFL is a player’s league, with elite talent being the main reason why teams win, or lose games. We think that is mostly true, but coaching is important, too. If you can find the right coach, you can elevate the floor of your team, which is ultimately the goal. With all that being said, let’s take a look at who we think are the best coaches in the NFL right now!

A couple of years ago, we would have had Sean McDermott higher on this list, however, the continued inability to get over the hump and reach the Super Bowl has diminished his ability in our eyes. He’s still one of the better defensive minds in football, but as a head coach, there are some limitations.

Jim Harbaugh has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in football throughout his time in both college and the pros. What we want to see from him, and his team, is consistency. Harbaugh’s old-school style looks to be working so far, with his team sitting at 3-3 despite a lack of top-end offensive talent. We want to know if this style is sustainable, which is why he’s only at 9 for now.

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KOC could, arguably, be much higher on this list given his impressive start to the 2024 season and his ability to compensate for his quarterback’s weaknesses. It’s only when you look at the coaches above him in the rankings that you understand why he is lower than you’d possibly expect.

Matt LaFleur has proven time and again that he’s one of the better offensive minds in football, especially earlier this season when he won two games with Malik Willis at QB. The Packers remain one of the Super Bowl favorites, and LaFleur’s coaching is a big reason why.

As Dakota Randall writes for Pro Football Network, “Campbell is a wild card — and an entertaining one at that — but he’s also a really good coach.” There is no doubting Campbell’s motivational skills, and how hard his team plays for him, it’s just a question of how good would the team be without him given the talent of his coordinators? It’s tough to tell, but is a slight knock on his ability.

Perhaps the best offensive mind in the NFL, Shanahan’s only knock is he hasn’t one the biggest game of them all. It’s fair to point that out as he has crumbled in the big moments, refusing to go for important fourth downs and under-preparing his team for overtime in the Super Bowl earlier this year. He’s a great coach, but he has arguably cost his team two rings.

Harbaugh is another CEO-type coach on our list, with his coordinators taking on more responsibility than at some organizations. Harbaugh is clearly a great coach, however, as evidenced by Baltimore continually being one of the best teams in the NFL year after year.

Dakota Randall describes McVay as a “game-planning mastermind” which is definitely accurate and what he did last year with a young, inexperienced team was, undeniably, impressive. This year, the loss of Aaron Donald and myriad injuries have made things almost impossible for the Rams, it’s hard to blame any of that on McVay, who remains one of the best in the business.

Mike Tomlin has never had a sub-.500 season in his entire career as a head coach. Do you have any idea how difficult that is? Especially with some of the mediocre teams assembled around him. This season he and his coaching staff have made Justin Fields and Russell Wilson into legitimate starting QBs, which may be his most impressive performance yet.

Is anyone betting against the Chiefs winning their third Super Bowl in a row this year? Reid has transformed this team into an uber-efficient, ground-and-pound winning machine, which is not something we ever expected to see. Reid’s legacy is already assured, with a first-ballot Hall of Fame enshrinement locked in, if he were to win another Super Bowl, however, he would be in conversations for the best ever.

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