NFL Head Coach Rankings: The Best Five And Worst Five Through Week 5

As we approach the one-third mark of the NFL season, we have enough data to start evaluating the coaching jobs that the 32 NFL head coaches have done. Here are the top five and bottom five head coaches in the NFL so far.

As we approach the one-third mark of the NFL season, we have enough data to start evaluating the coaching jobs that the 32 NFL head coaches have done.

This isn’t just based on record. For instance, despite being 1-4, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has them playing at a much higher level than many thought arguably the league’s worst roster would play at.

Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid just misses the top five due to the offense in Kansas City not quite hitting its stride yet. And, a win in week 5 and much-improved play two weeks in a row has Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus staying outside the bottom five.

28. Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders, (2-3)

The excitement from Washington Commanders fans following disgraced former-owner Daniel Snyder’s sale of the team to Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris and the team getting off to a 2-0 start has completely evaporated. And, head coach Ron Rivera is a huge part of that blame.

Rivera is a defensive coach, and he has a ton of talent on that defense. More than half the defense are picks from the first two rounds, including the entire starting front. And, the defense simply is not getting it done at all. The defense is ranked 31st in points per game, and hasn’t allowed less than 30 points since week one. The offense under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and quarterback Sam Howell has shown the ability to put up points, though it needs to cut down on the negative plays. And, it seems likely that Bieniemy will be the head coach in the nation’s capital sooner rather than later.

29. Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders (2-3)

The Raiders are coming off of a season-saving win on Monday Night Football against the Packers, but McDaniels still finds himself on this list. The longtime Patriots assistant and former Denver Broncos coach looks like he did in his first stop as a head coaches: way over his head.

And, it’s his inability to manage personalities that’s harming his ability to get results. Nobody should blame him for the tragic situation involving Chandler Jones’ mental health, but he is not doing a good job keeping superstar wide receiver Davante Adams happy. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him demand a trade at some point this season.

It’s not as if the Raiders are a complete dumpster fire. But, there’s nothing to point to that says that McDaniels is making them better in any way. They should cut bait after the season and swing for the fences. Ryan Day, anyone?

30. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots (1-4)

Bill Belichick went nearly two decades where he would have rarely dropped out of the top-five. Now, he is solidly in the bottom-five. The Patriots are an unmitigated disaster, and it’s hard not to put a lot of that on Bill Belichick.

The six-time Super Bowl champion is also effectively the team’s general manager, and the roster construction is simply not good. The team is lacking in talent at too many of the most important positions, and has so few explosive playmakers at either side of the ball.

Most importantly, it seems as if Bill Belichick is disinterested at times. A hallmark of his Patriots’ tenure was strong responses after losses. Instead, following the team losing 38-3 to the Cowboys in week 4, the team responded to yet another home blowout loss, as the Saints beat them 34-0. They’re going through the motions as a team, and you can see that on the sideline. It’s a far-cry from the team that was very competitive in losses to the very good Eagles and Dolphins to start the year before beating the Jets.

31. Brian Daboll, New York Giants, 1-4

Last year’s NFL Coach of the Year, Brian Daboll, has arguably been the worst coach in the National Football League this year. Despite actually having a win, the Giants, at -91 through 5 games, is on a historically bad pace in terms of point differential.

Yes, the personnel isn’t great and last year’s team that won a playoff game was a huge over-achievement considering the talent. But, this team has not been prepared to play football in any of its five games, and all but one-half of football has been A blowout.

The defense is porous, but the offensive-minded Daboll has little to do with it. His baby. the offense, has been, frankly, a joke at times. There are injuries on the offensive line, but plenty of teams in the league each year are missing multiple offensive linemen. Brian Daboll has found no way to scheme around his terrible offensive line, instead putting Daniel Jones’ health at significant risk by getting hit over a dozen times a week in the last few weeks. And, speaking of Jones, Daboll is billed as a quarterback whisperer, but he looks terrible. I ranked him as the worst quarterback in the league this week, and a lot of that falls on Brian Daboll being unable to get the best out of him.

32. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos (1-4)

The Broncos are paying Sean Payton $20 million this year, and traded a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second-rounder to the Saints for the rights to him. For their troubles, they are 1-4, the attitude around the team is as negative as it’s been in Denver in decades, and it’s becoming very likely that the acquisitions of Payton and quarterback Russell Wilson were both big mistakes.

The offense, which is certainly Payton’s specialty, has improved to at least mediocre following last year’s catastrophe on that side of the ball. But, the team is too often disorganized on offense, with questionable play calling and subpar execution. Given what they’re paying Wilson and Payton, mediocre is not the expected return. The defense is one of the league’s worst, but other than hiring Vance Joseph, I’m not going to blame Sean Payton much for that.

He gets the nod for the bottom spot because of the loss to the Jets on Sunday. If you’re going to talk trash, like Sean Payton did this summer on former Broncos’ head coach and current Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, you better back it up. He did not.

5. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, (3-1)

It wasn’t that long ago when many wondered if the Seattle Seahawks should part ways with their Super Bowl-winning coach. But, Pete Carroll has proved those doubters wrong.

Left for dead after trading away Russell Wilson prior to the 2022 season, They found a way to make the playoffs last year, and have started strong this year. Carroll bet on a castaway in Geno Smith, and he’s played at a Pro Bowl level since taking the starting job last season. The team has embraced Carroll’s style of physical football in an era where everyone wants to play a more finesse version.

Of course, Carroll is a defensive coach, with a history of developing players in the secondary. And, he’s done just that with second-year star Tariq Woolen and rookie sensation Devon Witherspoon. Those two could be the foundation of the next “legion of boom” in Seattle, and allow the Seahawks to get aggressive in the front 7. Carroll’s insistence on bringing back future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner has paid off, too.

Overall, this is a team fully bought-in into executing what Pete Carroll wants to do and his overall philosophy.

4. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles (5-0)

Look back at Super Bowl losers throughout the years, and you will see plenty of Super Bowl hangovers the next season. Not in Philadelphia, however, and Nick Sirianni has to get a lot of credit for that.

Even though it took the offense a few games to really start clicking like they were last season, they’re certainly there now. He’s helped settle in a Jalen Hurts that wasn’t playing with the same decisiveness as he was last year, and handled AJ Brown getting upset to perfection. Aside from Mike McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan, nobody makes it easier on his offense than Nick Sirianni does.

Like many others from an offensive background, Sirianni is pretty hands-off on that side. But, that’s not a knock on him at all. In fact, it’s the strength. So many coaches, especially young head coaches, want to have their hands in all the cookie jars. Sirianni has an innate understanding of his strengths and weaknesses. And, he’s quickly become one of the league’s best in-game decision makers, as well.

3. Dan Campbell

No coach in recent memory has changed a longstanding culture inside an organization as quickly as Dan Campbell has. Mocked for saying the team would “bite a kneecap off” at his opening press conference, that’s exactly the type of culture he’s instilled in Detroit.

Most NFL coaches got their first head coaching jobs due to excelling at one side of the ball or the other. Campbell had never been an offensive or defensive coordinator when the Lions hired him, and he’s comfortable letting others run the show on both sides of the ball. His focus is that culture of tough, disciplined, aggressive football. And, it seems his players love it.

After an 8-2 close to the season last year that saw the team barely miss out on a playoff spot, a 4-1 start this year has them at 12-3 in their last 15 games. He has quarterback Jared Goff believing in himself once again, too, and this is one of the best teams in football thanks to the job he’s doing.

2. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins, (4-1)

Mike McDaniel is truly one-of-a-kind when it comes to NFL head coaches. He looks like a guy more likely to run an indie coffee shop in Brooklyn than he is to be a football coach. But, he’s a darn good football coach, one that has Miami Dolphins fans with serious Super Bowl hopes for the first time in decades.

Unlike Dan Campbell, McDaniel is an expert at one side of the ball, and is responsible for a Dolphins offense operating a record-setting pace. Tua Tagovailoa is operating at an MVP-level, speedsters on the outside in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are devastating for defenses, and the passing game is a nightmare to guard. But, the former run game coordinator for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco has turned the Dolphins into a force running the ball. They lead the league in rush yards per game, and he’s deployed rookie back Devon Achane, who can also fly, perfectly.

The defense is what it is in Miami, but his offense is so good, that even average defense could have this team raising the Lombardi Trophy. And, is anyone more fun in press conferences than McDaniel? Dolphins fans are hoping that he’s their head coach for a long time.

1. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers (5-0)

The best team in football has the best head coach in football, as Kyle Shanahan is proving once again why so many people think he’s a football genius.

The most important job of any head coach is his relationship with his quarterback. And, no one has their quarterback playing better compared to their skill level than Kyle Shanahan has Brock Purdy playing. Purdy looks like an MVP candidate, making Shanahan’s decision to choose him over Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance seem like a brilliant one. Of course, his offensive system is the best in league, and his teams’ abilities to basically always being able to run the ball sets him apart from any other coach in the league.

Shanahan lost defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who is now the Texans’ head coach. But, he nailed the hire of Steve Wilks, who has the defense playing at a high level yet again.

It’s Super Bowl or bust in San Francisco, and it’s the only thing left for Shanahan to accomplish. If he keeps coaching like this, I think he will get it done.