Grading the ten NFL Head Teaching Hires: From John Harbaugh to Klint Kubiak

[ad_1] The final time the NFL welcomed in 10 new head coaches was 2022, and 4 quick years later, eight of these 10 have already been fired. So not less than this yr’s group of 10 can’t probably be worse, proper?

Time will inform, in fact. However for now, right here’s the FOX Sports activities rating of the ten new head coaches employed within the 2026 cycle, full with a really early grade for every.

Did the Cardinals unintentionally choose the improper coordinator off of Sean McVay’s employees?

The NFL world was buzzing at first of this cycle concerning the potential for Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula to be the following nice coach off the McVay tree. As a substitute, the 38-year-old LaFleur leapfrogged him. Possibly the Cardinals noticed one thing others did not in his two unremarkable years because the Jets offensive coordinator directing eventual draft bust Zach Wilson?

Or possibly they only beloved the Rams' offense a lot they had been keen to miss the truth that McVay, not LaFleur, known as the performs?

None of that's to say LaFleur can’t be a great head coach. He spent seven years working for Kyle Shanahan in varied stops and three years together with McVay, so a few of their genius may have rubbed off. Nonetheless, it’s a curious selection, particularly contemplating a few of the candidates the Cardinals selected to not rent.

Grade: D-

Terry Pegula insisted he made the choice to fireside Sean McDermott after seeing the scene within the postgame locker room in Denver. He felt he had a staff able to reaching a Tremendous Bowl, and he wanted a pacesetter who may put them excessive.

That made sense … till he put his supposed title-ready staff within the palms of a 36-year-old, first-time head coach who was on the employees he felt simply failed the franchise.

Joe Brady simply had his palms in a profitable but unfulfilling period of Payments soccer. Now the top coach, can he get the Payments to a Tremendous Bowl? (Photograph by Nick Cammett/Diamond Photos through Getty Photos)

I suppose Brady, in his two-plus years because the Payments’ offensive coordinator, had nothing to do with their playoff failures? He was a favourite of quarterback Josh Allen, who clearly needed the offensive system to stay the identical. That’s why so many thought the Payments had been going to rent ex-Giants coach Brian Daboll, who was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo that helped flip Allen right into a star.

As a substitute, the Payments carried out a sham of a search and anointed Brady who, to be honest, is well-respected across the league and has had a whole lot of head teaching interviews over the previous three offseasons. It’s nonetheless a danger, although, for a franchise that would have benefited from bringing in an exterior candidate — which is what it appeared like Pegula initially supposed to do.

Grade: D

The Dolphins tried the offensive whiz child route with Mike McDaniel, and the outcomes had been simply OK. However it too typically appeared that management was missing in that locker room. It’s why they wanted to pivot to a "CEO" sort of coach.

And that matches Hafley, who has expertise operating a program from his 4 years as the top coach at Boston School. Sadly, he had a reasonably mediocre run there, with an general report of 22-26 and one journey to a minor bowl. School coaches additionally don’t typically translate properly to the professionals, both, although Hafley has spent 9 years as an NFL assistant.

He did his finest work the previous two seasons because the defensive coordinator in Inexperienced Bay, the place he helped flip the Packers’ protection right into a championship-caliber unit. However it’s his management that can seemingly outline his tenure in Miami, not his defensive scheme.

Grade: C

The 46-year-old Saleh doesn’t deserve all of the blame for what occurred throughout his time as head coach of the New York Jets, however he can’t disavow all of that 20-36 report. It’s true he was saddled with a nasty quarterback (Zach Wilson), however he made loads of dangerous choices that helped wreck his tenure, too.

Possibly he’s discovered from them. That’s what the Titans are relying on. And there are many examples of coaches who thrived after they obtained a second likelihood. However generally a failure simply proves {that a} coach can’t deal with the large job.

Robert Saleh inherits a greater QB state of affairs in Tennessee than he did in New York. Will his Titans tenure go higher than his Jets one? (Photograph by Brooke Sutton/Getty Photos)

We’ll see if that’s true. If nothing else, Saleh is a formidable presence and everybody who has performed for him lauds his management. He’ll convey a brand new perspective to the Titans, for positive. He’s additionally an excellent defensive thoughts, so there seemingly gained’t be many points on that aspect of the ball.

Oddly, he employed one other failed New York coach to run his offense — ex-Giants coach Brian Daboll, who had a Saleh-like report of 20-40-1. He’s well-respected, too, and might be an enormous assist for promising younger quarterback Cam Ward. Maybe this might be an important redemption story for each exiled New Yorkers, although the percentages really feel lengthy.

Grade: C+

It takes somebody with a robust abdomen to be the top coach of the Browns, however it additionally most likely takes somebody with extra expertise than Monken. Not less than Monken brings a robust observe report for creating quarterbacks, although, which is what the Browns want proper now greater than something.

They've an amazing protection. They’ve even obtained some promising expertise at operating again and receiver. But when they will’t develop a quarterback — whether or not it’s Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, or another person — none of it issues. And Monken has had a string of success, operating a top-10 offense in Tampa (2016-18) with Jameis Winston, serving to flip Lamar Jackson again into an MVP in Baltimore (2023-25), and even creating a prolific offense behind Stetson Bennett on the College of Georgia.

The draw back is the Browns’ messy search might need price them revered defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. And Monken, at age 59, hasn’t been a head coach within the NFL earlier than. But when he can repair the quarterback mess, not less than the Browns will take crucial first step.

Grade: C+

He's the new offensive assistant this yr after his masterful work with the Tremendous Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Sam Darnold. However plucking the younger, offensive star is commonly a boom-or-bust proposition, as not each nice coordinator makes for a top quality head coach.

The Raiders have had three head coaches up to now 4 season. Will first-timer Klint Kubiak lastly be their long-term answer? (Photograph by Steph Chambers/Getty Photos)

The Raiders can afford to take that likelihood, although, assuming they're affected person with the 38-year-old. They're a number of years away from contending and Kubiak’s major job will seemingly be to develop quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the presumptive high choose of the 2026 NFL Draft. What Kubiak did in Seattle absolutely caught the Raiders’ consideration, however don’t low cost his teaching lineage. He’s labored beneath his father, Gary Kubiak, in addition to Kevin Stefanski and Kyle Shanahan. Loads of offensive data has been handed all the way down to him.

Whether or not he can deal with the large job stays to be seen. But when he can develop the brand new quarterback, he’ll be off to a heck of a begin.

Grade: B-

*The Raiders can't formally announce the rent till after Tremendous Bowl LX

It’s arduous to argue in opposition to hiring a coach with a résumé just like the one McCarthy has. He's, fairly merely, one of many NFL’s greatest latest winners. He went 125-77-2 throughout his 13 years in Inexperienced Bay. He had three 12-win seasons in 5 years in Dallas. He’s been to the playoffs 12 occasions in 18 years general and gained a Tremendous Bowl. Who wouldn’t need that?

The one downside right here is the match. McCarthy is 62 years previous and has 18 years of expertise and doesn’t appear to be the sort of coach who would need a rebuilding challenge. And whereas the Steelers don’t suppose they’re rebuilding, maybe they need to be. They've hovered round mediocrity for greater than a decade and been trying to find their subsequent franchise quarterback since not less than 2018 after they drafted Mason Rudolph.

Hiring McCarthy makes it really feel like they’re able to run it again, maybe with deteriorating 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now, if they may someway land a younger franchise QB, McCarthy may very well be excellent for him. Don’t low cost his affect on Rodgers’ early profession. However with out that place resolved, this teaching rent may rapidly show to be too previous and too stale.

Grade: B

At the start of this hiring cycle, no up-and-coming assistant was talked about as a lot because the 42-year-old Minter. He figured to be a high candidate for a number of groups, till the market all of the sudden turned flooded with skilled coaches.

Although it requires a little bit of hypothesis, he deserves to be ranked close to the highest, particularly since he most likely inherits the very best of the ten openings. On a loaded roster with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, he’s obtained the very best shot of profitable instantly.

Jesse Minter has been an ace defensive coordinator at a number of stops. Will that translate to being an important head coach? (Photograph by Rob Carr/Getty Photos)

Can he? Effectively, his pedigree as an assistant is powerful. He’s an apple off the Harbaugh tree, having labored with each John in Baltimore and Jim in Michigan and with the Los Angeles Chargers. He constructed faculty soccer’s finest protection when Michigan gained the nationwide championship in 2023, and he turned a nasty Chargers protection right into a top-10 unit over the previous two seasons. So he can coach. And plenty of NFL executives suppose he’s prepared for the large chair.

Given the one he’s sitting in, it could be arduous for him to screw this chance up, although the Ravens' protection took a significant step again in 2025.

Grade: B+

The Falcons are a staff loaded with offensive expertise that appeared wasted and misused beneath Raheem Morris. It’s an enormous cause why, possibly greater than another membership, they wanted an offensive-minded head coach. And Stefanski is likely one of the finest, regardless of what occurred throughout his final two ugly seasons in Cleveland (8-26).

He was undermined there by a collection of disastrous quarterback choices. Earlier than that, he was a miracle employee. Take into account that the Browns have been to the playoffs twice up to now 23 years — each occasions beneath Stefanski. He remarkably gained 11 video games twice in Cleveland — its solely two 11-win seasons since Invoice Belichick hit that mark there in 1994 — and was the NFL Coach of the Yr each occasions.

Stefanski helped develop Baker Mayfield right into a viable NFL quarterback (they went to the playoffs of their first season collectively), and he had his different profitable/playoff season in a yr when he needed to juggle 5 totally different beginning quarterbacks. So don’t blame him for a way the Browns fell aside. Take a look at what he did earlier than the collapse. He’ll do the identical in Atlanta with whomever his quarterback is.

Grade: A

He’s the home-run rent of the offseason and the Giants needed to hit it given their depressing, embarrassing report over the previous 14 years. They tried a line of promising, inexperienced coaches and it simply didn’t work. They wanted somebody who had executed it earlier than, and would immediately restore credibility to their franchise.

Harbaugh, in fact, had an extended and profitable run in Baltimore, going 180-113 over 18 seasons, making the playoffs 12 occasions and profitable a Tremendous Bowl. However greater than his teaching success, he boasts a presence and credibility the Giants have been lacking since Tom Coughlin. He can stand in entrance of a staff that's typically perceived as gifted however underachieving, and the gamers know that what he says and does will work — as a result of it has. He'll instantly restore self-discipline and confidence, and he has a historical past of being nice with younger quarterbacks.