Football is a team sport, but two roles in particular have a heavy sway on a team’s success: quarterback and head coach. If you possess an elite signal-caller or play-caller, odds are you’ll still need a solid supporting cast to contend for a title. But at least you’ll have a running start. Just ask the Chiefs and Patriots, who built — or still maintain — recent NFL dynasties thanks to impeccable QB-HC pairings.
There is little debate, going into 2023, which of the NFL’s QBs belong in the uppermost tier: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen are among the bona fide studs under center. But what about the head coaches? Which chief of staff makes the biggest difference with his strategy, his experience, his leadership?
Here’s our pecking order of all 32 head coaches going into this season:
32. Matt Eberflus (Bears)
Season: 2nd with CHI, 2nd as HC
Career record: 3-14 | Playoffs: N/A
It’s not all Eberflus’ fault he debuted with a stripped-down roster, but if you’re gonna be a defensive HC in today’s NFL, you’d prefer not to shepherd one of the league’s worst units on that side of the ball. A big leap from QB Justin Fields would help.
31. Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals)
Season: 1st with ARI, 1st as HC
Career record: N/A | Playoffs: N/A
He’s a unique and energetic character, to be sure, and that may help Arizona weather its slow-burn rebuild. But his defensive approach is quite passive, as sore Eagles fans will be quick to note, and he could be working with a barren roster for years.
30. Josh McDaniels (Raiders)
Season: 2nd with LV, 4th as HC
Career record: 17-28 | Playoffs: N/A
Josh McDaniels
USATSI
We know he can run a Patriots offense, which is probably why he basically remade the old Patriots in Las Vegas this offseason. But adversity has tended…
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