The NFL season is only about a month old, but this is when some reactionary owners start getting itchy. If they weren’t sure about their head coach before, and the losses are already mounting, they’re probably already thinking about a change.
Some will do it soon. Others will just begin quietly preparing to make a change at the end of the season. Either way, all it takes is a quick look at the standings to see that several coaches are already running out of time.
Which ones are in the most trouble? Just before the season, we ranked the seven NFL head coaches under the most pressure. Here’s our updated ranking of the coaches on the hottest seats heading into Week 6:
1. Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans (Previous ranking: sixth)
He entered the season on shaky ground in large part because the Titans hired new general manager Mike Borgonzi in January, and GMs generally prefer to choose their own coach rather than inherit one. Callahan is also 4-18 in his two seasons, so his résumé isn’t exactly sparkling. Even the one win so far this season, against the Cardinals in Week 5, was thanks to a series of fluky plays, not brilliant coaching.
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Callahan’s best chance to keep his job is to show he’s the right guy to develop Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick, into a true franchise quarterback. But through five games, Ward has topped 220 passing yards once with just two touchdown passes and three interceptions. With a notoriously impulsive owner, Callahan isn’t just on the hottest seat, he may also be the most likely coach not to survive the season. Keep an eye on Tennessee’s bye week in Week 10.
Brian Callahan’s hopes for survival hinge on developing No. 1 pick Cam Ward, who has started his pro career slowly. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
2. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins (Previous ranking: first)
Remember when he was hailed as an offensive genius and the Dolphins were feared because of all the speed they had assembled? Now, at 1-4, they’re all on a fast track to nowhere with one of the worst offenses and one of the worst defenses in the league. In Year 4, McDaniel’s record is 29-27 (and 0-2 in the playoffs), and both he and GM Chris Grier are probably out of time to turn this team into a contender.
Right now, all McDaniel’s team has is a win over the winless Jets. Blowing a 17-0 lead to the lowly Panthers in Carolina last Sunday certainly didn’t help him. Some around the league thought McDaniel was in danger of being fired after the Dolphins started 0-3. He probably has until their Week 12 bye to salvage something out of this season.
3. Brian Daboll, New York Giants (Previous ranking: third)
His job status is a fascinating case study in what’s most important to this floundering franchise — wins or the development of a franchise quarterback. The Giants are 1-4 and Daboll’s overall record is a miserable 19-36-1. Based on that record and his team’s play, there’s no real justification to keep him much longer.
But the organization is invested heavily in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, the QB Daboll pushed for in the draft and the one he inserted over veteran Russell Wilson starting in Week 4. His lone chance to keep his job is for Dart to show steady progress and look like a star quarterback in the making by the end of the season. Then maybe Daboll has a case to stay. Of course, losing to the previously winless Saints last week certainly didn’t help him.
In Week 4, Brian Daboll replaced veteran Russell Wilson with rookie QB Jaxson Dart. So far the results have been mixed. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
4. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers (Previous ranking: fifth)
The Panthers have had two really impressive wins this season — a 30-0 shutout of the Falcons and a wild comeback against the Dolphins. And considering how low the expectations were in Carolina, a few more wins like that could make a big difference for the embattled coach. But the truth is that he was brought in to turn Bryce Young, the top pick in the 2023 draft, into the star he’s supposed to be and so far the results aren’t good.
Young is in Year 3, and he’s only showing small signs of progress. Coupled with Canales’ 7-15 record since taking over last season and owner David Tepper’s penchant for reactionary moves, the Panthers could be looking at a restart with a new coach and quarterback this offseason.
5. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (Previous ranking: fourth)
A rookie quarterback is really a safe haven for embattled coaches, and Stefanski is taking full advantage of that with Dillon Gabriel now in the starter’s seat — especially with veteran QB Joe Flacco traded to the Bengals. Stefanski may not be solely to blame for the Browns’ mess, but he was certainly likely to be the fall guy if this season went wrong after going 3-14 last year. And he knew he wouldn’t survive much longer the way Flacco was playing (six interceptions in four starts). So he turned to Gabriel, the Browns’ third-round pick.
The losses are still likely to continue piling up, but it’s all about quarterback development now. If Stefanski can turn Gabriel into a viable starter — or, if that fails, maybe he can develop Shedeur Sanders instead — he could get a chance to stick around for a seventh season, despite a 41-48 record so far.
After starting the season with veteran Joe Flacco at quarterback, Kevin Stefanski pulled the plug in Week 5, opting for third-round pick Dillon Gabriel (above left), with Shedeur Sanders (right) still in the bullpen. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
6. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (Previous ranking: seventh)
It’s hard to blame Taylor for the collapse of the Bengals this year when it’s all because of star quarterback Joe Burrow‘s toe injury. But Taylor remains on this list because no coach has done less with more over the past six-plus seasons. Yes, he took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021 (or rode with them on Burrow’s shoulders), but when you have one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league and the most talented receiver, you have to get to the playoffs more than twice in five years.
The Bengals have lost three straight games, mainly because backup quarterback Jake Browning has been terrible. Maybe newly acquired Joe Flacco can pull them out of their tailspin. But if he can’t and the Bengals miss the playoffs, it could be the excuse for the franchise to make the move it should’ve made a couple of years ago.
7. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals (Previous ranking: Not ranked)
Arizona’s loss to the Titans — the Titans — on Sunday was an inexcusable comedy of errors that certainly pointed at some flaws in the way the team has been coached. More to the point, though, this had the makings of a surprise team, with a healthy Kyler Murray at quarterback, a top receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr., and Gannon’s supposed ability to build a defense.
Instead, what do they have? A pop-gun offense averaging 20.6 points per game and a defense that ranks in the bottom third of the NFL and has produced just 10 sacks. Gannon, in his third season, is 14-25. He may not get much longer to turn the program around.
Dropped from rankings: Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts (Previous ranking: second)
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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