NFL Coach Rankings 1 To 32: Where's Cowboys' Mike McCarthy Fit?
Since the Dallas Cowboys went 6-10 in their first season under head coach Mike McCarthy, they've produced back-to-back 12-win seasons. But -- as often was the case during the parts of 13 seasons he spent in Green Bay -- McCarthy's team has faltered in the postseason in consecutive years.
So for all the regular-season success McCarthy has had in 16 years leading the Packers and Cowboys, he was particularly difficult to place on our CowboysSI.com countdown of the 32 NFL head coaches ...
32. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals - The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator left his most recent job under questionable circumstances, after his defense got worked in the second half of a Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Given that he's taking over by far the worst roster in football -- especially with quarterback Kyler Murray recovering from a torn right ACL -- this feels like a fair ranking.
31. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - For as much time as Bowles has spent with Bruce Arians, his mindset as a head coach seems to be the opposite of "no-risk-it-no-biscuit." Tom Brady has retired, and it's fair to wonder how long of a leash Bowles will have given the bizarre circumstances that led to him getting a second opportunity to be a head coach.
30. Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints - There are only 32 head coaching jobs, but succeeding Sean Payton without inheriting a quarterback isn't ideal. Allen has Derek Carr at quarterback now, and so the Saints need to at least be competitive in a wide-open NFC South for him to earn a third season as head coach in New Orleans.
29. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans - Ryans followed up an excellent playing career by receiving strong marks as Kyle Shanahan's defensive coordinator in San Francisco for the past two seasons. The Texans roster isn't close to being ready to contend, but Ryans seems like the perfect person to drastically overhaul a toxic culture in Houston.
28. Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts - Steichen had a key role in developing both Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts early in their careers. The Colts are hoping that the former Chargers and Eagles offensive coordinator can do the same with No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson, allowing them to finally move past the curse of Andrew Luck.
27. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears - In Eberflus' first season as Bears head coach, the team finished with a 3-14 record, earning the No. 1 pick that they ultimately traded to the Carolina Panthers. But the Bears were more competitive than their record would indicate, losing six games by five points or less. If Justin Fields takes a step forward in his third NFL season, Eberflus' Bears could compete in the NFC North this season.
26. Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders - McDaniels arguably has a Hall of Fame-caliber resume based off of his two stints as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. But he fizzled out as the Denver Broncos head coach over a decade ago, and the Raiders went just 6-11 in his first season as their head coach. Perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo will be a better fit for McDaniels' system than the aforementioned Carr was, but at best, he's a lateral move in terms of talent in a division that includes Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
25. Brandon Staley, Los Angels Chargers - It's never fair to do these type of ultimatums, but the Chargers have zero playoff wins to show over the course of Herbert's rookie contract, and it feels like that needs to change in 2023 for the head coach to keep his job. Staley wasn't the head coach in Los Angeles for Herbert's rookie season, but he was at the helm the collapse the Chargers had in an AFC Wild Card Round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars a season ago.
24. Robert Saleh, New York Jets - At 7-10, Saleh's Jets felt like they were a quarterback away from being a playoff team -- and perhaps more -- a season ago. Enter, Aaron Rodgers. On one hand, the Jets now have one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history to compliment a very talented defense. On the other hand, Saleh will likely be the scapegoat if things don't go according to plan for the Jets this season.
23. Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons - Smith reached an AFC Championship Game as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans with a middle-of-the-pack quarterback in Ryan Tannehill largely because of superstar running back Derrick Henry. To a degree, he's attempting to copy that formula in Atlanta. Second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder will have tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London at his disposal when the Falcons choose to throw. But with Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson as options in the backfield, Smith figures to lean on his running game in an attempt to get to the postseason.
22. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns - It feels like a lifetime ago that Stefanski and quarterback Baker Mayfield had the Browns on the verge of the AFC Championship Game during a magical 2020 season. With a full year of quarterback Deshaun Watson, Stefanski is seemingly on the hot seat in 2023, and he'll need to get results in a loaded AFC North.
21. Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders - Rivera is one of the great leaders in the NFL today, and has been the right person to navigate Washington through two name changes and a sale. But in 2023 -- with Eric Bieniemy now serving as his right-hand man -- Rivera will need to prove to incoming owner Joshua Harris that his regime should remain in place moving forward.
20. Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings - Despite having a -3 point differential, the Vikings finished O'Connell's first season as head coach with a 13-4 record. That perhaps should have been a clue that they might be in trouble come the postseason, but it's also indicative of the impressive job O'Connell did managing each game.
19. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions - Perhaps there will be a shelf life to his style, but the Lions have clearly bought into the culture Campbell has built in two seasons in Detroit. After finishing 9-8 in 2022, it will be a disappointment if the Lions don't return to the postseason this year for the first time since 2016.
18. Frank Reich, Carolina Panthers - Reich was dealt an all-time bad-blow in Indianapolis when quarterback Andrew Luck shockingly retired prior to the 2019 season. Still, the Colts went 40-33-1 in parts of five seasons with Reich as their head coach, so it's not surprising he got another job so quickly. Being able to build a strong staff is crucial for a head coach, and Reich has done that with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley, all potential future head coaches.
17. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys - McCarthy knows how to guide a team to the playoffs, as evidenced by his .614 winning percentage in 16 seasons as an NFL head coach. But it's hard to get by back-to-back embarrassing postseason finishes for the Cowboys, and only getting to one Super Bowl while having peak Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.
16. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals were 6-25-1 in Taylor's first two seasons, but Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have drastically changed the course of this franchise over the past two seasons, and the head coach deserves quite a bit of credit for that. At one point, it appeared that the Bengals were going to fire Taylor after the 2020 campaign. In the two seasons since then, they've won 22 games and made back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances.
15. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins - In his first year as Dolphins' head coach, McDaniel oversaw a prolific offense that produced two wide receivers with over 1,300 receiving yards and looked like a Super Bowl contender when Tua Tagovailoa was playing quarterback. Whether Tua proves capable of staying healthy or not, McDaniel should have an extended run overseeing Miami's offense.
14. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers - After four years, there's a good chance that LaFleur had reached his lifetime limit on answering questions about Rodgers. At the same time, the Packers went 47-19 in LaFleur's first four seasons -- even with a disappointing 2022 season -- in large part because of the success that Rodgers had at quarterback. As Jordan Love takes over, LaFleur, right or wrong, will become more of the focus in Green Bay.
13. Brian Daboll, New York Giants - 2022 was an incredible year for Daboll's stock. Not only did the Buffalo Bills miss him as offensive coordinator, but quarterback Daniel Jones took a major step forward in his first year under Daboll, helping guide the Giants to an upset playoff win.
12. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks - Just when you began to wonder if the game had passed Carroll by, he seemingly picked the exact right time to pivot off of Russell Wilson in favor of Geno Smith. Carroll will turn 72 early in the 2023 season, but it would hardly be a surprise if he's still chomping gum on Seattle's sideline in five years.
11. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills - McDermott has been the most successful -- and perhaps, only successful -- coach Buffalo has had since Marv Levy, but you get the feeling that the 49-year-old's seat might be a little warm. McDermott probably would get hired elsewhere immediately if dismissed by Buffalo, but if there's a third consecutive disappointing postseason exit in the midst of Josh Allen's peak, a new voice may be best for all involved.
10. Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans - With a serious lack of wide receiver talent and Will Levis seemingly being groomed to take over at quarterback for Tannehill in 2024, this feels like a rebuilding year for the Titans. And that means Vrabel will find a way to have the Titans win nine games and sneak into the playoffs.
9. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles - Even if you didn't like his introductory press conference or aren't a fan of his quirky personality, it's impossible to argue with the results that Sirianni has gotten so far as the head coach of the Eagles. After going 23-11 in his first two seasons as the Eagles head coach, Sirianni lost both his offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason. How Brian Johnson and Sean Desai fare as they try to replace Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon will be the next big test for Sirianni.
8. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars - Pederson seems to be constantly overlooked in these type of discussions, even though he won a Super Bowl and led the Eagles to three playoff appearances in five years. All he did in his first season as the Jaguars head coach was clean up Urban Meyer's mess and help guide the Jaguars to a 27-point comeback in the AFC Wild Card Round against the Chargers.
7. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams - We're still not entirely convinced he won't consider walking away again if this year goes south, but McVay is back for a seventh season after weighing stepping down following a 5-12 season. The 37-year-old has revamped his staff, with Mike LaFleur in as offensive coordinator and a slew of other changes.
6. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens - Harbaugh has a Super Bowl win on his resume, but navigating through a contentious contract situation with Lamar Jackson and making it out on the other side without alienating the former NFL MVP is one of the most impressive things he's done in 15 seasons in Baltimore. It will be exciting to see whether new offensive coordinator Todd Monken can help Harbaugh and the Ravens to compete for a Super Bowl in 2023.
5. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers - 2023 will be a crucial year for offensive coordinator Matt Canada, but Tomlin isn't going anywhere anytime soon unless he decides to leave himself. Still only 51, Tomlin has never had a losing season in 16 years at the helm in Pittsburgh. He's one of the greatest leaders and faces of a franchise that the sport has ever seen.
4. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers - Shanahan will likely hoist a Lombardi Trophy as a head coach at some point, but guiding a team with seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback to the NFC Championship Game may be a feat he never tops. At 43, Shanahan has an opportunity to top the legacy that his father built as a head coach.
3. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos - No matter what happens in Denver, Payton is one of the greatest offensive minds in NFL history based off of what he and Drew Brees achieved in New Orleans. If he can help to revitalize quarterback Russell Wilson's career, it will be the latest chapter in a Hall of Fame legacy.
2. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots - Belichick has fallen out of the top spot, and if there isn't a major step in the right direction in New England in 2023, he'll likely experience an even more significant drop next year. Belichick is one of the greatest head coaches in the history of professional sports, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Patriots are 25-25 in three seasons since Tom Brady departed in free agency. Belichick's disastrous staffing decisions and the consistent inability to develop wide receivers also reflect poorly on him.
1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs - For as good as Andy Reid was in his 14 seasons in Philadelphia, his second act has been what he'll be most remembered for. Reid has a .722 winning percentage in 10 seasons as the head coach for the Chiefs, with three AFC titles and two Super Bowl rings to show for it.
You can follow Tim Kelly @TimKellySports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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