The NFL is chock-full of contenders with familiar leaders: Super Bowl candidates like the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have been directed by the same head coaches for years. It’s not necessarily a coincidence, as continuity is often underrated in today’s world of instant gratification.
Even so, some teams are better because of their expeditious change to fresh leadership: Take the New England Patriots, for example, who needed just one season to decide Jerod Mayo wasn’t quite the Bill Belichick successor they were envisioning. Mayo may not have been the sole culprit for New England’s 2024 woes, but the team certainly looks more well-rounded under the guidance of another former Belichick disciple in Mike Vrabel, the man now overseeing the sidelines for the franchise.
Speaking of Vrabel, where does the feisty coach rank among this season’s first-year coaches? Like fellow 2025 hire Pete Carroll, Vrabel isn’t entirely new to the head coaching landscape; he previously held a top job with the Tennessee Titans. But here’s how we’d grade and rank each of the seven coaches who are almost halfway through their first seasons with new clubs this fall:
Jets owner Woody Johnson backs Aaron Glenn, takes shot at Justin Fields amid 0-7 start to season
Jonathan Jones
7. Aaron Glenn
Record: 0-7
New York was always going to be a team in transition, pivoting away from the failed Aaron Rodgers team-up of the previous two years. But even skeptical fans probably envisioned a bit more snarl and creativity from Gang Green under Glenn, who practically earned the job for his attachment to the aggressive heavyweight that is the Detroit Lions. We can’t say his efforts are a lost cause; after all, that Motown rebuild required real patience. But for a defensive mind who promised to quiet, not elevate, the drama in New Jersey, Glenn’s currently overseeing a bottom-10 defense, struggling to generate a spark since a surprise Week 1 shootout.
Grade: D-
6. Pete Carroll
Record: 2-5
Carroll may be getting a slight boost just based on resume alone; this is still a respected Super Bowl-winning culture-builder. And yet, at 74, his presence atop the Raiders seems more curious with each passing week. That’s because, to no surprise, his “win-now” approach has left Las Vegas leaning heavily on has-beens in the starting lineup — none more glaring than journeyman quarterback Geno Smith, who’s lost the magic from his brief Seattle Seahawks breakout to become a turnover machine. The setup is so stale that Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a division rival, literally took pity after a Week 7 beatdown: “My heart goes out to Pete.”
Grade: D-
Record: 1-6
Like Aaron Glenn in New York, Moore was hired not so much to foster instant production as lay a foundation for the future. So why, if he’s led just one win in seven games, does he register as more promising thus far? Growth isn’t always linear, but his Saints offense has taken strides rather than looked increasingly hapless, even with an unproven arm in Spencer Rattler leading an aging, rebuilding roster. Moore’s group has rarely been embarrassed, and it arguably doesn’t include as many blue-chip building blocks as Glenn has with the Jets (i.e. Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner). Accordingly, this operation will hinge on a future influx of talent.
Grade: C-
4. Brian Schottenheimer
Record: 3-3-1
Remember when everyone mocked Dallas for promoting Mike McCarthy’s offensive coordinator? Maybe, just maybe, Schottenheimer was precisely the “boring and uninspired” hire this headline-grabbing franchise needed. The defense remains quite a sieve, but you can pin that on Jerry Jones, who made a circus out of dealing Micah Parsons after committing top dollar to streakier talents like Trevon Diggs. Schottenheimer, meanwhile, has quietly proven why he’s a favorite of quarterback Dak Prescott, letting the signal-caller air it out with MVP-like confidence even when one of the club’s two elite pass catchers isn’t on the field.
Grade: B-
3. Liam Coen
Record: 4-3
Jacksonville has cratered so often over the last decade-plus that Coen simply keeping the club afloat to open his debut is a credit to his vision. The former coordinator has certainly infused some spunk into the locker room, as evidenced by scrappy upsets of superior foes like the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. The flip side is that Coen’s yet to really correct the sloppiness that’s marred much of quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars career. Jacksonville leads the NFL in penalties through seven weeks, and Lawrence has remained mercurial throwing to talented but equally hit-or-miss wideouts in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter.
Grade: B-
Record: 4-2
The most coveted head coaching candidate of the last few cycles, Johnson’s yet to unleash a Lions-level attack in Chicago, even suffering a bad loss to his old friends in Detroit back in Week 2. His tough approach has seemed to resonated in the locker room, though, considering Caleb Williams and Co. have shown plenty of resilience since. Johnson’s rushing backfield is now overachieving under his watch, and his handpicked defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, is helping the Bears to lots of takeaways. We might still be a year away from a legit playoff run, but Johnson already has a long-wayward franchise holding its head higher.
Grade: B
1. Mike Vrabel
Record: 5-2
When Vrabel signed on to replace Jerod Mayo as the latest ex-Patriots linebacker-turned-coach, it was fair to wonder if New England was going too far down the well of Bill Belichick mentees. Big-game hurdles still remain. But there’s no denying the Patriots are playing with a more united and authoritative posture. It helps Vrabel’s getting pristine play from young quarterback Drake Maye, but the new coach was also responsible for selecting many of Maye’s new helpers, including veteran wideout Stefon Diggs and rookie left tackle Will Campbell. The defense is still rounding into form, but this outfit looks like a real challenger in the AFC East.
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