Ralph Vacchiano
NFL Reporter
Not a single regular-season game has been played yet, but a good case can be made that about one-quarter of the NFL’s coaches are on seats that are already warming up.
Less than eight months after seven of the league’s 32 teams changed coaches at the end of last season, there are at least seven more who begin the season with at least one toe out the door. Some of them are in more danger than others. But all of them know they need to win.
How fast? And how long can any of them survive more losing? Listed below are the seven head coaches under the most pressure heading into Week 1.
*We’ll update these rankings periodically throughout the season.
1. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
It’s a little unfair that McDaniel might enter the season on the hottest seat in the league, because a lot of his work has been undone by the health of QB Tua Tagovailoa. In Tagovailoa’s only fully healthy season with McDaniel, the Dolphins went 11-6. But overall, McDaniel is 28-23 and 0-2 in the playoffs, while the brilliance and speed of his offense has never lived up to its promise. There is a feeling in Miami that if they don’t reach the playoffs this year, and maybe even win a game in January, that both McDaniel and GM Chris Grier will be out amid a big housecleaning. Since the first half of the season is the easiest part of the schedule, it sure would help if Miami got off to a hot start.
2. Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
The fate of new coaches who take over struggling teams are almost always tied to their young, franchise quarterbacks. Unfortunately for Steichen, his was tied to Anthony Richardson. And that’s gone so well that the Colts’ starting quarterback to begin the season is Daniel Jones, the failed franchise quarterback from the Giants. That’s not good news for a team that seemingly has a wild-card ceiling or for a head coach with a two-season record of 17-17. If the Colts end up dismissing Richardson as a bust, you can bet they’ll blow the whole thing up this winter, including likely firing GM Chris Ballard. After the untimely death of owner Jim Irsay, the new bosses could be headed that direction regardless.
Two years ago, the Colts hired Shane Steichen and drafted Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick. Now, Richardson begins his third season on the bench as Indianapolis looks to snap a four-year playoff drought. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
3. 6. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
His job situation is one of the more interesting in the NFL. There was a case to fire him after the Giants went 3-14 last season, dropping his three-year record to 18-32-1, but co-owner John Mara showed the kind of patience he hasn’t displayed much in the last decade. The Giants then went out and got Daboll the kind of quality quarterback he needs in veteran Russell Wilson, but they’ll be fighting an uphill battle playing one of the toughest schedules in the league. Here’s the most complicating part, though: Daboll’s fate might be more tied to the development of rookie QB Jaxson Dart, who looked good in preseason but might not play until late in the season, if at all. Daboll needs to win, so he won’t rush Dart. But how much losing can he survive, even if Dart shows promise? Mara could face a very complicated decision at the end of the year.
4. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
He’s 40-44 in five seasons in Cleveland, coming off a miserable, 3-14 year, and nobody has been dealt a worse hand at quarterback over the years than he has. This season’s edition isn’t much better. Maybe he can squeeze a little more out of 40-year-old Joe Flacco. But the real question is whether he can develop rookie Dillon Gabriel into a viable starter — or maybe Shedeur Sanders, if Gabriel doesn’t work out. And oh, by the way, Deshaun Watson is still there, trying to resume his career, just to make this the biggest mess in the NFL. Stefanski is a well-regarded coach — he’s been selected Coach of the Year twice — but ownership can be a little crazy, so another bad year or failure to fix the quarterback issues could easily spark a change.
Kevin Stefanski could be cycling through multiple starting QBs this season after the Browns took two of them in the 2025 draft. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
5. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers
His first team in Carolina went 5-12, but the most important thing for him was that there were finally signs of life out of QB Bryce Young. Not a lot, but enough to convince some that the first overall pick of the 2023 draft might actually live up to some of his potential. If the trajectory continues for Young, Canales will get credit. But any regression at all will be a bad sign for his future. And Panthers owner David Tepper has shown he’s willing to make rash decisions, no matter how much damage they might do.
6. Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans
If it sounds ridiculous that a team could fire a coach in or after his second season … well, yeah. But the Titans haven’t been known for sound decisions lately. Also, they have put the future of the franchise in the hands of QB Cam Ward, which could be shaky hands even though he was the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft. Coming off a 3-14 season, the Titans aren’t likely to win a lot of games this year. It means Callahan, a former OC, will largely be judged by how quickly Ward is developing. It better be fast, otherwise the Titans might scour the market for another young quarterback whisperer to save their franchise.
The Titans had the worst record in the NFL in 2024, which netted them the No. 1 pick and Cam Ward. But if he doesn’t improve as the season goes along and Tennessee doesn’t either, where would that leave second-year coach Brian Callahan? (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
7. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
He probably deserves to be higher on this list because he coaches one of the most talented yet underachieving teams in the league. But the notoriously cheap Bengals won’t do it before they absolutely have to, and Taylor is signed through 2026. At the very least, Taylor should be put on notice that another false start to the season won’t be tolerated. He’s got one of the best quarterbacks in football, a new hand-picked defensive coordinator (Al Golden), and a team that should be one of the four best in the AFC. The Bengals can’t bury themselves with another 0-3 start, like they did last season. Taylor should pay the price if they do.
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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