The firing of Brian Callahan by the Tennessee Titans this week marked the unofficial start of the coaching carousel.
Six weeks into the season, a league built on parity finds itself with nothing to do. Nearly half (14) of the league's teams are two games above .500 this season. Three others have winning records, and three more (Chiefs, Panthers and Commanders) are 3-3 with an upward trajectory.
On the other end, six teams are 1-5 with their playoff hopes all but over come October. Only one of those teams (the Saints) has a rookie head coach. Callahan was the first coach to be fired, but there are some bad places in the league.
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
Record 2025 1-5
Career record 29-28
For a while, McDaniel looked like the coach of the future. He was different. He was funny. He was a creative person. But McDaniel's trick had run its course. The Dolphins have the longest postseason drought in the league, and that won't change this season.
After the Colts lost in Week 1, you can at least give McDaniel some credit: his team battled. Even after losing Tyreek Hill this season, the Dolphins offense has been productive. But after the next unexplained collapse at the end of last week's game against the Chargers, it feels like his time is up. The product on the field was poor. And the atmosphere in Miami seems as volatile as anywhere else in the league.
The malaise on the field extended beyond the field. In his comments to the media after last week's game, Tua Tagovailoa spoke about problems in the locker room. He criticized players for missing or being late to players-only meetings, as well as the team's weekly preparations. When the players start publicly criticizing culturethe coach is busy.
The blame for this year's failure must lie with the organization itself. It was owner Stephen Ross who decided to play with McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier this season, despite no evidence that the two could field a playoff-caliber team. Grier assembled another scrappy lineup, fixing a lopsided defense. He put all his chips on defense, leaving weakest secondary in the league unprotected. McDaniel's offense has shown signs of life since Week 1, but Miami's defense has been so uncompetitive that it's almost pointless.
The Dolphins have a convenient schedule. But wins over the Browns or Falcons aren't likely to change that. They will only delay the inevitable. Whether it's during the season or at the end of the year, McDaniel won't be there. However, to finally end their 25-year hunt for a playoff title, the Dolphins will need more drastic changes.
Hot seat counter 10/10
Aaron Glenn, New York Jets
Record 2025 0-6
Career record 0-6
Coaches are rarely alone in NFL. The owners are too proud. Managers don't want to admit they hired a loser. When a coach is fired after one season, it's usually because of an off-field scandal or because he commits the cardinal sin of making the team look incompetent.
Last season, the Jets fired Robert Saleh, a defensive-minded coach whose idea as head coach was that he would improve the team's culture. It didn't work. So Woody Johnson turned to Aaron Glenn…a defensive coach whose idea was that he would create a new culture. So far it's a complete failure.
Expectations were low for the Jets this offseason. Somehow Glenn brought them down. They defend worse than ever under Saleh, ranking 28th in EPA/Play. The offense can gain yards in the running game, but won't be able to get anything through the air unless it's garbage time.
More importantly, Glenn is looking over his head. He is not a circuit guru; he is a builder of culture. He had to restore accountability and competence to the building. He said what needed to be said and was aware of the little details that can make the difference in one-score games. But he constantly made mistakes in his remarks. He effectively get away from your quarterback in the bottom of the first half against the Broncos in Week 6, then the reporter lit up for asking if the coach had thought about changing the quarterback. In all six games, he blew timeouts, struggled to understand the fundamentals of late-half situations and coached him to try to win rather than lose. If that was all, Glenn would likely be given time. But that's not true. His own unit had fallen off a cliff, and he refused to make any changes to staffing or scheduling to stop the bleeding.
The Jets are not a talented team. But with the current composition they shouldn’t be. lose-lose. There is talent on the offensive line, with several playmakers at skill positions and quality starters at every level of the defense, although it's hard to tell at this point in the season.
Glenn took every opportunity to reminisce about his time in Detroit working alongside Dan Campbell. The transition from laughing stock to contender was slow. Campbell won just three games in his first season as Detroit's head coach. But even in defeat, the Lions never looked unprepared or incompetent. The Jets do.
Glenn can afford to lose more games before the Jets start looking competitive. That starts with a quarterback change or a defensive overhaul. But with a turbulent owner, Glenn can't afford any more management problems.
Hot seat counter 6/10
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Record 2025 1-5
Career record 41-49
Stefanski is a two-time coach of the year who is fighting for his job, thanks in large part to the mistakes of his front office and ownership.
The Browns are in rebuilding mode, banking on their rookie class to lead them into a new era. They have draft stock for next year's draft, where they will have the opportunity to maneuver the board and get the college quarterback they prefer.
Perhaps Stefanski will prove himself enough throughout the match that he will be kept around to complete the recovery process. He continues to oversee one of the best defenses in the NFL, and if the Browns can find a viable quarterback this offseason, they could compete in the AFC North next season. Stefanski has proven that with good quarterback play, he can put together a good offense. But last offseason, he was given his toughest assignment yet: he was asked to deal with the creaky Joe Flacco, who has since been traded, or a pair of mid-round rookies at quarterback. This will always be a recipe for less than 20 points per game and a losing record.
By the end of the year, Stefanski will likely be the culprit behind Cleveland's deeper failures. The Browns will turn over the franchise to a new head coach to usher in a new era with a new quarterback. But Stefanski will find work elsewhere. The mess in Cleveland is not his fault.
Hot seat counter 8/10
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
2025 entry: 1-5
Career record: 173–109 (one Super Bowl win)
Injuries dropped the Ravens to 1-5 after a 17-3 home loss to the Rams last week, the worst start to a season in John Harbaugh's 18-year tenure with the franchise.
Baltimore said goodbye at the low point of the Harbaugh era. If they can get most of their starters back from injury after the break, most notably Lamar Jackson, they could still make the playoffs. But the chances of turning the season around are diminishing. Since the current playoff format began in 2020, only one team—Washington in 2020—has started 1-5 and made the playoffs.
Harbaugh lived a charmed life in Baltimore. Even during the years when the Ravens failed, the blame never fell on the head coach. However, this year is different. Baltimore's defense faltered for the second straight season. The group ranks 30th in EPA/Play, behind the likes of the Titans, Jets and Bengals. Last season, the Ravens were able to turn things around mid-year by overhauling their approach and bringing in outside help to streamline what defensive coordinator Zach Orr was trying to do.
Harbaugh decided to return this season alongside Orr after failing to make the postseason. But that was nonsense. Even before injuries took over, the Ravens' defense was out of sorts. They struggled to line up, were unable to communicate and were unable to influence the opposition defenders. Harbaugh is often overlooked for the unit's shortcomings because he is considered a former special teams coach and is more likely to be described as a general manager-style head coach. But Harbaugh's branding is touch misleading. His background is in defense. He attends every defense meeting and hires critical personnel. It was thanks to him, like everyone else, that the squad came out of the gate for two years in a row.
With Jackson at the peak of his powers, the Ravens are on a year-to-year schedule. Every season is either championship or failure. But Harbaugh is now 4-7 in the postseason since winning the Super Bowl nearly 13 years ago. And he faces an uphill battle to even make the playoffs this campaign.
The Ravens are not a reckless team. And it's hard to see who on the market would be a better fit for the Ravens than Harbaugh. But if the team fails to make the playoffs, it will have no other leverage other than changing its head coach.
Hot seat counter 4/10
Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Record 2025 2-4
Career record 20-36-1
No coach's career fluctuates more than Daboll's. Its future depends on one player: Jackson Dart.
Daboll entered the season with a single mandate from Giants owner John Mara: find me a quarterback. After weeks of tinkering with Russell Wilson, Daboll finally made the switch to the rookie. And the first results were strong. Dart brought electricity to a previously moribund offense, leading the Giants to two wins in three starts, including a win over the Eagles without select targets Malik Nabers or Darius Slayton.
Dart embodies everything Daboll wants in a quarterback: big, strong, mobile and a little reckless. While the rookie has had some ups and downs in his three starts, he's certainly brought a new lease of life to the franchise.
This is a proof-of-concept year for Daboll. It entered the season ranked warmest in the league. But he finally had his carefully selected defender. The Giants have a tough schedule the rest of the way; their next nine opponents have a current record above .500.
The win-loss column will matter. It's hard to bring back a coach with more than 40 losses in four seasons. But Mara values ​​stability and is not prone to rash decisions. Regardless of the team's record, whether Daboll is retained or fired will depend on the environment. If the Darts continue to show promise, if the Giants can pull off a couple more upset wins and if the chemistry between the head coach and quarterback remains strong, Daboll will be given another year.
Hot seat counter 5/10
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