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These are the NFL head coaches who already feel like they are on the hot seat.
Coaching changes are a fact of life in the NFL.
The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately?” league, and that is reflected in the fact that the list of coaches currently on the hot seat includes former Coaches of the Year, playoff winners, and Super Bowl champions.
But when teams are struggling, changes are made. Right now there are some teams that are struggling in the NFL, as well as some coaches who entered the year already in some hot water.
Here are seven coaches that could be in trouble, ranked by how likely it is they will be cleaning out an office in the coming weeks.
7. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
It might be surprising to see the two-time Coach of the Year on this list, but the seat might be warming up under Kevin Stefanski. Cleveland’s offense has struggled this season — the Browns have yet to 20 points in a game this year — and while some of that could be due to overall trends in the league, they need to get more from that side of the ball if they have hopes of another playoff run.
The biggest problem in Cleveland right now is quarterback play, and Stefanski showed his coaching chops a season ago when it was ultimately Joe Flacco who guided the Browns to the playoffs. Cleveland might need another masterful performance from Stefanski this year if they are going to return to the playoffs, and if Stefanski is going to save his job.
6. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
It might seem odd to have the coach of a 2-1 team on a list like this one, but Philadelphia’s collapse down the stretch last season had Nick Sirianni entering the 2024 campaign firmly on the hot seat.
Producers at FOX Sports had a fairly easy time finding booing Eagles fans during last Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, as Sirianni made a few fourth-down decisions that brought out the boo birds. Philadelphia was stopped on a pair of fourth downs in New Orleans territory, first on a 4th-and-1 situation at the Saints’ 15-yard line late in the first half, and then on a 4th-and-3 situation at the Saints’ 34-yard line to open the third quarter.
Ultimately, a spectacular run from Saquon Barkley and an impressive performance from the Eagles’ defense helped Philadelphia to a critical 15-12 win over New Orleans. That win probably bought Sirianni another chunk of time, but the seat does remain warm in Philadelphia.
5. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Brian Daboll was dealt the Daniel Jones card, and he is playing that hand the best he can. Daboll guided this team to a surprising playoff berth in his first year in New York, and after losing Jones to a knee injury early last season, helped turn Tommy DeVito into a household name.
This year, with Barkley in Philadelphia and Jones back under center, Daboll has run the offense through rookie WR Malik Nabers, who became the first player in NFL history with 23 receptions and three touchdowns in his first three games last Sunday.
Given what he was dealt, Daboll having the Giants at 1-2 is probably more impressive than anything else. It would be hard to see New York making a move at head coach anytime soon, but if the wheels suddenly come off the seat might get hot under him.
4. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
It feels like a decade since the Bengals went to the Super Bowl are were one of the most promising teams in football. A lack of success has been blamed on injuries to Joe Burrow in the past, which has allowed Zac Taylor to have Teflon-like immunity. That’s wearing out now.
The Bengals have too much skill position talent to continually find themselves on the losing end. When you get outcoached and outclassed by the Commanders it’s a sign that maybe you just don’t have what it takes, and the Bengals need to understand that their best window in decades is open right now and it’s being squandered.
It’s weird to imagine that everything could hang on a Week 4 matchup with the Panthers, but here we are. It’s a weird Andy Dalton revenge game, and Carolina has new life since making their switch under center. If the Bengals drop another game to a team perceived as one of the worst in the NFL it will lead to Taylor being out and a coaching search beginning in Cincinnati.
3. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
Nobody can really give a good answer as to why Eberflus didn’t lose his job in 2023, and that’s still lingered into 2024. Line play in Chicago is a mess on both sides of the ball. Offensively Chicago has devolved into just having Caleb Williams throw 50-plus times and game and hope it works out. It’s not.
There’s not much more to say about Eberflus that hasn’t been said before. He’s been out of his depth since the moment he took over the Bears, and that just keeps presenting itself. Sooner or later this organization will realize he’s one of the prime reasons this team is being held back, and that can’t interfere with Williams’ development as the franchise QB any longer.
2. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
Expectations for the Cowboys were through the moon for 2024, just as they are every year. Now we’re three weeks in and things look in tatters. Dallas is 1-2, tied with the Giants for last in the NFC East, and everything is on fire.
The low point was getting blown out by the Saints, but there’s not much solace in losing to the Ravens either. With this team’s lone win coming against the struggling Browns they look a lot more like a mid-tier wild card hopeful, than a dominant force in the NFC.
At the center of all this is Mike McCarthy, who is a good football coach — but also unable of finding a way to improve his team. An organization can only bang its head against the wall for so long, and there’s a very real chance he doesn’t make it until the end of the season unless there’s a massive change in fortunes for the Cowboys.
1. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
(/inhales)
Man, where do I begin with the Pederson Jaguars tenure? Well, let’s start here: everything and everyone has gotten worse since making the playoffs in 2022. QB Trevor Lawrence, who is a good QB, has played the worst football of his career, which includes the Urban Meyer era where receivers ran into each other. In addition, the constant half-measures with an offensive line that was poor in 2022 continued to sink this team; they can’t run the ball and they can’t pass protect at all. Not only that, but you add on the constant rifts between what his philosophy is versus general manager Trent Baalke (who also is on the hot seat) has ruined this roster from top to bottom.
However, the most damning indictment of the Pederson era so far has been his insistence on keeping around an offensive coordinator who is actually bad at calling plays or designing an offense. Since 2022 the offense has looked stale, unimaginative and just has an overall lack of vision. For an offensive mind like Pederson, that deserves to get you fired. You can’t be the offensive guy and have the offense be the worst part of the team.
The seat is already at a nuclear level of heat. We might be talking about a matter of when, not if, Pederson is canned.
