We will be heading into the new NFL season with 10 new head coaches. Five which are first time head coaches who are looking to show they belong as head coaches. Some of these coaches are in a excellent position to win now, while others will probably be facing troubling times throughout the season. Here are the floor and ceiling of each new head coach heading into the 2022 NFL season.
Chicago Bears, Matt Eberflus
The Chicago Bears were a dumpster fire last year. After four seasons with Matt Nagy the Chicago Bears went in a different direction by hiring former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Eberflus will have his hands full this season, as this looks like a rebuild for the Bears. They traded All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack, and lost receiver Allen Robinson and defensive tackle Akeem Hicks walk to free agency.
Going from an offensive minded coach to a defensive one is interesting to say the least, especially after drafting quarterback Justin Fields last year, who threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
From reports in training camp players are responding well to Eberflus philosophy, but we will wait and see if that will last come the regular season.
Ceiling: bottom 10 team in the league
Floor: bottom five team in the league
Denver Broncos, Nathaniel Hackett
Nathaniel Hackett is in an excellent position to succeed even with being in the AFC West.
Denver’s roster is loaded with great talent on both sides of the ball. They have Patrick Surtain ll, Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Dre’Mont Jones, Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon lll, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Judy, and Garrett Bowles. The most important name on Denver’s roster is quarterback Russell Wilson, who they traded for in March from the Seattle Seahawks.
The biggest problem last year for Denver wasn’t their defense but was their offense. Last year Denver scored only 19.7 points per game, while their defense gave up 18.7. The point total for Denver will surely go up after acquiring Wilson.
The representative for the AFC in the Super Bowl may well come out the AFC West. They are the best division in the NFL. So don’t be surprised if Denver makes a trip to Glendale in February.
Ceiling: Super Bowl appearance
Floor: make playoffs, lose in wildcard, divisional or AFC Championship
Houston Texans, Lovie Smith
Last year, Lovie Smith was the defensive coordinator for the Texans, but was named head coach after first year head coach David Culley was fired(4-13).
Smith will be leading his third team in his head coaching career. First being with the Chicago Bears(2004-2012) who he led to the Super Bowl in 2006, and the Tampa Buccaneers(2014-2015).
Smith holds a 89-87 coaching record, but some of those loses are due to the lack luster play at quarterback, but that could change with second year quarterback Davis Mills.
Mills was thrusted in the starting quarterback role after Tyrod Taylor got injured against the Browns in week two. Mills went a funky 2-9 as a starter, but was able to muster up 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 66.8 completion percentage.
Houston was a disaster last year, but look to be headed somewhat in a positive direction. Especially after they traded quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns.
Smith and the Texans have a chance to surprise people this season. Each AFC South team have question marks heading into the season, which makes the division completely wide open.
Ceiling : win division, play in wildcard
Floor: bottom 10 team in the league
Jacksonville Jaguars, Doug Pederson
Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Doug Pederson, is the next man up in Jacksonville after the firing of Urban Meyer. He takes over a Jacksonville team that was in news for all the wrong reasons last year.
Jacksonville hiring Pederson was arguably one of the best move in all of free agency. Pederson brings a winning pedigree as a Super Bowl champion and is a respectable leader amongst men. It will be interesting to see if he can bring the best out of Trevor Lawrence, who was one of the worse quarterbacks statically last year.
Along with hiring Pederson, Jaguars opened their checkbook and made bigtime free agent moves. They signed Pro-Bowl guard Brandon Scherff, linebacker Foyesade Oluokon and made Christian Kirk one of the highest paying receivers in NFL history. Then in this past draft they selected edge rusher Travon Walker with the No. 1 pick.
Ceiling: win division, play in wildcard
Floor: bottom 10 team in the league
Las Vegas Raiders, Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels will get his second chance as a head coach. This will be his first head coaching job since being fired by the Broncos after only two seasons back in 2010.
McDaniels already has a playoff caliber team, and a leader at quarterback with Derek Carr. Will McDaniels leash be cut short like it was in Denver, or will he bring success back to the silver and black?
Ceiling: win division, appear in AFC Championship
Floor: miss playoffs, finish around .500
Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel
Mike McDaniel gets his first shot at being a head coach after many years as an assistant under the Shannahan family. McDaniel was the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator last season, and help lead the 49ers to the NFC Championship.
In Miami, McDaniel has studs on offense with receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, along with tight end Mike Gesicki. They have potential on offense, but that wont be met unless Tua Tagovaila can be that guy like he was at Alabama.
The last two years the Dolphins have been a fringe playoff team under former head coach Brian Flores. Nobody knows what to expect from McDaniel as a first time head coach, but only time will tell if moving on from Flores was the correct way to go.
Ceiling: play in wildcard
Floor: bottom 10 team in the league
Minnesota Vikings, Kevin O’Connell
After firing Mike Zimmer the Vikings hired Los Angeles Ram offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings have been packed with talented players for the last couple years, but have underperformed.
Honestly its hard to evaluate what O’Connell can do with this team as a first year head coach. He did make Cooper Kupp a triple crown receiver last year for the Rams, but he’s now a leader of all and not a few.
And it is reported that him and quarterback Kirk Cousins are on the same page. That’s a good sign for Viking fans as Cousins and Zimmer have butted head over the years.
Ceiling: win Division, play in wildcard or divisional
Floor: miss playoffs, finish around .500
New Orleans Saints, Dennis Allen
The New Orleans Saints hired Dennis Allen after Sean Payton stepped down after 15 years as head coach. Allen will get a second shot as head coach, after he flamed out in Oakland(2012-2014) with a pair of 4-12 records his first two years and then eventually being fire in year three after starting the season 0-4.
The Saints finished a modest 9-8 last year but missed the playoffs primarily due to injury. The team get back Jameis Winston who had the team at 5-2 before tearing his ACL, and Michael Thomas who hasn’t played a game since 2020.
This offseason the Saints added receiver Jarvis Landy and safeties Marcus Maye and Tyran Mathieu. Then in the draft they took receiver Chris Olave in the first round
Allen will be under a microscope this season filling the shoes of Payton. This is a talented roster, and losing with this team may warrant the Saints to look for a new leader in 2023.
Ceiling: make NFC Championship
Floor: make playoffs, lose in divisional or wildcard
New York Giants, Brian Daboll
Going from Josh Allen to Daniel Jones will always make your job tougher. For the last four years, Daboll has been the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills and has been key piece in Josh Allen’s development. Daboll is now challenged with turning Daniel Jones into a starting caliber quarterback. Jones has thrown under 12 touchdowns each of the last two seasons.
Daboll has some talent, but don’t expect much out of the Giants this year, until they get this quarterback situation figured out.
Ceiling: bottom 10 in the league
Floor: bottom three team in the league
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles
The Bowles hire in Tampa was more of promotion rather than a new hire.
Bruce Arians stepped down in March and went into a more executive role for the Buccaneers, thus making defensive coordinator Todd Bowles the new head coach in Tampa Bay. Bowles gets another chance as a head coach, but this time with a competent organization in Tampa.
The Buccaneers are the same roster from last year. They are primed for another championship run, especially with Tom Brady coming out of retirement.
Ceiling: Super Bowl appearance
Floor: lose in NFC Championship