As the NFL season begins to heat up, so do the seats of many coaches throughout the league. With the playoff push on its way, here are three coaches putting everything out on the field with their futures as managers potentially on the line.
Kevin Stefanski’s reign as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach has been anything but steady. Stefanski became just the second coach in team history to win AP Coach of the Year in 2020, but the Browns followed up their memorable season in 2020 with disappointing seasons in the two years following, before once again turning things around in 2023. In that season, Stefanski led an underdog Browns team to an improbable 11- 6 record, despite season-ending injuries from both their star quarterback and running back. However, even with promising additions to the squad from this year’s draft and free agency period, Cleveland has failed to live up to expectations.
Back in July, star defensive end Myles Garrett set his expectations for the Browns’ upcoming season.
“Expectations are higher than ever,” Garrett told ESPN back in early September. “I expect to bounce back from last year, myself and defensively.”
While FOX Sports ranks the Browns third in total defense, offensive success has not come along with the weekly display of dominance on the defensive side of the ball. Play-calling has been an issue for the Browns this year, but it certainly can’t all fall on Stefanski. Coupled with an offensive line struggling in pass block win rates (53%) and a wide receiving core drastically underperforming, many parts of the Browns offensive operation seem to be lost.
Stefanski himself expressed his urgency for improvement to ESPN.
“I want to stress that we have to get better in so many areas and that includes coaching, that includes how we teach our guys, how we put them in different formations, the ways you run the ball, ways you pass the ball,” Stefanski said.
The Browns’ offense will find success when all of its young pieces begin to click. This will give confidence to young rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and potentially let him feel comfortable working under a former two-time Coach of the Year. If Stefanski wants any chance at sticking around in Cleveland, however, he must begin motivating his young quarterback so that Gabriel is well-suited to lead an offense that is on the brink of collapse.
In the NFC East, Brian Daboll has taken much of the blame for his combined 9-25 record the past two seasons (2023-2024 and 2024-2025). Key player departures, injuries and a lackluster offense resurfacing, the Giants currently sit in last place of their division for a second straight season. Much of their issues this season have come from a combination of situational play and mental collapses, which can be seen through their subpar rankings in red zone offense, penalties and turnovers. Moreover, for a defense that was supposed to be the strong point of the squad, they started the year on a rough note — letting up 21, 40, 22 and 26 in four of their first five games, respectively. The loss of star receiver Malik Nabers also hurts, as the Giants have been unable to find a second receiver to fill the shoes of Nabers. However, not all hope is lost for New York. Daboll’s decision to start rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was perhaps the spark needed to save his coaching career for the Giants. Under Dart, the Giants’ offense looks completely revived. Daboll spoke on Dart’s impact this past week.
“It’s good to have a young leader like Dart,” Daboll said. “He leads by his play, he leads by his words, he leads by his emotion, he leads by his loose plays. Glad he’s my quarterback — our quarterback.”
For now, Daboll’s reign in New York will rely on a combination of his young offensive stars and overpowering defensive line. Both Dart and fellow rookie, running back Cam Skattebo, embody a physical, tough and mentally-strong play style that is perfect for the revival of this team. Daboll’s playcalling must center around allowing Dart and Skattebo to extend plays through their physicality, as well as calling easy check-downs and RPOs for the rookie quarterback. On the defensive side, Daboll must continue relying on his strong defensive line to generate pressure and blitzes, a unit that ranks in the top 10 according to Pro Football Focus. Right now, two talented rookies and a fierce defensive line might be the saving grace that Daboll needed the Meadowlands.
Things aren’t as sunny as they used to be in Miami. Following a disappointing 2024 season which resulted in them missing the playoffs, the Dolphins currently sit at 1-6, just one game ahead of the winless Jets in the AFC East. This poor play can be attributed to a multitude of causes, but primarily to key departures of defensive star players, poor leadership and disappointing draft picks. Since losing important defensive pieces like Xavien Howard, Jalen Ramsey and Christian Wilkins, the Dolphins’ defense has plummeted. According to Fox Sports, they rank 27th in total yards allowed and were last in the league in total points allowed through the first four weeks.
After a 29-27 defeat versus the Chargers, star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa criticized some of his teammates for showing up late to team-meetings.
“We have guys showing up to players-only meetings late, guys not showing up to players-only meetings,” Tagovailoa said.
The tension and dysfunction between members of the team reflects poorly on head coach Mike McDaniel, suggesting he may be losing ability to assert himself in the locker room.
Lastly, the Dolphins’ struggle to develop young talent has been another issue putting the head coach’s job on the line. Projected superstars Chop Robinson and Jaylen Wright have been huge disappointments thus far in their young career, and rookies Kenneth Grant and Jonah Savaiinaea haven’t proved much of their own, as well. For the sake of McDaniel’s future, he must find ways to develop his struggling defense, regain control of the locker room and put more effort into developing their high potential young players. It’s these issues that, if resolved, will save McDaniel from a short stay as the head coach in Miami.
