Ranking the head coaches for the 2020 NFL season

In no major American sport is the head coach considered of greater important than pro football. As we enter the 2020 NFL season, here's a look at the current head coaching lot, from 1-32.

Belichick has a strong argument as not only the best coach going currently, but also the best coach in NFL history. Over 20 seasons in New England, the mastermind has led his team to nine Super Bowl berths and six Super Bowl victories. Incredibly, the Patriots have made the playoffs in 17 of his 20 seasons and won the AFC East in each of those seasons, including a current streak of 11 straight. The loss of Tom Brady in the offseason presents Belichick with his biggest test, but he's proven repeatedly that he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Reid was often criticized before last year for never winning a Super Bowl, but that's a criticism that can no longer be used after the Chiefs claimed Super Bowl LIV over the 49ers. Over 21 seasons as a head coach between the Eagles and Chiefs, Reid has made the playoffs 15 teams and is widely known as an elite offensive mind. His .618 career winning percentage during the regular season trails few active coaches. Reid's coaching tree is also acclaimed, including current head coaches John Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera, and Doug Pederson.

Carroll's Seahawks are now on a streak of eight consecutive winning seasons, success that's only been bested by Bill Belichick's Patriots recently. There's a direct correlation between that success and the arrival of Russell Wilson, but Carroll has done well to completely rebuild the team's defense and also win a Super Bowl. He now sports a .628 win percentage in 10 seasons with Seattle after previous stops with the Jets, Patriots, and a highly successful tenure at USC.

Payton has won only one Super Bowl in 13 seasons with New Orleans, but his consistency has been elite. Much like Bill Belichick will forever be pictured with Tom Brady, Payton and Drew Brees have had quite the complementary run. Payton's offense has finished top 10 in points 11 times since he arrived to the Saints and he's made the playoffs eight times, including a streak of three in a row currently.

A rare special teams coordinator turned head coach, Harbaugh has done a great job at the helm with Baltimore over 12 seasons. Over that time, he has a .615 win percentage, made the playoffs in eight seasons, and won the Super Bowl in 2012. His strength as a head coach has been shown in his ability to successfully lead the team's rebuild from the days of Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis to the team's current form with Lamar Jackson. 

Tomlin succeeded Bill Cowher as Pittsburgh's head coach in 2007, and still has yet to see a losing season over 13 years. He won the Super Bowl in 2008 and advanced to another Super Bowl two years later, but finding playoff success has been more difficult in recent years. Still, Tomlin should be complimented for his consistency and even the fact that he finished .500 last year despite the loss of Ben Roethlisberger early in the year. His .642 regular season win percentage and eight playoff appearances speak for themselves.

Seemingly anyone associated with McVay in any possible way was a hot candidate last offseason, after the instant success of the Rams head in his early 30's that included a trip to the Super Bowl. McVay has led the Rams to three winning seasons in as many years, with an offense that saw its trajectory skyrocket immediately after McVay took over in 2017. After some struggles last year, McVay took the bold action of moving on from acclaimed defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, while the team also rid themselves of former offensive stars Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks. Competing in arguably the toughest division in the league, McVay will certainly earn his paycheck if the Rams can return to the playoffs this year after a one-season hiatus.

The 49ers scooped up Shanahan after he led an elite Falcons offense to the Super Bowl in 2016, but Shanahan's failure to kill the clock in that Super Bowl is famously seen as one of the reasons the team lost a 28-3 lead. Shanahan got another shot last year in the Super Bowl, now as a head coach, but his team blew a late lead once again. Just the fact that the team got that far is a feather in Shanahan's cap given how little talent he had to work with when he arrived. Like Andy Reid, Shanahan has proven to be a masterful offensive play caller who can exploit defenses, and he's also helped develop the team's elite defensive talent.

Pederson made head coaching look easy by winning the Super Bowl in only his second season with a backup quarterback in the playoffs. He's followed up that Cinderella 2017 season with a pair of 9-7 seasons and playoff berths. Like his tutor, Andy Reid, Pederson can make decisions that get under the skin of fans, but he's also proven to be an aggressive decision maker. With the deck he's been given, it's hard to see how Pederson could have done much better than his first four seasons.

Arians made a surprising return to coaching last year after he retired from Arizona in 2017 due to health concerns. He didn't lead an NFL team of his own until his 60s but has been a remarkable 56-39-1 in six seasons between Arizona and Tampa Bay. After going 7-9 in his first season with the Bucs, Arians and company have huge expectations with Tom Brady on board this year.

The Titans have a streak of four consecutive 9-7 seasons, including two under Vrabel. Still, there's a perception that Tennessee is finally over the hump after advancing to the AFC Championship last year on the shoulders of Derrick Henry. Vrabel does deserve credit for his bold moves, like replacing Marcus Mariota with Ryan Tannehill last year, and the Titans defense has performed in the top half of the league since he came on board. With a core of a strong, young talent, the Titans under Vrabel looks bright.

Zimmer brought his acclaimed defensive mind to Minnesota in 2014, and since then he's gone 57-38-1 with three playoff appearances. Some of Zimmer's preferences, such as running the ball, clash with the modern NFL and win expectancy, but he deserves credit for producing a top 10 defense in points allowed in each of his seasons. The Vikings had several major cap casualties in the offseason, so it will be interesting to see how Zimmer's team is able to react.

McCarthy won one Super Bowl in 13 seasons with Green Bay, though he was often criticized for not doing more over that time given that he had elite quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center. By the end of his time, McCarthy's offense seemed stale, so perhaps a year away before joining the Cowboys will do him some good. McCarthy's Packers did have an impressive .618 win percentage and made the playoffs nine times.

It's still relatively early in his tenure, but McDermott is off to a great start in Buffalo. The former defensive coordinator has led the Bills to two playoff appearances in three years, quite a feat compared to the franchise's recent history. The Bills continue to build their identity around defense, McDermott's specialty, allowing the second fewest points in the league last year. With Tom Brady gone from New England, the Bills are actually favored to win the AFC East in 2020.

LaFleur's ascent in the NFL has been rapid, getting two offensive coordinator gigs with the Rams and Titans in 2017 and 2018 before joining up with the Packers last year. He was credited with leading the Packers to the NFC Championship last year after the offense seemed to stagnate under Mike McCarthy in recent years, though the team also added significant defensive talent before going 13-3. As Aaron Rodgers approaches age 40, LaFleur's coaching prowess will really be tested.

Rivera saw some impressive success in nine seasons with Carolina, advancing to the super Bowl once and making the playoff four times. However, his welcome finally wore out last year along with Cam Newton, getting fired after a 5-7 start. Rivera is credited with a strong rebuild in Carolina when he arrived in 2011, and he will have to repeat that endeavor now with a nameless Washington team.

The Raiders have yet to get a return on their mammoth 10-year, $100 million investment in Gruden as he enters his third year in his second go-around with the team. He left the Monday Night Football broadcast booth after 10 years away from the game. Over his first 11 seasons as a head coach, Gruden made the playoffs five times and won the Super Bowl in 2002 with Tampa Bay, but much of his success with that franchise was on the strength of his defense. Gruden's team did improved from 4-12 in 2018 to 7-9 last year. With a career record just four games above .500 over more than 200 contests, Gruden hasn't shown any reason to consider him as more than a middle-of-the-round head coach.

Lynn got an interim opportunity with Buffalo before taking over the Chargers in 2017. He deserves props for finding success immediately after taking the team from San Diego to LA, putting together consecutive winning seasons to start his Chargers career. Last year the team was ravaged by injuries and shaky play from Philip Rivers, regressing to 5-11. Lynn's team has the talent to bounce back despite questions at quarterback, and he's shown strong leadership in his short tenure.

O'Brien is one of the most polarizing figures in NFL coaching circles, but he certainly deserves credit for five winning seasons in six years since coming over from Penn State. He's recently been criticized for some iffy personnel moves after claiming the personnel decision maker hat, but those moves haven bitten the organization yet. Four division titles in five years is a great feat no matter how weak the AFC South has been during that time, and O'Brien also has two playoff victories during that time.

Reich was appropriately the Colts backup option when their hiring of Josh McDaniels fell through in 2018 after serving as a backup quarterback for most of his NFL career. The former Chargers and Eagles offensive coordinator has rolled with the punches since then, leading the Colts to a 10-6 record in his first year but regressing to 7-9 last season following Andrew Luck's surprising retirement. Reich has gotten the most out of talent so far, but expectations are rising with Indy continuing to add to its strong core and signing Philip Rivers in the offseason.

Nagy was considered a wonder boy after his first season in Chicago, seemingly fixing Mitchell Trubisky and leading the Bars to a 12-4 record in 2019. However, the team saw major regression last year, going 8-8. The former Chiefs offensive coordinator has benefited from a strong defense, though he does certainly deserve credit from the offensive turnaround. The pressure will be on for a bounceback this year, likely with Nick Foles under center.

Quinn's job has been on the ropes in Atlanta during consecutive offseasons, but he continues to get the benefit of the doubt after leading the team to the Super Bowl in 2016. The Falcons defense has floundered since then, and the team has gone 7-9 in back-to-back seasons. That's not a great look for a former defensive coordinator, though Quinn deserves credit for getting out of the way of the team's high-powered offense.

Kingsbury ran elite offenses and terrible defenses while head coach at Texas Tech, and that trend continued into his first year in Arizona. The 41-year-old head went 5-10-1 in his first season with the Cardinals, though the team's offense was vastly improved. Competing in arguably the NFL's toughest division, Kingsbury will deserve accolades if he can lead Arizona to the playoffs soon.

The Dolphins were clearly tanking last year, trading foundational players Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick after a quiet offseason. It's telling when Flores was congratulated by many onlookers for winning five games in his first season despite those circumstances, though the defense still finished last in points allowed. There's been some positives from Flores thus far, but he still deserves an incomplete until we see what the Bill Belichick disciple can do with viable talent.

Fangio led an elite Bears defense prior to getting the call as a first-time head coach in his early 60's with Denver. The team's 7-9 result was a disappointment that nearly got him fired after one year, but the Broncos are rightfully giving Fangio another shot. The pressure is on this year after the team rebuilt the defensive personnel to fit Fangio's scheme and gave young quarterback Drew Lock several more weapons.

Taylor's first season in Cincinnati couldn't have gone much worse at 2-14, though not completely unexpected given the team's lack of talent. He has far more to work with in his second year, including first overall draft choice Joe Burrow and a revamped defensive secondary. The former Rams quarterback coach will be credited with Burrows' pending development, good or bad.

Marrone's career as an NFL head coach has been interesting. He left Buffalo in 2014 on his own accord after a winning season, one year later taking over in Jacksonville. He's had the full-time role since 2017, but enters the 2020 season on the ropes after two losing seasons. The befuddling personnel moves in Jacksonville haven't been Marrone's fault, but the franchise has clearly gotten worse since he went 10-6 and advanced to the AFC Championship in 2017.

Less than five years ago, Gase was the hottest head coaching hire in the league. After three years in Miami and one more with the Jets, his status is much shakier. Gase did go 10-6 in his first season with the Dolphins, but he's now had three consecutive losing years. He's somehow taken over personnel decisions in both homes, with poor results, and could be approaching his last shot in 2020 if young quarterback Sam Darnold doesn't improve.

Perhaps no head coach's seat is hotter than Patricia going into 2020. The former Patriots defensive coordinator has overseen consecutive losing seasons, including a 3-12-1 debacle last year. In Patricia's defense, starting quarterback Matthew Stafford missed half of last year, but that doesn't explain a defense that allowed the second most yards in football despite Patricia's background. He's continued to add former Patriots to fit his defensive scheme and has more than enough offensive talent, so this should be Patricia's last opportunity to find success or else.

New York's hire of Judge was certainly outside the box. He was New England's special teams coordinator since 2015 and added wide receivers to his responsibilities last year, but his name was hardly a hot one this offseason. Judge has already made waves with some old school approaches, and it remains to be seen how that will impact a young Giants team that has major personnel issues.

After rebuilding college programs at Temple and Baylor, Rhule is trying his hand as an NFL head coach. He has a well-rounded coaching resume that includes one year as an NFL assistant with the Giants, and has generally been well-liked and well-respected in the college ranks. The Panthers completely blew up their defense in the offseason and have a new starting quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, so 2020 is likely to be a work in progress.

For all the inconsistencies in leadership for the Browns over the last two decades, they've tried to hire the smartest people in the room. Stefanski qualifies for that title as a Penn alum who ascended from low level assistant beginning in 2006 to offensive coordinator last year with the Vikings. The team sees him as the right man for the job to develop Baker Mayfield and the highly disappointing offense from a year ago.