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With six weeks in the books, the NFL is now a third of the way through the 2026 NFL season. That means now is a fair time to check in on the 10 new head coaches hired this offseason.
Ten is tied for the most head-coaching changes in a single offseason ever, and six of the hires are first-time NFL head coaches. The head-coaching veterans in new places are Mike McCarthy, Kevin Stefanski, John Harbaugh and Robert Saleh. Here is a look at the 10 we will be grading and ranking through Week 6, listed in alphabetical order by team:
Let's dig into the 2026 new head coaches' report cards.
Record: 0-5
It's hard not to feel bad for rookie NFL head coach Jeff Hafley in his first season in charge. He's doing the best he can for a franchise that is paying more for players not on its roster (an NFL-record $179 million in dead cap hits) than for the players on its roster ($156 million) in 2026.
As a result, the Dolphins are just the fifth team since at least 1950 to not lead in any of their first five games of a season, per CBS Sports Research. They joined Washington (1954, 1965), the Minnesota Vikings (1962) and the Houston Texans (2005) as the only teams to pull off this sad feat. Miami has the worst scoring offense (14.0 points per game) by mere decimal points.
They entered 2026 with the least experienced roster (608 career starts) by any team to open a season in recorded history since such data tracking began at the start of the 21st century, per CBS Sports Research. They also had one career Pro Bowl selection on their roster entering Week 1, running back De'Von Achane in 2025, which is tied for the fewest by any team to open a season in recorded history (2000). Oh, and Achane went down with a torn ACL in Week 3.
That really makes it almost impossible to evaluate Hafley's acumen as an NFL head coach. He's playing with an arm tied behind his back on a weekly basis in Year 1 of the Dolphins' latest rebuild.
Grade: Incomplete
Record: 1-5
It's been a rough start to the Robert Saleh era in Tennessee. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll's group has the NFL's second-worst scoring offense (14.0 points per game), mere decimal points ahead of the Miami Dolphins, and the league's worst total offense (236.3 total yards per game). Quarterback Cam Ward, the 2025 first overall pick, has the worst expected points added (EPA) per dropback (-0.15) since he entered the league last season.
However, special teams coordinator John "Bones" Fassel's unit generated the first blocked punt return of 2026 in the Titans' 26-20 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts. Tennessee overcame a 13-point deficit at halftime by outscoring the Colts 26-7 in the second half. Saleh has a lot of work to do, but his squad is entering Week 7 on a high note at least.
Grade: D-
Record: 2-4
Kevin Stefanski deserves a mulligan for having to start Cooper Rush the first two weeks of the season. Once starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returned to the lineup in Week 3, the Falcons soared, crushing both the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans by a combined score of 80-38. Then, the struggles returned with consecutive home losses against the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears.
Atlanta is now 2-4 or worse for the first time since 2020, and it is 0-3 at home to start a season for just the third time in the 21st century (2003, 2020). Stefanski needs to be able to help his talented team find a more consistent existence going forward.
Grade: C-
Record: 2-4
The Arizona Cardinals snapped their four-game losing streak in style in Week 6, upsetting the preseason Super Bowl betting favorite Los Angeles Rams on the road 18-16 with six made field goals and no touchdowns. That makes the Cardinals the owners of the largest upset win (13.5-point underdog) by any team this season, per CBS Sports Research. Week 6 also marked Arizona's first win since its season opener, also at SoFi Stadium, against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett doesn't really scare defenses deep downfield. He is averaging 6.9 air yards per pass attempt, the seventh fewest in the NFL this season. However, LaFleur made things work in Week 6. Now, LaFleur's mission needs to be maximizing the 2026 NFL Draft third-overall pick, running back Jeremiyah Love's rookie year, while hoping for a more dynamic starting quarterback in 2027.
Grade: C
Record: 3-3
The Las Vegas Raiders even being .500 six weeks through the season while starting a 38-year-old, post-Achilles tear Kirk Cousins is downright impressive. Las Vegas doesn't quite have the horses on the offensive line and the defense needed to truly contend, but it has been a much more fun watch than people would have thought. It is a disturbing trend that the defense, not Kubiak's side of the ball, has allowed 27-plus points for the fourth straight game, after allowing 27 points across Weeks 1 and 2 combined.
Las Vegas has a bright future ahead with Kubiak and Cousins helping develop 2026 first overall pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Grade: B-
Record: 3-2-1
John Harbaugh was trending to place a lot higher here as of just a couple of weeks ago, with the Giants entering Week 5 out to a 3-1 start despite season-ending knee injuries to quarterback Jaxson Dart and three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns. However, the last two weeks have dropped him down the list. A tie with the Washington Commanders and the slump-buster that ended the New Orleans Saints' three-game losing streak make for a brutal stretch.
Fortunately for Harbaugh, the rest of the NFC East has no desire to climb up the standings with the entire division going winless two weeks in a row.
Grade: B-
Record: 4-2
The Steelers are starting to find their groove under new head coach Mike McCarthy. Pittsburgh is averaging the fifth-most points per game (28.5) since Week 3, a major improvement after averaging the second-fewest points per game (11.5) in the league through the first two weeks.
Pittsburgh also just completed its largest fourth-quarter comeback (13 points, 16-3) since the 2002 AFC Wild Card Round against the Cleveland Browns in its 26-19 overtime road win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCarthy's offense has added more life this season to the Steelers' attack, and Pittsburgh is in a 4-2 bottleneck at the top of the AFC North as a result.
Grade: B
Record: 4-2
Inheriting two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is a blessing for new Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter, but he hasn't had him the last two weeks because of an ankle injury. In Week 5, Minter's squad went on the road in primetime and beat the Falcons on "Sunday Night Football" with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley. In Week 6, Huntley wasn't enough in a 13-10 loss against the Cleveland Browns.
Minter showed a coaching edge in Week 5 in Atlanta and the Week 3 win in Brazil against the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens' +24-point differential is the eighth-best in the NFL this season, and they have the same record as the Browns and Steelers atop the AFC North.
Grade: B
Record: 5-1
New Bills head coach Joe Brady has an unfair advantage among his class of 2026 head-coaching hires because he has been his team's offensive coordinator since 2023. Quarterback Josh Allen leads the NFL in total touchdowns (17), and running back James Cook's 627 yards rushing rank as the third most in the NFL. The Bills were also able to overcome a five-turnover performance against the Los Angeles Chargers to win 24-16 in Week 3.
While Brady spends the bulk of his time on offense as the play caller, he is still responsible for overseeing his defense as his team's head coach. His Bills lead the league in points per drive (3.13) while ranking dead last in points per drive allowed (2.76). Buffalo's 28th-ranked scoring defense (28.5 points per game allowed) is holding Brady back from reaching an A-grade.
Grade: B+
Record: 4-2
Cleveland Browns first-time NFL head coach Todd Monken is currently pulling off a miracle: His Browns are in first place in the AFC North in Week 6 or later for the first time since 2014. That's absolutely incredible. There's certainly a smoke and mirrors element to it as the Browns have the worst point differential (-16) by a team with a winning record this season, but wins are wins.
All four of them have come by one to four points, which makes them just the fourth team this century with four wins by one to four points in their first six games. The other three such teams are the 2019 Seattle Seahawks, the 2020 Chicago Bears and the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those Seahawks reached the divisional round of the playoffs, those Bears lost in the wild card round of the playoffs and those Buccaneers suffered a second-half collapse and missed the 2025 playoffs entirely.
Monken and his staff have been maximizing the talent on their roster on both sides of the ball. Cleveland has a top 10 scoring defense at 20.3 points per game, despite trading away 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Rams. Early on, the Browns have Moneyballed their pass rush as three different players— defensive tackle Mason Graham (4.0), defensive tackle Maliek Collins (3.5) and edge rusher Isaiah McGuire (3.0) — all have at least three sacks.
Monken, a longtime offensive coordinator at both the collegiate and NFL level, also somehow has an injury-plagued, washed-up version of three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson playing much better. He's league-average in passer rating (92.0, 15th) and expected points added per dropback (-0.01, 21st). Watson clearly is physically a shell of his Houston Texans' self, but the Browns have been able to cobble a semi-workable offense around him. Cleveland does have the NFL's fifth-worst scoring offense (20.3 points per game).
It's honestly really impressive that Monken has successfully developed rookie second-round pick wide receiver Denzel Boston, given Watson's limitations. Boston is out to 345 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 17 catches this season, and he leads the NFL with a 20.3 yards per catch average.
Despite not having the best record among his new head-coaching peers, Monken has done the best job.
Grade: A+
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