Fresh Blood: Ranking the Five Coaches Who Start With a New Team.

It is unlikely that any of the new coaches who are beginning this unprecedented season with a new team will find their job to be easy. Regardless if you were coaching college football, worked as an assistant to a legendary coach, or spent years playing professionally, nothing can make you fully equipped for what’s to come. 

Learning by doing is the most effective way of gaining proficiency, and that’s exactly the plan for the five coaches who begin this season as newly appointed ship captains. Let’s see how they stack up against each other.

Mike McCarthy – Cowboys

Boasting a Super Bowl trophy and a 12-year head coach experience with the Packers, McCarthy is supported by a promising roster and tight relationships with his assistants. If he is smart about balancing the superior offense with the somewhat lacking defense, the Cowboys have a decent chance to make it to the play-offs.

Matt Rhule – Panthers

Making a debut in the NFL is Matt Rhule, who’s had extensive experience with college football. While coaching Temple and Baylor, he earned the reputation of a man who is strategic and effective as both teams demonstrated top-tier performance. 

With a mix of college and pro coaches as his staff, Matt also enjoys the advantage of having an insightful perspective during the draft. The Panthers have focused on the defense improvements, making the player composition a force to be reckoned with. 

Ron Rivera – Redskins

Despite finishing the last four seasons as the Panthers’ coach with four consecutive play-offs, Rivera does not have the best team at his disposal. Although the defense is still decent enough to give Ron a chance at some competition despite the sub-optimal roster, the offensive side leaves much to be desired. 

The young Will Grier is a promising player, but he, along with his other young teammates, needs a lot of refining. We suspect it will not be until next season that Ron Rivera achieves substantial results with the Redskins.

Kevin Stefanski – Browns

The youngest of the bunch (38) and a rookie in the head coach landscape, Kevin Stefanski might have some aces up his sleeve. He was praised for striking a difficult balance between the new offseason system and establishing an open field for communication within the team, which is an invaluable factor as the Browns are famous for its charismatic personalities. 

With a promising roster and a few lucky breaks, the Browns might stand a chance of getting to play-offs.

Joe Judge – Giants

Another young coach is Joe Judge, who is just 39 and doesn’t have any prior head coaching experience. Not only that, but the Giants is quite a team to start your NFL career with, especially at this time. The offensive side leaves much to be desired, and so does the somewhat controversial staff. 

Some say this will end in a disaster, but what we know for sure is that the heated atmosphere of New York is among the most challenging to navigate. But maybe we’re in for a surprise!

Conclusion

Some new, some old, but all facing the same challenges of the pandemic, communication, strategy, and setting up a system to work in tandem towards a common goal. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s definitely going to be exciting. 

Do you agree with our ranking? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Also, you can read about Top 3 Deep Passers in the NFL.