Best NFL coordinator hires

Declan Doyle – Ravens Offensive Coordinator

Baltimore will start the 2026 NFL season with an entirely different coaching staff. One of the most notable additions is their new offensive coordinator, Delcan Doyle.

In 2025, he was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, a high honor from offensive genius and Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

In his single season in Chicago, he successfully supported Johnson’s offensive systems and maximized the players at his disposal in a way that past coordinators didn’t achieve.

The Ravens are ready for a young, innovative offensive coordinator, and as far as anyone can tell, Doyle checks those boxes.

Being in Baltimore is going to allow him to implement his own offensive systems, especially with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter at the helm.

The Ravens fanbase is impatient, and with all the players to succeed, they’ve become even more restless. Doyle can become a hero in Baltimore next year, or he can stretch their mediocrity further.

Mike McDaniels – Chargers Offensive Coordinator

Getting a coordinator who has previous head coaching experience is huge for any team, but for the Chargers offense and Justin Herbert, this could be season-defining.

Mike McDaniels struggled in his four-year tenure as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but previously thrived in his offensive coordinator position. He held the position for the 49ers one year before he was hired as the Miami head coach.

McDaniels has experience coaching in two separate Super Bowls for the Falcons and the 49ers, respectively. Going back to being a coordinator should be a welcome change for him, especially on a team with as much upside as the Chargers.

If McDaniels can take the opportunity to learn from Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, there’s no reason why he can’t return to head coaching at some point. For now, though, everyone should be excited to see what he throws at opposing defenses in 2026.

Johnathan Gannon – Packers Defensive Coordinator

Similar to Mike McDaniels, Johnathan Gannon needed to take a step back from head coaching and Green Bay was exactly the right place to do so.

Gannon coached the Eagles’ defense from 2021 to 2022 and was then hired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, where he struggled for three years.

The Packers struggled defensively in 2025, most notably giving up an 18-point lead in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Bears. Green Bay has all the pieces to succeed on defense; they’ve just been used wrong.

Most of their defensive woes have stemmed from miscommunications or a lack of coordination as a unit. Gannon has the ability to silence his critics who have questioned his communication abilities as well as his consistency.

If he can get the Green Bay defense working together the Packers’ ceiling should be the Super Bowl next year.

Sean Mannion – Eagles Offensive Coordinator

Sean Mannion has just stepped into perhaps the most dangerous job in all of football as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.

With his predecessor receiving routine death threats, the stakes are as high as ever for the former Packers quarterbacks coach.

As a former NFL backup quarterback himself, Mannion has years of experience, and his style should be good for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Expect a more structured offense than Philadelphia has previously experienced.

In 2026, with Mannion, the Eagles will likely have more support for their star running back, Saquon Barkley, and look to connect more on their passing game. This should bring them back to Super Bowl-level relevance, a sigh of relief for Philadelphia fans.

Gwen Evans is a second-year majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact her, email gme5218@psu.edu