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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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NFL training camps are in full swing, and as teams ease back into on-field drills and practices in the dead of the summer, football fans have a reason to rejoice.
The preseason officially begins when the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers face off in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 6 on NBC. The rest of the first week of the preseason kicks off the following week on Aug. 13.
As the start of the NFL regular season inches closer (Sept. 9), we are continuing to look at key offseason storylines for each of the league’s 32 teams. We’ve already looked at the top position battles to watch, rookies with the best chance of winning a starting job, and the players in the most danger of being cut, and now we shift our focus to the coaches.
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We’ve already ranked the top quarterback and wide receiver rooms by division, and next up, we’re power ranking the head coaches in each division. First up is the AFC North.
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1- Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
Given the AFC North is breaking in two first-time head coaches, the debate is really between Zac Taylor and Mike McCarthy. The latter has a Super Bowl championship, but he hasn’t accomplished much lately.
Taylor, on the other hand, has been to a Super Bowl more recently, and he’s just four years removed from leading the Bengals to an AFC Championship Game. But if he has another 9-8 season again in 2026, it won’t take much for McCarthy to pas shim on this list.
2- Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh Steelers
McCarthy has a 174-112-2 record as a head coach, and the only reason he’s not above Taylor is because of how bad the Dallas Cowboys flopped in the playoffs when he was their head coach despite putting up three consecutive 12-5 seasons.
Additionally, Taylor has been with the Bengals for years while McCarthy is heading into his first year with the Steelers. No one knows what to expect from him and 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his farewell tour. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pittsburgh had a double-digit win season under McCarthy and got back to the postseason.
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3- Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens
It’s hard to judge Jesse Minter and Todd Monken as first-time head coaches, but Minter gets the nod here because, frankly, he inherited the better team. Minter has a two-time MVP quarterback in Lamar Jackson, a beast of a running back in Derrick Henry, a two-time Pro Bowl receiver in Zay Flowers, and a top tight end in Mark Andrews.
Had Jackson been healthy for all of last season, the Ravens likely would’ve been a playoff team. The same is true this year even with Minter taking over for John Harbaugh, who is now in New York.
4- Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns
Monken has a sharp offensive mind, and the Browns are going to need it. The team has to decide whether to start Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, and its breaking in two rookie receivers in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, who project as Cleveland’s WR2 and WR3, respectively.
The cards are definitely stacked against Monken, and the large gap in talent between the Browns and the rest of the division is why Monken is last in this group.
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