Ranking every NFL head coaching debut in Week 1, from John Harbaugh to Robert Saleh image
26 teams were in action around the NFL on Sunday. Nearly 40 percent of them had a new head coach.
After an offseason of turnover, 10 head coaches made their team debuts during Sunday's slate, including six who had never been a head coach in the NFL before.
While it's typical for new head coaches to start slowly, as most tend to take over bad teams, 2025 proved that immediate success is possible with Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson leading massive turnarounds.
Who impressed the most in Week 1? Here's every head coaching debut, ranked.
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10. Robert Saleh, Titans
The Titans' roster is theoretically better than last season from a talent standpoint. That didn't translate to the field on Sunday.
Tennessee was bullied by the Jets, struggling to match the physicality of a New York team that was anything but physical last season. While it's certainly possible the Jets are much-improved, it should concern Titans fans that Robert Saleh's defense had such a hard time putting pressure on Geno Smith — and that Cam Ward looked less effective in Brian Daboll's offense than he did down the stretch last year in a broken system.
Saleh should be given grace to turn the ship around in Nashville, but what Titans fans saw on Sunday was more of the same in what should've been one of the team's most winnable games this season.
9. Todd Monken, Browns
The Browns were punched in the mouth right from the start, with Deshaun Watson throwing an early interception and Cleveland's defense getting diced up by Trevor Lawrence. There's little Monken can do about the quarterback issues in Cleveland, but the regression by the defense was always a concern after Jim Schwartz's exit (and Myles Garrett's), and those concerns reared their head on Sunday. The Browns simply don't have the offense to stay competitive if the defense isn't playing at a high level, and neither side looked well-prepared for Jacksonville.
MORE: NFL Week 1 overreactions
8. Jeff Hafley, Dolphins
It's going to be a long year for the Dolphins regardless of what kind of job Jeff Hafley does, but this was a game that could go down as one of the most winnable on Miami's schedule. Unfortunately for Hafley, it got away rather quickly. The Dolphins had a hard time containing Ashton Jeanty, and De'Von Achane never quite got going despite some positive moments from Malik Willis and the passing game. It won't be fair to grade Hafley on this season alone with the personnel he has, but you would like to see Miami stay competitive against other bad teams, if that's what the Raiders are.
Mike McCarthy
7. Mike McCarthy, Steelers
The Steelers opened the season 1-0 with a win in Mike McCarthy's team debut, but it would be tough for Pittsburgh fans to come away from the 20-13 victory with a great taste in their mouth. The Steelers struggled to pull away from the Falcons despite Cooper Rush starting for Atlanta, and the game remained competitive down the stretch even after Rush placed a ball right in T.J. Watt's chest for a pick-six. That can't all be blamed on McCarthy — DK Metcalf had some ugly moments — but the Steelers know they will need to be better to have a chance of competing with the Ravens and Bengals in the AFC North.
6. Kevin Stefanski, Falcons
On the flip side of that Steelers win was a Falcons loss, but it's tough to ask much more of Kevin Stefanski than what he gave on Sunday. Winning on the road in Pittsburgh with Cooper Rush at quarterback is a monumental task, and it might have been achievable if not for some late mistakes from the career backup.
Stefanski didn't try to get too cute; Bijan Robinson had 29 touches, and that kept the Falcons in the game, along with a strong performance from the run defense. Quarterback issues could bog down the Falcons all season long, but Week 1 at least gives fans some hope that the right plan is in place around that position.
5. Klint Kubiak, Raiders
The Raiders faced what is probably the worst team in the NFL in their season opener, which is always a plus, but you have to beat the bad teams before you can beat the good teams. Las Vegas couldn't do either last season but made it look fairly easy on Sunday against the Dolphins.
An offense missing Brock Bowers was efficient both through the air and on the ground as Klint Kubiak got Kirk Cousins into a rhythm and better utilized Ashton Jeanty than Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly did last season. The run defense also did a stellar job of containing De'Von Achane, though other offenses will force the Raiders to respect the passing game a bit more.
If the Raiders can knock off the Chargers and start 2-0, they might have something in 2026.
Joe Brady
4. Joe Brady, Bills
There is always concern about a coach making the coordinator-to-head coach adjustment for the first time. Numerous successful coordinators have struggled to do the job, and Joe Brady is at the helm of a Super Bowl contender at just 36 years old. If there were concerns about Brady's ability to call the offense while serving as head coach, those questions have been answered.
The Bills did an excellent job of handling a lethal Texans defense on Sunday, getting 344 passing yards out of Josh Allen and answering every Houston punch. There are still defensive concerns in Buffalo, but the offense was always going to lead the way, and it doesn't look inhibited in any way by Brady's new duties.
3. Jesse Minter, Ravens
The Ravens' offense looked rejuvenated in Sunday's win. While defense is the side of the ball Minter focuses on, he is the one who made the bold decision to hire 30-year-old first-time play-caller Declan Doyle. That decision is paying early dividends.
Lamar Jackson looked like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry looked like Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers was having the game of his life before exiting with a hamstring injury. That wasn't always the case last season. Baltimore's defense also settled in nicely after a disappointing opening drive.
After one week, a Minter-led Ravens team looks like more of a Super Bowl contender than previously expected — and his former defense in L.A. took a curious step back without him.
2. John Harbaugh, Giants
It sure felt like a new era for the Giants.
After so many struggles against Dak Prescott and the Cowboys over the past decade, the Giants simply looked like the better team Sunday night, toying with Dallas' rebuilt defense at critical points and keeping Prescott in check by limiting big plays.
While the Ravens' offense looked stale at times under Harbaugh last season, the decision to hire Matt Nagy to run the offense looked like a wise one for at least one night, and Jaxson Dart looked totally comfortable running the new system. So far, so good for Harbaugh in East Rutherford.
1. Mike LaFleur, Cardinals
Mike LaFleur was probably going to get a mulligan on this season anyway with the NFC West so loaded and the Cardinals still searching for their franchise quarterback, but he really earned himself some credit on Sunday with an impressive road win over the Chargers as the week's biggest underdog.
Arizona's passing game was efficient against what should be a tough defense, and a Cardinals defense that entered the season with a handful of concerns was rock-solid against Justin Herbert.
It was easy to doubt the hire of LaFleur, who wasn't a play-caller with the Rams and didn't have much success as one with the Jets, but the early payoff is tough to argue in a season that would be characterized as a success with anything more than four wins.