Top 10 NFL head coaches entering 2026: Sean McVay clear No. 1, but NFC West foes closely behind

As the season rapidly approaches, CBS Sports’ NFL experts ranked the top 10 head coaches leading teams into battle this year.

This exercise produced a wide variety of responses. Some coaches are offensive gurus; others are defensive geniuses. Still others don’t specialize on one side or the other and are rather CEO-type leaders. Think Dan Campbell or the Harbaugh brothers, Jim and John. None of those three will call plays for either side of the ball this season, meaning their choices for who will handle those responsibilities are crucial.

Of course, just because they don’t call plays doesn’t mean they’re not involved. The best coaches are intimately involved in every aspect. And that, of course, includes being a leader in and outside the locker room, designating roles and much, much more.

Each voter ranked their top 10 head coaches, and each spot was assigned a point value: 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote and one for a 10th-place vote.

1. Sean McVay, Rams

Points: 108 | Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 2

McVay, who sports a sterling 92-57 record (.617 win pct) and delivered winning seasons in eight of his nine years, has a near stranglehold on the top spot. Only two voters didn’t have him first, and both had him second. McVay has been bold, pushing for the Matthew Stafford-for-Jared-Goff swap, even though he had been to a Super Bowl with Goff. It worked marvelously: Stafford and McVay won the Super Bowl in their first year together, and the two were on the doorstep of another trip last year.

McVay can clearly handle big-name superstars in the locker room, but his organization’s grassroots talent recognition and development has also been crucial. There are so many mid- and late-round players who have turned into solid starters at the very least. Some, such as Puka Nacua, have become stars. McVay has also been adept at finding strong defensive coordinators: Raheem Morris, Wade Phillips, Brandon Staley and Chris Shula. On offense, his coaching tree includes current head coaches Liam Coen, Matt LaFleur, Mike LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell and Zac Taylor.

Simply put, there’s a reason there’s a Wikipedia page for the “Sean McVay effect.” He has changed the game.

2. Mike Macdonald, Seahawks

Points: 85 | Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 6

Macdonald has been simply outstanding, and like McVay, he’s done so while being bold. After a strong 10-7 debut season in Seattle, he was fine shipping Geno Smith off to the Raiders and firing offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, simply because Macdonald had a different vision for his team. The Seahawks brought in Sam Darnold and Klint Kubiak and went on to win the Super Bowl. It’s been impressive to see him transition to that aspect of head coaching responsibilities so easily.

It’s no surprise that Macdonald has excelled defensively. He was an elite defensive coordinator in Baltimore before landing the top gig in Seattle, and he has absolutely flummoxed opponents at both stops. Last year, the Seahawks ranked first in scoring defense and sixth in total defense. Macdonald was terrific on the biggest stage, sending blitzers from all over against Drake Maye in the Super Bowl. Seattle’s defense forced Maye into three turnovers and sacked him six times.

Macdonald’s defensive designs, his knowledge of when to use them, and his ability to teach them to (and tailor them to) his players make him truly special.

3. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers

Points: 84 | Highest rank: 2 | Lowest rank: 5

Shanahan’s ability to get the most out of his quarterbacks is second to none. He went 38-17 and reached a Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo, whose play outside the Bay Area has been lackluster. He is 30-15 with Brock Purdy as his starting quarterback, and when Purdy missed time last year, Mac Jones stepped in and went 5-3.

That adaptability seems to spread across the team, too. Shanahan’s 49ers went 11-6 last year and won a playoff game despite just six players — Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Colton McKivitz, Dee Winters Kalia Davis and Deommodore Lenoir — starting all 17 games. San Francisco was without George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Purdy and many other top players for long stretches.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the Super Bowl. Shanahan has blown second-half leads in both Super Bowls he’s been in with the 49ers, and he was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons‘ infamous 28-3 collapse against the Patriots. If he doesn’t ever lift a Lombardi Trophy, he will go down as one of the ultimate “so close yet so far” coaches, though at 46, one would think he has time.

Shanahan was at fault in a serious car accident this offseason and is on the mend, expecting to be available for Week 1.

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