Zac Taylor tops 2026 NFL coach hot seat tiers — SkimNews
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- Zac Taylor sits atop the list after the Bengals went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for a third straight year; he's the only AFC North coach not in his first season after John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, and Kevin Stefanski were all replaced.
- Cincinnati gave Taylor few remaining excuses by trading for Dexter Lawrence and signing Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Jonathan Allen — prompting Joe Burrow to declare in May, "We have everything we need in that locker room."
- Dan Quinn lands at No. 2 after Washington fell from a 12-5 NFC Championship run in 2024 to 5-12 in 2025; with a brutal early schedule at the Eagles, Cowboys, and vs. the Seahawks, Quinn is betting on first-time coordinators David Blough and Daronte Jones.
- Todd Bowles checks in at No. 3 after Tampa Bay collapsed from a 6-2 start to finish 8-9; he's now on his fifth offensive coordinator in five years (Zac Robinson, formerly of the Falcons) while Baker Mayfield plays out his contract year.
- Aaron Glenn ranks No. 4 after the Jets went 3-14 and became the first team in NFL history to finish a season without an interception; Glenn fired eight assistants including both coordinators and eventually hired Frank Reich, whose last two NFL offenses ranked among the league's worst.
- Shane Steichen rounds out the list at No. 5 despite an 8-2 start with Daniel Jones in 2025 before Jones suffered a fractured leg and torn Achilles; Steichen's future may be tied to GM Chris Ballard, under whom the Colts have won one playoff game since 2017.
Why it matters: Following a 2025 offseason that produced 10 coaching changes plus the surprise exits of John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin, the 2026 cycle opens with ownership increasingly unwilling to absorb back-to-back losing seasons. The Bengals have invested heavily enough on defense that another 6-11 finish would leave Taylor without a viable excuse.
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