New coaches look for immediate wins | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

At least one NFL team with a new coach has made the playoffs every year since the 2006 season.

DeMeco Ryans took over Houston last year and led the Texans from last place to first in the AFC South. Led by AP Offensive Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud and Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr., the Texans advanced to the divisional round.

In 2022, a record five first-time coaches guided their teams to the playoffs. Eight teams begin this season with a new man in charge.

Here are all the new coaches who are aiming to win now.

Jim Harbaugh

The Los Angeles Chargers have made the playoffs just once in Justin Herbert’s four seasons. Two years ago, they blew a 27-0 lead against Jacksonville in a wild-card game. Brandon Staley was fired last season before the team finished with a 5-12 record.

Harbaugh has a winning track record and the Chargers should bounce back from a down season. However, they are not ready to dethrone the Chiefs. Nine wins and a chance at a wild-card spot would be a positive first step.

Brian Callahan

The Tennessee Titans fired Mike Vrabel after two straight losing seasons and replaced him with Callahan, who was Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator. He won’t have Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to work with in Tennessee. Callahan’s top priority is developing quarterback Will Levis. The Titans added talented players in free agency, signing wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Tony Pollard.

Callahan, who last season ceded play-calling duties to Zac Taylor with the Bengals, has a tough task in a division with the Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. He is expected to get six or seven wins.

DAVE CANALES

After helping Baker Mayfield revive his career in Tampa Bay in one season as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, Canales aims to engineer another turnaround in Carolina. The Panthers fired Frank Reich just 11 games into his first season and finished 2-15 in 2023. They didn’t even have the No. 1 pick as a consolation, having traded it away a year earlier in the package that brought Bryce Young to Carolina.

If Canales can get the most out of Young like he did with Mayfield in Tampa Bay and Geno Smith in Seattle, the Panthers will be competitive. They bolstered the offensive line and added receivers Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette. Six or seven wins would be a major improvement.

Mike MacDonald

The Seattle Seahawks went 9-8 last season before Pete Carroll’s abrupt departure. Macdonald inherits a team that came close to another playoff berth.

Smith didn’t match his standout production from 2022 and Sam Howell came in to provide competition and security. The offense has several key players and the defense is where Macdonald will have the biggest impact. He has a solid front to work with bolstered by the addition of first-round pick Byron Murphy. Seattle will need Smith to play like he did two years ago to get above seven or eight wins.

Jerod Mayo

Bill Belichick’s time with the New England Patriots is over and it’s unlikely anyone will be able to match what he accomplished in two decades, winning six Super Bowls. Mayo’s immediate goal is to regain respectability.

The Patriots are hoping Drake Maye, the third pick in the draft, will be their franchise quarterback. Maye has help from veteran Jacoby Brissett during his rookie year. Maye spent his entire eight-year NFL career in New England before joining Belichick’s staff as the linebackers coach. He may have the hardest time winning right away of all the new coaches.

Raheem Morris

The Atlanta Falcons chose Morris over Belichick, giving him a second chance to coach a team. Morris went 17-31 in three seasons with the Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011 and 4-7 as interim coach in Atlanta in 2020.

He takes over a team that made big changes to be in position to compete in the NFC South. The Falcons gave Kirk Cousins ​​$100 million guaranteed in free agency, selected Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick and added wide receiver Darnell Mooney.

The team didn’t bolster a weak defense beyond signing Morris. They’ll need Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Mooney to score a lot of points. In a division that hasn’t seen a 10-game winner since 2021, the Falcons could win with a 9-8 record.

Antonio Pierce

Pierce got the job in Las Vegas after serving as an interim coach following a 5-4 record after replacing Josh McDaniels. The players love him and Pierce brought out the best in many of his players.

Second-year player Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew are competing in training camp at quarterback. And 2022 All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs is off to Green Bay.

The defense under Pierce took a step forward in the second half of last season and should be even better. Still, it may not be enough to reach last year’s win total of eight.

Dan Quinn

The Washington Commanders ended up with Quinn after a lengthy coaching search. Quinn had a 43-42 record as Atlanta’s head coach from 2015-20. He would have won a Super Bowl had Tom Brady not led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit in 2017.

Quinn got a potential franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels with the second pick in the draft. The Commanders added running back Austin Ekeler, center Tyler Biadasz, linebacker Bobby Wagner, defensive end Dorance Armstrong and others.

The Commandeers should be competitive in a tough NFC East, but are projected to win just six or seven games.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris watches a football practice at an NFL training camp Friday, July 26, 2024, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, right, greets defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, left, during the team’s NFL training camp in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks to a group on the field during an NFL football camp, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo wipes his forehead during an NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce answers questions before an NFL football training camp in Costa Mesa, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn looks on during an NFL football practice at the team’s training facility in Ashburn, Va., Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan laughs as he talks to his coaches during an NFL football training camp practice Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)