3 NFL head coaches who must win in year 1

The 2026 NFL season brings a new wave of head coaches, and for some, there won’t be much patience for a long rebuilding process. Several coaches are walking into situations where winning immediately is the expectation. Here are three first-year coaches who need to get their teams moving in the right direction right away.

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Mike McCarthy | Pittsburgh Steelers

Aug 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy during warm-ups for a pre-season game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters) The Steelers continue to go their way with hiring more experienced head coaches rather than going the youth route. With the McCarthy hiring, this influenced Aaron Rodgers to go one more year in his career. The Steelers trade for Michael Pittman Jr., a young quarterback, to room with Drew Allar from Penn State, Will Howard, and Mason Rudolph. Mike McCarthy has a good reputation with quarterbacks; with the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott had some stellar years. Can McCarthy replicate that success with a quarterback he is familiar with, Aaron Rodgers?

The Steelers have constantly been that 9-win team that just can’t get over the hump and into the later rounds of the playoffs. Is it a coaching issue or a roster issue? The Steelers were the 20th-ranked team in EPA/Play. EPA/Play is EPA per play measures the net value a defense concedes on a play-by-play basis, factoring in down, distance, field position, and time.

For being the 20th-ranked defense in that category, this means a few things: they can string together a few good downs as a group, but when it comes to 3rd down, their defense can’t get them off the field. The Steelers need to have a better defense this year, especially against a solid division in the AFC North. Their offense was ranked 15th in EPA/Play. With an older version of Aaron Rodgers, they will probably finish around that same margin this year.

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Jesse Minter | Baltimore Ravens

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images This hiring had lots of hype behind it because of the impact Minter had on the Chargers’ defense this past year. The Chargers had an awesome defense, ranking 8th in EPA/Play. Minter found different ways to create issues for their opponents. The Ravens’ defense last year wasn’t great. Middle of the pack in the league, but their passing defense destroyed them as they allowed the 4th most passing yards in the league, only ahead of Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis.

How do the Ravens succeed? Their run game. 2nd in the NFL in EPA/Rush is only trailing the Colts. Derrick Henry is still an awesome bell cow that you can force-feed and win games. Lamar Jackson is still one of the best mobile QBs in the NFL. It creates an elite duo that causes defenses to be on their toes.

This defense should be a good unit overall because of Minter’s scheme, and it comes down to how good Lamar Jackson is. WR Jakobi Lane is a player to watch for this team, as is TE Matt Hibner. Both rookies have had strong preseasons and should see the field a good bit and will be good weapons for this offense.

If their passing attack improves with their new additions, this team can win 10-plus games and be a legitimate threat to the AFC. It comes down to Lamar Jackson, and if he can have an MVP-type season, then the Ravens are in the conversation for Super Bowl contenders.

John Harbaugh | New York Giants

Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh answers questions from the press after the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images The Giants hired the biggest name of all the coaches, John Harbaugh. The voice was getting dry in Baltimore, and the Ravens needed to move on. The Giants needed a winning coach to help their franchise be led in the right direction. It was good for both teams. The Giants haven’t had consistent winning since Tom Coughlin. This is the right voice for this young team.

The Giants need to be better against the run, and their defensive line is their weak spot. Cornerbacks are still a question, but the talk has been that Deonte Banks has done very well in training camp. Shelby Harris and DJ Reader won’t be playing the full games, so their depth for the Giants D-line will be tested weekly.

This offense at full strength can be very good. New additions such as Isaiah Likely, Darnell Mooney, and Notre Dame draft pick Malachi Fields all should play a big role. Calvin Austin, whom they signed, suffered a season-ending ACL injury. It will be interesting how the Giants use their slot spot now. An idea is to put their best weapon, Malik Nabers, in the slot, as it worked very well in his rookie season.

The way the Giants raise their expectations and get to the playoffs is their elite pass rush. They have invested the 4th most amount of money in defense. They ranked 24th in EPA/Play last year on defense and allowed the 2nd most rushing yards in the league. Only ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals by 30 yards. These numbers will have to improve in a big way with this new defensive system they are in.

Abdul Carter should be very good in the conversation as a DPOY candidate. While Brian Burns had a great season too, it will be interesting to see if he can replicate the season he just had. No more Dexter Lawrence on this defense. Enter Arvell Reese, whom they drafted 5th overall, and he is a mass monster. He has blown up numerous runs in the preseason and is going to be a chess piece for Dennard Wilson’s defense this year.