2022 Fantasy Football Coaches and Coordinators Rankings

Every season, we find examples of NFL coaching staffs either holding a team back or helping them ascend, which directly impacts things in the fantasy football world. Understanding coaching staffs, schemes and tendencies is just one of the many different aspects of fantasy football, so it seems like a logical idea to rank the top coaching staffs in the league right now. 

Below are the NFL Coaches and Coordinator rankings for the 2022 season. Over the next couple months, we’ll be breaking down the coaches and coordinators for every team around the league and how their approach will impact fantasy football. Bookmark this page and keep coming back, as we’ll have it all here.

2022 Coaches and Coordinator Breakdowns

We’ll hit the coaches and coordinators for every team over the next couple months. Check back as more are added, and take a look at the rankings below!

2022 Coaches and Coordinator Rankings

32. Chicago Bears

HC: Matt Eberflus, OC: Luke Getsy, DC: Alan Williams

Eberflus has a defensive background and was the defensive coordinator for the Colts from 2018-2021. I would have liked the Bears to hire a head coach who can open up the offense and help sophomore quarterback Justin Fields take a huge step forward in year two.

31. Minnesota Vikings

HC: Kevin O’Connell, OC: Wes Phillips, DC: Ed Donatell

There is a strong chance I am far too low on this unit, but there is still just a bit of unknown with O’Connell, who comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree. Minnesota’s offense will open up under O’Connell, and star wideout Justin Jefferson has already stated that the team is going to throw the football more this season. 

30. Carolina Panthers

HC: Matt Rhule, OC: Ben McAdoo, DC: Phil Snow

Rhule was really, really bad last season, and while the Panthers did lose Christian McCaffrey, it was rather mind-boggling to see Carolina just simply run the football more with a rookie running back who was one of the least efficient players in the league. 

29. Miami Dolphins

HC: Mike McDaniel, OC: Frank Smith, DC: Josh Boyer

McDaniel has been around the Shanahan offensive scheme for about a decade now, so it’ll be fun to see him implement a similar offense in Miami. And the Dolphins immediately added the personnel to give him chances to succeed, trading for Tyreek Hill, signing former San Francisco running back Raheem Mostert and adding Chase Edmonds. Speed and after-the-catch ability? Sign me up.

28. Denver Broncos

HC: Nathaniel Hackett, OC: Justin Outten, DC: Ejiro Evero

After spending time as an offensive coordinator in Jacksonville and Green Bay since 2016, Hackett will finally get his first crack at a head coaching job. Hackett has run very slow, run-first offenses as of late, and his offenses in Green Bay were all below league average in seconds per snap over the last three seasons. It’ll be interesting to see how much he runs the football with Russell Wilson in town, especially considering how excited he was during Wilson’s introductory press conference.

27. New Orleans Saints

HC: Dennis Allen, OC: Pete Carmichael, DC: Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen

After 16 seasons with the Saints, Sean Payton is no longer with New Orleans. The Saints will go from one of the best offensive minds in football over the last decade to a head coach with a more defensive mindset in Dennis Allen, who was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2015-2021. New Orleans has emerged as one of the better, opportunistic defenses in football over the last few seasons, but it’ll be interesting to see what the offense looks like.

26. Las Vegas Raiders

HC: Josh McDaniels, OC: Mick Lombardi, DC: Patrick Graham

McDaniels hasn’t had the most impressive track record as a head coach, but he’ll try again in Las Vegas. He was 11-17 in two seasons with the Broncos and was supposed to join the Colts a few years ago but returned to New England. It sounds like McDaniels is going to use multiple running backs in Las Vegas, which isn’t too surprising given his history in New England. The Raiders have added Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden this offseason, while McDaniels recently stated it’s important to use multiple running backs. The talent on this roster is terrific, but the division will present a challenge for McDaniels and company.

25. New York Giants

HC: Brian Daboll, OC: Mike Kafka, DC: Don Martindale

Brian Daboll is the complete opposite of Jason Garrett and Joe Judge. That is great news for the Giants. Garrett had an archaic offense, while Judge settled for quarterback sneaks on 4th-and-long late in the season. While Daboll wasn’t the sole reason behind Josh Allen’s ascension, he played a role, mainly by putting his skill players in great situations. During his four seasons in Buffalo, Daboll’s Bills sported a 57% pass rate, way up from the league average of around 50%. This Giants offense will be far more creative this season, which is great for Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones and Kadarius Toney.

24. Atlanta Falcons

HC: Arthur Smith, OC: Dave Ragone, DC: Dean Pees

Smith’s first season as the head coach of the Falcons was nothing to write home about, but when you have one of the five worst rosters in the NFL, expectations shouldn’t be high. Some of the decision-making was questionable, and it started in Week 1 when Atlanta continued to establish the run late in the game, despite trailing against the Eagles. We know play-action was a huge component of Smith’s offenses in Tennessee, but that fell off in Atlanta because, well, the Falcons don’t have Derrick Henry on their roster.

23. New York Jets

HC: Robert Saleh, OC: Mike LaFleur, DC: Jeff Ulbrich

After one season with the Jets, we really don’t know much about Saleh. Top draft selection Zach Wilson missed a handful of games, forcing the Jets to start Joe Flacco and Mike White at times. Between Saleh and LaFleur’s history in San Francisco, I am excited to see how this running game looks with Breece Hall and an improved offensive line that was quietly one of the better run-blocking units in football last season.

22. Houston Texans

HC: Lovie Smith, OC: Pep Hamilton, DC: Lovie Smith

Smith hasn’t been an NFL head coach since 2014-15 but will return to that role in 2022. He was the defensive coordinator for this Texans team last year but will still call the defensive plays again this season. I also loved the addition of Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator, who has done a great job with young quarterbacks, which seems important when you are trying to find out if Davis Mills is the future of this franchise. Mills was one of the surprise rookie signal-callers of the 2021 campaign, and while Hamilton wasn’t calling the plays on offense, he was the team’s quarterbacks coach. Coincidence? I think not. 

21. Detroit Lions

HC: Dan Campbell, OC: Ben Johnson, DC: Aaron Glenn

Record aside, it was blatantly obvious that Dan Campbell’s arrival in Detroit is making an impact. The Lions played hard every single week and were actually really good against the spread, for instance. Campbell truly cares about his team and players, and it shows in his press conferences. That’s an easy coach to play for. A home win against the Arizona Cardinals was one of the more impressive victories of the season, and entering the 2022 season, the Lions have a lot more talent.

20. Washington Commanders

HC: Ron Rivera, OC: Scott Turner, DC: Jack Del Rio

Head coach Ron Rivera has been an inspiring coach to play for, but offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s production has been pretty lackluster since heading to Washington. Of course, having below-average quarterback play hasn’t helped, so we’ll see what the addition of Carson Wentz has in store for the Commanders.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

HC: Todd Bowles, OC: Byron Leftwich, DC: Kacy Rodgers and Larry Foote

Bowles has been regarded as one of the best defensive minds in football, and now he’ll return to a head coaching position in 2022. This situation is light years better than his last stop with the Jets, who had nothing close to Tom Brady at quarterback. And with Tampa Bay continuing to bring back so many key pieces on the defensive end, Bowles should be able to do a fantastic job. Meanwhile, Byron Leftwich has been an outstanding play-caller over the last few seasons.

18. Philadelphia Eagles

HC: Nick Sirianni, OC: Shane Steichen, DC: Jonathan Gannon

The beginning of Sirianni’s inaugural campaign in Philadelphia looked bleak, as the Eagles had no identity. He opened the year with Philadelphia throwing at an alarming rate, as the Eagles were insanely pass-heavy from Weeks 1-7, calling a pass over 61% of the time. However, from Week 8 on, Philadelphia called a running play at the highest rate in football (59.1%). Jonathan Gannon’s defensive schemes were not great, however, so hopefully we see some improvements on that side of the ball. 

17. Jacksonville Jaguars

HC: Doug Pederson, OC: Press Taylor, DC: Mike Caldwell

It has been a few years since we’ve seen Pederson as a head coach, but he’s a welcomed sight for Jacksonville fans. We know how much of a train wreck the coaching staff was last year, and Pederson helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl not too long ago in a game where he actually out-coached Bill Belichick. 

16. Cleveland Browns

HC: Kevin Stefanski, OC: Alex Van Pelt, DC: Joe Woods

Stefanski won the Coach of the Year award back in 2020 when he led the Browns to an 11-5 record and their first playoff win in 25 years. But injuries and COVID situations limited the Browns in 2021, while quarterback Baker Mayfield dealt with multiple injuries. The Browns limped to an 8-9 finish, but with a healthy (and talented) roster, Stefanski could push toward a top-10 status after this season.

15. Dallas Cowboys

HC: Mike McCarthy, OC: Kellen Moore, DC: Dan Quinn

McCarthy has not been a very successful head coach outside of a Super Bowl title in Green Bay thanks to Aaron Rodgers. He’s truly the same coach he was in Green Bay, and the Cowboys would be ranked higher if they had a head coach I could trust more. Dallas retained both Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn, who were fantastic last year; especially Quinn, who coached up an improved defense that led the NFL in takeaways. 

14. Arizona Cardinals

HC: Kliff Kingsbury, OC: Sean Kugler, DC: Vance Joseph

The Cardinals recently rewarded Kingsbury with an extension that will keep him in Arizona through the 2027 season. There have now been consecutive seasons where Arizona has started red hot and fallen apart during the second half of the year, while Kingsbury’s short-yardage play-calling and reluctance to go for it on 4th-and-goal has been maddening. To me, Kingsbury looks like an average NFL coach who likely won’t live up to the hype.

13. Seattle Seahawks

HC: Pete Carroll, OC: Shane Waldron, DC: Clint Hurtt

Since the Legion of Boom days ended, the Seahawks roster was glued together by Russell Wilson’s brilliance. Take him off the team, and this is a bottom-five roster in football. Well, that likely comes to fruition in 2022, and we saw it a bit last season. Seattle ranked dead last in plays per game on offense, while allowing the most plays per game on defense. And now Wilson is gone? Yikes. Carroll is still a solid coach, but his archaic approach doesn’t translate to today’s game. I’m sure he’s thrilled to establish the run even more this season. He’ll be chewing clock at a rapid rate, just like he chews his beloved gum.

12. Los Angeles Chargers

HC: Brandon Staley, OC: Joe Lombardi, DC: Renaldo Hill

Analytics, analytics, analytics. Staley was a huge fan of this approach during his first season as a head coach, and while it cost his team at times (including a playoff berth), I don’t have an issue with the mindset. The strength of this team, despite the improvements on the defensive side of the ball, is their budding superstar quarterback Justin Herbert and the offense. And yes, the timeout before the Raiders were set to take the tie (which would have sent both teams to the playoffs), was egregious, but Staley will only improve going forward. And with such a loaded roster, he has real estate to take some risks.

11. Cincinnati Bengals

HC: Zac Taylor, OC: Brian Callahan, DC: Lou Anarumo

To begin his tenure in Cincinnati, Taylor won just six games in his first two seasons. During that stretch, the Bengals were an awful team, and when they drafted Joe Burrow, he suffered a season-ending injury 10 games into his rookie season. But 2021 was the year everything came together, as Burrow posted a stellar season alongside Ja’Marr Chase, the defense took a huge step forward and the Bengals shocked the world during their Super Bowl run. Taylor’s play-calling is a bit questionable at times, but we did see him open up the offense during the second half of the season after limiting Burrow to start the year. In Weeks 1-8, Cincinnati posted the 11th-lowest pass rate in the NFL (56.9%). However, during Weeks 9-18, the Bengals climbed to 12th in overall passing rate (59.5%). After adding La’el Collins, Ted Karras and Alex Cappa to the offensive line, expect more passing from Taylor and the Bengals in 2022. 

10. Indianapolis Colts

HC: Frank Reich, OC: Marcus Brady, DC: Gus Bradley

The Colts have had a different quarterback every year Reich has been the head coach, yet Indianapolis has made the playoffs in two of those seasons, while they should have made the postseason last year if Carson Wentz didn’t fall apart against the Jaguars. Defensively, the Colts coaching staff made it a point of emphasis to take the ball away, and we saw that in full force last season where the Colts ranked third in interceptions and first in forced fumbles. 

9. Buffalo Bills

HC: Sean McDermott, OC: Ken Dorsey, DC: Leslie Frazier

If Buffalo still had Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator, they would be higher on this list. But Ken Dorsey is an in-house hire who has plenty of experience working with Josh Allen, so I don’t expect this elite offense to take much of a step backwards. Despite a horrendous 13 seconds in the AFC playoff game against the Chiefs, Leslie Frazier has still done a tremendous job orchestrating a Buffalo defense that has been the league’s best in two of the last three seasons. As for McDermott, he’s been much more aggressive over the last few seasons and has been a huge reason behind Buffalo’s amazing turnaround. 

8. Tennessee Titans

HC: Mike Vrabel, OC: Todd Downing, DC: Shane Bowen

During his four seasons with the Titans, Vrabel has made the playoffs three times and has yet to have a losing season. He led Tennessee to the AFC’s top seed, despite missing offensive catalyst Derrick Henry for half of the season. The identity of this team for years has been to run the ball 30 times a game and play respectable defense. Sometimes that won’t work, and Vrabel will need to open things up in the passing game, especially with Henry more involved. Still, he’s a smart, aggressive head coach who has had this Titans team on the doorstep for a few seasons now.

7. San Francisco 49ers

HC: Kyle Shanahan, OC: Chris Foerster, DC: DeMeco Ryans

Shanahan has engineered one of the best running schemes in football since joining the 49ers, showcasing plenty of misdirection and pre-snap motion. He helped unlock Deebo Samuel’s greatness last season and is so creative with how he utilizes his players. He schemes players open and allows them to make plays after the catch, and if he had a top-tier quarterback during his tenure, this team likely wins at least one Super Bowl.

6. Green Bay Packers

HC: Matt LaFleur, OC: Adam Stenavich, DC: Joe Barry

Sure, the Packers have consistently had elite regular seasons, only to fall short in the playoffs, notably to the San Francisco 49ers. But it is difficult to ignore how good LaFleur has been since joining the Packers, sporting an impressive 39-10 record. There were some concerns early about the rapport between LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers, but they disappeared very quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts after the loss of Davante Adams, but I have trust in him and Rodgers. Green Bay should also improve on one of the worst special teams units in NFL history last season after the addition of special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. 

5. Los Angeles Rams

HC: Sean McVay, OC: Liam Coen, DC: Raheem Morris

McVay is coming off his second Super Bowl appearance and first Super Bowl title in 2021. We don’t always see him make decisions on fourth down that we love, but McVay’s preparation each week is fantastic.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

HC: Mike Tomlin, OC: Matt Canada, DC: Teryl Austin

Tomlin is one of the best head coaches the NFL has seen during his 15-year tenure with the Steelers, winning nearly 65% of his games during that span. Despite having some of the worst passing offenses in football as of late, the Steelers continue to post winning seasons and make the postseason consistently, while also sporting an elite defense. We saw the Steelers almost make the playoffs with the combination of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges starting 14 games back in 2019. Ben Roethlisberger is gone, but this will allow offensive coordinator Matt Canada to have some more creativity calling plays.

3. Baltimore Ravens

HC: John Harbaugh, OC: Greg Roman, DC: Mike Macdonald

Harbaugh has been a top-five coach for years now, and while the 2021 Ravens season was a disappointment, I can fully attribute it to injuries. They lost their top-two running backs and No. 2 corner before the season started, while the rest of their secondary and Lamar Jackson missed plenty of games, too. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has helped orchestrate some of the most dominant rushing attacks in the NFL, and I expect Baltimore to return to that in 2022.

2. New England Patriots

HC: Bill Belichick, OC: N/A, DC: Jerod Mayo, Steve Belichick, Bill Belichick

The Patriots lost offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels this offseason, as he headed to Vegas to coach the Raiders. As of this writing, we still don’t know who will call plays for New England. It could be Matt Patricia, it could be Joe Judge, or Bill Belichick could just do everything for this team. If New England had almost anyone else as their head coach, they would be lower on this list. But Belichick is the greatest coach in the history of football and helped lead an average 2021 Patriots roster to 10 wins.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

HC: Andy Reid, OC: Eric Bieniemy, DC: Steve Spagnuolo

Andy Reid has been one of the greatest NFL minds for over a decade and has taken his brilliance to a new level since joining the Kansas City Chiefs. Reid is such a creative play-caller, especially since Patrick Mahomes has emerged as arguably the league’s best quarterback. He is also very aggressive. In his four seasons with Kansas City, the Chiefs have averaged at least 2.70 points per drive every year, while ranking top-four in that department each season.