Week 4 around the NFL is in full swing, and already we've seen both some shocking results and some very, very ugly ones. Three different games were decided by 24 points or more just in the early slate alone, and with crooked numbers like that come some very heated fan bases — fan bases who are going to want answers, and some heads rolling.
Of course, one week's worth of data is hardly enough to bury or rescue a head coach, even in a reactionary league like the NFL. But still: Tempers are high after some disappointing results on Sunday afternoon, and these four head coaches in particular are going to be feeling the heat (if they weren't already).
1. Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans
Yes, it's only year two, and yes, the team just drafted Cam Ward at No. 1 overall with Callahan in charge. But this very clearly isn't working: Callahan's offense isn't doing his young quarterback any favors, and doesn't the presence of Ward — who has obvious physical gifts, despite his predictable struggles in his NFL career — make finding a new head coach who can develop him properly more of a priority?
The Titans were well and truly erased by the Houston Texans in a 26-0 loss on Sunday, a scoreline that might even make this game seem more competitive than it actually was. Ward is running for his life on nearly every possession, and while it's not like Tennessee's roster is worthy of playoff contention, it's also hard to identify exactly what Callahan is doing to make life easier on any of his players. Add in a baffling failure to understand basic rules and an often-questionable leadership style, and this one feels like we can call it.
2. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
What are we doing here, exactly? Sure, maybe Stefanski is underneath at all still a talented offensive mind. But he's not just an offensive coordinator; he's also a head coach, and in that capacity, it's frankly inexplicable that he's hung on to the Joe Flacco Experience for as long as he has. Stefanski didn't pull the plug on the 40-year-old starter until well into garbage time of a blowout loss against the Lions on Sunday, and even when he did finally insert Dillon Gabriel into the game, he only let his rookie throw one measly pass.
It's fair to hold Andrew Berry to account as well here, and to point out the myriad mistakes that have left this roster misshapen and ill-suited to contend in the AFC North. But Stefanski isn't helping matters either, and he seems hell-bent on trying to claw towards some idea of current respectability at the cost of building towards the future. He's in full job-saving mode, and that's not something a Browns team that desperately needs to find real answers at quarterback can afford. It's not like Stefanski brings game management or program-building qualities to the table, at least as far as we can see; if he's not additive on offense, and he's actively hindering the progress of Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, it's time.
3. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers
Perhaps this is harsh, given that this is just his second year at the helm and he managed to make some real strides with Bryce Young down the stretch of 2024. But after a 42-13 whipping at the hands of the New England Patriots, all that work seems to have been undone and then some; this is a lost team on both sides of the ball right now, and at a certain point, that has to reflect back on the head coach.
It would be one thing to simply be at a talent disadvantage; I don't think anyone was under any illusion that this Carolina team had the talent to be a real NFC contender in 2025. But throwing in the towel is another, and time and again this squad makes mistakes that aren't really about talent but about execution. It's just very, very sloppy football right now, and he's shown zero ability to make any headway on defense in year two. His work as an offensive mind is worthy of respect, but it's time to consider whether he was better off as a coordinator.
4. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Yeah, I'm not letting him off the hook here, even with Jaxson Dart leading the Giants to an upset win over the Los Angeles Chargers in his first career start. The offense didn't seem to have any real answers beyond "run Dart until the wheels fall off," even before Malik Nabers went down with injury. And the red zone strategy and overall game management remains atrocious; it felt like New York won this game in spite of its head coach, rather than because of him.
Plus, we've seen this act before. He made it work with Daniel Jones for a little bit, until the book came out on him and he no longer had Saquon Barkley to fall back on. This didn't exactly feel sustainable, at least not once defenses have more film to work with and start forcing this passing game to be functional. Dart's physical gifts and moxie are intriguing, but is this really the staff you want working with him moving forward?