Head coaching changes get most of the attention every offseason, but coordinator changes also tend to matter as well. Coaching staffs are like businesses, with the head coach as the main manager but the coordinators as the assistant managers who actually show up every day and make things run.
Coordinator changes also happen a lot around this time of year, as staffs shuffle up and a hire in one place means a new vacancy in another. Only one coordinator — Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo — has been in the position since before 2020, and coordinator changes around the league are an underrated part of why fortunes can change so quickly in this league.
Jim Leonhard, Buffalo Bills DC
The Buffalo Bills got a big win with the addition of Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard. The 43-year-old spent 10 seasons as a safety in the NFL before beginning his coaching career at Wisconsin. He worked his way up to defensive coordinator there before making a similarly swift rise once moving to the NFL in 2024.
Leonhard is an up-and-coming name who is almost certainly going to be getting head coaching consideration in the near future. He's a great fit in Buffalo: The Bills already have the building blocks of a strong defense, so he'll just need to make a few tweaks to get the best out of his players.
Jonathan Gannon, Packers DC
Opinion feels split over how Green Bay Packers fans should feel about the addition of former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as the team's new defensive coordinator. In his five seasons as either a DC or head coach, just once has he managed to build an elite-level defense. That was the 2022 Eagles, who allowed the second-fewest yards in the NFL that season while making the Super Bowl. After taking the Cardinals job, Gannon's teams never ranked in the top 20 in that stat.
But maybe Gannon just wasn't cut out for the world of head coaching. He brings a lot of experience to Green Bay, and he'll have much better personnel to work with than he had with the Cardinals. It also helps that pass defense is his specialty, which is the area where Green Bay has the most work to do in 2026.
Sean Mannion, Eagles OC
The Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator situation under Nick Sirianni has been ... odd.
Year | OC |
|---|---|
2021 | Shane Steichen |
2022 | Shane Steichen |
2023 | Brian Johnson |
2024 | Kellen Moore |
2025 | Kevin Patullo |
Either you parlay the position into a head coaching position or you spend one year in the role and disappear. Which way will Sean Mannion go?
The former Rams quarterback arrives in Philly off of a one-year stint as the Packers quarterback coach under Matt LaFleur. That season saw Jordan Love have his best completion percentage and fewest interceptions as a starter, as well as lead a career-high four game-winning drives. Betting on Mannion to bring that success to Philly feels like it should be a good bet, but you never really know with this team (and with this quarterback).
Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs OC
He's back!
After the worst season of the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs are moving on from offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and turning instead to a familiar name: Eric Bieniemy. Bieniemy was Kansas City's OC from 2018 to 2022, with the team finishing in the top six in both points and yards in each of those seasons. He then left to be the Commanders OC in 2023, which was admittedly a disaster.
Now, after spending 2025 as the Bears' running backs coach — where he did great work with both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai — Bieniemy is back where he had so much success. There's only so much he can influence things, since head coach Andy Reid will still be the guy calling plays, but maybe having a familiar name back will solve some issues for Kansas City.
Brian Daboll, Titans OC
I have mixed feelings on the Brian Daboll hire, but I think it's ultimately the right move because the process was strong.
What I mean by that is the Tennessee Titans didn't do a great job supporting quarterback Cam Ward as a rookie, surrounding him with a pretty awful supporting cast. Despite that, he had moments of real brilliance, and the team entered this offseason needing to figure out how it was going to help Ward grow.
Yards | Points | Passing Yards | Passing Touchdown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best rank with Josh Allen | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd |
Best rank without Josh Allen | 13th | 15th | 21st | 18th |
Hiring a defensive-minded head coach seemed like the wrong direction to go at first, but adding Daboll as the offensive coordinator is the right decision. Sure, there are concerns that he basically only looked good when he was coaching Josh Allen, but Ward has a bit of Allen in him, right? Big arm. Sometimes baffling decision-making. Elite traits but concerns early on about refining those traits. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work, but Daboll could be huge for Ward's development.
Mike McDaniel, Chargers OC
I think Mike McDaniel is an offensive genius. I also think he's better cut out for the role of offensive coordinator than the role of head coach. This hire is a huge win for the Los Angeles Chargers, because McDaniel gets to just go out and do the thing he's best at.
I mean, this is a guy who led the NFL in yards with Tua Tagovailoa as his quarterback and briefly turned Raheem Mostert into a touchdown machine. The Chargers have most of the pieces to be an elite offense, and now the team has a playcaller who can take things to the next level. Los Angeles could be the breakout team of 2026.