As we wrap up Week 1 of the NFL preseason, there are a lot of wild overreactions league-wide. This is the perfect time of year for fans, filled either with boundless optimism or crushing dread, to extrapolate meaningless data into firmly held beliefs.
Not a single head coach will lose his job because of preseason football. That said, there are plenty of coaches who enter the 2025 campaign with jobs on the line. NFL front offices are in constant evaluation mode and there are desperate franchises everywhere you look. It's not unreasonable to clock an early coaching mistake and think, "hmm, this guy might be in trouble."
Let's dive into a handful of NFL coaches who are on the warm seat — if not quite the hot seat, yet — through one week of preseason. The pressure is mounting in these clubhouses.
Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans
Brian Callahan enters his second season as Tennessee Titans head coach after a bumpy go of things in 2024. Callahan, previously responsible for the Bengals' explosive Joe Burrow-led offense, was supposed to provide a jolt of energy (and points) in place of former defensive line guru Mike Vrabel. Tennessee ended up with the worst record in the NFL, in no small part due to the severe regression of starting quarterback Will Levis.
Now it's Cam Ward, the reigning No. 1 overall pick, tasked with leading the Titans offense into the future. The buzz on Ward out of training camp has been decidedly mixed. While he emerged as the consensus QB1 in the 2025 draft, this was a week draft at the quarterback position. Ward is not without his flaws, but there is immense pressure on Tennessee to make it work — and to make it work quickly.
Ward completed 5-of-8 passes for 67 yards in a mostly uneventful debut. The Titans lost 29-7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's foolish to even attempt to gleam overarching narratives from a preseason game in which three different quarterbacks and countless different personnel groups get their shot, but if the Titans offense can't show signs of growth sooner than later, Callahan will come under the microscope. Vrabel was an excellent head coach fired by an impatient ownership group. Callahan's leash isn't very long.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
The NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league, with precious few exceptions. The Indianapolis Colts went 9-8 in 2023 and Shane Steichen felt like one of the game's most promising up-and-coming voices. Now just two years later, his status in the organization feels increasingly less stable.
Indy's preseason debut — a 24-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens — was a real stinker. The Colts' defense held Baltimore's offense to less than 50 combined passing yards, but the Colts offense still couldn't keep pace. The quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones has been the top news item in Indianapolis sports since the NBA Finals concluded. Richardson got hurt a few plays into his preseason debut after he failed to pick up a blitz. Then Daniel Jones took center stage and delivered a characteristically underwhelming performance.
We can't blame Steichen for Richardson getting hurt or even for the cruddy hand he has been dealt, but oftentimes a head coach is fired for reasons beyond his control. I'm convinced even the greatest football minds couldn't turn this Richardson-Jones QB room into a functional unit, but alas, that is the job Steichen has been tasked with. The Colts seem to be trending in the wrong direction and their preseason opener was riddled with lapses on both sides of the football, but especially on offense, where Steichen has staked his reputation.
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins played the Chicago Bears to a dead tie in their preseason opener. The running game was productive and McDaniel managed to draw up a few explosive passing plays, with none of his quarterbacks turning the ball over — save for a late Quinn Ewers fumble that McDaniel can't help. Overall, not too much to complain about.
That said, it's impossible to ignore the violently negative vibes in South Beach right now. After a joint practice in which Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and the Dolphins' defense engaged in fisticuffs, McDaniel has been doing damage control all week. We know the Tagovailoa-Tyreek Hill relationship is still in disrepair. Frankly, McDaniel seems irked with Hill, too. The foundation of this offense, once the best in the NFL, has become dilapidated and outmoded.
Miami has a lot of work to do to establish itself as a contender in the competitive AFC landscape again. McDaniel clearly knows what he is doing as a play-caller, drawing from his roots under Kyle Shanahan. He comes from a great coaching tree. But again, coaches are often the victim of circumstances beyond their control. Miami has been dragged down by injuries and internal strife and it feels more futile by the day.