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You need talent to win in the NFL, or any professional sport. But if you don’t have an individual who can manage the personalities and put players in positions to maximize their strengths, it doesn’t matter how much talent is on the roster. Unfortunately, many teams aren’t lucky enough to have proven winners like Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh, or Dan Campbell leading from the sideline on Sundays. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the unlucky teams with the 10 worst head coaches heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans Robert Saleh is well-respected for his coaching on the defensive side of the ball. It is why he was hired to be the New York Jets head coach in 2021. Unfortunately, he failed at handling the NYC spotlight and dealing with big personalities like Aaron Rodgers. Following a second successful stint as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, he was given a second chance to be a head coach this year with the Tennessee Titans. Everyone deserves a second chance, but there is reason to wonder if Saleh can be a successful head coach in the NFL. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers Due to his rise up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching tree and reputation as a QB guru, Dave Canales was hired to be the Carolina Panthers head coach two years ago. After going 5-12 in his first season, the Panthers were better in 2025 as they finished first in the division. However, they had an 8-9 record in a bad NFC South. Furthermore, despite a reputation for developing signal callers, their QB1, Bryce Young, hasn’t taken big steps forward in his two years under Canales. Would anyone be surprised if Carolina again finishes with a record under .500 in 2026? Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals After a couple of rough seasons that saw the Cincinnati Bengals post a 6-25-1 record, it looked like Zac Taylor had built the Bengals into a perennial playoff team and legitimate title contender. However, after back-to-back playoff trips in 2021 and 2022, Cincy hasn’t been to the postseason since. Without a doubt, Joe Burrow’s injury woes over the last few years and an underwhelming defense have been a big problem. However, developing a better offensive line and defensive scheme is on Taylor. After a 6-11 season in 2025, the Bengals coach is in one of the hottest seats in the NFL. Aaron Glenn, New York Jets It took some time for Aaron Glenn to land an NFL head coach job. But he finally got one last year, and oddly enough, it was with the team he once starred for as a player, the Jets. Unfortunately, year one as the head coach for Gang Green was a big disappointment for Glenn. The Jets were one of the worst teams in the NFL last year as they posted a 3-14 record. Yet, the most horrifying part about 2025 was that the man who was a cornerback in the league and DC for the Detroit Lions led a team that had no interceptions all season. New York must be much better this year, or Glenn is a lock to be fired. Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns It isn’t being a head coach in the NFL, and it is even harder doing it for the first time. Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken is one of six first-time head coaches in 2026. And while his work as the OC for the Baltimore Ravens over the last three years got him this opportunity, he hasn’t blown media and fans away with his leadership skills thus far. The fact that he made public enemy No. 1 in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson, his Week 1 starting QB, isn’t a good start for the new head coach. Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts One-time Philadelphia Eagles OC Shane Steichen was lauded for his work in the job, especially when the Eagles offense was hitting on all cylinders three years ago. It impressed the Indianapolis Colts, and that is why they made him their head coach in 2023. While he hasn’t been bad in the role over the last three years, he hasn’t been great either. Despite a roster with some pretty good talent, Indy has been a team hovering around .500 the last three years. If they don’t make the playoffs and win a game this winter. Steichen could be looking for work in the offseason. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Bowles was run out of New York after four mostly miserable seasons overseeing the roster. However, after rebuilding his rep over three seasons as DC for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he got a second chance as an NFL head coach in 2022 with the Bucs. Has he been better in Tampa? Yes. Should he be better than 35-33 after four seasons? Hell yes. At a time when the NFC South has been terrible, Bowles should have done much more with a good roster. It is why he is in the hot seat this year. Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas Raiders New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak landed the job this year after overseeing a Seattle Seahawks offense that exceeded expectations during their championship run in 2025. He also has a strong coaching pedigree, since long-time NFL coach and Super Bowl winner Gary Kubiak is his father. However, there are also concerns. Was his success in Seattle about his scheme or a talented team poised for a breakout year? He only did it there for one season. Plus, he has only had a prominent role on NFL staffs for three years, with three different teams. Furthermore, the Raiders have a terrible track record for head coach hires. Kubiak could be very good, but there is also enough reason to believe he will be another Las Vegas disappointment. Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints Despite a lot of hype around his work with QBs and his mind for offense, it took Kellen Moore some time to land a head coaching job in the NFL. But last year, the New Orleans Saints chose him to be Dennis Allen’s replacement in the hopes he could bring his offensive brilliance to NOLA. Unfortunately, 2025 didn’t deliver much improvement for the 6-11 Saints on either side of the ball. However, Moore may have found something in second-round QB Tyler Shough that is giving Saints reason for optimism in 2026. Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys It took well over a decade for long-time OC Brian Schottenheimer to land a head coaching job before he was promoted to the top by the Dallas Cowboys last year. When he has the talent around him on offense, he has shown he can lead his team to put up big numbers, as they did in 2025. However, there was no excuse for the Dallas defense being as bad as it was with a coach who has seen the strengths and weaknesses of the unit up close the previous two years. The fact that he wasn’t more proactive in improving a terrible defense offers doubt he can be the leader of an entire team, and not just the offense.