NFL Analysis
8/1/24
8 min read
Ranking Top 10 NFL Coordinators Entering 2024 Season
The life of an NFL coach can be brutal. When things go well, the quarterback and head coach earn all the glory. However, a busted coverage, dropped interception, or other mistake outside of the coordinator's control can completely reshape the narrative around their capabilities.
Some NFL coaches are better coordinators than headmen, and teams can only learn the hard way through on-the-job experience. Having an isolated focus on one side of the ball can be perfect for even the most genius play designers.
Our NFL coordinator rankings are based on career performance, a willingness to introduce new concepts, evolve over time, and the development of key players. Weaving in both offensive and defensive coordinators, these coaches have built impressive resumes as trusted play-callers and masters of their unit.
Top 10 NFL Coordinators in 2024
10. Drew Petzing, OC, Arizona Cardinals 
It's still early in Drew Petzing's career, but the Year 1 returns for the Arizona Cardinals were promising of what's to come now that he has more talent to work with. Remember, the Cardinals started Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune in nine games while Kyler Murray recovered from a torn ACL. They also relied upon many young, unheralded playmakers like Emari Demercado, Michael Wilson, and Greg Dortch.
It's not surprising the Cardinals finished 24th in offensive scoring. But the unit outperformed their talent by far, finishing fourth in rushing yards, second in yards per carry, and 14th in first downs created. Petzing effectively maximizes his talent and relentlessly targets his opponent's weaknesses in each matchup.
9. Vic Fangio, DC, Philadelphia Eagles 
Since becoming a defensive coordinator in 1995 with the Carolina Panthers, Vic Fangio has produced 10 top-10 scoring units. He's landed in the top half of the league in 13 of his 23 years, which is remarkable considering he's worked with seven franchises. The Philadelphia Eagles are his eighth team.
Fangio hallmarked the most popular version of defense in the modern NFL, which has a ton of two-high safety looks. Essentially, he's betting offenses will stall out as they can't produce big plays.
It's effective, even if the lack of heavy blitz rates can put too much strain on coverage to stay sticky.
8. Ken Dorsey, OC, Cleveland Browns 
Ken Dorsey spent just more than a year and a half as Buffalo's offensive coordinator after coaching quarterbacks for eight seasons with Carolina and the Bills.
Buffalo ranked first and fourth in scoring, as they heavily relied upon QB Josh Allen to be the offense's identity. Dorsey helped develop Allen and maximized a relatively weak supporting cast by giving Allen the keys in a pass-heavy attack.
With the Cleveland Browns under Kevin Stefanski, balance shouldn't be an issue. Dorsey's ability to blend high-efficiency looks with chunk plays will complement Cleveland's strength of melding its scheme to their quarterback's talents.
Dorsey and Stefanski are also skilled at mixing zone and gap runs, making this an exciting partnership.
7. Bobby Slowik, OC, Houston Texans 
Sure, C.J. Stroud had a big hand in guiding the Houston Texans from a bottom-feeder to an AFC South favorite, but so did OC Bobby Slowik. The first-year play-caller overcame key injuries at receiver and along the offensive line to propel Houston's offense into a formidable unit. Houston ranked 13th in scoring, seventh in passing yards, and 22nd in rushing yards.
There are times when Slowik has to be less predictable and stuck to his playsheet, but his hand immediately affected Stroud, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins. There's no reason to think Slowik won't make the most of a much deeper and more talented unit in his second season.
6. Ejiro Evero, DC, Carolina Panthers 
After working under Fangio, Jim Harbaugh, Raheem Morris, and Wade Phillips throughout his career, it's not surprising that Ejiro Evero has quickly found success as a defensive coordinator for two teams. His 2022 Broncos defense was actually better than Fangio's the year before, and the Carolina Panthers' 2023 defense struggled due to personnel, not scheme.
If anything, Evero greatly propped up both units because of his ability to clog passing lanes and confuse quarterbacks. The 2022 Broncos ranked fifth in passing and 10th in rushing scores allowed despite dealing with the league's worst-scoring offense. He helped get the most out of Dre'Mont Jones, Damarri Mathis, and Baron Browning.
His Panthers defense had even less talent to work with and a more abysmal offense. Despite this, the Panthers surrendered the third-fewest passing yards and fourth-least yards overall. Few coaches do more with less than what Evero has.
5. Arthur Smith, OC, Pittsburgh Steelers 
When eluding to coaches who were overwhelmed by the head coach job but thrived as a coordinator, Arthur Smith is a terrific recent example. His two seasons as the Titans OC were phenomenal, producing tremendously efficient passing and rushing attacks. Smith failed to maximize all of his young playmakers in Atlanta, but his rushing games were terrific, and his biggest fault was not landing a quarterback.
Smith is creative in the run game and has experience developing big receivers like AJ Brown and Drake London. He'll lean heavily into play action and working the middle of the field to keep the unit on schedule and avoid short drives.
4. Todd Monken, OC, Baltimore Ravens 
Almost every offense Todd Monken has been a part of has improved. He reached his peak in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens after spending three seasons at Georgia. The Ravens ranked first in the league in points scored and fewest turnovers.
Monken's ability to maximize what a team does best and carefully evolve it to be more efficient and less predictable is key. We saw Baltimore easily meld its attack on a per-week basis in 2023, depending on who was available to Monken and their opponent. That type of coaching talent can push a franchise's ceiling higher.
3. Jim Schwartz, DC, Cleveland Browns
With 20 years of experience, Jim Schwartz's style and strategy are well-known. An aggressive play-caller who wants to dictate how offenses play, Schwartz requires top-end pass-rushing and coverage options to be effective. Considering he's finished in the top half of NFL teams in points allowed 11 times throughout those 20 years, Schwartz is one of the most effective schemers in the league.
His 2023 Cleveland Browns defense was a terrific example of how his units can shape a season. The Browns allowed the fewest yards in the league and ranked first as a passing defense. Advanced stats show the unit was elite in limiting yards after the catch and reaching the quarterback despite being middle of the pack with blitzes.
Their home splits were at a historic pace, so expectations are that this defense will continue to perform well entering Year 2 under Schwartz.
2. Ben Johnson, OC, Detroit Lions 
There's not an offensive coordinator as in control of his team's output on a weekly basis as Ben Johnson. He has terrific talent at his disposal, including an elite offensive line, receiver, and explosive running back. Still, Johnson has revitalized Jared Goff and drawn a ton of production from secondary weapons. Johnson enters games with largely bulletproof game plans and scripts.
His ability to create effective combination routes off play-action has provided a blueprint for an effective, modern offense without copying Kyle Shanahan's approach. Johnson will be a head coach when he decides to take the plunge.
1. Steve Spagnuolo, DC, Kansas City Chiefs 
The current dynasty blossoming in Kansas City wouldn't be happening without Steve Spagnuolo. Brought in to help stop hemorrhaging points and yards under Bob Sutton, Spagnuolo immediately boosted Kansas City's defense from 24th in scoring to seventh. He's maintained that pace since 2019, winning three Super Bowls and producing five straight top-half-scoring defenses.
In addition to regular-season consistency, the Kansas City Chiefs have made countless timely plays when it matters the most in the postseason. Shutting down Baltimore, San Francisco, Miami, and Buffalo in the 2023 playoffs is just one snapshot of his impact.
The Chiefs have continued to revamp their defensive roster thanks to Spagnuolo's ability to maximize his talent. Whether it's developing Day 3 additions or finding workable rotations, Spagnuolo is the premier NFL coordinator.
