Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was hired in 2025 after a single season as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. As a 40-year-old first-time head coach, Coen led the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and an AFC South championship.
Each offseason, many owners and front offices seek young, trend-setting coaches to lead their franchise for years to come. Here are 5 first-year coordinators who could become head coaches in 2027.
Declan Doyle, Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Declan Doyle has been afforded a golden opportunity as the new offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. He takes over an offense with a two-time MVP in Lamar Jackson, a future Hall of Fame RB, Derrick Henry, the newly paid Zay Flowers, veteran Mark Andrews, and talented rookie WRs Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt.
At 30 years old, Doyle does not have an expansive coaching history, but was fortunate enough to work with some of the NFL’s best offensive minds. His first NFL job came in 2019 as an offensive assistant for the Saints, then coached by Sean Payton. He stayed in New Orleans after Payton’s retirement, but rejoined his former employer in Denver in 2023 as tight ends coach. Another sharp offensive mind took notice of Doyle and hired him as OC of his initial staff – Ben Johnson with the Chicago Bears.
New Ravens head coach Jesse Minter will call plays on defense, effectively handing the offense over to Doyle for 2026. The players are excited. Lamar Jackson will take more snaps under center, which will create a downhill run game, perfect for Derrick Henry. Newly extended Zay Flowers speaks to the detail oriented approach Doyle brings to the team:
A strong showing from the Ravens’ offense could get Doyle head coaching interviews in 2027. Bright offensive minds rise to the top quickly in the NFL, and Doyle could be among the brightest.
Nate Scheelhaase, Offensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Rams
The revolving door of Sean McVay’s offensive assistants continues as Mike LaFleur was hired to be the Cardinals’ head coach in 2026, leaving an opening at offensive coordinator. Filling that position will be Nate Scheelhaase, who served as Passing Game Coordinator in 2025.
Scheelhaase was hired to McVay’s staff in 2024 after a 9-year run coaching at Illinois and Iowa State. The coaching tree of the now 40-year-old McVay has become nearly legendary. There are currently 5 head coaches in the NFL who served as the Rams’ OC.
Matt LaFleur – Green Bay Packers
Zac Taylor – Cincinnati Bengals
Kevin O’Connell – Minnesota Vikings
Liam Coen – Jacksonville Jaguars
Mike LaFleur – Arizona Cardinals
The Rams are the Super Bowl favorites heading into the regular season. Although the offense is largely run by McVay himself, that doesn’t stop front offices from pursuing and hiring Rams coordinators. Scheelhaase has a golden opportunity to become the next head coach to come out of the NFL’s offensive pipeline.
Jim Leonhard, Defensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills
After 13 years, Jim Leonhard returns to Buffalo, but as their defensive coordinator, not a player. After a 10-year playing career where he suited up for 5 different teams, the former Wisconsin Badger returned to his alma mater to coach defensive backs. He spent 6 years in that post before becoming defensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2022. After a season with Illinois, he started his NFL coaching career on Sean Payton’s staff with the Denver Broncos as the Pass Game Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach.
After the firing of Sean McDermott, OC Joe Brady was promoted to head coach and hired Leonhard to run the defense. Leonhard is expected to bring a tough and physical style to Buffalo. New physicality will be welcomed after the Bills defense had been labeled small and soft in recent years under McDermott.
The new 3-4 alignment will feature newcomers Bradley Chubb and first-round pick T.J. Parker on the edges, making getting pressure on the QB a priority. Leonhard brings playing and coaching experience to Buffalo, which once again faces Super Bowl-or-bust expectations. An elevated defensive performance will surely get Leonhard noticed around the league and in the conversation for head coaching positions.
Sean Mannion, Offensive Coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles
A former 3rd-round pick out of Oregon State, Sean Mannion had a 9-year NFL career that finally came to a close after the 2023 season. He followed up his playing career by immediately joining the coaching ranks as an offensive assistant for the Green Bay Packers in 2024. He quickly rose to coach QBs in 2025, then was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles to be their offensive coordinator in 2026.
Mannion takes over an up-and-down offense with Super Bowl aspirations. This will be the Eagles’ 5th OC change in 5 years, with two of the former OC’s moving on to become head coaches. Last year’s coordinator, Kevin Patullo, was fired after the wildcard playoff loss.
Mannion is expected to rejuvenate the Eagles’ run game, especially Saquon Barkley, who had an 865-yard and 1.7 YPC drop-off from 2024 to 2025. Although the loss of A.J. Brown will be felt, new additions Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, and Eli Stowers are exciting new offensive weapons at Mannion’s disposal. Jalen Hurts is expected to be a major beneficiary with more under-center play-action passing, attacking the middle of the field. Hurts may also be a larger part of the run game in 2026.
A successful season for the Eagles typically results in their offensive coordinator being hired as a head coach, as it was when Kellen Moore and Shane Steichen earned their respective head coaching positions. Sean Mannion has every advantage to become a one-and-done coordinator and a new head coach in 2027.
Christian Parker, Defensive Coordinator, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones made it his mission to rebuild the Cowboys’ defense for 2026, and he started by hiring a defensive coordinator from a division rival. Christian Parker had served as the secondary coach for the Philadelphia Eagles for 2 seasons and also served at the same position for the Broncos and Packers from 2019-2023.
Parker brings a total of 13 years of coaching experience with him to Dallas, where he takes over a unit with a recent facelift, with additions of Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary and Caleb Downs within the last calendar year.
Last season, the Cowboys’ offense finished 9th in scoring at 27 points per game, but allowed the league’s worst 30 points per game. The offense returned its key players and should be as good or better in 2026. The defense does not need to be top 5 for Dallas to be a winner, but improvement into a top 15 defense would make the Cowboys dangerous.
The Cowboys are a talking point and always in the news, regardless of record, but when they’re a winner, they get noticed, and so do their coaches. Rapid improvement to a middle-of-the-pack defense would get Christian Parker noticed, and anything above that could almost certainly secure him a head coaching opportunity.
