Now that the Indianapolis Colts have introduced Shane Steichen as their next head coach, all AFC South teams have a head coach. It took Indy a while to hire Steiche but it won’t matter if he can help them bounce back from a hectic season. The Jacksonville Jaguars know what that is like though, having had to go through the same process last offseason.
The Jags’ search for a head coach to replace Urban Meyer lasted nearly two months and they’re surely pleased with how things turned out, as Doug Pederson led an amazing turnaround. Expecting Steichen to make the playoffs in his first season at the helm might be unrealistic but the Colts’ brass will surely want to see progress. The same is true for DeMeco Ryans, who’s taking over a Houston Texans team that has experienced significant turnover over the last three years.
So how do Steichen and Ryans stack up against their division counterparts? Here’s a power ranking of all AFC South coaches.
No. 4 AFC South HC Power Ranking – Indianapolis Colts, Shane Steichen
Making Jeff Saturday the interim head coach after kicking Frank Reich to the curb was a bad decision. Legitimately considering giving him the job full-time was even worse but the voice of the reason ultimately prevailed and the Colts hired Shane Steichen.
Even though Indy’s roster isn’t devoid of talent, they enter the offseason with question marks at several positions, including but not limited to wide receiver, safety, and most importantly, quarterback.
One of Reich’s (and general manager Chris Ballard’s) biggest failures over the last four seasons was not finding a suitable replacement at quarterback after Andrew Luck retired in 2019. Steichen has Justin Herbert’s position coach in his rookie season and later worked with Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew when he became the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2021.
If there’s one thing Steichen knows is how to develop a quarterback. However, he will now be in charge of a whole team and it’s hard to tell how he will fare with extended responsibilities. For that reason, he sits at the bottom of the rankings until he proves he’s up to the task.
No. 3 AFC South HC Power Ranking – Houston Texans, DeMeco Ryans
Just like Shane Steichen, DeMeco Ryans is a first-time head coach. Unlike Steichen, Ryans enter a favorable situation. A former NFL linebacker, Ryan initially declined to interview for the Houston Texans’ opening despite the fact that they were the team that drafted him and it’s easy to see why he was hesitant.
Lovie Smith was hired last offseason and only lasted one year. His predecessor, Dave Culley, was also one and done. Ryans surely wanted to avoid the same fate, so Texans ownership must’ve given him some assurance to help him make up his mind. He’s now Houston’s fourth coach in as many years but there’s a reason to believe he’s here to stay.
After his playing career was over, Ryans joined the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff in 2017 as an assistant and steadily worked his way up to defensive coordinator. He’s a highly respected figure around the league and the kind of head coach that knows how to connect with his players.
One thing that should help Ryans do his job is that the Texans fired vice president of football operations Jack Easterby last year. Now general manager Nick Caserio and the team’s brass can do their jobs without the interference of Easterby.
Although Houston has to address several needs in the offseason, including the quarterback position, they do have a few talented pieces such as running back Daemon Pierce and safety Jalen Pitre. While it’s hard to see the Texans competing for a playoff berth, Ryans will get the most out of his team and will have them play to the whistle.
No. 2 AFC South HC Power Ranking – Tennessee Titans, Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel showed he wasn’t afraid to make changes when he became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2018. Derrick Henry was part of a backfield committee in his first two seasons but he became the focal point of the offense once Vrabel took over. In retrospect, it’s kind of puzzling that Mike Mularkey (Vrabrel’s predecessor) didn’t recognize Henry’s talent.
Similarly, Vrabel pulled the plug on Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Titans gave the former Oregon Duck every single chance they could to show he could be a franchise quarterback but failed every time. Vrabel knew he had seen enough of Mariota and installed Ryan Tannehill as the starting quarterback.
Tannehill went on to have a career revival in Tennessee and even sign a four-year contract extension worth $118 in 2020. However, he hasn’t been particularly great and his play, along with injuries, was a reason the Titans regressed last season.
After a 0-2 start last season, Tennessee turned the corner and went on to win seven of their next eight games. However, they lost six in a row to end the season, and Vrabel deserves plenty of blame for not keeping his team focused.
The Titans’ ownership showed their trust in Vrabel when they fired general manager Jon Robinson last year. However, they won’t likely accept a second losing season in a row, so Vrabel will be under pressure to deliver. Maybe that’s why Tennessee is reportedly interested in pursuing Derek Carr, who is a tad younger than Tannehill and would be an upgrade at quarterback, in the offseason.
No. 1 AFC South HC Power Ranking – Jacksonville Jaguars, Doug Pederson
This is the first time in a handful of years that the Jacksonville Jaguars enter the offseason without uncertainty at head coach. Following a trip to the AFC Championship in 2017, Doug Marrone had back-to-back losing campaigns and was on the hot seat ahead of the 2022 season. To nobody’s surprise, he was canned at the end of the year.
The Jags then hired Urban Meyer to right the ship but things didn’t get much better. In fact, they got much worse. Meyer ended up not lasting even a whole year and Jacksonville once again had to embark on a search last offseason. This time though, they hit a home run when they hired Doug Pederson, who led the Jaguars to the playoffs and a division title in his first season at the helm.
From the very beginning, Pederson had a vision in place. He knew what was needed to turn things around. As Trevor Lawrence recently noted, Pederson didn’t come looking for potential fixes and instead made it about the players. While that sounds like something every head coach does, not many actually put it into practice. Pederson did and it paid off.
When Pederson became the head coach, believed turning things around was going to be a multi-year project but led an amazing turnaround in his first season at the helm. Even though he didn’t win the NFL Head Coach of the Year Award in 2022, he showed the Jacksonville Jaguars made the right decision when they hired him.