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Having a great roster in the NFL is pointless unless the right people are calling the shots. Great teams need equally good offensive and defensive coordinators to maximize the team's potential.
Great coordinators can also bring the best out of an average personnel group with good schemes and smart tactics. Plenty of coordinators go on to earn head coaching gigs due to their excellent work handling just one side of the game. But who are the best coordinators in the league currently? Let's have a look.
Top 5 NFL offensive coordinators
#1 - Eric Bieniemy (Kansas City Chiefs)
Most fans assume that Andy Reid calls the shots in Kansas City. However, Andy Reid simply designs the playbook and draws up new plays. Eric Bienemy makes those plays happen.
Unlike other NFL head coaches, Andy Reid gives a lot of control to his coordinators, which puts them in positions to grow their careers. Eric Bieniemy fielded several calls from NFL teams this winter to lead their teams. Bieniemy turned them down to return to the Chiefs.
#2 - Kevin O'Connell (Los Angeles Rams)
Sean McVay is in control of most aspects of the Los Angeles Rams offense. However, by working with Sean McVay, Kevin O'Connell leaps ahead of most other offensive coordinators in the NFL. If the Rams offense has a stellar season in 2021, don't be surprised if O'Connell receives some interest for a head coaching gig.
#3 - Marcus Brady (Indianapolis Colts)
Head coach Frank Reich has given Marcus Brady plenty of control over the team's offense. If Brady fixes Carson Wentz in 2021, he will be a prime candidate for a head coaching gig next offseason. Many expect Wentz to bounce back this season.
#4 - Pete Carmichael Jr. (New Orleans Saints)
Sean Payton is the brains behind the team but Pete Carmichael earns some of the credit as well. The offensive coaching staff proved their skills when they successfully navigated several of Drew Brees' injuries towards the end of his career.
When Brees was hurt in 2019, the Saints went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater. Teddy Bridgewater earned a starting role with the Carolina Panthers the following NFL season and went 4-11. Now with Jameis Winston, the Saints' offense is in good hands.
#5 - Josh McDaniels (New England Patriots)
Josh McDaniels has been around for a long time but is still as good as ever. Granted, his NFL head coaching job with the Denver Broncos ended in flames, but as a coordinator, McDaniels is hard to match.
Last season, he took an offense with no reliable receiving weapons and a washed-up Cam Newton and created something watchable at the NFL level. He elevated an offense that should have been ranked last by some distance and somehow managed to make it better than five teams.
Top 5 NFL Defensive Coordinators
#1 - Keith Butler (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Keith Butler has been amazing for the Steelers. In 2018, the Steelers' defense was ranked sixth. In 2019, the Steelers' defense was ranked fifth overall. In 2020, the defense rose to third overall. In other words, Butler has put together a defense that was bordering great and is on pace to be the best in the league this season.
#2 - Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Like Josh McDaniels in Denver, Todd Bowles had a disastrous time as head coach of the New York Jets. However, he has proven to be a remarkable coordinator. He earned a lot of praise for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive performance in the Super Bowl.
His game plan shut down the explosive Kansas City Chiefs offense, who could only score nine points. If not for Todd Bowles, the Buccaneers probably would have lost the game.
#3 - Jack Del Rio (Washington Football Team)
Jack Del Rio's tenure as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders did not last long. However, he was quietly the leader of one of the best defenses in the NFL last season. The Washington Football Team's defense ranked second in 2020. In the playoffs, Jack Del Rio's defense kept the game alive against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
#4 - Don Martindale (Baltimore Ravens)
In Don Martindale's first year with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, their defense was ranked first overall in the NFL. In 2019, Martindale's defense was ranked fourth. In 2020, his defense was ranked seventh overall in the NFL. In other words, Martindale's defenses have been great in his time with the team.
#5 - Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints)
During the Drew Brees era, the offense was always good in New Orleans. The problem was the defense. Dennis Allen helped elevate the Saints' defense enough to put the team back in the NFL playoffs during the last half-decade of the Brees era. The New Orleans Saints had a great defense in 2020. They ranked fourth in total defense.
