Leading an NFL team is a high-pressure job, but the temperature is especially elevated for some head coaches entering the 2026 regular season. CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles chose one person under the hot seat for each NFL team this year. Among several quarterbacks and former first-round picks, Pereles identified four head coaches facing pressure to succeed.
Pereles put Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, Aaron Glenn, and Zac Taylor on the hot seat as Week 1 approaches. The Washington Commanders went from four wins to an improbable NFC Championship Game appearance during Quinn's first season, but the franchise backslid in 2025. Washington followed a 12-5 season by going 5-12 with the NFL's worst-ranked defense, sparking an offseason staffing overhaul.
Quinn will hope to oversee another massive leap forward behind new offensive coordinator David Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. Bowles steered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to three straight NFC South titles, and they looked poised to extend that streak when starting the season 6-2. However, Tampa Bay instead missed the playoffs after losing seven of its final nine games.
Losing Mike Evans and Lavonte David creates more questions about the franchise's future during Baker Mayfield's last season under contract. Glenn is only entering his second season, but the former defensive back may not have much long-term security after an ugly 3-14 finish. "He's rightfully getting another year to get things moving in the right direction, but if it's a disaster again, he won't get a third chance," Pereles predicted.
"The Jets have brought in significant defensive help, and that's Glenn's area of expertise." Taylor is the AFC's second-longest-tenured head coach behind Andy Reid after John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin left the division. He'll enter his eighth season with urgency to snap the Cincinnati Bengals' three-year playoff drought, and a bolstered defense gives them hope of returning to title contention.
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