As the NFL standings get looser, the pucker factor in certain corners of the league is tightening.
That certainly happened in Indianapolis this week, Colts co-owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon serving up this season’s first executive sacrifice to the always bloodthirsty football gods (and fans) by pink-slipping longtime GM Chris Ballard on Monday, Oct. 19.
There will be more, it’s only a matter of when and where – though in a region where the hot seat is a way of life, a simmer threatens to turn into a boil in the nation’s capital. With Week 7 looming, our latest list of NFL head coaches seemingly in Dutch (listed alphabetically):
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5)
The Bucs finally got into the win column, but even defeating the floundering Dallas Cowboys hasn’t aged all that well.
Bowles really needs QB Baker Mayfield back – he’s supposed to practice this week – and really needs to win the two upcoming divisional games on the schedule, because recapturing the NFC South flag is his team’s only viable avenue to the postseason. Otherwise? After a notably successful run of middling post-Brady football, Tampa looks like a place due for some level of reset in 2027.
Aaron Glenn, New York Jets (2-4)
Call it a hot seat. Call it keeping a seat warm for the next guy. The Jets continue to look like an ascending team given their influx of young talent and more competitive showings between the lines. And they’ll probably move to 3-4 this weekend with the winless and talent-stripped Miami Dolphins coming to town. But whether he was confused or not, Glenn got roasted again after Week 6 for seeming to indicate he thought the Jets would get the second-half kickoff during their eventual (annual) loss to the Patriots in New England. They did not – worse, his Monday news conference ironically went dark online when he was asked about it. Glenn later explained it away, telling the New York Post, regarding his sideline interview with CBS: "I think they were talking about sustaining drives, and my conversation with them is when the offense gets the ball back, man, we want to be able to sustain a drive and go score.”
Regardless, while the defense is performing much better – and that is in Glenn’s wheelhouse – the offense remains in the bottom quartile of the league in terms of both points scored and yardage gained. And given the Jets will be in the market for a young quarterback next year and, presumably, a new offensive mastermind to mentor him while putting another system in place … it's hard to envision a future where Glenn remains, barring a crazy hot streak ahead.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers (0-6)
Your classic rah-rah coach has seemed virtually lifeless as the Bolts have tumbled to 0-6 for the first time since 2000 … when Harbaugh was 0-5 as one of their quarterbacks. He’s been repeatedly asked about the status of OC Mike McDaniel, who’s overseen an attack – wrong word there – that ranks 26th overall and is scoring 15 points per game, third worst in the league. The Chargers’ 15 turnovers are also the most in the NFL, with QB Justin Herbert serving up a league-leading eight interceptions (against five TD passes).
“We’re looking into everything at this point, and that process is ongoing,” Harbaugh said Monday, "particularly offensively, scoring more points.
“Oh and six does not give the privilege to rule out anything at this point, and we’re looking into everything.”
It’s worth wondering when Bolts ownership starts taking a hard look at Harbaugh, in the third season of a five-year contract, given his nomadic history. His four-year hitch with the San Francisco 49ers ended in 2014, when the organization was clearly on a downswing.
Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders (1-4-1)
It's never a good sign when minority co-owner Magic Johnson is weighing in on social media regarding game-ending execution. Or when Hall of Famer and "Monday Night Football" analyst (for now) Troy Aikman is labeling your squad an “undisciplined football team," but that's where things stand at the moment for Quinn and Co.
After Week 5's humiliating tie against the New York Giants − QB Jayden Daniels and the offense clearly weren't attuned to the game-ending situation, which merely required a spike of the ball to set up an attempt for a makeable game-winning field goal (which never happened) − Monday night's loss to the undefeated San Francisco 49ers was more of a mixed bag. Daniels displayed his dynamism anew, leading a valiant second-half comeback that fell just short − though on the heels of two uninspired quarters to open the game. And for those who read lips and body language, there appeared to be another mental lapse early in the second quarter when Daniels threw the ball away on fourth down inside the Niners' red zone, apparently thinking he had a free play. A penalty was called on Washington instead, ending the drive, and Quinn seemed caught off guard that it actually was fourth down but denied it after the game.
"I definitely knew it was fourth down," Quinn said. "I knew what happened. I think I was probably just commenting on the headset, somebody asking me, and after an illegal shift, like it was a turnover on downs."
Quinn indicated a day later that he'd be doing a deep dive into everything during the team's bye week but also said the only thing he wished Daniels had done differently on that particular play was take a shot, even if he thought a penalty was coming.
Tactics and on-field communication aside, Quinn, who previously coached the Atlanta Falcons and led them to Super Bowl 51, has historically enjoyed the loyalty and support of his players. That could be his salvation during a season when Washington still has a unique opportunity to recover given the state of affairs in the NFC East, and Washington certainly fought hard in Silicon Valley.
"This is a special group − they're resilient, they're tough," he said Tuesday, Oct. 20. "They also know − as bad and difficult and frustrated as we are − there’s also a golden opportunity this year in our division. ... They're gonna fight their ass off every time."
Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans (1-5)
He’s finally got a W after an ugly 0-5 start – and courtesy of a fairly hideous 26-20 win at Indy, a blocked Colts punt returned by the Titans for the go-ahead touchdown being the turning point. “Was this perfect? No. But today we made some freaking plays,” Saleh said afterward. “This league is hard.”
Yep.
The Titans still need to show signs of life on offense, and presumed franchise QB Cam Ward certainly needs to display belated evidence of progression at some point. But the timing of the win was at least inspired, insomuch as it occurred days after owner Amy Adams Strunk expressed, through the team’s CEO that, “she desperately wants to reverse the team’s fortunes” and was “experiencing tremendous disappointment and grief” over the winless start.
Not what you want to hear from the person who signs your paychecks, though Saleh and GM Mike Borgonzi did get votes of confidence that were rewarded … for one week anyway.
Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys (2-4)
Let’s first note that owner Jerry Jones actually isn’t prone to kneejerk reactions, and only one coach in his nearly four-decade reign (Chan Gailey) has failed to reach his third season. That said, Jones is also 84 now and desperate to end a Super Bowl drought that’s now beyond 30 years. And his team is quite obviously underachieving, with even the normally high-powered offense faltering in Sunday night’s embarrassing loss in Green Bay … which followed that embarrassing loss to the previously winless Bucs. Like Quinn, the one thing that currently seems to be going for Schottenheimer and his team is residency in the disastrous NFC East.
Watching the @dallascowboys struggle two weeks in a row reminded me of why we as a Jets offense were terrible in back to back afc championship games in '09' and '10'....mid OC by the name of Brian Schottenheimer.
— Braylon Edwards (@OfficialBraylon) October 19, 2026
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
You’re probably not going to find a ton of folks claiming to feel for Sirianni, whether in the City of Brotherly Love or elsewhere. But man. His perennially competitive team has lost four in a row while losing most of its key offensive starters to a variety of circumstances. Then Sirianni gets tasked to face local reporters while trying to make sense of the medical mystery – and the team’s handling – of the blood clotting issues that have apparently ended QB Jalen Hurts’ season. Woof. Sirianni may not be for everyone, but he is 67-34 in five-plus seasons, and this will probably be his first without a playoff appearance – hardly his fault given the situation here. Doesn’t mean there isn’t − or won’t be − some measure of the annual heat that seems to bathe his tenure.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts (2-4)
If defeating the then-winless Houston Texans in Week 3 provided a ray of hope, losing to the winless – and far less capable – Titans at home on Sunday extinguished it. Ballard’s departure could be interpreted as a signal that Steichen will be retained, at least until the end of the season – through Irsay-Gordon also expressed what seems like a fairly unrealistic expectation that the Colts achieve something in 2026. But this also feels quite similar to the 2025 Dolphins, when GM Chris Grier unsurprisingly parted with the team on Halloween while then-HC McDaniel finished out the season before his axe fell. The Colts are overleveraged and underperforming – badly – and the long-term outlook might be worse than the current product on the field.
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
A last-place operation! Seriously, while that shouldn’t currently be a major concern in the tightly packed AFC North, whether this organization values stability or whether it values not paying people who no longer work for it, Taylor’s standing is worth keeping a close eye on. And blame can no longer be laid at the feet of an under-resourced and/or unhappy defense.
Taylor, now in his eighth season, was hired after Marvin Lewis lasted for 16 years here – and Taylor came much closer than Lewis to leading the Bengals to their first championship, coming up just short in Super Bowl 56. But Cincinnati hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2022 and continuity – Taylor was the only returning head coach in the division this season – hasn’t seemed to give them much of a bump yet, nor has a so-far middling offense run by Taylor.
The biggest issue could be the ever-swirling speculation around QB Joe Burrow, who’s only amplified the expectations around this team while also having to address his own occasionally cryptic remarks regarding his future in Cincinnati. But Burrow seems to hold more sway than anyone in this operation, and there’s little doubt who would stick around if it became a choice between the Ohio-bred franchise QB and his coach.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL hot seat coaches led by Dan Quinn after another Commanders' blunder
