Grading NFL's 1st-Year Head Coaches at 2020 Midway Point

It isn't easy being a first-year head coach in the NFL in 2020.

The challenges of taking over a team and molding it to your image is tough enough as it is. Just ask Freddie Kitchens, who lasted only 351 days as the Cleveland Browns head coach before the organization decided to go another direction.

Throw in Zoom meetings, no preseason and a summer of uncertainty over whether a season would even occur and that challenge becomes daunting.

Five coaches took on that task this offseason. While there has certainly been some adversity, the truth is that coaches face tough evaluations from the day they take the job. The midway point of their first season in charge is a good time to reflect and see how each one has done.

Before we dive into their performances, a few things to note. Not all coaching jobs this offseason were equal. Mike McCarthy walked into a much better situation with the Dallas Cowboys than Joe Judge did in New York.

We'll take into consideration where each of these coaches' teams was ranked in the preseason according to B/R's power rankings and where they are now under the new coach's watch.

Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Preseason Rank: 31

Current Rank: 18

2019 Record: 5-11

Current Record: 3-5

Hiring a coach from the world of college football is always a risky proposition. Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier are both cautionary tales. But Matt Rhule has done well to prove he belongs in the league with what he's done in Carolina so far. 

The Panthers had lots of reasons to be one of the lowest-ranked teams entering the season. They were moving on from Cam Newton, replacing him with Teddy Bridgewater, a quarterback who hasn't been a full-time starter since 2015. They're also working with a defense that was so depleted last season they spent all of their draft picks to make it better. 

Next, they lost their best offensive weapon in Christian McCaffrey for several games with an ankle injury. Despite all of this, Rhule has the Panthers playing competitive football and winning games. Their loss to the Falcons on Thursday Night Football in Week 8 was the lowlight of the season, but the week before, they pushed the Saints on the road.

The offense has transitioned seamlessly to Bridgewater under Rhule. The team's offensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) has gone from 27th in 2019 to 12th this season. 

The defense is still rough, ranking 25th in defensive DVOA, which is just one spot above where they were last season. There's hope there, though. The team is obviously rebuilding the defense, and with rookies like Jeremy Chinn and Derrick Brown playing a lot, there is reason to believe they will be better on that side of the ball.

Midseason Grade: B+

Overall, Rhule has done everything Carolina could have hoped for. This was always going to be a rebuilding year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints were the clear favorites in the division. Rhule has done a good job making gains on offense and putting the rebuild ahead of schedule so far this season.

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Preseason Rank: 17

Current Rank: 16

2019 Record: 6-10

Current Record: 5-3

The Browns were looked upon favorably in the preseason rankings for a team that went 6-10 the previous year. A lot of that has to do with the talent on the offensive side of the ball. Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry help form one of the deepest and most talented group of skill players in the league. 

That doesn't guarantee success, though. What was missing was a coach who could bring an offensive identity to that group and get Baker Mayfield back to playing at the level he did as a rookie in 2018. 

That coach has turned out to be Stefanski. Even with injuries to Chubb, Beckham and new tight end Austin Hooper, the Browns offense has been strong. A dud against Las Vegas in adverse weather conditions aside, Stefanski has the offense playing well. 

In 2019, the Browns were 20th in points per drive and Mayfield threw 21 interceptions as he was asked to do too much. In 2020, the team is 11th in points per drive and Mayfield is on pace to throw for a career-high 30 touchdowns while cutting his interceptions down to 14. 

There's still work to be done defensively. Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Ronnie Harrison are the only players on the defense who are in the top 20 of Pro Football Focus' player grades for their position. Yet defensive coordinator Joe Woods has them ranked 19th in DVOA, which isn't terrible but certainly doesn't win games.

Midseason Grade: A

The Browns have had preseason hype before, but few coaches have actually got the Browns to realize it, especially in their first season. At this point, there isn't much that can be done about the defense. There are serious holes from a talent standpoint, but the coaching staff is still getting decent play out of the unit at times. 

On offense, when they've been healthy, they've had some great performances. The Browns desperately needed someone to offer an identity, stability and establish a winning culture. To this point, it seems like Stefanski is doing that. The Browns are on pace to be a playoff team. That's saying a lot. 

Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Preseason Rank: 6

Current Rank: 27

2019 Record: 8-8

Current Record: 2-6

The Dallas Cowboys' collapse isn't all Mike McCarthy's fault. Let's be clear about that. Few teams would survive losing their star quarterback for the season and even fewer would have any success if they were forced to call on the third-stringer.

That's not even taking into account the injuries along the offensive line. Tyron Smith is out for the year, and Joe Looney and Zack Martin have also missed serious time. There have been injury woes on the defensive side of the football as well, with Sean Lee being the most notable.

So, yes, McCarthy is not solely responsible for what has been a stunning collapse this season. But he does bear a Texas-sized chunk of responsibility for some of it.

The Cowboys were 2-3 before Prescott's injury, with the two wins by narrow margins against the struggling Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants. Per Todd Archer of ESPN, the Cowboys have scored just one touchdown and seven field goals on 36 drives since the Prescott injury.

Jane Slater of NFL Network reported after a blowout loss to the Cardinals on Monday Night Football that players were frustrated, with staff telling her they were "totally unprepared. They don't teach. They don't have any sense of adjusting on the fly."

Midseason Grade: D

The Cowboys arguably have the best group of receivers and running backs in the league. Dallas hired McCarthy in part due to his wizardry in putting together explosive offenses. He's kept Kellen Moore in charge of the play-calling despite the lack of success since the Prescott injury.

On defense, Mike Nolan's unit has gotten better as the season has gone along, but it still ranks among the worst in the league. The fact of the matter is that even with injuries this roster is too talented to be 2-6 with a matchup against the Steelers on the horizon.

Joe Judge, New York Giants

Corey Sipkin/Associated Press

Preseason Rank: 23

Current Rank: 31

2019 Record: 4-12

Current Record: 1-7

Joe Judge was the most controversial coaching hire in the offseason. The Giants had much bigger names on the market to choose from but went with the special teams coach from the New England Patriots.

It was an unexpected move to say the least, but one that, if you watch the way the Giants play, appears to have long-term potential. The record is obviously a concern, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

Since losing by double digits in back-to-back games against the Rams and 49ers, the Giants have played in a one-score game every week. That includes last week's Monday Night Football game, in which they gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers everything they could handle and came within a two-point conversion of taking the Super Bowl contender to overtime.

Judge is getting those results without Saquon Barkley (who is out for the season), a bad offensive line and a defense that has no superstars. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark and NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano have praised Judge for what appears to be buy-in from players despite a 1-7 record. 

The defense is the unit that has seen the most improvement so far under Judge's watch. They were 28th in DVOA last season but have made a 10-spot leap to 18th with their performance so far. That's with few hyped additions outside of James Bradberry joining the fold.

Much like mentor Bill Belichick, he's showing signs he can MacGyver a defense with unconventional and humble parts.

Midseason Grade: B

It's hard to go much higher than this because of the record, but Giants fans should be encouraged. This team was never designed to compete this season. Instead, it has to find out if Daniel Jones can be the quarterback of the future and start to change the culture. The fact that the Giants are still playing hard and giving good teams a game is a positive sign for the latter.

Judge's insistence on sticking with Jones despite his nine interceptions to seven touchdowns this season shows he's willing to find out the first part. The Giants appear to have the leader they want; now it comes down to what his coaching will look like when the roster has enough talent to hold up its end of the bargain.

Ron Rivera, Washington Football Team

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Preseason Rank: 29

Current Rank: 26

2019 Record: 3-13

Current Record: 2-5

On top of all the difficulties that come with taking over a new team during a pandemic, the former Panthers coach announced in August that he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in a lymph node.

Rivera completed his final cancer treatment after the team's Week 7 win over Dallas. In that time, Rivera has done as well as could be expected manning the helm of the franchise.

The best work Rivera has done has been on the defensive side of the ball. Bringing Jack Del Rio on as defensive coordinator and switching the team to a base 4-3 defense has worked wonders. Obviously bringing in rookie Chase Young helps, but the unit is fourth in defensive DVOA, fifth in yards allowed per play and 11th in scoring defense.

That's more than just a talent infusion—that's putting the team in a good position to succeed.

Offensively things still have a long way to go. The Dwayne Haskins Jr. situation hasn't been good. The team benched a first-round draft pick who has started just 11 games in his career. That's not great if you are actually trying to find out what he's capable of.

However, Rivera didn't draft Haskins, so the decision to bench him makes more sense if he has no interest in the Ohio State product ever being the guy. Kyle Allen's play so far has made that decision look wise anyway as he has completed 68.8 percent of his passes with four touchdowns to just one interception.

Unlike McCarthy in Dallas, the players in Washington seem to be responding to Rivera's type of coaching.

"He listens to us on things we see and want to do as a team," right tackle Morgan Moses said, per ESPN's John Keim. "There is no decision he makes and just blatantly makes it and doesn't include us in it."

Midseason Grade: B+

Considered to be one of the teams in the running for the first pick at the beginning of the season, Rivera has already overseen a transformation on defense. Statistically, they are one of the best units in the league despite getting very little help from an offense that has few weapons besides Terry McLaurin and the emerging Antonio Gibson.

There is no magical formula for finding the right head coach. An established one like McCarthy can land flat and a special teams coach can provide an injection of life. In the case of Washington, it appears it was right to go with a veteran who could bring his style of coaching to D.C. and build a winning defense. The only question remains is what kind of improvement we see in the offense over the back half of the season.

Stats via Football Outsiders and Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.