No. 2 — Ron Rivera, Washington Redskins
Rivera is in a strange position here, where you could make arguments that he belongs at No. 3 or No. 1 on this list. We decided to split the gap and place him at No. 2 to play it safe. While he doesn’t yet have a Super Bowl ring, he still has been highly successful in the NFL and is widely respected among coaches in the league. As a bright defensive mind, Rivera was able to lead the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs several times in his tenure there, and he fell short in the Super Bowl in 2015 with Cam Newton at QB.
Rivera arguably has the hardest challenge ahead of him in Washington, as it is now his job to take over the dumpster fire that was left to him and get it back into a successful franchise that was once one of the backbones of the NFL. We’ve seen him bring over a bunch of former colleagues from Carolina, and he seems to be preaching consistency and accountability in the locker room in Washington. Should he be able to get the Redskins back to their winning ways, Rivera will cement his place as one of the best coaches not only in the NFC East but also in the NFL.