The Puppeteers: Ranking the NFL’s top…
Offense is the name of the game in the modern NFL, and offensive play callers have never been more creative. Here’s a look at the top NFL play-callers from 1-32 early in the 2022 season.
1 Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Reid is synonymous with offense in his 24 seasons as a head coach in Philadelphia and Kansas City. He’s been helped by very good starting quarterbacks like Donovan McNabb, Alex Smith, and now Patrick Mahomes, but his impact is clear with a top-10 offense in 13 seasons. He was also ahead of his time with a pass-heavy scheme early in his time with Philly, and his ability to design eye candy while running the same plays from different formations can make his peers salivate. We shouldn’t equate criticism for Reid’s overall clock and game management as a negative for his brilliant offensive mind.
2 Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Even an association with McVay has seemed good enough for a head coaching interview in recent seasons, which just speaks to the 36-year-old Chunky Soup salesman’s success. He turned the Rams’ offense around immediately upon taking the Rams’ job in 2017 and has produced offenses ranking in the top 11 in four of five seasons. He turned Jared Goff into a very good quarterback before moving on in 2021 and did so almost solely with one personnel grouping. McVay runs a bit more than some analytics proponents prefer, ranking only 14th in pass play percentage last season, but the proof is in the pudding.
3 Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
A chip off the old block, Shanahan learned to draw up a run play or two under his father and is arguably just as capable. The younger Shanahan was a sought-after play-caller for a long time before finally earning his first head coaching job, and the positive results have shown in San Francisco as they did with Houston, Washington, Cleveland, and Atlanta. It’s fair to say the 49ers have gotten the most of their offensive talent with Jimmy Garoppolo under center to this point, and Shanahan has produced one elite, no-name running back after another, with Deebo Samuel also emerging as one of the top multi-dimensional talents in the NFL.
4 Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
The LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers relationship seems like a match made in heaven if we don’t count the playoffs. Replacing the vanilla Mike McCarthy, LaFleur added instant bluster and creativity to the Packers’ offense and has seen great results with three consecutive 13-win seasons. His previous results as the play caller in Tennessee were mixed, but there’s something to be said for getting the most out of his future Hall of Fame quarterback, producing top 10 offenses and the MVP award in consecutive seasons.
5 Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Pederson was hired as the Eagles’ head coach in 2016 despite never being the primary play caller as offensive coordinator in KC, but the results were mostly great in his five seasons. He won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles and put on a clinic in the process (hello, Philly Special), and Carson Wentz was on an MVP trajectory in the same season before getting injured. It should be noted that offense was one of the more conservative in the league (44% run rate) behind a tremendous offensive line, but Pederson became more aggressive later in his Eagles career, as needed. Pederson makes a head-scratching call every now and then, but the Jags look to be in good hands.
6 Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Leftwich was Bruce Arians’ trusted offensive play-caller in three seasons with Tampa, and he performed well even before the team added Tom Brady in 2020. The Bucs finished third in points with Jameis Winston in 2019, though Leftwich’s failure to reel in Winston’s interceptions during that season does deserve some criticism. Still, Leftwich has done a great job allowing Brady to win, ranking first in pass play rate last season (66%), and it seems like only a matter of time before he’s a head coach.
7 Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Sirianni didn’t call plays before taking the Eagles’ head coaching job last season despite serving as offensive coordinator under Frank Reich in Indy, but he clearly learned the ins and outs. He did a masterful job evolving Philly’s offense at midseason last year, spurring the suddenly run-heavy scheme to a playoff berth. There are exciting possibilities ahead with a talented offense led by Jalen Hurts and company.
8 Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
The young and hip McDaniel served as an offensive assistant under Kyle Shanahan for many years and became de facto offensive coordinator in 2021. This is his first opportunity to call plays in the league, and the returns on his early-season performance have been excellent.
9 Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders
McDaniels honed his craft for years in New England with Tom Brady under center, but we shouldn’t forget what he did in Denver with Kyle Orton. He turned the journeyman quarterback into a solid starter over two seasons in 2009-2010 after cutting bait from Jay Cutler, even if the overall results weren’t stellar. He’s shown an ability to evolve, and rookie Mac Jones’ great 2021 season is likely what got McDaniels another head coaching opportunity after spurning the Colts.
10 Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts
Reich has taken some heat for his play calling in Indianapolis, though he certainly knows the strength of his offense. He helped running back Jonathan Taylor put together a historic season in 2021, with the fifth-highest run percentage in the league, but Reich can be aggressive and analytical at the same time. Stability at quarterback and a lack of receiver depth have handicapped Reich’s play calling in his current stint, but it’s difficult to find much fault with his results overall.
11 Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys
Serving as offensive coordinator since 2019 in Dallas, Moore helped produce the top offense in the league last season. He got the best out of Dak Prescott and company, but he’s also struggled to scheme when the going has been tougher. The Cowboys finished 17th in points when plagued by injuries in 2020, and Moore’s challenge will be great again this year with Prescott sidelined after multiple losses on the offensive line and at wideout.
12 Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
The proof is in the pudding, as Taylor led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in only his third season as head coach and play caller. He does get some criticism for his conservative play calling and game management, but Cincinnati’s offense blossomed with Taylor holding the play sheet last season as Joe Burrow was healthy and had an excess of weapons. The Bengals ranked seventh in points scored, passing just over 59% of the time.
13 Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland has leaned on the run while coaching the Browns over the last two seasons, leaning on his outstanding running backs and solid offensive line. It’s unclear how things would change with a gifted passer at the helm, and the team is soon to find out with Deshaun Watson returning late this season. Of course, Stefanski’s preference for running the ball goes back to his days as coordinator in Minnesota, but he’s generally been able to get the most out of his quarterbacks.
14 Greg Roman, Baltimore Ravens
Roman employs a run-heavy offense that has been perfect for the Harbaugh brothers in San Francisco and Baltimore, who employed mobile quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Lamar Jackson. The scheme isn’t for everyone, as the Bills found out in 2015-2016, but Roman has helped turn Jackson into a superstar beyond college.
15 Pete Carmichael, New Orleans Saints
Carmichael has been Sean Payton’s understudy for many years in New Orleans, though he did get a one-year opportunity to call plays in 2012 while Payton was suspended. While that season was a 7-9 dud, the Saints’ offense barely missed a beat without Payton, ranking third in points and second in years. Carmichael showed off his play-calling prowess again in Week 1, with the Saints orchestrating a miracle comeback.
16 Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals
A master play caller at Texas Tech and now the Cardinals, Kingsbury has dialed back the Air Raid offense that produced lofty numbers in the Big 12 The Cardinals have employed a balanced scheme with fine results in 2021 (11th in points), though we can’t help but think there’s more meat left on the bone with the team’s great talent led by Kyler Murray. Kingsbury’s continued failure to make adjustments late in the season has also doomed his teams repeatedly.
17 Scott Turner, Washington Commanders
The son of legendary offensive mind Norv Turner, Scott has been under Ron Rivera’s wing since 2019 in Carolina. It’s fair to say the team has gotten the most out of what they’ve had to work with on offense, with major quarterback issues and receiver depth deficiencies. It says a lot that Carson Wentz is probably the most capable quarterback of his tenure, but the talented rookie additions could make the biggest difference. With the return of Curtis Samuel from injury and the addition of Jahan Dotson, Turner finally has a chance to be more creative with his playcalling.
18 Joe Lombardi, Los Angeles Chargers
The grandson of Vince Lombardi is calling plays for the second time after a coordinator stint with the Lions in 2014-2015. He did a good job with Justin Herbert and company last season with an offense that ranked fifth in points, though some would have preferred the Chargers throw the ball even more despite ranking fifth in passing percentage.
19 Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta was forced to throw 61% of the time last season while often playing from behind, but we can’t help but wonder if Smith’s tendency to run while OC in Tennessee will return this season with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. His career highlights came leading the Titans’ offense, with the help of Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, and Tannehill’s play has declined since Smith’s departure. If Smith can resuscitate Mariota’s career, he could approach top-tier status.
20 Ken Dorsey, Buffalo Bills
The early returns on Dorsey’s play calling were positive after Week 1 against the Rams, but there’s still much more to see from him. He has big shoes to fill after Brian Daboll helped the emergence of Josh Allen, and the designed runs for Allen in Week 1 did put some fans’ hearts in their throats.
21 Shane Waldron, Seattle Seahawks
Another assistant from the Sean McVay coaching tree, Waldron, was hired after serving as an assistant under McVay in Washington and LA. His first season in Seattle was a dud due in large part to Russell Wilson’s finger injury, and Pete Carroll’s preference for conservative offense might have handicapped Waldron. There is something to be said for the elite running game Seattle produced late last season, and the offensive line seemingly hasn’t been as big of a problem since Waldron has been in the fold. If Waldron can get starter-quality snaps out of Geno Smith this season, the head coach interviews will start to trickle.
22 Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
A former NFL quarterback, O’Connell was briefly the play caller for Washington in a debacle 2019 season that saw the firing of Jay Gruden. More recently, he served as offensive coordinator without play-calling duties for Sean McVay in LA. The early reviews from Vikings players have been terrific, leaving some evidence Washington’s poor results under O’Connell were more based on talent than coaching.
23 Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions
Johnson has been an assistant in college and the NFL, but he earned his first coordinator job this season. Lions head coach Dan Campbell relinquished play-calling duties to Johnson this season, and the results over the first four games couldn’t be better, with the team leading the NFL in scoring.
24 Mike Kafka, New York Giants
Kafka is the former quarterbacks coach of the Chiefs and is considered by many to be a head coach in waiting. The promotion to offensive coordinator in New York also came with play-calling responsibilities despite Brian Daboll’s history of running offenses, and the early results have been encouraging despite limited passing game talent.
25 Mike LaFleur, New York Jets
The younger brother of the Packers’ head coach, Mike had a disastrous first season as a play caller after serving as a lower-level assistant under Kyle Shanahan. Given LaFleur’s lack of talent to work with in New York, we should give the poor first-year results an incomplete grade.
26 Matt Canada, Pittsburgh Steelers
Canada didn’t make many fans with his conservative offense while in the college ranks, calling plays with multiple schools. However, his creativity within that scheme is what caught the eye of Mike Tomlin, who hired Canada out of college in 2020 and promoted him to coordinator last season. Despite his reputation, Pittsburgh had the second-highest pass play rate in the league last season while finishing 22nd in points with a severely limited Ben Roethlisberger. Canada’s development post-Big Ben, particularly with rookie Kenny Pickett, will go a long way in determining his coaching future.
27 Pep Hamilton, Houston Texans
Hamilton is only 48, but he’s had a long career as an offensive assistant dating back over two decades. He made a name for himself calling plays for Andrew Luck at Stanford and the Colts, and the results of his Indy offenses were all over the map. The Colts ranked in the top 11 in pass play percentage in each of his three seasons guiding the offense, though his calls were criticized as a bit too basic for some viewers.
28 Todd Downing, Tennessee Titans
Downing was fired after only one season calling plays with the Raiders in 2017 and was clearly deserving of another shot. He played to Tennessee’s personnel strengths as the play caller last season, though Ryan Tannehill’s struggles were disconcerting. Finishing middle of the pack in offense would be considered a win this year after the team lost its top two wideouts in the offseason.
29 Ben McAdoo, Carolina Panthers
McAdoo has been a polarizing figure as an NFL coach, earning both praise as the Giants OC in 2014-2015 and scorn as their head coach in 2016-2017. After spending time as a quarterbacks coach and consultant, McAdoo is getting some run again as head coach Matt Rhules’ NFL job is on life support. The early results were poor, at best, as the Panthers and Baker Mayfield struggled in Week 1.
30 Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos
The son of former NFL play caller Paul Hackett, Nathaniel has had multiple coordinator jobs in the NFL before being hired as head coach by the Broncos. His first week as head coach was eventful, showing conservative play calling and opting to kick a 64-yard field goal with time remaining in regulation rather than put the ball in Russell Wilson’s hands. It should also be noted that the offense has struggled wherever Hackett has called plays, with the notable exception of the 2017 Jaguars.
31 Luke Getsy, Chicago Bears
Getsy came over from the rival Packers, where he served as quarterbacks coach for three years, though he did have one year of experience as a coordinator at Mississippi State. It’s impossible to get any read based on early results with an out-manned team, as Getsy doesn’t have much to work with in Chicago as the offensive line, and wide receiver corps are in shambles.
32 Matt Patricia/Joe Judge, New England Patriots
After losing Josh McDaniels to the head coaching circuit, Bill Belichick apparently decided to allow Patricia and Judge to run the offense was the smart move. The Patriots media had a field day with the decision, and the early results haven’t been pretty. Belichick deserves the benefit of the doubt as the greatest NFL head coach in history, but this situation should leave fans nervous.
