AFC North coaching tiers: Kevin Stefanski must flip the script

While much of the country spent the summer debating whether "Oppenheimer" or "Barbie" was the blockbuster of the year, Yardbarker NFL writers reviewed the work of the league's 32 head coaches and assigned each of these leading men to a tier. 

In sticking with the spirit of cinema, we named the tiers after either a movie title, genre or actor to help rationalize if each coach is producing an Academy Award- or a Razzie-level performance. Here's how the AFC North stacked up:

1: 'OPPENHEIMER'/'BARBIE' TIER | Blockbusters

MIKE TOMLIN | PITTSBURGH STEELERS (Regular season: 163-93-2/Playoffs: 8-9) — Tomlin has established himself as one of the best head coaches in the NFL. He not only won a Super Bowl in just his second year in Pittsburgh, but he also owns the NFL record for most consecutive non-losing seasons (16) to begin a coaching career, which has separated him from the rest in the AFC North.

Some reviewers have heaped scorn on Tomlin in recent years because the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. However, he always seems to have Pittsburgh in contention by the end of the season, which is something not a lot of teams can say. If he can win another Super Bowl post-Ben Roethlisberger, he will not only cement himself as the best coach in the division but could be considered as one of the best head coaches of all time.

2: 'THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION' TIER | Almost an Oscar

JOHN HARBAUGH | BALTIMORE RAVENS (Regular season: 147-95/Playoffs: 11-9) — Harbaugh is on the brink of being one of the best head coaches in the league, but his Ravens seem to consistently fall short of expectations. Although he helped deliver the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship and owns the NFL record for most road playoff wins (eight), he is quite average in the postseason (11-9 record). 

Does he have what it takes to land in the “Blockbuster” tier? With QB Lamar Jackson signed to a $260 million contract and the addition of weapons like WRs Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers, Harbaugh must deliver. For now, there is meat still being left on the bone.

ZAC TAYLOR | CINCINNATI BENGALS (Regular season: 28-36-1/Playoffs: 5-2) — Taylor is on his way to establishing himself as one of the better head coaches in the NFL, but his first two seasons with the Bengals were unimpressive (6-25-1). That was, of course, before QB Joe Burrow — "The Ultimate Weapon" — burst onto the scene. 

It brings up the question of whether Taylor’s success is more a product of Burrow than any coaching genius. Nonetheless, it is hard to win in this league, and Taylor has coached Cincinnati to back-to-back AFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance the past two years. The Bengals seem so close to the franchise’s first ever Super Bowl championship. If Taylor helps them reach that feat, it won’t go unnoticed.

4: WESTERNS | A little sizzle but no steak ... yet

KEVIN STEFANSKI | CLEVELAND BROWNS (Regular season: 26-24/Playoffs: 1-1) — Stefanski joined the Browns in 2020 and earned NFL Coach of the Year honors after leading Cleveland to an 11-5 record and the team’s first postseason win since the 1994 season. A new era seemed to begin in Cleveland, but the team has had back-to-back losing seasons since (8-9, 7-10). 

This year will be an important one for Stefanski after another active offseason that should help QB Deshaun Watson return to form. This situation feels like "Downsizing," that 2017 flick with the awful ending. Stefanski may do some downsizing of his own if he doesn't get this team to the playoffs, joining Cleveland's long list of failed head coaches.