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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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NFL training camps are in full swing, and as teams ease back into on-field drills and practices in the dead of the summer, football fans have a reason to rejoice.
The preseason officially begins when the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers face off in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 6 on NBC. The rest of the first week of the preseason kicks off the following week on Aug. 13.
As the start of the NFL regular season inches closer (Sept. 9), we are continuing to look at key offseason storylines for each of the league’s 32 teams. We’ve already looked at the top position battles to watch, rookies with the best chance of winning a starting job, and the players in the most danger of being cut, and now we shift our focus to the coaches.
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We’ve already ranked the top quarterback and wide receiver rooms by division, and next up, we’re power ranking the head coaches in each division. Next up is the NFC North.
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1- Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
Yes, Matt LaFleur hasn’t been past the divisional round of the playoffs since making back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances in his first two seasons back in 2019 and 2020, but few would argue the Packers would be much worse without him than with him.
LaFleur has a 76-40-1 record with six playoff appearances, two conference championship appearances, and three division titles, and until Dan Campbell, Ben Johnson, or Kevin O’Connell make it to a Super Bowl (or win one), he’s likely to keep the top spot for a while.
2- Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Last season was a letdown for the Lions after what they did the year before, but most (including myself) have confidence they’ll bounce back in 2026. Campbell led Detroit to a 15-2 record, a division title, and the first-ever No. 1 seed in the NFC in franchise history, which is why he’s as high as he is here.
Detroit posted consecutive seasons with 12 wins or more in 2023 and 2024, and Campbell has proven when his team is healthy, they’re among the best. If he can pull out another season with 13 or 14 wins and make it to the NFC Championship Game, Campbell might have a case for being No. 1 next year.
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3- Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
Ben Johnson had quite the debut season, leading the Bears to an 11-6 record and a division title. Though they lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs, they did eliminate division rival Green Bay in the wild-card round.
After winning a division championship in Year 1, Johnson should probably be ranked higher on this list. But given LaFleur’s accomplishments and Campbell’s upside, it’s hard to justify putting him any higher than No. 3.
4- Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
Coming in fourth in this division is nothing to be ashamed of. Kevin O’Connell has a strong 43-25 record in four seasons with the Vikings, including a 14-3 season two years ago and two playoff appearances.
Minnesota went 9-8 last year with the dubious QB play of J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz, and if Kyler Murray can play like he did during his two Pro Bowl years, a double-digit win season could be in the cards again.
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