A handful of NFL teams are heading into 2026 with the same basic question hanging over everything: who is really in charge, and can that person settle the biggest issue on the roster?
For some clubs, that means a new voice on the sideline. For others, it means a quarterback battle that could shape the whole season before September even gets going. And in a league this volatile, a storyline that feels enormous in June can disappear by October.
Arizona is one of the clearest examples. The Cardinals hired Mike Lafleur as head coach this offseason, giving him the job after Jonathan Gannon went 15-36 over three years.
Lafleur arrives with a strong coaching lineage - he spent seven seasons under Kyle Shanahan across three stops from 2014-20 and later worked as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022 - but his time calling plays in New York was rough. The Jets finished in the bottom 5 in points scored in both of those seasons, which leaves a real question in Arizona: can Lafleur build a productive offense and establish a winning tone right away, especially with the quarterback situation still unsettled?
Atlanta’s central drama is even more direct. Michael Penix Jr. is reportedly ahead of free-agent signing Tua Tagovailoa in the quarterback competition, but neither option exactly has the fan base breathing easy.
Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in 2024, is entering his third year and has yet to play double-digit games in either of his first two seasons. The flashes have been there when he’s on the field, but the consistency hasn’t.
Tagovailoa, meanwhile, signed a one-year deal in March after a disappointing season in Miami and has reportedly struggled in training camp. New head coach Kevin Stefanski inherits a loaded set of skill players in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, but the whole operation still comes back to one question: who starts Week 1, and can that quarterback actually drive the offense?
Baltimore’s transition is more about leadership than talent. John Harbaugh was fired this offseason after 18 seasons, a run that ended with recent playoff disappointment and a missed postseason this past year.
Even so, Harbaugh’s overall body of work in Baltimore was strong, including a 60.9 percent winning percentage and the kind of culture that became part of the franchise’s identity. The Ravens turned to Jesse Minter, formerly the defensive coordinator for the Chargers, and one of the league’s most respected defensive minds.
Minter’s defenses finished top 10 in points allowed in each of his two seasons in Los Angeles, but he has never been a head coach. He also has a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle, who came over from the Bears and has never called plays at any level.
Doyle has worked under Sean Payton in Denver and Ben Johnson in Chicago, which gives him a strong foundation, but he still has to prove he can build an offense on his own. For Baltimore, the issue is whether this new staff can maintain - and maybe even extend - the standard Harbaugh left behind.
Buffalo made a different kind of move, promoting Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to head coach after Sean McDermott’s departure. Brady’s path has been a winding one: he first made his name with LSU’s record-breaking offense in 2019, then had underwhelming runs as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022 before thriving in Buffalo.
The Bills finished top 5 in scoring in both 2024 and 2025 under his play-calling. Now Brady has to do more than design the offense.
He’s responsible for the whole team while still serving as the play-caller, and that’s a much bigger ask. The continuity helps - he’s been in Buffalo since 2022, has a strong relationship with 2024 MVP Josh Allen, and knows the personnel well - but he has never been a head coach.
That leaves one big test waiting for him in 2026: can he run an entire locker room, not just an offense?
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