As of Sunday morning, the NFL’s offensive play-callers for the 2026 season are locked in. And if you’re looking for a wave of fresh faces calling plays this year, you might want to temper those expectations. Across the league, we’re seeing a familiar trend: teams are leaning on experience - or at least familiarity - over new blood when it comes to handing over the keys to the offense.
Let’s break it down.
The Play-Calling Landscape: Who’s Holding the Clipboard?
Right now, 18 of the NFL’s 32 head coaches are also serving as their team’s offensive play-caller. That’s more than half the league opting for the head-coach-as-play-designer model. Add in six defensive-minded head coaches who still call their own side of the ball, and that leaves just eight teams embracing the CEO-style head coach who delegates play-calling entirely (Chargers, Commanders, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Lions, Patriots, and Texans).
Why the shift toward dual-role head coaches? Simple: stability.
When your head coach is also your play-caller, you’re not scrambling to replace a hotshot coordinator every offseason. That’s become a real issue - offensive coordinators who succeed are often gone in a year or two, either promoted internally or poached for head coaching gigs.
So rather than roll the dice in the hiring cycle every year, teams are choosing continuity.
Let’s take a look at who’s returning and who’s new to the headset in 2026.
🧠 Returning Offensive Play-Callers
Head Coaches Calling Their Own Plays
- 49ers - Kyle Shanahan
- Bears - Ben Johnson
- Bengals - Zac Taylor
- Broncos - Sean Payton*
- Chiefs - Andy Reid
- Colts - Shane Steichen
- Cowboys - Brian Schottenheimer
- Jaguars - Liam Coen
- Packers - Matt LaFleur
- Panthers - Dave Canales
- Rams - Sean McVay
- Saints - Kellen Moore
- Vikings - Kevin O’Connell
*There’s still some uncertainty in Denver. Sean Payton may hand off play-calling duties to Davis Webb, who was promoted to offensive coordinator after getting head coaching interviews this offseason. But for now, Payton is still expected to be the primary voice in the quarterback’s ear.
Offensive Coordinators Staying Put
- Patriots - Josh McDaniels
- Texans - Nick Caley
These are the exceptions to the league-wide trend of turnover at the coordinator level. Most teams either lost their OC to head coaching jobs or decided to make a change - which brings us to the new hires.
🚨 New Offensive Play-Callers in 2026
Head Coaches Taking Over Play-Calling Duties
- Bills - Joe Brady
- Browns - Todd Monken
- Cardinals - Mike LaFleur
- Raiders - Klint Kubiak
- Steelers - Mike McCarthy
Joe Brady isn’t exactly new to the role - he was Buffalo’s offensive coordinator last season and called plays after Ken Dorsey’s exit. Now he’s the head coach and will continue in that role. The rest of this group features familiar names with prior play-calling experience - again, reinforcing the league’s preference for known commodities.
New Offensive Coordinators With Play-Calling Duties
- Buccaneers - Zac Robinson
- Chargers - Mike McDaniel
- Commanders - David Blough
- Dolphins - Bobby Slowik
- Eagles - Sean Mannion
- Falcons - Tommy Rees
- Giants - Matt Nagy
- Jets - Frank Reich
- Lions - Drew Petzing
- Ravens - Declan Doyle
- Seahawks - Brian Fleury
- Titans - Brian Daboll
This is where you’d expect to see some fresh play-calling blood. But of the 12 new offensive coordinators calling plays in 2026, eight of them have done it before - either as head coaches, coordinators, or both.
Let’s run through the retreads:
- Zac Robinson (Buccaneers) - Called plays for the Falcons in 2024-25.
- Mike McDaniel (Chargers) - Former Dolphins head coach and play-caller from 2022 to 2025.
- Bobby Slowik (Dolphins) - Called plays for the Texans in 2023-24, then joined the Dolphins staff in 2025.
- Tommy Rees (Falcons) - Was Kevin Stefanski’s OC in Cleveland, now follows him to Atlanta.
- Matt Nagy (Giants) - Called plays in Kansas City in 2017 and with the Bears until 2021.
- Frank Reich (Jets) - Longtime play-caller in Indianapolis and briefly with Carolina in 2023.
- Drew Petzing (Lions) - Arizona’s play-caller for the last three seasons.
- Brian Daboll (Titans) - Called plays for the Bills (2018-2021) and as Giants HC (2021-2025).
That leaves just four coordinators stepping into a play-calling role for the first time in 2026.
🌟 First-Time NFL Play-Callers to Watch
David Blough (Commanders)
One of the most intriguing stories of the offseason.
Blough, a former NFL quarterback from 2019 to 2023, has rocketed up the coaching ranks. After two years as an assistant QB coach in Washington, he’s now the offensive coordinator.
He replaces Tavita Pritchard, who left to take the head coaching job at Stanford.
Sean Mannion (Eagles)
Another former backup QB turned coach.
Mannion spent 2024 as an offensive assistant in Green Bay, then served as the Packers’ quarterbacks coach in 2025. Now, he’s tasked with leading Philly’s offense.
Declan Doyle (Ravens)
Doyle was the Bears’ offensive coordinator last season, but didn’t call plays.
Now, at just 29 years old, he gets that opportunity in Baltimore. He’s only been an on-field coach for two years - a rapid rise that makes him one of the league’s youngest and least-experienced play-callers.
Brian Fleury (Seahawks)
Fleury’s path to Seattle is anything but conventional.
He coached defense from 2005 to 2015, took a break to work in the Dolphins’ research department, then resurfaced as the 49ers’ tight ends coach. Now, he’s making the leap to OC and play-caller in Seattle.
🎯 Final Takeaway
If you were hoping for a wave of innovation or a new generation of offensive minds taking over the NFL, this offseason probably feels more like a game of musical chairs. Of the 32 offensive play-callers for 2026, only four are true newcomers to the job.
The rest? Familiar faces in new places - or the same place, just with a new title.
It’s a reminder that in the NFL, experience still rules the day. Whether that’s a good thing or a missed opportunity for fresh ideas remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: in a league obsessed with finding the next great offensive mind, teams are still betting on names they know.