• Looking at play-callers only: NFL offensive coordinators have different responsibilities, which makes it especially hard to rank them. So, for this exercise, we looked only at play-callers.
• The Lions' Ben Johnson claims the top spot: Johnson is returning to Detroit for his third season as the team's offensive coordinator after engineering one of the NFL's most dangerous and versatile units in 2023.
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Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
NFL offensive coordinators have different responsibilities, which makes it especially hard to rank them. So, for this ranking, we looked at only the offensive coordinators who are also play-callers — thus excluding the likes of the Miami Dolphins' Frank Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs' Matt Nagy.
We are left with just a handful of offensive coordinators who can be evaluated due to the high turnover at the position. Fifteen of the 31 offensive coordinators (the 49ers do not have a designated offensive coordinator) were hired or named as offensive coordinators by their current team this offseason, with six of them being first-time NFL offensive coordinators. While some might have a first season similar to Bobby Slowik's fantastic debut with the Houston Texans in 2023, it is impossible to rank these coaches at this stage.
Taking these factors into consideration, these are the top 10 offensive coordinators in the NFL heading into the 2024 season.
1. Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions
While many expected Johnson to become a head coach this offseason, he is returning to Detroit for his third season as the Lions’ offensive coordinator. Admittedly, he has been aided by one of the best — if not the best — offensive lines in the league, but he should still get plenty of credit for putting together one of the most versatile and dangerous offenses in the NFL.
Detroit could and did rely on the running game, calling the second-most run plays (33) on third and fourth downs with three or more yards to go and also achieving the second-highest EPA per play on those runs — behind only the Chiefs, who had a much smaller sample size with four such runs.
In addition, Johnson also got the best out of quarterback Jared Goff, who earned a career-high 85.7 PFF overall grade and signed a new contract with the Lions early this offseason.
2. Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens hired Monken from Georgia to revitalize their passing game, and he did just that in 2023. Baltimore's passing attack generated 0.01 and -0.03 EPA per play in 2021 and 2022, respectively, before improving to 0.08 on pass plays in 2023 under Monken, which ranked eighth in the league and contributed to Lamar Jackson winning his second MVP award and earning a career-high 90.4 PFF overall grade.
Despite getting much stronger in the passing game, Monken’s offense still dominated in the running game as the Ravens relied heavily on the same run concepts used under Greg Roman. As a result, Baltimore’s offense was one of just five teams to generate positive EPA on run plays, ranking fifth among NFL offenses in EPA per play on runs (0.004).
3. Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans
A first-time offensive coordinator, Slowik exceeded all expectations in his first season in Houston. Despite having a rookie quarterback and an inexperienced offensive line that was hit with a lot of injuries, the Texans' offense led the team into the playoffs and to a postseason win.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud was under pressure on 35.4% of dropbacks, which was the 18th-best rate out of 41 quarterbacks. In addition, Slowik got a breakout season out of wide receiver Nico Collins, who finished the season with an elite 91.4 PFF overall grade to rank third at the position.
4. Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles
Although Moore will be on his third team in three seasons, his work over the past couple of seasons, especially while with Dallas, merits him a place on this list.
Over Moore's four years as Dallas' offensive coordinator, the Cowboys' offense generated 0.066 EPA per play, which ranked fifth over that span. And whereas Justin Herbert had his lowest-graded season (77.9) prior to Moore’s arrival to Los Angeles in 2023, he bounced back during Moore’s lone season with the team and earned an 85.5 PFF overall grade.
5. Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers
Smith’s tenure as a head coach in Atlanta did not go as planned, but we would be remiss to forget his positive work as an offensive coordinator in Tennessee.
Built on a strong offensive line, which he will have in Pittsburgh, as well, he got the best out of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose only seasons with PFF grades over 90.0 came when Smith was his offensive coordinator. During those two seasons, the Titans' offense generated the fourth-most EPA per play — behind only the Chiefs, Ravens and Packers, all teams led by talented franchise quarterbacks.
6. Shane Waldron, Chicago Bears
Waldron, a former pass game coordinator under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, enjoyed a successful three-year stint under Pete Carroll in Seattle before joining the Bears this offseason.
Despite working with an oft-injured and inexperienced offensive line, he got veteran quarterback Geno Smith playing at a level that no one had seen coming. Smith set career highs in PFF overall grade in back-to-back seasons, and the Seahawks' passing game ranked 12th in EPA per play over the two years. It is going to be exciting to see what Waldron gets out of first-overall pick Caleb Williams and the young supporting cast around him.
7. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills
A former offensive coordinator with the Panthers, Brady took over as the Bills' offensive coordinator last November after a disappointing 5-5 start to their season. Buffalo had one of the best passing offenses in the league for the remainder of the year, ranking fourth in EPA per play. The biggest change was probably how much they relied on the run game down the stretch, which also included featuring quarterback Josh Allen‘s legs more often.
It is to be seen in 2024 whether that was because the Bills were behind the eight ball at that stage of the season or if it is part of Buffalo’s offensive strategy for the future.
8. Ken Dorsey, Cleveland Browns
Dorsey was fired after one-and-a-half seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Bills and joined the Browns — who he also played for — earlier this offseason. Although he was let go by Buffalo, the offense seemed to operate well during his tenure as an offensive coordinator. It may not have been the most balanced unit, led by the passing game, but it was one of the more prolific offenses in the first half of the season, ranking third behind only the 49ers and the Dolphins in EPA per play after 10 weeks.
9. Greg Roman, Los Angeles Chargers
Roman, after a year away, returns to the NFL to join Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff after working with him both at Stanford and in San Francisco.
Although Roman helped Lamar Jackson to his first MVP award during his four years in Baltimore, he was often criticized for a lack of creativity in the passing game. Even if Roman’s offenses are deemed to be somewhat one-dimensional, he has undoubtedly put together elite running games at all stops of his career, including with the Bills and the 49ers.
10. Drew Petzing, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals hired Petzing as their offensive coordinator a year ago, and he inherited arguably the worst offensive situation in the league.
Dealing with an unreliable offensive line and no star wide receivers, the Cardinals featured three different starting quarterbacks over the 2023 season. Despite the turmoil, Petzing’s unit was far from the disaster some might have expected. It might not have been considered a success for most teams, but Arizona’s offense ranking 21st in EPA per play — ahead of the likes of the Chargers and the Steelers — was an impressive performance.
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