Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon in bottom half of new rankings still

The Arizona Cardinals enter Year 3 with Jonathan Gannon as a head coach. So far, things have gone in the right direction. After they were a terrible four-win team in 2022 before he was hired. He turned them into a tough four-win team in 2023, and they improved to eight wins last season, and were in control of the division entering their bye week before losing five of seven.

But even with the Cardinals’ improvements under him, in new head coaching rankings from Pro Football Network, he still is in the bottom half.

NFL head coach rankings: Jonathan Gannon No. 20

Jonathan Gannon’s head coaching tenure hasn’t been flashy, but it’s been promising. After a rocky 4-13 debut in 2023, he led the Arizona Cardinals to an 8-9 record in 2024. That mini-turnaround spoke volumes, as the team showed meaningful progress on both sides of the ball.

Arizona’s offense enjoyed a resurgence last season, finishing fifth in our Offense+ metric. While the defense still struggled from a season-long perspective, the unit improved from 31st in points allowed in 2023 to 15th in 2024. Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t take off immediately, and there are still questions about Kyler Murray’s ceiling, but this is a team trending upward.

Though Gannon’s 12-22 overall record may not turn heads, he’s managed to stabilize a roster that could’ve easily gone off the rails. The former Eagles DC has brought a disciplined and tough mentality to Arizona. He still has much to prove, but Gannon’s earned a third season and a shot to secure his future if the Cardinals can build on their momentum.

Perhaps Gannon hasn’t earned his way higher on the list yet, but he is behind Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who has only one year under his belt. Of course, Macdonald’s Seahawks swept Gannon’s Cardinals, so perhaps that is warranted.

Now, if Gannon gets the Cardinals to the playoffs this season, something he believes the Cardinals can do, see him leap up these rankings in a year from now.

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon in bottom half of new rankings still

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