ESPN’s Mike Greenberg reveals top five NFL head coaches on the hot seat in 2023

As NFL preseason games kick off in earnest this week, ESPN host Mike Greenberg revealed the five NFL head coaches with the hottest seats heading into the 2023 season. Leading the group for Greenberg is Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

The former Packers coach has led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances after 12-5 finishes in the regular season.

However, the expectations in Dallas are higher than just yearly playoff trips. Cowboys fans want to see their team finally break the NFC Championship streak and make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 90s. With McCarthy taking over play calling for the first time since he joined Dallas in 2020, he’s shouldering even more of the responsibility for how well this season goes.

After McCarthy, Greenberg named Robert Saleh, Brandon Staley, Kevin Stefanski, and Ron Rivera, in that order.

Saleh has gone 4-13 and 7-10 with the Jets. Now that he has four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers throwing passes, it will be much harder for him to squeak by with another losing season.

Brandon Staley nearly got the axe from the Chargers last season after a complete collapse versus the Jaguars in the playoffs. Alas, he held on to his role and the team instead let go of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and QB coach Shane Day.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski started his tenure off well in Cleveland but finished the 2022 season with a 7-10 record. Cleveland fans will want to see significant improvement now that Deshaun Watson will get to start the full season.

Ron Rivera has taken heat in Washington but no one in the Commanders organization was under more scrutiny than owner Dan Snyder. Now that the team is out of Snyder’s grip, fans will want to see Rivera bring the team forward in a division that’s on the upswing.

Michael Irvin to McCarthy: ‘Get farther than the divisional round’

NFL receiving legend Michael Irvin knows a thing or two about good offense. The former NFL wide receiver shared his thoughts on Mike McCarthy opting to lead the Cowboys offense himself after several years with Kellen Moore at the helm.

McCarthy hasn’t called an offense since his tenure with the Packers but Irvin believes it’s an interesting move that could possibly result in the team taking another step forward. He just won’t quite trust it until he sees it.

“I was like, ‘Hmm, that’s interesting,” Irvin said on 105.3 The Fan. “Kellen Moore, the last couple years with Dak Prescott, Moore put up basically the No. 1 offense in back-to-back. If you think that’s improving, I can buy that. If you say Mike McCarthy’s led offense to the Super Bowl, Kellen Moore only did it to the divisional round, then ok, if you want to say that’s improvement, I’ll take that, but I better see something with it.

“Let me see you get farther than the divisional round so I don’t have to get killed on TV all the time.”