October is the month the NFL gets honest with the predictions and rankings. The league stops whispering and starts shouting, as 4 weeks is just enough time for the contenders to find their swagger and for the pretenders to start drafting eulogies for their seasons. For a handful of head coaches, the crisp autumn air doesn’t feel like football weather; it feels like a final warning. 

So which coaches are hearing the loudest footsteps? Let’s break it down.

1. Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans

Down in Tennessee, Brian Callahan is coaching a ghost ship. A 0-4 record is bad, but a 3-18 career record is a different kind of nightmare. Rookie QB Cam Ward is last in yards per attempt (4.9), has been sacked a league-high 17 times, and is piloting an offense that scores a pathetic 12.8 points per game.

This is supposed to be an offensive-minded coach, the son of a legendary O-line coach (Bill Callahan), yet his offense lacks any creativity or pulse. The Titans didn’t just lose to the Texans; they were shut out by a previously winless team in a performance that felt silent and hollow.

2. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Stefanski is a good coach trapped in a terrible situation. His Browns sit at 1-3, dropping his career record to 41-47 (.466 win percentage). The Browns have a win, but it’s entirely because of their defense. The offense, led by a 40-year-old Joe Flacco (now swapped with Gabriel), is 31st in the league in points scored (14.0).

It’s the fallout from the front office’s disastrous Deshaun Watson contract, which has crippled the roster. Still, someone has to take the fall. Stefanski’s on this list not just for the team’s record, but because he’s the face of a front office failure that’s coming home to roost.

3. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins

A week ago, McDaniel was staring into the abyss. The “offensive genius” label was starting to fade as his motion-heavy scheme looked figured out

Beating the Jets got the Dolphins to 1-3, nudging his career mark to 29-26 (.526). The schedule gets a little friendlier now, with Carolina and Cleveland on the horizon, Miami needs to stack victories against the league’s bottom-feeders, something McDaniel has typically been good at.

However, the question remains: Is he still the wunderkind, or just another coach who couldn’t get a talented roster over the hump?

4. Brian Daboll, New York Giants

By benching Russell Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart, Daboll made the ultimate “save my job” move, and it worked. The Giants, now 1-3, got a pulse-injecting win against the Chargers, but Daboll’s overall record sits at a bleak 19-35-1 (.355).  But let’s be real: this is a temporary fix. Now his rookie QB has to survive without star receiver Malik Nabers.

The underlying problems, a brutal schedule and even more brutal injuries, are still lurking. Daboll pulled the ripcord, but he might find out he was already too close to the ground.

5. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers

One week, Canales’ 1-3 squad looks like world-beaters in a shocking shutout of the Falcons. Next, they were defeated by the Patriots by a massive margin. That’s the kind of inconsistency that gets a coach with a 6-15 (.286) career record fired.

The defense is bleeding points (31.7 per game in their losses), and the offense is sputtering, with Bryce Young’s 77.1 passer rating. Canales is stuck between a bad roster and an impatient owner, David Tepper, who has previously fired first-year coach Frank Reich, marking his third midseason firing in six seasons.

6. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are the definition of ‘just good enough to break your heart.’ They’re 2-2, bringing Gannon’s career record to 14-24 (.368), but their wins came against the Saints and Panthers, and they lost 2 nail-biters to division rivals. They have the lowest strength of victory in the entire NFL (.125).

Is being “close enough” really enough? Gannon isn’t in immediate danger, but the jury is still out. This team was a sleeper pick for the playoffs; right now, they look more like they’re hitting the snooze button.

7. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals

Taylor’s Bengals are at 2-2 right now, bringing his career mark to 48-54-1 (.471). He, alongside Burrow, made the Bengals a perennial threat. But since Burrow has been out of the equation (Grade 3 turf toe injury), the curtain has been pulled back. Cincy has failed to gain 175 total yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 1971.

With an offense scoring just 6.5 points per game in his absence, it begs the question: Was this franchise carried entirely by one transcendent QB? The past 2 weeks have been a damning indictment of Taylor, suggesting the answer might be yes.

8. Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

Then you have a guy like Aaron Glenn. The hometown hero. A Jets legend who played with the kind of fire the franchise has been missing for a decade. He walked in promising accountability, a fix for the sloppiness that has haunted this team. 4 games later, the Jets are 0-4, just as undisciplined.

He was a 3-time Pro Bowl corner, a guy who understood the fight. But has his voice already gone hoarse in a locker room that’s heard it all before? The fall from beloved alum to one-and-done coach is brutally short, and Glenn is sprinting toward that cliff.

Other Coaches on the Radar

Let’s be clear: John Harbaugh isn’t getting fired. The man has a .618 career winning percentage and a Super Bowl ring (XLVII). But the Ravens are on the verge of disaster. The defense is a mess, injuries are piling up, and a significant injury (hamstring) to Lamar Jackson could sink the whole ship. The only way Harbaugh leaves Baltimore is if he decides to walk away himself. Still, a season spiraling out of control is enough to make even the safest seat in the league feel a little warm.