Mike Tomlin Ranked 3rd-Best NFL Head Coach

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was named the third-best coach in the NFL by a panel of FOX Sports experts.

In the panel published on Wednesday, which ranked all 32 head coaches in the NFL for 2023, Tomlin was ranked behind only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers.

“He’s been on the job for 17 years and has yet to have a losing season in Pittsburgh,” Eric D. Williams wrote. “During that time, he’s made the playoffs 10 times, reached the AFC title game three times and the Super Bowl twice, winning the big game after the 2008 season. Tomlin’s ability to get the best out of his players and consistently maintain a tough, no-nonsense defense in a competitive division like the AFC North makes him one of the top coaches in the NFL — and one that players seek out to play for when they reach free agency. Tomlin, 51, is third among active coaches with 166 wins in the regular season.”

It has been a while since the Steelers were at the top of the NFL, with the club’s last Super Bowl win coming in 2008 and its last appearance coming after the 2010 season. 

Though Tomlin’s teams failed to capitalize on the end of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, despite significant contributions from Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, his recent work may have been some of his best, as Tomlin has dragged under-talented Steelers teams to winning records despite an injury Roethlisberger in 2019 and an unsettled quarterback situation in 2022.

Tomlin’s 166 career wins ranks him 16th in NFL history and third among active coaches behind Reid and Bill Belichick. Of post-merger coaches with at least 100 wins, he’s seventh in winning percentage.

RELATED: Marcus Spears Says Mike Tomlin Needs Offensive Philosophy Overhaul