Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen won’t have the chance to take home some hardware despite the impressive campaign he led in 2023.
With the announcement of the finalists for the year-end awards, Steichen was not among the candidates for the Coach of the Year award. This was despite losing his starting quarterback and nearly making the playoffs right up until the end of the regular season.
Instead, here are the finalists for the Coach of the Year award:
- Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
- John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
- DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
- Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
- Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
No one should argue this isn’t a list of some of the best coaches in the NFL. What Dan Campbell has done in Detroit is inspirational. Meanwhile, DeMeco Ryans completely changed the perception of the Houston Texans, and Kevin Stefanski led his team to the playoffs with Joe Flacco at quarterback.
Steichen was never going to win the award after losing the Week 18 game against the Texans. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be nominated.
Kyle Shanahan and John Harbaugh proved to be the best coaches in their respective conferences. But the expectations were much higher for them. Both the 49ers and the Ravens were expected to be good teams.
Most analysts (including us), thought it would be a long shot for the Colts to even be in the running for a playoff spot before the season started. But Steichen changed the entire culture of the organization in just one offseason.
He turned a team that was the laughingstock of the league in 2022 into a squad that competed—even defeated—some of the best teams in the NFL in 2023.
That list of five coaches is incredibly tough to beat, and each has a strong argument for winning the award.
Don’t be surprised to Steichen’s name on this list next year if the Colts continue moving in the direction they’re headed.
