NFL Coach Rankings: Where Does Commanders' Ron Rivera Fit?

Where does Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera rank among his peers?

Ron Rivera has two Coach of the Year Awards on his resume, but just three winning seasons to show for parts of 12 years as an NFL coach. So as Rivera enters a crucial fourth season with the Washington Commanders, it's hard to know exactly how to rank him in comparison to his peers. 

On our SI/FanNation ranking of the 32 coaches ahead of the 2023 season, Rivera checked in at No. 22: 

"Rivera is one of the great leaders in the NFL today, and has been the right person to navigate Washington through two name changes and a sale. But in 2023 -- with Eric Bieniemy now serving as his right-hand man -- Rivera will need to prove to incoming owner Joshua Harris that his regime should remain in place moving forward." 

There's long been speculation that when Rivera took the Commanders job, there was a wink-and-nod from someone in a position of power that Daniel Snyder's disastrous tenure as owner was coming to a close. Whether that happened or not, there was never a guarantee that the new owner would see eye-to-eye with Rivera, or that Snyder's successor wouldn't want to bring in their own regime. 

By the time the 2023 concludes -- and perhaps before it starts -- there will be an ownership transition from Snyder to Harris. So the new ownership group will get a front-row view of the job that Rivera does leading the organization. If they are impressed with both him and second-year quarterback Sam Howell, perhaps Harris and company will proceed with Rivera as the most powerful non-owner in the building for another season. 

But the Commanders were the lone NFC East team not to reach the postseason a year ago. If Harris' introduction to NFL ownership is watching the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants reach the playoffs while the Commanders sit at home in January, a coaching change may be in order. 

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