2023 AFC South Rankings: Is Doug Pederson or Mike Vrabel the Top HC?

It is a two-man race entering the 2023 season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to make team history in 2023.

The last time the Jaguars won back-to-back divisional titles was in 1998 and 1999, when the AFC South wasn't yet formed. The Houston Texans weren't a franchise and the Jaguars shared the AFC Central with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Oilers/Titans, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Since the Jaguars' migration to the newly-formed AFC South in 2002, the Jaguars have won two AFC South titles in 2017 and 2022. While every other franchise has won back-to-back divisional titles at some point in the division's history, the Jaguars will be looking to do it for the first time this season.

In our preview of the Jaguars' search for another AFC South title, we are going to do a list of rankings of the top positions and units in the division ahead of the 2023 season.

Next up: the head coach arguments.

So, which team has the best head coach entering the 2023 season? We break it down below.

Related: 2023 AFC South Rankings: Who Falls Behind Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence in QB Hierarchy?

Related: 2023 AFC South Rankings: How Does Travis Etienne Stack Up to Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor?

Related: 2023 AFC South Rankings: Do the Jaguars Have the Top WR Room?

1) Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Doug Pederson worked magic with a young and inexperienced Jaguars roster in 2022. He rode the roller coaster of the team's 3-7 start and managed to keep the Jaguars focused and believing during the late-season stretch, something that can't be ignored considering how hard he had to work to win the Jaguars' trust after the Urban Meyer debacle.

Why is Pederson first on this list? For one, he is more proven in big games than Vrabel due to having playoff runs with multiple teams. Secondly, he is more impactful to wins and losses from a big-picture perspective since he is the Jaguars' offensive play-caller. With the Jaguars having a top-10 offense in 2022, that is a big feather in Pederson's cap.

2) Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans 

Mike Vrabel seems to consistently get the most out of the Titans' roster. Even last year's second-place finish in the AFC South feels like a solid outcome considering the injuries they faced at key positions, especially at quarterback. The Titans took the Jaguars down to the wire with Josh Dobbs in Week 18, in large part due to the Titans playing like an extension of their head coach.

The question now is if the good times are over for the Titans. Vrabel's defense struggled throughout 2022 while the offense was at the mercy of the quarterback position. Ryan Tannehill isn't getting younger and the carries continue to stack up for Derrick Henry, but Vrabel is still one of the AFC's better head coaches. 

3) DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans 

It is splitting hairs between DeMeco Ryans and Shane Steichen here, if there even is any difference between the pair to begin with. Ryans comes to Houston with an electric leadership style after years of starring for the Houston Texans as an inside linebacker before becoming one of the NFL's top defensive coordinators in San Francisco. 

Ryans was able to help pull enough talent from the 49ers' free-agency class to give the Texans a boost in his rookie season. There have been other defensive-minded coaches who are deemed players coaches who have failed in recent years, but Ryans seems set up for success. 

4) Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts

This one really should be 3A and 3B. Both DeMeco Ryans and Shane Steichen are rookie head coaches who have yet to be given a chance to sink or swim. Like Ryans, Steichen was an immensely qualified candidate to be a head coach after years of coordinator experience. Steichen was one of the brains behind the Eagles' dominant offensive attack in 2022 and should help make things easy for Anthony Richardson.

The only thing that really separates Steichen and Ryans right now -- if anything -- is that Ryans is already a proven leader since he was a respected NFL veteran for so long. Still, Steichen has all of the traits of a successful coach and could help the Colts move into the next era of the franchise with confidence.