John Harbaugh’s 5 best teams ranked, including 2 with an active head coach

The John Harbaugh era in Baltimore has come to an end after 18 years, 12 playoff appearances, a Super Bowl win, and a career 0.609 win record as a head coach. It was an unceremonious, albeit expected end as the Ravens reached the conclusion that Harbaugh had taken the team as far as he could, and that it might take new blood to unlock the roster.

It’s a situation that doesn’t feel entirely dissimilar to Andy Reid’s tenure with the Eagles, where he spent over a decade in Philadelphia, couldn’t get the team over the hump, and was let go. Following that same line of thinking there’s going to be no shortage of teams lining up for Harbaugh’s services, hoping they can be the successful landing spot for an established head coach the same way Reid was able to transform the Chiefs into a juggernaut.

Isolating Harbaugh’s strengths is a key to understanding the best landing spot for him. He is a consistent, reliable coach, with a knack for bringing consistent success — but not much of a tactician. Instead he’s best in more of a managerial role, organizing a team from the top down by asserting his fundamentals of strong three phase play, and leaving the Xs and Os to his coordinators. This is largely a good thing, because Harbaugh has a track record of finding excellent coaches and bringing out their strengths while on his staff. Ideally an organization with established talent would be ideal, rather than a scenario where he would need to completely re-shape a franchise in a complete build.

That makes him a great fit for several teams.

No. 1: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yes, the Bucs haven’t fired their head coach — yet. Do we really think they have strong feelings about Todd Bowles? I’m not sure that Todd Bowles even has strong feelings about Todd Bowles.

If you were to check the boxes of everything Harbaugh would be looking for, then Tampa Bay has the qualities. The offense has plenty of talent for someone to mold, the defense has standout players who need a lift. This is also an organization with a penchant for established head coaching talent, typified by the hiring of Bruce Arians and then installing Bowles as the head coach.

Taking over an 8-9 team that simply lacks consistency is an ideal place where Harbaugh could make noise.

No. 2: New York Giants

The Giants have been trying to find some kind of consistency since Tom Coughlin. Obviously the end goal is getting back to the Super Bowl and winning championships, but for now fans would just settle for Harbaugh’s consistent organizational team building.

One thing we now about the Ravens’ coach is that he’s brilliant at managing his rosters and maximizing individual talent through his approach. This makes him a natural fit for the new Giants era where Jaxson Dart, Adbul Carter, and Cam Skatterbo are all in need of maturity to realize their tremendous potential.

The Giants haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 2012. They haven’t won the NFC East in consecutive years since 1990. This franchise is desperate for someone to come in, steady the ship, and turn the page on the endless churn of head coaches who have failed.

No. 3: Cleveland Browns

Growing up in Ohio, John Harbaugh was a massive Browns fan as a child. While that team would eventually become the Ravens, there’s still too much romanticism to ignore about him returning home and coaching his childhood team.

The Browns are another organization in dire need of consistency and someone who can maximize talent. The defense is set, but the offense needs a substantial amount of work — which could be achieved, especially if Harbaugh brings offensive coordinator Todd Monken with him to a new job (assuming Monken doesn’t get a head coaching offer).

Initially Harbaugh doesn’t strike you as the kind of coach who would crave revenge and relish the chance to stick it to his former team, but if that has any appeal to him then there isn’t a better way than to move to the team where Myles Garrett could wreck havoc on his former team.

No. 4: Atlanta Falcons

This is a rough, rough job to take. While there’s undeniably talent on the Falcons roster, there isn’t a lot of latitude to make moves to overhaul the roster due to the salary cap constraints Atlanta are in. If that is the kind of challenge Harbaugh is open to, then this is a strong possibility.

What makes the Falcons unique on this list is that the GM position is currently open as well. Ostensibly Harbaugh would have some say on the executive above him, and while having roster control isn’t something he’s been interested in, it does allow him to ensure there’s someone in the role he knows he can work with, rather than trying to see if he can work with an established GM.

It would be a massive coup for the Falcons to manage to get the best available coach of the cycle, and someone who could bring sustained success in a division thats been desperate for it.

No. 5: Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are in dire need of an adult. That might sound harsh, and it’s certainly not supposed to infantilize Mike McDaniel — but nobody has mistaken him for a disciplinarian during his time in Miami.

In order for this team to get back on track there’s a need for someone to come into that locker room with the gravitas of a John Harbaugh that demands the attention of young players, and veterans alike. This is also a team with an opening at GM, allowing for there to be a clear vision from executive to coach and tailor the team to the ideal of consistency.

The unclear part is whether or not Harbaugh would want to take on this challenge. The Tua Tagovailoa situation alone is enough to turn off a lot of coaches, and there’s still a possibility McDaniel retains his job — but this could be an intriguing situation to finally garner some sustained success in South Beach.