# What are the offensive coaching trees for the 2026 NFL season?

Great question. Here's the breakdown of the major offensive coaching trees dominating the 2026 NFL season. 

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### 🏆 The Two Giant Families

**1. Andy Reid Tree** — The biggest offensive tree in football. Spread formations, tons of pre-snap motion, RPOs, and the tight end is a featured weapon. Reid-tree teams tend to be pass-heavy, high-scoring, and friendly for fantasy QBs and pass-catching RBs — but WRs can be boom-or-bust. Key disciples still active: **Matt Nagy** and a long line of assistants across the league (from the Andy Reid Coaching Tree page).

**2. Shanahan–McVay Tree** — The most-copied offense in the NFL right now. Wide-zone running game, heavy play-action, bootlegs, and condensed formations. The big fantasy takeaway: *any back can eat* in this system, making cheap RBs viable and handcuffs crucial — but committees are frustrating. Active head coaches from this tree in 2026:

- **Kyle Shanahan** — 49ers
- **Sean McVay** — Rams
- **Matt LaFleur** — Packers
- **Kevin O'Connell** — Vikings
- **Liam Coen** — Jaguars
- **Mike LaFleur** — Cardinals

(from the Shanahan–McVay Coaching Tree page)

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### 🎯 The Other Major Trees

**3. Sean Payton Tree** — The home of the pass-catching "satellite" RB. Timing-based passing, matchup-hunting, and heavy involvement for the running back in the passing game (think Kamara). Payton is still the head coach in Denver, and his leading disciple is **Dan Campbell** (Lions), with **Aaron Glenn** (Jets) and **Dennis Allen** (Bears DC) also in the mix.

**4. Belichick Tree** — The "headache" tree — game-plan-driven, committee backfields, matchup-based roles that are hard to trust week to week. Belichick himself is now at North Carolina. Key remaining NFL branches: **Mike Vrabel** (Patriots HC) and **Josh McDaniels** (Patriots OC).

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### 💡 How to Use This for Drafts

- **New OC from a known tree?** You can project how he'll use players before Week 1.
- **McVay-tree bell-cow = league-winner.** When one back separates in this scheme, he's gold (CMC in 2023, etc.).
- **Payton-tree receiving RBs** — always target the pass-catching back on those teams in PPR.
- **Reid-tree QBs and TEs** get a scheme boost — but the WR rooms are committee-driven.

Want me to dive deeper into any specific tree or which 2026 coordinators belong to each?

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Answered 2026-08-23 by ChatFFB — fantasy football answers from a live news wiki.
Source: https://chatffb.com/ask/what-are-the-offensive-coaching-trees-for-the-2026-nfl-season