Pros & Cons Of DC Candidates

The wait continues as Matt LaFleur decides who will replace Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator. At least nine candidates were interviewed earlier this week – ranging from a 38-year-old up-and-comer to someone who coached his first game in the NFL when Bill Clinton was in the White House.

Here’s a closer look at the pros and the cons of each of the nine known candidates:

JOE BARRY (Chargers LB coach/defensive passing game coordinator)

Pros: The 50-year-old has experience in the job. He was the defensive coordinator for Detroit (2007-2008) and Washington (2015-2016). He’s considered a good motivator who relates well to his players. He also worked with LaFleur in LA in 2017.

Cons: His two stints as a defensive coordinator were unmitigated disasters. None of his defenses in Detroit and Washington ranked higher that 27th in yards allowed. And while it’s true that neither team was blessed with an abundance of talent, such an extreme lack of success is a tough thing to have on a resume.

MATT BURKE (ex-Eagles DL coach/run game coordinator)

Pros: The 44-year-old has experience in the job. He was the defensive coordinator for Miami in 2017 and 2018. He’s very bright and learned his craft under Jim Schwartz, one of the better DCs in recent years. He’s a high-energy leader who would bring an aggressive 4-3 scheme with him to Green Bay. That could be a welcome change after 15 years of playing 3-4 under laid-back leaders Bob Sanders, Dom Capers and Mike Pettine.

Cons: His stint in Miami didn’t go well. After an OK first season (16th in yards/29th in points), things fell apart in year two (29th in yards/27th in points). To be fair, there were a couple of big negatives working against him with the Dolphins – a lack of talent and coach Adam Gase. He also clashed with star safety Reshad Jones in ’18, although that seems to have been an isolated case.

EJIRO EVERO (Rams safeties coach)

Pros: The 40-year-old worked with LaFleur in Los Angeles in 2017. He also spent a season with the Packers in 2016, so for whatever it’s worth, he already has a feel for the organization. He’s done impressive work with the safeties in LA and is considered a good teacher. He’s worked under Vic Fangio and Brandon Staley, so he’s seen the 3-4 run by two great minds – one old and one young. It’s also kind of interesting that he spent two years as an offensive assistant in San Francisco.

Cons: He’s never been a defensive coordinator, but probably more concerning is that Sean McVay passed him over twice in the past 12 months. He preferred Staley in 2020 and Raheem Morris last month. Fair or not, you could certainly wonder why he’d be good enough for the Packers if he wasn’t good enough for the Rams?

JERRY GRAY (Packers defensive backs coach)

Pros: The 58-year-old did a good job with the DBs last season, and already knowing the players has to be a plus. He has plenty of experience as a coordinator. He ran defenses for five seasons in Buffalo (2001-2005) and for three seasons in Tennessee (2011-2013). He’d also be one of the least expensive hires since he’d likely keep most if not all of the current assistants. Is that a big deal? It was two years ago when the Packers balked at paying top dollar to Darren Rizzi, the best available special teams coordinator at the time.

Cons: His last stint as a DC didn’t go well. The Titans finished dead last in points allowed in 2012, and while the other two seasons weren’t nearly as bad, none of his defenses rose above mediocrity. He fared better in Buffalo, but those were really head coach Gregg Williams’ defenses. And after a decade and a half of Sanders, Capers and Pettine, do the Packers really want another laid-back guy in his 50s running the D?

CHRIS HARRIS (Washington DBs coach)

Pros: The 38-year-old did a very good job in his first season in charge of a position group. Washington’s secondary was a strength in 2020. He’s a hard-hitting former player who coaches with that same mentality. Green Bay’s defenses have been accused of being soft in recent years. That would change with this hire.

Cons: He never even coached a position group until last season. Prior to 2020, he was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Chargers. It would be quite the leap of faith for LaFleur to put his trust in someone with such little experience.

CHRIS KIFFIN (Browns DL coach)

Pros: The 39-year-old has found success at every stop in the NFL. As a pass rush specialist coach in San Francisco (2018-2019), his defenses recorded 85 sacks. As a defensive line coach with Cleveland last season, the Browns went from 30th to 12th in yards allowed per carry. He also has the best bloodlines of anybody on this list. His father Monte is one of the most respected defensive coordinators in NFL history.

Cons: He doesn’t have a lot of NFL experience. Last season was his first in charge of a position group. He did, however, spend seven seasons in college, including one as a defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic. How much that would matter to LaFleur is something only he’d know.

JIM LEONHARD (Wisconsin defensive coordinator)

Pros: The 38-year-old has done impressive work at Wisconsin for the past four seasons. He’s managed to put together good defenses without the benefit of five-star recruits. The former 10-year NFL vet coaches the way he played. He would bring intelligence, toughness and intensity to a defense that too often looked undisciplined, soft and uninspired under Pettine.

Cons: He’s never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Is that a big deal for LaFleur? Perhaps, considering some of the other names on this list. He also played under Pettine for seven seasons in the NFL, so he’d be bringing a similar scheme with him to Green Bay. Also, he seems very content coaching at his alma mater. It remains to be seen if he wants to leave, although staying in the state would have to be very appealing.

RYAN NIELSEN (Saints DL coach/assistant head coach)

Pros: The 41-year-old has done an excellent job with the defensive linemen in New Orleans, and getting 13.5 sacks from unheralded Trey Hendrickson last season might have been his greatest accomplishment. He’s a good teacher with the ability to motivate players. He’s a definite up-and-comer. In fact, LSU wanted to hire him as DC last month, but Saints coach Sean Payton wouldn’t let him leave. That says plenty.

Cons: Aside from having no experience as a DC in the NFL, there’s very little not to like. He’s going to be running a defense very soon – whether it’s in the NFL or in college. What could hurt him – at least as far as this particular job is concerned – is having no prior relationship with LaFleur.

BOB SUTTON (Jaguars senior defensive assistant)

Pros: The 70-year-old has plenty of experience. He’s been coaching in the NFL since 2000, and that includes stints as a defensive coordinator with the Jets (2006-2008) and Kansas City (2013-2018). He’s very highly-regarded by fellow coaches.

Cons: He didn’t have much success as a coordinator in either New York or Kansas City. In fact, the Chiefs’ defense got a lot better as soon as he left. At a time when young coaches with new ideas are all the rage in the NFL, does hiring a person who started his career almost a decade before LaFleur was born really make sense?

*****

What to expect: If Leonhard is willing to leave college and the Packers are willing to make it worth his while, I think he’s the top choice. Otherwise, LaFleur might be tempted to go with someone he knows. That would likely move Evero to the top of the list, although Gray and even Barry can’t be discounted. And Nielsen’s resume has to keep him in the discussion. As for the rest, I’d be very surprised to see any of them get the job.