Titans, Giants To Meet With James Bettcher

Former Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher is scheduled to meet with the Titans and Giants on Tuesday for their vacant DC jobs, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bettcher is a top candidate for both positions, Rapoport adds. James Bettcher (vertical)

Bettcher was up for the Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy this year, but that job wound up going to ex-Panthers DC Steve Wilks. Wilks is bringing in old friend Al Holcomb to lead the defense, meaning that Bettcher is available. Although he did not get to run the show in Arizona, Bettcher is a hot DC candidate.

The Giants and Titans both have new head coaches this offseason in Pat Shurmur and Mike Vrabel at the helm, respectively. The Giants’ next DC figures to have a great deal of authority given Shurmur’s focus on offense. However, the job might not be quite the same in Tennessee. Vrabel previously served as the Texans’ DC and he intimated in his introductory press conference that he will be calling the plays. It’s not clear if that will suit someone like Bettcher who has spent the last three years as Arizona’s defensive play caller and was close to becoming their HC.

Former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is viewed as frontrunner for the Giants’ DC gig, though it’s possible that incumbent Steve Spagnuolo could keep his job. Bettcher now becomes the third known candidate for the Giants’ opening and the first for the Titans job.

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