Despite having just one year of defensive coordinator experience, Sean Desai has emerged as a popular candidate this year. As staffs continue to be assembled, new head coaches have been eager to speak with the 2021 Bears DC.
Desai has now gone through three such interviews; the Vikings represent the third. Desai interviewed for the vacant Vikings’ DC job over the weekend, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). This follows Desai meetings with the Raiders and Giants.
Both the Raiders and Giants made their hires, in multiyear DCs Patrick Graham and Don Martindale. The Vikings have yet to decide on their new DC. This position will take on greater importance given the impending Kevin O’Connell HC hire. Minnesota’s next DC will be the team’s unquestioned defensive play-caller.
Although the Bears slogged through a disappointing season — their first sub-.500 campaign since 2017 — they ranked sixth in total defense. Chicago had bumped up Desai last year to replace the retired Chuck Pagano, and the new play-caller helped a largely Khalil Mack-less unit to a respectable season — one that included Robert Quinn breaking Richard Dent‘s 37-year-old team sack record.
The Vikings have also interviewed Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and requested a meeting with Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant. Former Browns HC and Packers DC Mike Pettine, however, is the rumored favorite.
Should the Vikings head in another direction, Desai appears to have a fallback plan. The Seahawks are interested in adding him to their staff in a non-DC role. Seattle promoted Clint Hurtt to DC and added Ed Donatell as well. Desai would make three ex-Vic Fangio disciples (and two 2021 DCs) on one staff.
I don’t understand this. Desai’s first and only year as a DC with the Bears, was gifted a strong defensive line with Quinn, out of nowhere, having a career year… And no one talks about that secondary that for most of the year, was as lost as last year’s Easter eggs. How is this guy a popular candidate?
Probably the same things that made him popular before last year. He’s only 38, he was highly regarded before last year, and he had one year as a coordinator with a mediocre talent group. Who in that secondary would you reasonably have expected to be any good at all other than Johnson and Jackson? Vildor? Shelley? Burns? Graham, who was a 6th round rookie? That’s a bleak group.
Meanwhile Mack missed more than half the season and even Quinn’s year was pretty fluky. Huge sack number, but only 19th in pressures. Still a good year, but not having Mack was more loss than Quinn’s season was gain.
Ooof… Nothing about any of that explains why he’s a “popular” candidate. Being 38 is nothing special in the NFL these days. There’s a bunch of em. If he had done something special with a “mediocre talent group”, then ok. As far as their secondary goes, they don’t have to be all pros to expect them to know where they’re supposed to be. Blown assignments, of which there were many, are at least in part due to poor coaching. And his last job before DC was their secondary coach.
He was safeties coach. And I’m aware he’s not the only 38 year old, but it speaks to him being too early in his career to write off after one year of coordinating. Before last year, I heard a ton about him being seen by many as a bright up and comer. One year coordinating in a lame duck situation with a depleted roster shouldn’t change that. That’s all I meant.
I see your point, but the offense did him no favors. Injuries didn’t help either.
All things considered, Desai did well managing the defense in that dumpster fire.
Almost anybody but Pettine. Pettines’s defenses in Green Bay were bad.