Sean Desai To Interview For Bills, Falcons’ DC Jobs
It sounds like Sean Desai could land on his feet relatively quickly. After getting fired by the Eagles earlier this week, the former defensive coordinator is interviewing for the same role with the Bills and Falcons, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
[RELATED: Eagles Fire DC Sean Desai]
After Jonathan Gannon left Philly to coach the Cardinals, the Eagles brought on Desai as their new defensive coordinator last offseason. Things started off well for the new hire, as the Eagles began their 2023 campaign with a 10-1 record. However, following two-straight losses, Desai lost his play-calling duties to Matt Patricia.
Desai’s replacement didn’t inspire much confidence; the Eagles went 1-4 with Patricia at the helm. Still, with the defensive coordinator eyeing reduced responsibilities for the foreseeable future, it didn’t seem like he was going to last all that long in Philadelphia. So, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when the Eagles let him go earlier this week.
Fortunately for Desai, the rough 2023 campaign didn’t do much to impact his coaching outlook. Teams can still point to his one-year stint as Bears defensive coordinator in 2021, when Chicago finished the season ranked sixth in terms of total defense. He also earned a solid reputation during his time as an assistant, including most recently when he was associate head coach and defensive assistant with the Seahawks in 2022.
Atlanta has a growing list of DC candidates as Raheem Morris looks to fill out his new staff. We previously heard that Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde was a candidate for the position, and Morris continues to look within the NFC East for options.
The Bills connection is a bit more surprising. Sean McDermott decided not to replace Leslie Frazier on the 2023 coaching staff, with the head coach effectively taking over the defensive coordinator role. It seemed like McDermott was destined to continue calling defensive plays in 2024, especially following news that trusted Bills assistant Eric Washington was heading to the Bears as their new defensive coordinator.
This led some to assume that if McDermott was serious about adding a defensive coordinator, he wouldn’t have let Washington out the door in the first place. Still, based on this latest development, it sounds like the Bills head coach would at least be open to relinquishing some of his responsibilities.
Dolphins Request To Interview Bills LBs Coach Bobby Babich For DC Position
A new, rising name in defensive coaching circles, Bills linebackers coach Bobby Babich has been requested to interview for the Dolphins open defensive coordinator position, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. With Vic Fangio expected to be departing for the Eagles defensive coordinator position, Miami will look at the possibility of bringing in a promising, young coach to replace him.
Babich started his NFL coaching career with the Panthers in 2011 after five years of coaching at the collegiate level for Kent State and Eastern Illinois. He later had a stint with the Browns as an assistant position coach before spending a single season at FIU as secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator.
Babich has spent the past seven seasons in Buffalo under head coach Sean McDermott, starting as an assistant defensive backs coach before earning a promotion to safeties coach in 2018. After four years in that role, Babich replaced his father, Bob Babich, as the Bills’ linebackers coach in 2022. During his first season as Buffalo’s LBs coach, Babich helped guide Matt Milano to his first All-Pro season. In the years before coaching up this year’s linebackers, Babich coached what many thought to be the league’s best safety tandem in Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.
If all requests are granted, this will be three interviews for Babich for defensive coordinator positions. He’s scheduled to interview with the Packers and has been requested to interview for the Giants’ job, as well. So far, he is only the second candidate mentioned for the job in Miami, joining former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley in contention.
Packers Request DC Meetings With Bobby Babich, Aden Durde; Team Interviews Christian Parker
The coordinator carousel is now in full swing, and the Packers are adding names to their search to replace Joe Barry. While a few former Rams staffers have come up, Green Bay is now targeting two voices without backgrounds under Sean McVay.
Matt LaFleur‘s team has requested permission to meet with Bills linebackers coach Bobby Babich and Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde for their DC role, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and ESPN.com’s Todd Archer report. Additionally, NFL.com’s James Palmer reports the Packers have interviewed Broncos DBs coach Christian Parker for the gig Thursday.
The Babich meeting will come to pass, per Garafolo, and it would surprise if Durde did not interview for the job as well. Teams cannot block this type of elevation, with the Packers’ DC holding play-calling responsibilities due to LaFleur’s status as an offense-oriented HC. After Barry served in the role for three years, the Packers are set to hire the third DC of the LaFleur era.
Babich, 40, has been on Sean McDermott‘s staff from the beginning. After coaching the Bills’ Micah Hyde–Jordan Poyer tandem for four seasons, Bobby Babich took over for his father, Bob, as linebackers coach. The Bills dealt with a few injuries at that position this season, most notably Matt Milano‘s October season-ender, but Milano earned All-Pro honors in the younger Babich’s first year in charge. The Packers join the Giants in targeting him for a promotion.
Turning up on Hard Knocks in 2021, Durde became known to viewers as the British coach on Dallas’ staff. Dan Quinn brought Durde over from Atlanta in 2021, and he has coached the Cowboys’ D-line since. Durde, 44, has coached Micah Parsons — well, sort of, with Dallas refusing to label the superstar defender as a pure defensive lineman — throughout his career while overseeing one of the league’s better D-lines. This marks Durde’s first connection to a DC opportunity.
Just 32, Parker is viewed as a rising talent. The Patriots are also targeting the Broncos assistant for their DC post. Both Nathaniel Hackett and Sean Payton retained Parker despite neither having hired him. The Vic Fangio hire has coached Patrick Surtain and Justin Simmons in Denver, helping both to All-Pro honors. The Broncos also unearthed a potential long-term slot corner, in Ja’Quan McMillian, as a rookie UDFA this season.
Courtesy of PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how the Pack’s DC search shapes up so far:
- Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): To interview
- Aden Durde, defensive line coach (Cowboys): Interview requested
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Rumored candidate
- Chris Harris, secondary coach (Titans): Rumored candidate
- Christian Parker, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed 1/25
- Aubrey Pleasant, defensive backs coach (Rams): Rumored candidate
- Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
Bears Request DC Interview With Bills’ Eric Washington
The Bears continue on in their efforts to add a new defensive coordinator for 2024. As they attempt to replace the former coordinator, Alan Williams, Chicago has requested an interview with Bills assistant head coach and defensive line coach Eric Washington to potentially fill their role at defensive coordinator, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS.
Washington has a history in Chicago. After several years coaching at the college level, Washington broke into coaching at the NFL level as a defensive assistant for the Bears in 2008. After only two years in the role, Washington was promoted to defensive line coach for Chicago. He only held the job with the Bears for one year before taking the same role for the Panthers from 2011-17.
After those seven years as a position coach, Washington was granted another promotion, allowing him to serve as a defensive coordinator for the first time. Under Washington’s first year, the Panthers defense delivered middling results. In Year 2, things took a turn for the worse as the team finished 31st in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed.
Following his time in Carolina, Washington reunited with his former defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott, in Buffalo as a defensive line coach, once again. In his four years with the Bills, Washington added senior defensive assistant to his title before landing on his current role for this year. The Bills ranked fourth in the league in sack this year with 54, and the team has consistently had a strong pass rush under Washington.
So far, the Bears have already interviewed Titans secondary coach Chris Harris and Titans assistant head coach and defensive line coach Terrell Williams for the open position. Whoever gets the job will have a bit of a safety net. Since head coach Matt Eberflus just spent the season calling defensive plays following the surprise departure of Williams, the Bears know they have a functional play-caller for the defense if the new coordinator struggles.
If permitted, Washington will be the third to interview for the job. Should it pan out, it would result in a nice return for Washington to Chicago, where his NFL coaching career began.
Bills To Interview Joe Brady For Full-Time OC Position
While an ill-timed wind gust is partially responsible for the Bills’ divisional-round elimination, the team’s offense struggled to make explosive plays in its 27-24 loss to the Chiefs. The Bills are now conducting a search to determine if they will once again chance offensive coordinators.
Buffalo fired Ken Dorsey midway through his second season as OC, giving way to Joe Brady‘s second run as an NFL play-caller. The Bills remain interested in Brady, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicating the team will interview him for the full-time OC post. Brady took over on an interim basis in November and held the job through season’s end.
[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]
The Bills only lost twice with Brady in place as OC, though a production spike did not occur after he took over. The team did better incorporate James Cook into the offense and grow comfortable under Brady, doing so despite a concerning second-half production dip from Stefon Diggs. The Bills finished sixth in scoring and fourth in total offense — down from second in both categories in 2022 — and third in DVOA during its Dorsey-Brady season.
Josh Allen has vouched for Brady, with The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia offering that several Bills offensive players have done the same (subscription required). While Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott said they were not ready to discuss the staff, each praised Brady for his performance back in a coordinator role. Brady, 34, also received his first HC interview request (from the Falcons) since 2021.
Brady, 34, joined Matt Rhule‘s Panthers staff in 2020, helping Teddy Bridgewater to what remains the best Carolina QB season since injuries brought down Cam Newton beginning in 2018. But Rhule fired Brady during the 2021 campaign. The Bills hired the former LSU pass-game coordinator in 2022, bringing him aboard as QBs coach.
Brian Daboll‘s 2022 exit has impacted the Bills, who employed the current Giants HC as their play-caller for four seasons. It will be interesting to see if more names enter this search, but Buscaglia labels Brady the favorite. Giving Brady a full offseason to work in this capacity would make sense, given the recent turnover at this position. Then again, the Bills lost a home divisional-round game for the second straight year. That naturally warrants an examination into where the team stands on both sides of the ball.
Giants Request DC Interview With Bills’ Bobby Babich
The list of Giants defensive coordinator candidates continues to grow. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Giants requested permission to interview Bills linebackers coach Bobby Babich for their defensive coordinator job.
Babich has spent the past seven seasons in Buffalo, four of which he worked alongside current Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Babich started as an assistant defensive backs coach in Buffalo before earning a promotion to safeties coach in 2018. After four years in that role, Babich replaced his father, Bob Babich, as the Bills’ linebackers coach in 2022. During his first season as Buffalo’s LBs coach, Babich helped guide Matt Milano to his first All-Pro season.
Babich started his NFL coaching career with the Panthers in 2011. He later had a stint with the Browns before spending a single season at FIU.
As our 2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker shows, Babich is now the fifth candidate to potentially replace Don Martindale in New York. The rest of the group includes:
- Derrick Ansley, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Interview requested
- Shane Bowen, defensive coordinator (Titans): Interviewed
- Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interview requested
- Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Interviewed
Elsewhere in New York, the Giants interviewed Larry Izzo this past weekend for their special teams coordinator vacancy, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. The former Patriots special teams ace was the Texans ST coordinator in 2016 and 2017. He’s spent the past six seasons in Seattle, including the past three as the special teams coordinator.
Izzo joins a growing list of candidates to replace Thomas McGaughey in New York. Matt Harper, Carlos Polk, and Michael Ghobrial were among the names previously connected to the open position.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/23/24
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Buffalo Bills
- DT Eli Ankou, QB Shane Buechele, RB Darrynton Evans
Minnesota Vikings
- CB A.J. Green
New York Giants
- WR Chase Cota, C Jimmy Morrissey
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Kalon Barnes, DB Thomas Graham, LB Tyler Murray, LB David Perales, CB Josiah Scott
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DL C.J. Brewer, OT Silas Dzansi, OL Luke Haggard, CB Keenan Isaac, WR Cephus Johnson, RB Patrick Laird, S Richard LeCounte, WR Ryan Miller, CB Quandre Mosely, LB Jose Ramirez, G Logan Stenberg, TE Tanner Taula, WR Raleigh Webb, TE David Wells
Falcons, Commanders Request Second HC Interviews With Lions’ Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn
12:13pm: Joining the Falcons in expressing considerable interest in Detroit’s coordinators, Washington will also schedule second interviews with Glenn and Johnson, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. These meetings are set to take place in Detroit next week. Teams cannot interview staffers attached to the four conference championship-bound teams this week, injecting a hiccup into these assistants’ timetables on the HC carousel.
A second Commanders-Johnson summit has long been expected. Josh Harris‘ club has been high on the two-year OC for a bit now. The Panthers remain interested in Johnson, however, as they have been tied to the North Carolina native for some time. While Glenn was believed to be in the mix for the Titans’ HC job, the AFC South team has since hired Brian Callahan.
11:05am: The Falcons continue to cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach. Atlanta has requested a second interview with Lions offensive and defensive coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein reports. 
[RELATED: Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Both interviews will take place in person, but the team will need to wait for them to take place. With the Lions having advanced to the NFC championship game, neither Johnson nor Glenn are permitted to meet with prospective teams until next week. The Falcons do have a number of other interviews to get through in the coming days, however.
For some time now, Bill Belichick has been the name most frequently linked to Atlanta’s vacancy. A recent report indicated the position is open for the six-time Super Bowl winner if he desires it, and Belichick has already interviewed twice. The Falcons are believed to be eyeing head coaching experience – a departure from owner Arthur Blank‘s previous hires – something which would lend itself to candidates such as Belichick and Jim Harbaugh.
Nevertheless, it comes as little surprise that Johnson in particular continues to receive significant interest. The 37-year-old was a top HC candidate last year despite his age and lack of experience as a play-caller. He has only two years under his belt in the latter department, but his success with Detroit’s offense has made him one of the top staffers available. Johnson is believed to be the top target for the Panthers and Commanders.
Glenn has also been one of the most popular staffers in the 2024 cycle. He has met once with the Falcons, but also the Chargers, Titans and Commanders. This follow-up with the Falcons will mark the first time this year that he interviews for a second time, however. Glenn has routinely drawn praise from Lions head coach Dan Campbell, and Detroit did manage its best showing to date with him at the helm (including a second-place ranking against the run) this season.
The Falcons have a number of notable options to choose from, but a dark horse candidate could be Bills OC Joe Brady. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes that Brady is a name worth watching in the event a more established coach like Belichick or Harbaugh does not land the Atlanta gig. The 34-year-old had a two-year OC stint with the Panthers before joining the Bills’ staff last year. He replaced Ken Dorsey midway through the 2023 campaign, and the team’s success down the stretch could make him a logical candidate to be retained on a full-time basis. Brady was, as Breer notes, though, the runner-up to Arthur Smith when the latter was hired.
Here is an updated look at the Falcons’ search:
- Bill Belichick, former head coach (Patriots): Conducted second interview 1/19
- Joe Brady, interim offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/20
- Brian Callahan, offensive coordinator (Bengals): To conduct second interview 1/24
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interviewed 1/14
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/19; second interview requested
- Jim Harbaugh, head coach (Michigan): To conduct second interview
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/21; second interview requested
- Brian Johnson, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed 1/18
- Mike Macdonald, defensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/12; second interview requested
- Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/20
- Antonio Pierce, interim head coach (Raiders): Interview requested; hired as Raiders HC
- Bobby Slowik, offensive coordinator (Texans): Interviewed 1/21; to conduct second interview 1/25
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): To interview 1/24
- Anthony Weaver, defensive line coach (Ravens): Interviewed 1/14; second interview requested
- Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interviewed 1/13
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/22/24
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Buffalo Bills
- CB Kyron Brown, DE Kameron Cline, OL Richard Gouraige, CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, WR Andy Isabella, OL Kevin Jarvis, TE Tre’ McKitty, WR Tyrell Shavers, WR Bryan Thompson, S Kendall Williamson
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
- LB Keshawn Banks, S Tyler Coyle, WR Grant DuBose, DL Jonathan Ford, CB Zyon Gilbert, CB Anthony Johnson, QB Alex McGough, RB Ellis Merriweather, LB Arron Mosby, LB Kenneth Odumegwu, FB Henry Pearson, WR Thyrick Pitts, T Kadeem Telfort, TE Joel Wilson
Houston Texans
- DT McTelvin Agim, WR Alex Bachman, QB Tim Boyle, RB Gerrid Doaks, DE Ali Gaye, S Brandon Hill, WR Johnny Johnson III, TE Dalton Keene, CB Troy Pride, RB J.J. Taylor, OT Jaylon Thomas, WR Jared Wayne
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- OT Silas Dzansi, CB Keenan Isaac, RB Patrick Laird, CB Quandre Moseley, TE Tanner Taula, WR Raleigh Webb
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/20/24
Saturday’s reserve/futures contracts:
Buffalo Bills
- WR K.J. Hamler
Hamler dealt with a slew of injuries during his tenure with the Broncos. He was waived in August as a result of a heart condition which required medication but not surgery. The former second-rounder joined the Colts’ practice squad one month later, but he wound up on IR and did not take the field in 2023. Hamler has played only 23 games in the NFL, but he entered the league with high expectations as a vertical threat. He will look to find a depth role in Buffalo this offseason.