2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

As the head coaching carousel spun for several weeks, many teams made coordinator changes as well. Teams seeking new head coaches are conducting OC and DC searches, and a handful of other teams that did not make HC changes are also searching for top assistants.

This is a big year for offensive coordinator hires, with nearly half the league making changes. Here are the teams searching for new OCs and DCs. As new searches emerge, they will be added to the list.

Updated 3-1-23 (3:31pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals 

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Greg Roman)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Ben McAdoo)

  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach, (Rams): Hired
  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Brian Angelichio, tight ends coach (Vikings): Interviewed 2/2
  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed
  • Jeff Nixon, running backs coach (Panthers): Interviewed
  • Brian Schottenheimer, offensive consultant (Cowboys): Hired

Denver Broncos (Out: Justin Outten)

Houston Texans (Out: Pep Hamilton)

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Parks Frazier)

  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Tee Martin, wide receivers coach (Ravens): Interview requested

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach (Chiefs): Hired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Joe Lombardi)

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Liam Coen)

New York Jets (Out: Mike LaFleur)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Shane Steichen)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Todd Downing)

Washington Commanders (Out: Scott Turner)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Vance Joseph)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dean Pees)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Leslie Frazier)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Al Holcomb)

  • Ejiro Evero, former defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Marquand Manuel, safeties coach (Jets): Interviewed
  • Kris Richard, co-defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans 

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Renaldo Hill)

  • Derrick Ansley, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Promoted
  • Doug Belk, defensive coordinator (Houston): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Interviewed

Miami Dolphins (Out: Josh Boyer)

Minnesota Vikings (Out: Ed Donatell)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard)

  • Joe Woods, former defensive coordinator (Browns): Hired

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Jonathan Gannon)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: DeMeco Ryans)

  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): On radar
  • Chris Harris, defensive backs coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/31
  • Kris Kocurek, defensive line coach (49ers): On radar
  • Steve Wilks, former interim head coach (Panthers): Hired

Nick Rallis To Call Cards’ Defensive Plays

Although the Cardinals hired a defense-oriented head coach, Jonathan Gannon will cede play-calling responsibilities to his young lieutenant. Nick Rallis will be Arizona’s defensive signal-caller, Gannon said Wednesday.

Rallis, 29, is the league’s youngest active coordinator. Rather than rising a level to a non-play-calling post under Gannon, the ex-Eagles linebackers coach will be set for a significant responsibility bump. This certainly shows Gannon’s confidence in the rising assistant, and the new HC’s decision differs from the other former Eagles coordinator’s.

Shane Steichen will call the Colts’ offensive plays, but Gannon will step into a CEO role in his first Cardinals season. Gannon spent the past two years calling defensive plays in Philadelphia, helping the Eagles to top-10 rankings in total defense and points allowed. Gannon did not close the show well, seeing his defense allow 24 second-half points in the Eagles’ 38-35 Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, and he will try his hand at overseeing on game days.

The Broncos also showed interest in Rallis for their DC gig, but the former Vikings assistant was on the quality control level as recently as the 2020 season. Rallis worked as a quality control assistant on Mike Zimmer‘s staff from 2018-20, before Gannon — also an ex-Zimmer assistant — brought him to Philly in 2021.

Gannon’s decision will make the Cardinals even more interesting to observe next season. The NFC West team will have a first-time play-caller on the offensive side of the ball as well. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who also coached with Gannon in Minnesota, served as the Browns’ tight ends coach from 2020-21 before being moved to quarterbacks coach last year. While Petzing had interviewed for a coordinator job previously, Rallis’ Cardinals DC interview was his first.

Kyler Murray Influenced Jonathan Gannon’s Decision To Accept Arizona HC Position

In an interesting excerpt from a conversation with new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, we learned that quarterback Kyler Murray played a huge factor in bringing the first-time head coach to Arizona, according to Peter King of NBC Sports. There was also a bit of information detailing just how badly the Eagles wanted to hang on to their former defensive coordinator.

When asked about how the “polarizing figure” of Murray factored into Gannon’s decision, Gannon frankly replied, “If Kyler Murray isn’t here, I don’t take this job.”

Gannon went on to laud the young quarterback, praising the ability he has to put defenses in a bind. He then elaborated on where he thinks he can improve on Murray’s usage. Gannon believes that Murray was utilized out of the shotgun offense far too often and that incorporating more play from under center will “take him to another level and unleash his full skill set.” Gannon claims that running more plays from under center will force defenses to have to be ready to defend plays they don’t worry about in shotgun formations, taking pressure off of the offensive line and Murray.

In light of Gannon’s plans for the 25-year-old quarterback under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, it’s clear that Gannon is on the positive end of the polarizing opinions of Murray. It sounds like Cardinals fans should expect Murray to remain the long-term plan at quarterback moving forward under Gannon.

King’s next question asked Gannon to expand on his exit from Philadelphia. It appears that the Eagles’ brass had some idea that Gannon would be a hot commodity and prepared a counteroffer to keep him in place. According to Gannon, the team offered him a new contract that would pay him more than he would make as a head coach.

As much as Gannon claims to have loved Philadelphia, head coach Nick Sirianni, general manager Howie Roseman, and owner Jeffrey Lurie, the prospect of becoming a head coach was too enticing. Gannon credits Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, general manager Monti Ossenfort, and Murray with making the job so alluring, so much so that he was willing to turn down a rich new deal to retain a position in which he knew he could succeed.

Cardinals Request OC Interviews With Drew Petzing, Drew Terrell, Joel Thomas

With Jonathan Gannon in place as the new head coach in Arizona, changes are coming on the defensive side of the ball. As for their offense, several candidates will be considered before a hire is made.

The Cardinals put out three interview requests for the offensive coordinator position on Thursday. In a trio of tweets, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report that Arizona is seeking a meeting with Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing, Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell and Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas.

As Rapoport notes, Petzing is a strong contender to land the position. The 35-year-old worked alongside Gannon during their shared time in Minnesota, and was named as a logical hire in the event Gannon was given the head coaching position in Arizona. Petzing has spent the past three years in Cleveland, coaching the team’s tight ends before taking charge of the QBs room in 2022.

Terrell, 31, spent four years in the college ranks before making the jump to the NFL. He worked with the Panthers for two years, then went to Washington in 2020. After one season as an assistant WRs coach, the Stanford alum was promoted to the full-time position and has held it for the past two years. Rapoport adds that Terrell is highly regarded around the league despite his relative lack of experience, so it comes as little surprise that he is receiving interest for a coordinator position.

Thomas held a number of hats at the NCAA level, but has consistently worked with running backs throughout his career. He worked as an OC at Idaho in 2004 and 2005, serving in a similar capacity at Washington in 2012. His only NFL posting has been in New Orleans, beginning in 2015. The 48-year-old has been a key positional coach helping drive the success the Saints have enjoyed with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram in the backfield during his tenure, though, like the other two coaches, he has not received interview requests from any other team so far.

Much has been made about the importance regarding Gannon’s hire at OC, given his own background as a defensive staffer and his status as a rookie head coach. During his introductory press conference, he spoke about his commitment – regardless of whomever is tapped as offensive coordinator – to keeping the unit centered around Kyler Murray.

“I have a very specific vision of how I want to play on offense and the person that comes in here to run the offense is going to understand that everything that we do will be structured around the quarterback position to maximize his skill set,” Gannon said, via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss“And we have an elite one.”

Gannon added that he expects to start the interview process to begin in the next few days, so a decision will likely not come long after as he works to build his staff.

Cardinals Hire Jonathan Gannon As HC

The final head coaching vacancy of the 2023 head coaching cycle is set to be filled. The Cardinals are finalizing a deal to make Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon their new HC, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the hire.

Signs increasingly pointed to Gannon being the Cardinals’ top choice beginning on Super Bowl Sunday, when it was reported that an interview would be set up. At that point, Arizona was believed to be down to two finalists to lead their staff (Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka). Things quickly shifted, and now Gannon is set for his first head coaching gig.

Monday, a report surfaced that the Cardinals had essentially narrowed down their list of finalists to Gannon and Anarumo. Today’s news confirms that, and leaves Kafka in place for another season at the helm of the Giants’ offense, a role in which he achieved unexpected success. Anarumo, meanwhile, is now free to prepare for a fifth consecutive season in charge of the Bengals’ defense, a unit which has come on strong in recent years in particular. Brian Flores was among the candidates receiving serious consideration for Arizona’s HC vacancy, but he withdrew to take the Vikings’ defensive coordinator position.

Gannon, 39, joined Nick Sirianni in making the jump from Indianapolis to Philadelphia in 2021. The Eagles’ defense performed well in their first season together, putting up the league’s No. 10 total defense. The unit took a considerable step forward with another year of Gannon at the helm and an infusion of several high-end players during the offseason. In 2022, Philadelphia ranked top-10 in both both points and yards allowed, figures which helped guide the team to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Strong performances in the postseason (including an NFC title game against the 49ers, who were without a healthy quarterback for much of the game, in fairness) took the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Much has been made about the team’s breakdown in the second half in particular against the Chiefs, but Gannon still boasts a strong resume given his success in his first coordinator gig. That has translated to a first-time HC posting, where he will build off of a strong relationship with new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that the personal connection between the pair helped give Gannon an edge over Anarumo, who interviewed well. Now, attention will turn to his choice for offensive coordinator, and his ability to steer the team back towards contention after a disastrous 2022 season. Arizona’s regression left it as little surprise that both Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim are no longer in place, despite each having multiple years remaining on their contracts before their departures.

Gannon will face a tall order in terms of helping the Cardinals take a step forward on both sides of the ball, as his now-former Eagles counterpart Shane Steichen does in Indianapolis. The reporting of Gannon’s hire comes mere hours after Steichen’s was announced by the Colts, leaving the Eagles as the first team in a decade to lose both their offensive and defensive coordinators in the same offseason. Attention will now turn to how Philadelphia compensates, as well as how Gannon fills out his staff as the coaching cycle winds down.

2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

Last year, 10 NFL teams hired new head coaches. Following the Panthers, Broncos and Texans’ hires, this year’s vacancy count sits at two. Last year’s Saints and Buccaneers moves, however, showed these job openings can emerge at unexpected points.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-14-23 (1:30pm CT)

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Eagles Attempting To Keep Jonathan Gannon, Eyed Vic Fangio As Potential Replacement

Following the Eagles’ narrow loss in Super Bowl LVII, Jonathan Gannon stayed in Arizona for his Cardinals interview. The second-year defensive coordinator has gained steam for the Arizona HC gig to the point he looks to be the favorite.

Gannon has been on the Cardinals’ radar for a bit, and the Eagles are at least making a pitch to keep him. The NFC champions have attempted to convince Gannon to stay on as their DC, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Gannon was a Texans finalist last year, but the Cardinals have been the only team to seriously consider him this year.

Although the Cardinals’ search appeared to have dwindled to Lou Anarumo and Mike Kafka entering Super Bowl LVII, Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano adds rumblings persisted about their interest in interviewing Gannon and Eagles OC Shane Steichen for a while. Gannon and new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort, per Vacchiano, have been friends for a bit, despite never working together. Steichen is on track to become the next Colts head coach.

The Eagles had used Vic Fangio as a defensive consultant throughout the season, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane (on Twitter), and the accomplished defensive coach had planned to stay on through Super Bowl LVII all along. This arrangement kept his Dolphins gig from becoming official for a bit. Signed to a three-year deal worth more than $4.5MM per season, Fangio is now believed to be the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinator. He would have likely been the top option to replace Gannon, Breer adds, but several teams showed interest before the Philly DC vacancy became likely. The 49ers also appeared to have Fangio as their top option, but the Dolphins’ offer won out.

Should Gannon end up being the Cardinals’ next HC, Vacchiano notes Eagles passing-game coordinator Dennard Wilson would make for a natural replacement candidate. Wilson, 40, has been an NFL DBs coach since 2015, serving in that capacity with the Rams, Jets and Eagles. He interviewed for the Browns’ DC job earlier this year, seeing it go to ex-Eagles DC Jim Schwartz.

Steichen and Gannon both leaving would make the Eagles the first team to see both their coordinators land HC jobs since the 2013 Bengals, who lost Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer. The Cardinals have been at this HC search for a while, and their job might end up being the last one filled. The team saw Brian Flores — a reported finalist — bow out of the race, and higher-profile target Sean Payton chose the Broncos. Dan Quinn also withdrew from multiple searches, while DeMeco Ryans cancelled his Cardinals and Colts interviews. Frank Reich landed in Carolina. It is not known how far Reich was going to advance in Arizona’s search, but this process has dragged into a sixth week now.

Latest On Cardinals, Jonathan Gannon

The Cardinals paused their ongoing head coach search during Super Bowl weekend, but appear to have a list of finalists in place for the position. One of those is Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who is now free to meet with prospective employers with the Super Bowl in the books.

It was reported yesterday morning that the Cardinals were expected to request an interview with the 39-year-old. A follow-up later in the day seemed to point to Gannon not only being a candidate for the posting, but the one in the driver’s seat to be hired. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Gannon is expected to interview today.

The Cardinals had their search pared down to three candidates recently: Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Steelers linebackers coach Brian Flores. The latter took the Vikings’ DC position last week, thus taking himself out of the running to become the new coach in the desert. That left many presuming the other two would be the only remaining contenders, but Gannon’s presence has changed the situation.

Schefter’s colleague Josh Weinfuss reports that the Cardinals have “focused” their resumed search on Anarumo and Gannon (Twitter link). While he emphasizes that Kafka should be considered out of the running altogether, that update underscores how highly-regarded Gannon is by an Arizona front office which is now led by general manager Monti Ossenfort alongside owner Michael Bidwill.

Gannon only has two years of coordinator experience, but his success in 2022 in particular makes him a logical candidate for a HC position. The Eagles were dominant in a number of categories as both their front seven and secondary helped guide the team to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a trip to the Super Bowl. The performance of Gannon’s unit in the second half of the title game in particular was far from stellar, but he is still likely to be on the head coaching radar in the years to come should he not land the Cardinals position.

Weinfuss adds that a final decision on Arizona’s next head coach could come as soon as tonight, so much will depend on Gannon’s interview. None of the three finalists are considered candidates for the Colts’ vacancy, so the runners-up will be in position to remain in their current roles for the 2023 season.

Colts Targeting Shane Steichen As HC

The Colts have zeroed in on Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their top head coaching candidate, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It seems Indianapolis is pretty confident it will land Steichen, as the club has told other candidates it is moving in a different direction.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms that Jeff Saturday, who finished the 2022 season as the club’s interim head coach, has been told that he is out of the running (Twitter link). That will likely come as welcome news for those within the organization who have attempted to dissuade owner Jim Irsay from removing the interim tag from Saturday’s title.

Irsay’s controversial Saturday hire was the precursor to a long and expansive head coaching search that at one time appeared as if it might lead to a rare third round of interviews. Earlier this week, we learned that the Colts were unlikely to go that route, and that the club had whittled its list to five finalists.

And if Indianapolis can land Steichen, it will be difficult to criticize the result, even if the process leading up to it was a bit unorthodox. Steichen, who also secured HC interviews with the Panthers and Texans in this year’s cycle, has quickly turned into a hot commodity on the head coaching market. The 37-year-old was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2020 — which happened to be Justin Herbert‘s impressive rookie year — and he joined Philadelphia in the same capacity in 2021. Eagles HC Nick Sirianni handed Steichen the play-calling reins midway through the 2021 campaign, and the Eagles’ pivot to a run-heavy offense drove them to that season’s playoff bracket. Jalen Hurts’ progress as a passer this season helped the team secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a trip to today’s Super Bowl.

The Eagles finished the 2022 regular season third in both total offense and points per game, and Steichen’s work with Herbert and Hurts is surely viewed favorably by a Colts outfit that may well add a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft. Plus, it is clear that Indianapolis wants to retain incumbent defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and Steichen — who worked with Bradley when both men were on the Chargers’ coaching staff from 2017-20 — would presumably be amenable to that.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, is in danger of losing both of its top coordinators. A report this morning indicated that the Cardinals have requested a head coaching interview with Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, and given that Arizona has waited until it could interview Gannon before naming a new bench boss, one has to assume that he is the favorite to land the post (interestingly, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Gannon was also on the radar for the Colts’ HC position, though it does not appear as if that is still the case).

If Steichen does indeed become Indianapolis’ new head coach, then Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson would likely become Philly’s OC, as Schefter adds in a follow-up tweet. Johnson interviewed with the Rams and Jets when those clubs were still looking for a new offensive coordinator, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported before the Steichen news broke that the Ravens are expected to speak with him for their own OC vacancy (Twitter link).

Whether or not Johnson speaks with Baltimore in light of today’s developments remains to be seen.

Cardinals To Request HC Interview With Jonathan Gannon

8:00pm: In an update to his previous reporting, Balzer states rather definitively that Gannon “will be the Cardinals’ new head coach” (Twitter link). He adds that there is a “strong possibility” Browns QBs coach Drew Petzing is hired for the OC role, something SI’s Albert Breer tweets would come as no surprise if Gannon were to be hired. Petzing and Gannon have history with each other dating back to their time spent with the Vikings.

10:16am: When Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said that his team’s new head coach would not be announced until after today’s Super Bowl, it led to plenty of speculation that he wanted to interview one of the coordinators participating in the title bout. That turned out to be the case, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Arizona is expected to request an HC interview with Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon (Twitter link).

Gannon interviewed for the Texans’ head coaching position in January and was at one time considered the frontrunner for the post, particularly since he had interviewed for the same job last year. Houston, however, pivoted to DeMeco Ryans, and until today, Gannon had not been formally connected to any other HC opening in this year’s cycle.

It’s easy to see why the Cardinals would have interest in Gannon. The 39-year-old, who just wrapped his second season as Philadelphia’s DC after a three-year stint as the Colts’ defensive backs coach, oversaw a unit that ranked second in the league in total defense and eighth in points allowed in 2022. The Eagles also boasted the best pass defense in the NFL — which reflects well on Gannon given his background as a DBs coach — and posted a whopping 70 sacks (60 of which came from a base front, as opposed to a blitz).

In a lengthy feature on Gannon’s life and career, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says that Gannon’s scouting experience — he spent several years as a college and pro scout with the Rams — has boosted his stock as a top HC candidate. Gannon himself confirmed that the GMs he has spoken with appreciate the fact that he knows and understands that side of the business.

Gannon also has a strong relationship with new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort, as Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Breer adds that Bidwill also did a great deal of background work on Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, though no interview has been requested as of the time of this writing. It presently appears as if Steichen is in line to land the Colts’ head coaching job, so the Eagles could find themselves looking to replace both of their top coordinators in short order.

The strength of Gannon’s Arizona candidacy will depend, at least in part, on whom he taps as his offensive coordinator, as Howard Balzer of PHNX tweets. Kyler Murray may not be ready to return to action until midway through the 2023 season, but he is the team’s franchise quarterback, and his performance will largely drive the team’s fortunes in the coming years. So in addition to bringing the right head coach aboard, the team also needs to hit on its OC hire.

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and Giants OC Mike Kafka are the Cardinals’ other two head coaching finalists.

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