#defensive-coordinator

#defensive-coordinator

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 vacancies open, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

These NFC East gigs are rather interesting, seeing as Gannon trekked to Arizona after two seasons as the Eagles' DC. The Cardinals position did not work out, and Gannon will consider heading back to the DC level. Having a head coaching interview set for days after the two DC meetings could throw a wrench into his schedule, and a determination on how likely a Titans opportunity would be may need to be made with regards to potentially accepting a DC offer earlier.

At this point, Evero's put in enough work to be a serious candidate. He was a hot name after his one-year stint in Denver where he oversaw an excellent defense, but Sean Payton did not retain him; he then slogged through two rough years with a talent-depleted Carolina defense, holding on to his role after Frank Reich was fired and Dave Canales was hired, before coaxing significant improvement out of them in 2025.

While Miami's defense has not been great in 2025-they rank in the 20s for points and yards allowed-part of that has been the collapse of a putrid offense and August additions failing to gel that have put more pressure on the unit; Weaver had this group in the top ten for points and yardage allowed in 2024. He's considered a scheme-adaptable, player-friendly defensive coach who can also be extremely blunt about the state of his defenses when they struggle, which fans would no doubt welcome.

His ascension to defensive coordinator with the Ravens ushered in a new era of defensive dominance for Baltimore, perfectly pairing with the explosive emergence of Lamar Jackson on offense. The gruff, aggressive mastermind eventually left for the Giants, partially due to disagreements with head coach John Harbaugh. There, he crafted a defense that routinely punched above its weight in his first year on Brian Daboll's staff, during which the Giants surprised everyone with a playoff run.

The only one on this list who's officially available, Steve Wilks began the season as the Jets defensive coordinator but was fired after a Week 14 loss to the Jaguars. Wilks' defense had not been performing well this season, but it was also the first year of a rebuild and he watched his two best players - Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner - get dealt at the deadline. It's hard to know what exactly Jets leadership expected from Wilks.

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is remaining with the program, coach Lane Kiffin said Friday on X. Baker, who has led LSU's defense the past two seasons, interviewed for head-coaching vacancies at Tulane and Memphis this week and was a strong candidate, sources said. But he instead will remain with Kiffin, who prioritized retaining Baker, one of the nation's highest-paid assistants at $2.5 million.

San Jose State not only had its hopes of becoming bowl eligible for a fourth straight season obliterated by a team that had not won a Mountain West Conference game since 2023, but on Monday it cost longtime defensive coordinator Derrick Odum and special teams coordinator Joe Palcic their jobs. Now the team looks to regroup Saturday night in San Diego against the Aztecs (8-2, 5-1 Mountain West), who have one of the staunchest defenses in the nation and need to win out to remain in the CFP chase.