It appears that the Arizona Cardinals have made a decision on their defensive coordinator under new head coach Mike LaFleur. According to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, they are expected to retain Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator.
Rallis was the defensive coordinator for three seasons under head coach Jonathan Gannon. He quietly remained out of hiring reports around the league while other former Cardinals coaches went elsewhere.
Former offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is now the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, and former special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Jeff Rodgers now is the special temas coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.
Retaining Rallis is a surprise after the Cardinals' defensive struggles. In three seasons, they have ranked 25th, 21st and 27th in yards allowed, and they have been 31st, 15th and 29th in points allowed.
Yes, the Cardinals dealt with so many injuries at all levels of the defense, so that impacted the defensive outcomes.
With Rallis returning, we can expect some of his assistants to return, although a few have already departed.
Was this a case of Rallis impressing LaFleur with his philosophy and scheme? Or was it a case of the organization insisting Rallis stay? Was it a money issue?
The last time a new Cardinals head coach didn't bring in a new defensive coordinator was when Ken Whisenhunt was hired in 2007. The Cardinals retained Clancy Pendergast as defensive coordinator for the first two seasons Whisenhunt coached.
The big question now is whether Rallis will do things differently himself or not. How much of what he did was because Gannon wanted games called that way?
With this report, the Cardinals now have rounded out their coordinators. Nathaniel Hackett will be offensive coordinator, Rallis returns as DC and Michael Ghobrial will be the special teams coordinator.
Who were the other candidates?
The Cardinals offered the job, had interest in or interviewed the following other candidates:
- Gus Bradley (now the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator)
- Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale
- Rams assistant head coach/pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant
- Giants linebackers coach Charlie Bullen
- Texans defensive backs coach Dino Vasso
- Seahawks defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Karl Scott
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals expected to retain Nick Rallis as DC