Brian Flores - Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/LB coach
Sean Desai - Seattle Seahawks associate head coach-defense
Ryan Nielsen - New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator/DL coach
Mike Pettine - Minnesota Vikings assistant head coach
…the Vikings were apparently and reportedly waiting for an opportunity to interview a fifth candidate.
Ejiro Evero - Denver Broncos defensive coordinator
With past ties to both head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and a track record of strong coaching, it was assumed by many that Ejiro Evero was #1 on the team’s wish list from the start. That would explain the patient wait for an interview. As a rising coach in the league, Evero was in high demand. He’d interviewed for all five of this year’s head coach vacancies. He couldn’t interview for a defensive coordinator position as he was under contract with the Broncos and the team refused all interview requests for a parallel move. Finally, on Saturday, the Broncos released Evero from his contract. He was free to move on. It felt like a good thing for the Vikings. Their #1 was finally available for an interview. The good thing didn’t last long as the Carolina Panthers hired Evero to be their defensive coordinator yesterday. If it was a coin flip between the Panthers and the Vikings, the Panthers had the edge. He’d interviewed with the team to be their head coach. He and the team apparently made a positive impression on the other.
Evero is now unavailable. So is Ryan Nielsen. He was hired by the Atlanta Falcons. Sean Desai is also unavailable. He withdrew from consideration to be the Vikings defensive coordinator to focus on the same position with the Broncos. The Vikings currently reported options for their next defensive coordinator come down to one. Brian Flores. Unfortunately for the Vikings, fortunately for him, Flores is a head coach finalist for the Arizona Cardinals. We’ll see how that goes. He also has an interview this week with the Broncos for their now open defensive coordinator position. The guess here is that Desai will be the next defensive coordinator in Denver. Potentially, that leaves the top job in Arizona or defensive coordinator in Minnesota for Flores. Nice options.
When the Vikings interviewed Flores, fans were thrilled. He’d be a terrific hire. Until he isn’t an option, the possibility is still thrilling. I don’t get some of the current fretting.
There’s always Mike Pettine. Perhaps, this option is the reason for the fretting. I like him as the assistant head coach. I’m not sure I like him guiding the Vikings defense.
From the start of this search for a new defensive coordinator, I hoped that the Vikings decision-makers would consider former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Both O’Connell and Pettine know him well. O’Connell and Leonhard were teammates with the New York Jets. Baltimore, New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, everywhere Pettine coached, Leonhard was on the roster. He has no NFL coaching experience but he played in the league for 10 years. He knows NFL defense. He’s proven at the college level that he can teach defense. If Flores gets a deserved head coach shot, I sure hope that Leonhard is considered. With his familiarity to O’Connell and especially Pettine, I can’t imagine that he hasn’t been considered.
If not Brian Flores, or Jim Leonhard, then who:
Kris Richard - former New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator
Dennard Wilson - Pass Game Coordinator/DB coach
Cory Undlin - San Francisco 49ers DB coach
Those are the coaches that quickly come to mind as they were considered when all this started. I just want the Vikings to find their defensive coordinator so that we can fully move on to the next phase of this offseason.
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