Offense gets the glory but defense wins championships. The NFL coaching carousel was wild this offseason. In 2024, 31 of the league’s 64 offensive and defensive coordinator posts will be held by new hires.
Who are the current defensive coordinators for all 32 NFL teams? We have a team-by-team look and break down some of the most interesting defensive coordinators on new teams.
Current NFL Defensive Coordinators
- Arizona Cardinals | Nick Rallis
- Atlanta Falcons | Jimmy Lake
- Baltimore Ravens | Zach Orr
- Buffalo Bills | Bobby Babich
- Carolina Panthers | Ejiro Evero
- Chicago Bears | Eric Washington
- Cincinnati Bengals | Vacant*
- Cleveland Browns | Jim Schwartz
- Dallas Cowboys | Mike Zimmer
- Denver Broncos | Vance Joseph
- Detroit Lions | Aaron Glenn
- Green Bay Packers | Jeff Hafley
- Houston Texans | Matt Burke
- Indianapolis Colts | Gus Bradley
- Jacksonville Jaguars | Ryan Neilsen
- Kansas City Chiefs | Steve Spagnuolo
- Las Vegas Raiders | Patrick Graham
- Los Angeles Chargers | Jesse Minter
- Los Angeles Rams | Chris Shula
- Minnesota Vikings | Brian Flores
- Miami Dolphins | Anthony Weaver
- New England Patriots | DeMarcus Covington
- New Orleans Saints | Joe Woods
- New York Giants | Shane Bowen
- New York Jets | Jeff Ulbrich
- Pittsburgh Steelers | Teryl Austin
- Philadelphia Eagles | Vic Fangio
- San Francisco 49ers | Nick Sorensen
- Seattle Seahawks | Aden Durde
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kacy Rodgers, Larry Foote
- Tennessee Titans | Dennard Wilson
- Washington Commanders | Joe Whitt Jr.
How Many Teams Hired a New Coordinator in 2024?
While every new coordinator/team pairing could be the perfect marriage, we are particularly intrigued by these three combinations.
Vic Fangio | Eagles
Fangio returns to the Eagles just 12 months after leaving them for the Dolphins. Fangio was a “consultant” for the Eagles in their Super Bowl run but is now expected to be the defensive coordinator.
Fangio will also be a first-year defensive coordinator for the second season in a row after spending one year in Miami. However, after the Dolphins’ season fell apart down the stretch, the team and Fangio agreed to part ways mutually, allowing him to move back to Philadelphia to be closer to his family.
Fangio is arguably best known for his three years as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Before that, he spent four seasons as the DC of the Chicago Bears and was Jim Harbaugh’s DC in San Francisco between 2011 and 2014.
Jeff Hafley | Packers
The Green Bay Packers finally ended the Joe Barry era in January, firing their defensive coordinator after three seasons at the helm. With a young, impactful offensive core already in place, the Packers had to make a change on defense after ranking bottom third in scoring, yards per play, and efficiency in 2023.
Jeff Hafley, Boston College’s head coach from 2020-23, should institute several noticeable changes from Day 1 as Green Bay’s DC. Hafley’s defense will be far more aggressive than Barry’s, who preferred to limit explosive plays. It might be as much of a mentality shift as a schematic change. Hafley, a longtime defensive backs coach, should help the Packers create more ball production after they tied for 31st in interception rate (1.3%) last season.
Green Bay converted from a 3-4 front to a 4-3 look. While the NFL’s move toward sub packages has negated the differences between the two alignments, a 4-3 approach should nominally lend itself to Hafley’s attacking style.
Eric Washington | Bears
After the Bears cleared out both their offensive and defensive coordinators after the 2023 season, they swooped in and hired Eric Washington from the Bills. Washington spent four seasons with the Bills as the defensive line coach. During his time there, he also had the title of senior defensive assistant in 2022 and assistant head coach in 2023.
Washington’s previous experience as a defensive coordinator came with the Carolina Panthers between 2018 and 2019. He was also a coach previously in Chicago between 2008 and 2010 before heading to Carolina.