Chiefs have a trio of strong internal defensive coordinator candidates should Steve Spagnuolo get a head-coaching job
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has made his intentions clear — he has aspirations to be a head coach in the NFL again. Following his brilliance as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator, Spags earned his first opportunity as head coach with the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2011, but it didn't go as […]
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has made his intentions clear — he has aspirations to be a head coach in the NFL again.
Following his brilliance as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator, Spags earned his first opportunity as head coach with the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2011, but it didn't go as he had hoped. He finished with a 10-38 record over the course of three seasons, struggling to find consistency and success at the quarterback position.
His work transforming the Chiefs' defense after Bob Sutton's tenure has been nothing short of remarkable. His consistency, despite relative roster turnover, has earned him another opportunity to coach an NFL team, and those teams certainly agree. As of Friday, Spagnuolo had completed three head-coaching interviews with AFC clubs, including the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders.
Should Spagnuolo end up as head coach of a new team, what will the Chiefs do at their vacant defensive coordinator spot? While outside candidates will likely be considered, the team also has three strong internal candidates who deserve a promotion. Here's a quick look at each candidate and what they bring to the table.
Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt
Merritt joined Spagnuolo's coaching staff in 2019 as the team's defensive backs coach and just completed his 28th season as an assistant coach in the NFL. He works closely with both cornerbacks and safeties in Kansas City. Last offseason, he interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator job. This came just after the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, and they fired DC Steve Wilks. This felt a bit more like it was a fact-finding mission on the part of San Francisco after they lost to Kansas City in the big game once again. Still, Merritt's qualifications are not without merit. His work with the "Fab Five" in 2022 (Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Bryan Cook, and Nazeeh Johnson) alone warrants a promotion.
Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen
Cullen has been the Chiefs' defensive line coach since the 2022 NFL season, joining Steve Spagnuolo's coaching staff when Brendan Daly moved to linebackers coach. Of the potential in-house candidates, Cullen is actually the only one who has experience as a defensive coordinator at the NFL level. He was defensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, a year before joining the Chiefs' defensive coaching staff. The Jags defense ran a hybridized scheme with both 3-4 and 4-3 looks. They ranked 20th in total defense and 28th in points allowed, but they had a strong pass defense. While the defensive line is his expertise, Chris Jones always speaks highly of Cullen's leadership, which is certainly a translatable skillset.
Chiefs LB coach Brendan Daly
Daly has been a member of Steve Spagnuolo's coaching staff since 2019, coming over after an extended period coaching the defensive line for the New England Patriots. Of the Chiefs' staff members who have actually coached multiple position groups, Daly is in a league of his own. He has coached defensive linemen and linebackers in Kansas City. He also has held an overarching role as the team's defensive run-game coordinator. That bodes well for him, given the improvements in the run defense from 2019-2021, when he held the title.
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