NFC North Roundtable: Division's best assistant coach is a unanimous decision, and it's easy to see why

Minnesota Vikings beat writer Tyler Forness: Vikings DC Brian Flores

I don't think this is much of a question at this point. Last year, you could have easily made an argument for Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, but they received head coaching jobs this offseason. Flores should be a head coach, but it hasn't happened yet, and it's not because Flores isn't worthy of a job; he's suing the league for unfair hiring practices.

When you watch a Flores defense, two things come to mind immediately: you never know what you're going to get from him, and he maximizes the talent he has very well. That has manifested very well over the last two seasons, as he's maneuvered with massive talent gaps that have eventually caught up with the team at the end of the season.

Going forward, we may see Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on this list, but we need a bigger sample size for one season.

Green Bay Packers beat writer Wendell Ferreira: Vikings DC Brian Flores

Brian Flores. It's a good division for defensive coordinators, with Jeff Hafley and Dennis Allen being highly regarded as well. But Flores has done an insanely impressive job for the Vikings, especially considering the talent level he has. The Vikings' defensive coordinator created a unique and aggressive style to extract the most out of his players, and when the front office added more talent, Flores was good enough to adapt and elevate the performance even more. Happily for the Vikings and concerningly for the other NFC North teams, the NFL hasn't given Flores a new head-coaching opportunity after his controversial exit from the Miami Dolphins.

Chicago Bears beat writer Kole Noble: Vikings DC Brian Flores

Brian Flores. Another one where it’s not particularly close. Brian Flores’ scheme torrents all quarterbacks, young or old, every single week. Between the press-man corners and the NASCAR package rushing the passer, there’s little to do offensively against this unit.

The only assistant coach I would consider putting in this conversation is Bear’s defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Allen has always produced top defensive units during his time coaching with the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders but he’ll have to prove himself first with Chicago’s defense and all its new pieces before I can even think about putting him anywhere close to Flores’ level.

Detroit Lions beat writer Mike Payton: Vikings DC Brian Flores

Now that Ben Johnson is no longer an option, you have to go with Brian Flores. This guy should be a head coach right now, but that’s another story. He’s been one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL for years now, and he’s kind of like a player in the sense that you have to game plan for him. The way he disguises things is dangerous, and you often see quarterbacks get swallowed up in the confusion.

The only other guy I’d consider is Kelvin Sheppard. Yes, he has not been a coordinator before, but after being around the guy and talking with him, the confidence level that he’s going to succeed and probably be better than Aaron Glenn is high for me.