Ranking the defensive play-caller for each NFL team

Simply put, there isn't a better or more accomplished defensive mind in the history of the NFL than Belichick. He was arguably the best defensive coordinator in league history under Bill Parcells even before becoming a head coach, and New England's defense has failed to rank in the top half of the league in points allowed in only three of his 23 seasons.

For anyone who thought Quinn's success in Seattle as coordinator was a result of his personnel, he's proven them wrong with the turnaround in Dallas. Dallas' defense went from 28th in points allowed before he arrived to seventh, and improved to fifth last season. Seattle's defense was No. 1 in both points and yards in the two seasons he called plays in 2013-2014, and Quinn looks right at home with the Cowboys.

Few coaches in the NFL circuit have more experience than Fangio, who got his first NFL coordinator job in 1995 with the Panthers. He's had stints as coordinator with Carolina, Indianapolis, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami, as well as three seasons as Broncos head coach. Fangio has guided elite defenses, particularly over the last two decades, finishing top 10 in points eight times in 11 seasons since 2011. His hire in Miami this offseason was considered a coup for head coach Mike McDaniel.

Ryans has an experienced coordinator in Matt Burke, but at least in the short-term, it seems that Ryan is having the final say on defensive play calling. That's understandable with the success his defense had in San Francisco for two seasons, including No. 1 in points and yards last season. Ryans brought in personnel he was comfortable with, led by safety Jimmie Ward, with the hope he can help lead the defense to find similar success.

McDermott has had the luxury of veteran defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier during his time in Buffalo, but the coordinator's hiatus this season has thrust the head coach back into play calling. The position isn't foreign to McDermott, who especially made a name for himself coordinator the Panthers defense from 2011-2016 but even before then called plays for Andy Reid in Philly. The Panthers defense was elite twice under McDermott, and his aggressive play calling has a chance to get Buffalo back on track this season.

Allen is credited with turning around the Saints defense before earning the head coaching job last season. A former head coach of the Raiders, Allen turned around a Saints defense that was at the bottom of the league in 2015, with three consecutive top 10 finishes coming into 2023. 

Spags has overseen some less-than-stellar defenses and had a disastrous stint as the Rams head coach, but his overall resume is spectacular. He's coordinated three championship defenses between the Giants and Chiefs, and his rebuild of Kansas City's defense speaks to his prowess as a defensive schemer and playcaller. KC's defense has been no worse than middle of the pack since he took over in 2019, and performed top 10 in points allowed three times.

The results of Bowles as head coach have been subpar between his time with the Jets and Bucs, but his defenses have been anything but mediocre. He led the Bucs defense that won the Super Bowl in 2020, and Tampa Bay's defense went from 29th in points allowed in his first season in 2019 to near the top of the league over the next two seasons. They remain strong despite losing some veterans, and he also resided over solid units earlier in his career as coordinator of the Eagles and Cardinals.

Schwartz is a legend for his scheme and some of his defense as coordinator in Tennessee (2001-2008), Buffalo (2014), and Philadelphia (2016-2020). His most recent work in Philadelphia helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2017, though the team struggled to maintain its elite level before Doug Pederson's staff was eventually let go. The early returns with Cleveland have been brilliant.

Anarumo is becoming a popular head coaching candidate for the job he's done turning around the Bengals defense. The unit has shown consistent improvement, from 30th in points allowed in 2018 before he took over to sixth last season. He's helped mold strong talent at all three levels, and the defense has been at its best since the days of Marvin Lewis.

Martindale was Baltimore's defensive coordinator from 2018-2021, and his unit was consistently elite until an injury-plagued decline in his final year. Perhaps that was the excuse the team needed to move on from Martindale, but he landed on his feet in New York last season. Leading a less talented, young unit with the Giants proved more difficult, but Martindale has the team headed in the right direction.

A holdover from Frank Reich's staff, Bradley has retained play-calling duties on defense after serving as coordinator of the Seahawks, Chargers, and Raiders previously. His most impressive work was molding Seattle's defense into a championship unit, graduating as No. 1 in points allowed in 2012 before he was named head coach of the Jaguars. Injuries and personnel issues have plagued Bradley's most recent defenses, but he's one of the most respected minds in his craft.

Ulbrich became the Jets defensive coordinator in 2021 when Robert Saleh was hired after one season in Atlanta. While the Jets talent has progressed rapidly, Ulbrich's value shows in last year's turnaround. New York's defense was dead last in the league in 2021, but improved to fourth in points and yards last season. If the performance continues, Ulbrich should garner plenty of head coaching consideration.

One of the most widely respected coordinators in the league, Morris was the Bucs head coach from 2009-2011 and since then has experience running defenses in Atlanta and LA. He took over the 2021 unit that eventually won the Super Bowl, and will have his coaching skills on full display this year for a young defense that has few recognizable names beyond Aaron Donald.

Baltimore made the controversial decision to fire Don Martindale last offseason, bringing back Macdonald after coordinating the Michigan defense. It's proved an astute move so far, as the Ravens former defensive assistant got the unit back on track to ranking third in points and ninth in yards despite injuries on the backend. The improved play at safety has had a lot to do with the Ravens great defense under Macdonald, but he also deserves props.

Wilks hasn't had extended periods as the defensive play caller in any one locale, but has consistently done a fine job with the opportunity. His trek since 2017 includes coordinator of the Panthers, head coach of the Cardinals, coordinator of the Browns, and coordinator and interim head coach of the Panthers again last season. Since his defense's great performance in 2017 with Carolina, his units have consistently performed in the middle of the pack, but that's expected to change this season with a wealth of talent in San Francisco.

Washington has made an outsized investment in defense during recent drafts, particularly on the defensive line. That shows in the defensive results, and Del Rio's hard-nosed style has played into that with two top-10 finishes since he was named coordinator in 2020. Previously, Del Rio guided elite defenses with Carolina and Denver as coordinator, and he also had several strong defenses as head coach of the Jaguars (2003-2011).

Evero drew acclaim as Denver's defensive coordinator in his first season on the job last year, so it wasn't a surprise to see him earn another shot when the staff was let go. His personnel is only a slight step down after the Broncos were admirably 14th in points and seventh in yards last season despite a turnover-prone offense.

Flores led the Dolphins defense as head coach from 2019-2021, turning around a unit that tanked. Miami's defense very quickly became one of the best, ranking sixth in points allowed in his second season. Inheriting an old defense lacking in talent at several key positions in Minnesota, Flores has a tough task ahead of him.

It's been a rough go for the Bears early this season, including the shocking for of defensive coordinator Alan Williams for HR issues. As a result, the play calling duties have fallen to head coach Matt Eberflus. Eberflus cut his teeth as the defensive coordinator of the Colts from 2018-2021 under Frank Reich, helping the unit finish top 10 three times. Of course, that unit also had far more talent than what he has to work with in Chicago, and the added head coaching duties make this job a 10 in level of difficulty.

Austin has his third defensive coordinator job after filling the role with the Lions and Bengals previously. He's usually resided over talent-deficient units during his time as a coordinator, but it was expected that would change last season until T.J. Watt went down. The early-season injury to Cam Heyward in Week 1 this year creates another challenge for Austin, though improvement is still expected under Austin with new personnel in the secondary.

Joseph is getting the rare opportunity to coordinator a defense where he was the head coach only five yards ago with Denver. He's been in that role with Miami (2016) and Arizona (2019-2022), and deserves credit for righting the ship in Arizona with a middle of the pack defense before last year's injury-plagued collapse. Joseph has big shoes to fill, succeeding Vic Fangio and Ejiro Evero in Denver, and the early results have been bleak.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel knows a thing or two about defense after being a long-time linebacker and defensive assistant before Tennessee hired him to be head coach. The fact that he's trusted Bowen to run the defense since 2021 speaks volumes. The Titans finished sixth in points allowed in 2021 before regressing last season with a leaky secondary, but they still managed a 14th-place finish. Bowen has clearly made the most of what he has after some bad drafts and injuries.

Caldwell got his first opportunity as a coordinator with the Jaguars last season, and did well to get the defense on track after a debacle under Urban Meyer. The team showed marked improvement in the pass rush and finished 12th in points allowed after consecutive seasons near the bottom of the league.

Barry had a great resume before the Packers hired him as defensive coordinator in 2021, including time as coordinator in Detroit and Washington. The lack of progress in Green Bay under Barry has been a relative disappointment with middle-of-the-pack results, though young players like Rashan Gary and Jaire Alexander have developed nicely. The pressure is on Barry's unit to perform better this season as Jordan Love takes over at quarterback.

Desai was defensive coordinator for one year with the Bears in 2021 before the team fired their coaching staff, but earned enough respect in that time to get the job with the defending NFC Champs this year. Chicago struggled to keep points off the board in Desai's one season, ranking 22nd, but they were sixth in yards while covering up for an anemic offense. Keeping the momentum of Philly's defense this season would allow Desai to enter the head coaching conversations around the NFL.

A long-time assistant under Bill Belichick in New England, Graham has made a name for himself as coordinator of the Dolphins, Giants, and Raiders since 2019. His work for a bad Giants since in 2020-2021 was seen as strong, but he has a tougher task now revitalizing a Raiders defense that has been consistently bad due to poor drafting.

Hurtt was promoted from defensive line coach to coordinator by Seattle in 2022, and did the best he could with a wealth of very young players, finishing 25th in points allowed. Seattle revamped the defensive personnel in free agency during the offseason, particularly in the front seven, giving Hurtt the troops he needs to shift the Seahawks defense to the top half of the league.

A three-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Glenn is entering his third season as the Lions defensive coordinator. He's received plenty of criticism during his time trying to revamp a defense that was at the bottom of the barrel when he inherited it, and there hasn't been much progress up to this season. A new secondary finally gives Glenn the tools to succeed, but he needs to show immediate progress.

After a disappointing playoff loss, the Chargers cleaned house and fired their offensive and defensive coordinators. Ansley got a promotion from defensive back coach, though he does have two years of experience as the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee.

A highly sought-after assistant in New Orleans, Nielsen was handed play-calling duties for the division-rival Falcons this season. His unit is loaded with past-their-prime veterans, though the veteran presence could allow an easier transition for Nielsen.

The youngest defensive coordinator in the NFL at age 30, Rallis is getting his first chance to coordinate a defense and call plays after serving as an assistant for the Vikings and Eagles. He has his work cut out for him after the Cardinals shed talent in the offseason, but the Cardinals defense has played hard early this season.