Ranking the NFC West's Defensive Coordinators

The NFC West is an intriguing division with several teams that are talented from top to bottom. Offense continues to drive the league and will certainly be one of the biggest components that will very likely lead to the winner of this division.

However, the notion that defense wins championships hasn’t changed as evidenced by last season‘s Super Bowl.

Among the four teams in this division, each has plenty of talent to place in the top half of the league by seasons end. Additions across the board at every level of the defense for each team should/will make a major impact in the NFC West standings.

It all starts with the man calling the shots, and this division is full of young up-and-coming faces. It is lead, of course, by perhaps the best defensive mind in the NFL, who is making a return to his original franchise.

Who is the best defensive coordinator in the NFC West?

1. Robert Saleh, San Francisco 49ers

Saleh's return to San Francisco is going to be exactly what the team needs to return to prominence. San Francisco’s defense stayed afloat when Saleh took the job with the Jets in 2021 thanks to DeMeco Ryans, but after the latter left, the defense took its inevitable step backwards.

Now that arguably the best defensive mind in all of the league is back home, expect the 49ers' defense to come back to life as one of the best.

He will certainly have his work cut out for him, considering several major departures from the off-season, but he still maintains Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, and that’s more than enough.

Saleh can get the best play out of anyone in a retooled defense that is getting younger and cheaper. We’ll see their development skyrocket under him.

2. Nick Rallis, Arizona Cardinals

I would argue that no coach did more with less last year than Rallis did in the desert. In spite of several injuries and frankly lesser talent than other teams had, Rallis had the defense contending more often than not.

The team decided to place a large emphasis on building up that side of the ball this offseason and will give the young defensive mastermind plenty of talent to work with.

The Cardinals gifted this defense quality veterans, rising stars, and talented rookies to give Rallis the boost he needs to take this group to the next level.

Arizona managed 41 sacks a year ago with a manufactured pass rush. They went out and added sack artists like Josh Sweat to provide validity. The secondary played well thanks to scheme, but didn’t force many turnovers. A boosted pass rush, along with the addition of Will Johnson should change that.

A bad run defense got big men upfront, including Dalvin Tomlinson, Calais Campbell, and Walter Nolen.

Simply put, the group improved across the board and an already great and young defensive mind who excelled a year ago now has the keys to a much better group. I wouldn’t be surprised if defense became the Cardinals' calling card in 2025.

Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams

A descendent of the great Don Shula, Chris is working with phenomenal talent. That should make an already good Rams defense consistent once again this year.

The Rams are returning one of the best pass rushing defenses in the league. Between edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young, L.A. will feast off the outside. Defensive lineman Kobie Turner and Brian Fiske will beef up the unit that much more.

Although the secondary may not be anything overly impressive, these four contributors to the pass rush will be more than enough.

The Rams will have their sights set on repeating as NFC West champions this season. The offense will be interesting to watch and see how dramatic of a difference we get from Matthew Stafford as he continues to near the end of his career.

It could, and likely should, force the defense to be the better half of this team.

If L.A.’s defense plays to its potential, and especially its pass rush, they should be more than up to the challenge of reclaiming their crown.

Aden Durde, Seattle Seahawks

Durde is the biggest unknown of this group, but he still has plenty of talent to play with. In fact, Seattle may have the most evenly spread out talent across this defense for all three levels.

The defensive line is led by Leonard Williams, who is among the most underrated defenders at any level of the defense in the league. Ernest Jones leads the linebacker spot as a potential breakout candidate. And you can take your pick of anyone in the secondary between Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love, or Riq Woolen.

It all culminates together for a defense that should perform at a high level in 2025; I expect it to be a unit good enough to carry the Seahawks to the playoffs.

My lone question is how much Durde is in charge of the defense. Head coach Mike Macdonald is one of the best defensive minds in the sport and likely continues to have a massive say over play-calling.

This isn’t to discredit Durde, but I’m willing to bet that Macdonald has first and final say.

I truly would not be surprised if Durde is a contender for assistant coach of the year based off of his talent to play with, but I maintain my questions for how large his role is for play-calling — and that’s not meant to be an insult.