- Vic Fangio
Serving as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons he has had Philadelphia’s defense rank up there with any in the sport in each of the two seasons. If it were not for his advanced age, he would have been one of the top head coaching candidates on the market this past season, but he has already mulled retirement. Having been to multiple Super Bowls and having won one as a defensive coordinator with his Eagles’ defense being either the first- or second-best unit in the sport over his 2-year tenure there thus far, Fangio finds himself in the #1 spot.
- Steve Spagnuolo
Along with Josh McDaniels of the Patriots, Spagnuolo is one of the two most decorated coordinators in the sport having won four Super Bowl titles. This Chiefs’ team has won three Super Bowls with Spagnuolo in charge of the defense and although their defense never feels scary with a next gear to it, it almost always seems to rank near the top of the league and produces come playoff time.
- Brian Flores
The Vikings’ defensive coordinator finds himself quite high on this list and has Minnesota’s defense consistently rank up there with any. He is certainly deserving of another head coaching opportunity that he hopefully will get. He had Minnesota finish top 3 in yards allowed this past season despite the Vikings’ offense ranking near the bottom of the league, a remarkable feat. The Vikings’ defense will likely be in the discussion for the best in the sport next season now that their offense is set to pick up the slack.
- Vance Joseph
Joseph has had Denver rank third in the NFL in points per game allowed for two straight seasons now with him as the defensive coordinator of the team. This is despite Denver’s offense being just slightly above average, if Denver had an explosive offense, then the Broncos defense may have ranked 1st in points per game allowed both seasons. Joseph has done a remarkable job in Denver and is among the premier defensive minds in the sport. Joseph has garnered head coaching interest and may eventually leave Denver for a head coaching opportunity.
- Raheem Morris
The new 49ers’ defensive coordinator finds himself at #5 after landing multiple head coaching jobs with his defensive background and having won a Super Bowl title as a defensive coordinator as well. Morris has not worked out as a head coach but is at least a very good to a great coordinator. His Rams’ defense under Sean McVay was exceptional in their postseason run towards winning it all.
- Chris Shula
The Rams’ defensive coordinator finds himself on this list after serving as the defensive coordinator of the team for the past two seasons, which have been his first two as an NFL defensive coordinator. Shula caught my eye after I noticed how his Rams’ defense held in check an explosive Eagles’ offense during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run. The Eagles had their way against two of the greatest defensive minds in league history in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl during the 2024 season in Dan Quinn and Steve Spagnuolo but stagnated against Shula’s Rams’ defense. Shula’s Rams’ defense ranked top 10 in points allowed this past season with Pro Football Focus grading it as the top defense in the NFL during the regular season as well.
- Anthony Campanile
The Jaguars’ 2026 rookie defensive coordinator finds himself on this list after the Jaguars’ defense had a remarkable first year turnaround with him on the job. Despite being a rookie defensive coordinator and working with a rookie offensive minded head coach, he took the Jaguars’ defense from the bottom of the NFL in the season prior to his arrival to a top 10 unit by any stretch in year 1 on the job. Campanile garnered some head coaching interest despite completing just one season as a defensive coordinator and will likely be a top head coaching candidate after this upcoming season. The turnaround the Jaguars saw on defense with him was remarkable and he very well could emerge as one of the premier defensive minds in the sport.
- Lou Anarumo
The current Colts’ defensive coordinator finds himself in the top ten and is one of the most established defensive minds in the sport. The job that Bill Belichick/Brian Flores did in holding the Chiefs scoreless in a half in a Conference Championship is considered one of the greatest coaching jobs in league history. Anarumo did the same exact thing in a Conference Championship against the Chiefs on one occasion, holding them scoreless in a half as well. Anarumo is known for having his defenses have explosive ceilings but lacking in consistency. Despite the remarkable job he did in holding the Chiefs scoreless in a playoff half, his defenses often were poor with the Bengals thus costing him his job eventually. Even with the Colts thus far, he totally flustered an explosive Seahawks offense and neutralized the league’s top scoring Rams’ offense, but his Colts’ defense finished in the bottom half of the league in all the meaningful measures of defensive play at the end of the season.
- Matt Burke
The Texans’ defensive coordinator for every season of the DeMeco Ryans’ era in Houston finds himself on this list. The Texans’ defense under the defensive minded Ryans has likely been the best in the NFL since Ryans became head coach with Burke serving as his defensive coordinator for all three seasons as well. Ryans as the head coach likely deserves most of the credit but Burke still has been the defensive coordinator for likely the league’s top defense during his tenure as an NFL defensive coordinator. Perhaps Burke could try his hand somewhere else to show how capable he is without the assistance of Ryans.
- Aden Durde
The Seahawks’ defensive coordinator is in a very similar position to Burke as Durde has served as the defensive coordinator under the first- or second-best defensive minded head coach in the sport in Mike Macdonald. Macdonald’s defense led the league in points allowed this past season en route to winning the Super Bowl with Durde serving as his defensive coordinator. Durde has been the defensive coordinator under the defensive minded Macdonald in each of Macdonald’s first two seasons as the head coach of the Seahawks. Like Burke, perhaps Durde could try his hand elsewhere without the assistance of Macdonald.
