The Arizona Cardinals are hard at work in reshaping a roster and coaching staff that went 3-14 last season. It started with the hiring of Mike LaFleur as their new head coach, and he has been building out his staff for the 2026 season. They have filled a significant portion of their offensive staff but are still evaluating candidates for defense, including a defensive coordinator.
CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz was one of the first to report that the Cardinals were looking to potentially add some Super Bowl credibility to their defense after interviewing Seattle Seahawks defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Karl Scott for the opening.
Scott was instrumental to the Seattle defense all year, and they are coming off an incredible Super Bowl performance against the Patriots. They had six sacks and one touchdown against the New England Patriots' No. 2 scoring offense in a 29-13 win.
Scott has been with Seattle since 2022, after coaching the Minnesota Vikings' defensive backs in 2021. He spent over a decade coaching in the college ranks, most notably at Alabama, where he served as defensive backs coach from 2018 20. Scott would be a much-needed leader in the room for a Cardinals defense that does have talent.
Arizona's defense, with talent at all three levels, showed potential entering 2025. Still, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and head coach Jonathan Gannon couldn't maximize the unit, and it collapsed as the Cardinals continued to slide and endured loss after loss.
The Cardinals are also in a loaded division, and it would be a massive help to bring in even more experience from the NFC West. LaFleur brings that pedigree, and Scott would too, after the Cardinals went 0-6 in the division this past year; anything helps.
The Cardinals are also considering Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant, New York Giants interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen, and longtime NFL defensive coordinator Wink Martindale for their open defensive coordinator position.
The field seems to be narrowing, and it feels like the Cardinals are ready to make a defensive coordinator hire, just in time before the NFL Scouting Combine starts.
