Ranking Remaining Cardinals Coaching Candidates

The Arizona Cardinals now have their list trimmed down to seven potential candidates:

Brian Flores, Aaron Glenn, Ejiro Evero, Lou Anarumo, Brian Callahan, Vance Joseph, and Mike Kafka. 

More may be on the way from either Kansas City or Philadelphia, but nothing has been revealed at this time. 

The Cardinals and Colts are now competing to hire the remains of a coaching cycle that has seen Carolina (Frank Reich), Denver (Sean Payton) and Houston (DeMeco Ryans) already pull the trigger. 

Let's rank the current group of candidates:

1. Brian Flores

Out of the current group of candidates, Flores is one of two coaches (Vance Joseph being the other) that has actual head coaching experience, and he's well credited with helping turn Miami around before they ultimately tried to bring on Sean Payton/Tom Brady, leading to his current situation. 

The Cardinals need somebody experienced for this rebuild. Flores fits that bill the most. 

Nugget: The Broncos recently requested to interview Flores for their DC spot. The Vikings are awaiting word from Arizona after their interview for their open DC Spot, too. 

2. Mike Kafka 

One of the few offensive-minded candidates in the mix, Kafka's ability to turn around Daniel Jones and the New York Giants offense this season was remarkable. Add that to his experience coaching Patrick Mahomes under Andy Reid in Kansas City, and the resume to help Kyler Murray reach the next level doesn't get any better. 

Nugget: Kafka interviewed with four teams through the process and received a second interview with Houston. 

3. Ejiro Evero

Evero is a highly respected mind that was able to make the most out of a (insert you know what word here) sundae in Denver with a defense that lost one of their best players in Bradley Chubb. His previous experience in winning the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams as their DB Coach/Passing Game Coordinator is a nice addition as well. Broncos defensive players would go to war for their coach. 

Nugget: Yesterday, Evero spoke with new Broncos coach Sean Payton about the possibility of staying in Denver for another season. Evero is also a potential candidate for the Colts opening and has interest from Minnesota for their DC opening, too. 

4. Lou Anarumo 

Anarumo has received high praise for his work with the Cincinnati Bengals, which may have slid under the radar thanks to Zac Taylor and their offense led by Joe Burrow. However, the Bengals defense had been just as good in the last two seasons, and he's received marks from well-respected people in the league. 

Nugget: The Cardinals are the only team to interview Anarumo. A potential diamond in the rough? 

5. Brian Callahan 

As previously stated, Cincinnati's offense has buzzed so loud that Anarumo's line of work may not be appreciated enough. That's partially due to the job Callahan has done with a rather talented offense in Cincy. Callahan has done a great job with the progression of Joe Burrow, and there's hope he can go two-for-two with Murray in the desert. 

Nugget: Callahan just had his second interview with the Colts this week for their opening. 

6. Vance Joseph

Look, Joseph has the previous experience leading a team, knows the organization well and is respected by the players, and that's part of the sell when trying to buy him as Arizona's next head coach. Perhaps round two would go better with a brighter situation here, but there's a reason strong desires exist to land an outside presence. 

Nugget: Joseph reportedly has strong DC interest elsewhere if he doesn't land the job in Arizona. Also he's still technically under contract with the team, so the possibility of him remaining in the desert one way or another stands. 

7. Aaron Glenn

Glenn has received a lot of hype, and maybe deservingly so. He's helped Dan Campbell turn the Lions around and his work towards the end of the year was applaudable. However, when evaluating the entire year's worth of work, Detroit's defense fell short in too many areas with Glenn at the helm. Maybe things will be different with a fresh start in the desert.

Nugget: Glenn also had a second interview with the Colts and is reportedly expected to speak again with the Cardinals. 

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