Daronte Jones and the Defensive Staffing Thread

[RWJ]

So it appears Morris and Ulbrich have the flexibility to look at other opportunities after Blank refused to guarantee their deals for 2026.

At this time, Ulbrich is still blocked as far as I can tell to interview with other teams.

 

[RWJ]

 

[KDawg]

The Titans were worse than us on defense and employed a 3-4 base.

This would be a comically bad hire.

 

[RWJ]

The Titans were worse than us on defense and employed a 3-4 base.

This would be a comically bad hire.

I hear ya. Just doing my due diligence. If the Bears lose tonight, Will Harris will next up, I think. So far out of the names mentioned we interviewed, Cullen I like and Graham is ok.

 

[Bulldog]

Stay away from the dumpster fire which is the Titans under Adams.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Don't know anything about him, just started diving in, before Tennessee coached DBs with the Ravens and Eagles

From the guy who covers the titans for the draft network

 

[RWJ]

Don't know anything about him, just started diving in, before Tennessee coached DBs with the Ravens and Eagles

From the guy who covers the titans for the draft network

Nice find, SIP.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[skinsinparadise]

As Keim mentioned some interviews are defacto about assistant positions in the guise of running the whole unit

 

[Bulldog]

Every year it seems 2 or 3 coaches are taken off the Ravens by teams looking for candidates.

Most I have seen for a team that has never in this iteration been in a Super Bowl or won one.

 

[RWJ]

For me, since we more than likely don't have a shot at Ulbrich let's bring in Cullen from KC as DC.

 

[DWinzit]

There were rumors Green By could can LaFleur if he doesn't win a playoff game this year. The crapped the bed again so this could further muck up the coaching carousel

 

[method man]

The Titans were worse than us on defense and employed a 3-4 base.

This would be a comically bad hire.

They actually had a solid defense relative to talent level last year. They had nothing this year, especially after trading away Brownlee, McCreary and the EDGE to the Ravens. Take a look at their depth chart and see how comically bad their back 8 was last year

I wouldn’t want to bring him in as DC but he’d be a hell of a pass game coordinator.

 

[skinsinparadise]

They actually had a solid defense relative to talent level last year. They had nothing this year, especially after trading away Brownlee, McCreary and the EDGE to the Ravens. Take a look at their depth chart and see how comically bad their back 8 was last year

I wouldn’t want to bring him in as DC but he’d be a hell of a pass game coordinator.

I don't know one way or another but he does have some fans

 

[skinsinparadise]

19th ranked defense from PFF against the toughest schedule

 

[KDawg]

Dennard Wilson as a DC:

2025: 28th Points Against, 21st yards, 26th in turnovers, 23rd in pass TD, 29th in interceptions, 30th in net yards/attempt, 15th in rush yards, 28th in rush TD, 17th in YPC
2024: 30th in points against, 2nd in yards, 16th in turnovers, 19th in pass TD, 19th in INT, 9th in net yards/attempt, 26th in rush yards, 27th in rush TD, 21st in YPC

That is his two year resume.

Ours stats:

2025: 27th in Points Against, 32nd in yards, 31st in turnovers, 29th in pass TD, 25th in interceptions, 31st in net yards/attempt, 30th in rush yards, 20th in rush TD, 27th in YPC
2024: 18th in Points Against, 13th in yuards, 20th in turnovers, 15th in pass TD, 26th in INT, 10th in net yards/attempt, 30th in rush yards, 18th in rush TD, 28th in YPC

In fairness, the Titans overall were a slight bit better than us in the last two years. And I am sure Dennard is an excellent coach. But let him get blood from a stone elsewhere.

Personnel wise they are extremely similar to us: Not a whole lot in the cupboard.

Jeffery Simmons would be the best player on both defenses. After that it's a bit of a wildcard/toss the coin. Their safeties are probably better. Our linebackers are probably overall better, but Kenneth Murray is probably the best LB on both teams. Edges they might have the edge. McCreary was more productive than any of our corners... I'm not sure they are less talented than our roster is.

But it's close.

To be fair, I'll put up Patrick Graham's numbers, too...:

2025: 25th in points against, 14th in yards, 23rd in turnovers, 10th in pass TD, 25th in INT, 15th in net yards/attempt, 30th in rush TD, 4th in YPC
2024: 25th in points against, 15th in yards, 29th in turnovers, 26th in pass TD, 22nd in INT, 16th in net yards/attempt, 15th in rush TD, 13th in YPC

Granted, between all three there are a lot of variables. And quite frankly, none of the three are exciting from a pure numbers perspective the last two seasons.

So maybe the question does become, "who can get the most blood from this stone".

Graham has the most experience.

The Raiders have the best LB of the group in Devin White. The best safety in Chinn (this hurts) and the best edge in Crosby. So you could argue they were working with more and getting way too similar results. But the rest of their defense might be worse than both our team and the Titans (some wiggle room for arguing that).

Honestly, this exercise has made me think we need to aim higher than Graham, too.

Graham and Wilson might be great defensive minds, but this team needs a very good defensive coordinator to offset our new OC's inexperience and help turn this defense around.

But... I am also keenly aware that we are likely to get a lower tier candidate because Quinn will think that he can plug any holes with his defensive prowess.

I did this while drinking my morning coffee and it has made me sad. Excuse me while I finish the rest of my coffee and flavor it with my tears.

I will say that this exercise has made me prefer Dennard Wilson over Graham at this point.

 

[Boone]

I'll say something that sounds illogical but...

I'm not sure a team's defensive rankings are always the most reliable gauge of how good a DC is. I say that even though I have used them to gauge how good a DC is, lol...

I just think so much of a defense's effectiveness is reliant on the talent on the field, and also other factors like how good the other side of the ball is. Is the defense constantly on the field because the offense can't sustain drives?

Obviously defensive rankings are ultimately a reflection of whether a guy has put together a bad, good, or great defense. But they can also be misleading.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I'll say something that sounds illogical but...

I'm not sure a team's defensive rankings are always the most reliable gauge of how good a DC is. I say that even though I have used them to gauge how good a DC is, lol...

I just think so much of a defense's effectiveness is reliant on the talent on the field, and also other factors like how good the other side of the ball is. Is the defense constantly on the field because the offense can't sustain drives?

Obviously defensive rankings are ultimately a reflection of whether a guy has put together a bad, good, or great defense. But they can also be misleading.

Agree I am not obsessed about rankings if the sample is short.

I would argue against Whitt this past summer before it became cool, some were with me, some pushed back with stats. My point back with the stats should be slanted in Whitt's favor considered the offense dominated time of possession and all the 4th quarter collapses were masked by the offense bailing them out. I didn't love the defense's talent in 2024 but I agreed with Sheehan who would say from time to time the defense should have been better -- the players weren't that bad. Context favored Whitt in 2024. This past season the talent was worse especially post injuries.

Sticking with the time of possession theme which exposes the defense because they are on the field more -- Raiders had the worst in the NFL, Titans pretty bad too but Raiders were 32nd.

I don't pretend to know in this group who would be the best. But as far as a narrative goes and stats -- Ulbrich seems like the best choice if Atlanta sets him free.

 

[KDawg]

I'll say something that sounds illogical but...

I'm not sure a team's defensive rankings are always the most reliable gauge of how good a DC is. I say that even though I have used them to gauge how good a DC is, lol...

I just think so much of a defense's effectiveness is reliant on the talent on the field, and also other factors like how good the other side of the ball is. Is the defense constantly on the field because the offense can't sustain drives?

Obviously defensive rankings are ultimately a reflection of whether a guy has put together a bad, good, or great defense. But they can also be misleading.

Absolutely, which is why I also dove into personnel there.

Comparing Washington, Tennessee and Vegas to one another is a real fun exercise in futility.

Vegas has the most top end talent, Tennessee might be the most balanced and Washington exists on some plane of existence.

Dennard and Graham are both highly regarded where Whitt was obviously not. To that extent, Whitt is probably the worst candidate of the three, but being 100% transparent, I'm not sure the defense was all that much better under Quinn's tutelage.

Dennard utilized a 3-4 base, which doesn't mean he'd run that here. But if that is his plan that means a shift in how we acquire defensive personnel and opens up a guy like Arvell Reese in the draft, imo. I'm not sure how many pieces we have that can transition, but Luvu could play outside backer in a 3-4 for sure. We'd need another one and someone to pair with Wagner inside (if he doesn't retire and stays) and for Wagner to mentor as he rides off into the sunset. Defensive line we can retool - it's not good anyways. No loss there. Secondary is unchanged.

Graham knows how to use his high end talent. Though I'd argue he has at minimum two players better than anyone on our defense currently: Crosby and White. And, I might say three and include Chinn because losing him destroyed us.

Those guys are all productive. And Graham is well thought of in league circles as well.

But I am incredibly underwhelmed with a coordinator group of Blough and Graham/Wilson. That doesn't mean it's doomed. And defensively it is likely an upgrade to what we had, but then again there isn't many places to go but up.

I'm sure those guys are good coaches - watching some of their games in condensed fashion shows they did alright with what they had (though I didn't watch them all) and fans of those teams seem to speak highly of those two guys.

But I'd like to land a big shot on defense. Get a guy who has a proven track record of good defenses and commands respect in the league and in the locker room with a reputation to back it.

I'd probably feel differently if we landed McDaniel as OC. But the combo of Blough + one of them makes me uneasy.

 

[Knightingale]

Question: Does the promotion of Blough to the OC position detrimentally affect how attractive the Commanders are as a destination for a top flight DC?

The logic being that Quinn is rolling the dice on Blough. If he works out, then great, but if he doesn't then there's a strong chance that the Commanders clean house next year.
So, any incoming DC might view this as a risk, because the potential longevity of the post could totally depend on how Blough does as OC. If this team rolls onto another play off performance, then everything is hunky dory. If not, then you could be looking for a job again this time next year.

Just a thought.