When it comes to the Indianapolis Colts filling their opening at defensive coordinator, time has been on their side, and in this moment, it still is. However, competition is going to ramp up very soon.
Along with the Colts, only three other teams are currently looking for defensive coordinators. This includes Atlanta, Cincinnati, and San Francisco–although there’s certainly a possibility that the 49ers are waiting on Robert Saleh, who is still interviewing for head coaching openings and is someone that the Colts haven’t been linked to.
But the number of teams actively searching for defensive coordinator candidates is going greatly grow in the next week or two, as organizations fill their head coaching vacancies.
It’s at this time that those new head coaches will begin assembling their coaching staffs, which of course, includes filling the defensive coordinator role.
At that point, if we include all those teams into the mix with the Colts and the three other teams mentioned above, then that list goes from four teams to 11, and with the New England Patriots having already hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach, they are already on the search for a defensive coordinator to work under him.
In terms of what’s been reported, the Colts have brought in five candidates for interviews at this time. This list includes Ephraim Banda, Steve Wilks, Lou Anarumo, Wink Martindale, and Dennis Allen.
As of now, we don’t know if there will be a second round of interviews, and if so, who will make the cut, and no timeline for a decision has been reported either.
Bringing in a new defensive play-caller certainly isn’t a decision that a team should rush, regardless of how hectic the coaching market might be.
With that said, the Colts have had the luxury of operating with time in their favor, and that can provide them with leverage as they go through these interviews. But sooner or later, head coaching candidates are going to get hired and it all usually happens quickly, at which point the demand for defensive coordinator will grow.