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An interesting name has emerged for the Las Vegas Raiders’ open defensive coordinator job as new head coach Josh McDaniels is interviewing Sean Desai of the Chicago Bears, according to NFL Media.
The #Raiders are interviewing former #Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai today for their DC job under new coach Josh McDaniels, source said. He coordinated a Top 10 D last year in Chicago, his first year calling it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 3, 2022
Desai was a defensive coordinator for the first time in 2021 and he did well. The Bears were sixth in the NFL in total yards allowed at 316.7 yards a game. Desai, 38, was the Bears’ safety coach the previous two seasons. His connection to the Raiders is they just hired Champ Kelly to be their assistant general manager. He was previously with the Bears.
Desai became available because the Bears fired coach Matt Nagy. The new regime is hiring a new staff. Desai’s name wasn’t one of the first to be connected to McDaniels and the Raiders. There are several other potential candidates who have ties to McDaniels, including Jerod Mayo, Don “Wink” Martindale, Brian Flores and Matt Patricia. So, this would be an intriguing paring. Like the other names, Desai ran a 3-4 defensive base in 2021. McDaniels said this week that the base defense isn’t that big of a deal since most defenses are in the nickel these days.
The Bears used a 3-4 front in 2021. They played 65% zone & 20% man, used a pretty even mix of 1-high and 2-high safety coverages & blitzed 24% of the time. Desai's favorite coverages were Cover 1, Cover 3 and Cover 6. @adamjahns profiled Desai last year: https://t.co/uZc061Bwzi https://t.co/wbFrAdKPMT
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) February 3, 2022
The Raiders’ 2021 defensive coordinator was Gus Bradley. The odds of him returning may be diminishing. He reportedly is interviewing in Indianapolis.
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