Cardinals Eying Texans Defensive Mastermind for Interview

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly requesting to speak with their 12th candidate of the 2026 coaching cycle in Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Burke, as Russini highlights in her report, previously was with the Cardinals back in 2022 as their defensive line coach before DeMeco Ryans brought him over to Houston after taking the Texans' job.

Houston's defense is considered to be among the best in the NFL, and their Monday Night Football win over the Pittsburgh Steelers amplified that belief:

The Cardinals have requested to interview Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, per source.

Burke, the play caller for the league’s stingiest defense, previously coached Arizona’s defensive line in 2022.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 14, 2026

Burke joins a long list of Cardinals coaching candidates who have been requested by general manager Monti Ossenfort and owner Michael Bidwill.

Other names in the mix include Vance Joseph, Robert Saleh, Anthony Weaver, Patrick Brown, Raheem Morris, Klint Kubiak, Matt Nagy, Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, Mike LaFleur and Jesse Minter.

Burke has prior defensive coordinator experience with the Miami Dolphins back in 2017-18 but has never had head coaching experience at the NFL level. Many believe the Cardinals would prefer this after failing with previous inexperienced leader Jonathan Gannon.

Burke's familiarity with the organization certainly helps, and so too might his ability to call a defense given Arizona's potential on that side of the ball.

Like any defensive hire, Burke's potential as a head coach could hinge on his ability to find a suitable play-caller on the offensive side of the ball. It's unknown who Burke would bring on as his offensive coordinator.

The Cardinals are currently the only team to request a head coaching interview from him.

What's Arizona looking for with their next head coach?

"First and foremost, we're looking for a strong leader. Being a head coach in the NFL is a difficult job, and there's 31 other teams that are trying to do the same thing that we're doing. And so a lot goes into that," Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said of the hunt.

"There's being a strong leader, it's creating accountability and dependability in the locker room, it's creating advantages on the field, putting our players in a position to be successful. It's developing young players. It's helping them take that next step. We get players out of college, and we have to get them better. And so there's a lot that falls under the umbrella of a head coach, and so we're focused on finding a coach that can help us achieve those goals."