Patriots Interviewing 2 More Candidates For Defensive Coordinator
Now that New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo has had some time to settle in, his next step is to fill out the remainder of his staff.
In that respect, Friday is shaping up to be a busy day in Foxboro. According to NFL Network, the Patriots are set to interview two more candidates for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Jerod Mayo
Cred: WJAR-10, Providence, RI
The first of said candidates is Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker. Parker helped the Broncos finish top-10 in total defense in two of the last three seasons. Their secondary has been a major strength in that time, featuring stars such as cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Justin Simmons.
Prior to joining the Broncos in 2021, Parker, 32, worked with the Green Bay Packers as a defensive quality control coach in 2019 and 2020. In the college ranks, he also served as a defensive analyst at Notre Dame in 2017 and Texas A&M in 2018.
Alongside Parker, the second candidate is New Orleans Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges. Hodges has overseen a defense that finished top-10 in points allowed for four consecutive seasons. Linebacker DeMario Davis has been the Saints' best defensive star during that time, a testament to Hodges' coaching.
Hodges, 37, first joined the Saints as a defensive assistant in 2017. He then worked his way up to become an assistant linebackers coach in 2019 and finally the main linebackers coach in 2020 following the departure of Mike Nolan.
Earlier in the week, the Patriots interviewed their first candidate for their defensive coordinator opening in Carolina Panthers linebackers coach Tem Lukabu. Lukabu, 42, has ties to the area after serving as the defensive coordinator at Boston College from 2020 to 2022.
Considering that Mayo is the league's youngest coach at 37 years old, it seems that he would like to keep his staff on the younger side as well. More importantly, though, Mayo seems to be targeting proven player developers.
