Harold Wade Phillips is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Roughnecks. He has also served as interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans. Additionally, Phillips has long been considered to be among the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. In his long career, he has served as defensive coordinator in eight separate stints with seven different franchises. Multiple players under Phillips' system have won Defensive Player of the Year: Reggie White, Bryce Paup, Bruce Smith, J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald. Others under Phillips have won Defensive Rookie of the Year: Mike Croel and Shawne Merriman. In Phillips' lone Super Bowl victory, a defensive player would be named Super Bowl MVP: Von Miller.
Ernest Dominic Capers is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the inaugural head coach of the Panthers and the Houston Texans for four seasons each. Capers is the only head coach to lead two different NFL expansion teams during their first seasons.
Romeo Crennel is a former American football coach, who was the senior advisor for football performance for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). A former long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Crennel served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012, as well an assistant coach for six NFL teams and four collegiate teams. He has over 50 years of coaching experience, which has included consistently being employed as a coach for all but two seasons since 1970, only taking the 2009 and 2013 seasons off following both of his tenures as a permanent head coach. He has five Super Bowl wins as assistant coach, two with the New York Giants and three with the New England Patriots.
Robert Allen Ryan is an American football coach who is currently the senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Ryan has served as a defensive coordinator or assistant coach for seven different NFL teams. He was the linebackers coach for the New England Patriots when they won both Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVIII. Ryan is the son of Buddy Ryan and the twin brother of Rex Ryan.
Rick Steven Dennison is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the run game coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. He was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019-2020. An assistant in the NFL since 1995, he served as offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans (2010–2013), and Buffalo Bills (2017), and served as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. He was the special teams coach for the Super Bowl Champion Broncos in 1997 and 1998. A linebacker who spent his entire NFL playing career in Denver from 1982 to 1990, he appeared in Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV.
Larry Coyer was an American football coach. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 to 2011. Prior to the Colts, he was the assistant head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos and New Mexico State.
Bryan Keith Cox Sr. is an American football coach and former player who is the assistant defensive line coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Miami Dolphins, and was a member of the New England Patriots club that won Super Bowl XXXVI.
Thomas "Pepper" Johnson is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, the first seven of which were for the New York Giants. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants before playing for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and New York Jets.
Bill Davis is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).
Isaiah "Mike" Caldwell, Jr. is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach & run game coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the inside defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2022 to 2023. After the entire Jacksonville defensive staff was fired in early 2024, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders as their linebackers coach and run game coordinator.
Reginald Wayne Herring is an American football coach and former player and most recently the linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A former linebacker at Florida State University, he began his coaching career in 1981. He has now coached for 36 years across college and the NFL. Herring arrived in Denver to coach linebackers in 2015 after previous stops in the league with Chicago (2014), Houston and Dallas (2008–10). Herring has coached nine linebackers who have made Pro Bowl appearances during their careers, including outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware (9), Mario Williams (4), and Connor Barwin (1), and inside linebackers Zach Thomas (7), Keith Brooking (5), Lance Briggs (7), Brian Cushing (1), Sean Lee (2) and DeMeco Ryans (2). Herring also served as the interim head football coach for the University of Arkansas in the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic.
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it will readily switch to other defensive alignments as circumstances change. Alternatively, some defenses use a 4–3 defense: four down linemen and three linebackers.
Steven Bernard Wilks is an American football coach and former player. He last served as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. He served as the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. He has also served as defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers, as well as the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Missouri. He played college football at Appalachian State.
Eric Studesville is an American football coach who is the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Studesville is known as the former run game coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and interim head coach of the Denver Broncos, a position he held for four weeks in December 2010. He replaced Josh McDaniels after 12 games in the 2010 NFL season, after which he resumed his primary role as running backs coach under head coaches John Fox, Gary Kubiak, and Vance Joseph from 2011–2017. He was the first African American head coach in Broncos history, albeit on an interim basis. Studesville has been to the Super Bowl twice, both as a member of the Broncos personnel, losing in 2014 and winning in 2016.
Tyke Tolbert is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). Tolbert previously served as wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
Brian Francisco Flores is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, where he served as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2018. Flores was New England's defensive playcaller during his final season coaching for the team, which concluded with a victory in Super Bowl LIII. Following the victory, he served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021.
Frederick Pagac is a former American football tight end. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1974. He played college football at Ohio State.
Don "Wink" Martindale is an American football coach who is the current defensive coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines. He last served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens from 2018 to 2023.
Joe Woods is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). A coaching veteran of 26 years, Woods has previously served as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.
Bobby Babich is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison and previously served as a coach with the Kent State Golden Flashes, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and FIU Panthers.
