Coaching candidates surfacing for Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are preparing for the possibility that head coach Bruce Arians calls it quits at the end of the season

The upcoming offseason is shaping up to be an interesting one for the Arizona Cardinals. Possible changes lie ahead for a team that has not had a winning record for two years now. There’s even a chance that a search for a new head coach could soon be underway for the club.

Bruce Arians is one victory away from becoming the winningest head coach in Cardinals’ history. But if his squad doesn’t defeat the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday, there’s a distinct possibility that the 65-year old never achieves that milestone.

Arians, by all accounts, has not let the Cards’ brass know about what his plans are beyond 2017. That very well may be because Arizona’s head man of the last five campaigns has not made up his mind. Instead of waiting around though, the front office is reportedly constructing a short-list of coaching candidates in case Arians does decide that he’s had enough.

Their top choice at the moment, according to reports, is current Houston Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien. The 48-year old’s group has stumbled to a four and eleven record this year. Much like the Cardinals, injuries have been a major reason for the Texans’ recent struggles.

O’Brien is currently under contract through 2018, and that’s it. That puts the former head coach of Penn State University in the dreaded “lame duck” status. As of this writing, there’s been no talk of an extension for Houston’s offensive guru.

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Another name that has been linked to the Cards is actually a former friend of the franchise. The head coach of the New York Jets, Todd Bowles, would appear to be a logical choice to succeed his former mentor. The former Temple University star was Arizona’s defensive coordinator under Arians in both 2013 and ’14, after playing for him in college back in the 1980’s.

Despite the rumors, there’s belief that Bowles will remain in the “Big Apple”. The Jets’ quarterbacks are terrible, so it’s hard to place total blame on him for their 10-21 record over their last 31 contests. Still, there’s less patience with NFL head coaches these days, especially in a huge market like New York.

John DeFilippo is being mentioned in league circles for his stellar work with quarterbacks. His latest pupil, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz, was having an MVP-type campaign before he tore his ACL. The 39-year old could ultimately become the Cardinals’ version of the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay if he were hired to replace Arians.

For now, all the Cards and their fans can do is wait on Arians’ decision. The “Quarterback Whisperer” has indicated that he’ll let everyone know of his plans after this weekend’s matchup in Seattle. It will be just the first of quite a few questions that need to be answered this offseason in the desert.

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