The Cardinals' defense was an utter disaster in 2025, especially when playing against their NFC West counterparts. This occurred under the watch of what was a defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon, leading to his dismissal.
Usually, after seeing a defensive guru as a head coach fail miserably, teams tend to take a different approach when it comes to interviewing candidates for the vacancy. However, general manager Monti Ossenfort has chosen to continue interviewing defensive-minded head coaches; in fact, he has officially requested permission to interview the mastermind behind the league’s best defense.
MORE: Cardinals have spoken with Super Bowl-winning head coach
Cardinals request interview with Texans DC Matt Burke
The Cardinals can’t officially bring Burke in for an interview until the Texans' season comes to an end, which won’t be for at least another week as Houston travels to New England to take on the Patriots in the divisional round.
The way Houston got to the divisional round, to begin with, was because of their defense. Burke’s front seven, coupled with lockdown cornerbacks and safety help, contributed to them holding Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers to only six points. The unit scored two defensive touchdowns in the blowout victory, one fumble recovery by defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, as well as a pick-six by cornerback Caelan Bullock. The defense also sacked Rodgers four times on the night. This goes to show that under Burke’s leadership, a defense can evolve overnight.
Arizona has the key pieces in place to take the jump to another level. With Walter Nolen III, Josh Sweat, Cody Simon, and Budda Baker, it’s just a few more holes that need filling to take the unit to the next level.
On top of his excellence in Houston, Burke previously served as the Cardinals' defensive line coach in 2022, serving on what was then Gannon’s staff.
Burke has proven why he deserves a chance as a head coach, and Ossenfort just might give him that opportunity.