It finally happened. The Kansas City Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after a poorly ranked defense finished the year on a low note, losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game. Chiefs fans everywhere are rejoicing, but where will the team turn to replace Sutton in 2019? We’ll look at a few candidates that I think could have an impact next season for the Chiefs, their histories and strengths and what they could bring to the team. Mike Smith — outside linebackers coach, Kansas City Andy Reid likes to hire from within, and the only name that makes sense on the Chiefs roster is Smith. After serving as the assistant defensive line coach, Smith was promoted to the outside linebackers coach in 2018. Dee Ford responded to the change by having the best year of his career, Justin Houston was able to find some form, and the team got snaps out of Breeland Speaks as a project rusher. Smith has received tons of praise from his players and the coaching staff for his preparation and ability to put his players in their best positions to succeed — two of the biggest Sutton complaints I had. Ford, Houston and even Chris Jones have spoken to his level of preparedness, attributing Smith in no small part to their success this year. Smith was a co-defensive coordinator at Texas Tech prior to joining the Chiefs, so he’s not unfamiliar with the task at hand. If the Chiefs are keeping things internal, Smith is the choice. Steve Spagnuolo Spagnuolo is an intriguing name, and a real possibility considering his Andy Reid ties. A Jim Johnson disciple, Spagnuolo was a defensive assistant, defensive backs coach and a linebackers coach under Johnson while Andy Reid was the head coach. Primarily running a 4-3 base, Spagnuolo embraces Johnson’s blitz-heavy approach, especially coming from cornerbacks and safeties. He famously utilized smaller defensive linemen as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, manipulating fronts and keeping the offense off balance. While recent success has eluded him — being let go after becoming the interim head coach for the Giants in 2017 — Spagnuolo does have ties to Reid, and is an established name in the NFL. If Reid wants to hands the reins to a more established coordinator, Spagnuolo could be the guy. Chris Hewitt - secondary coach, Baltimore Ravens A seventh-year coach for the Ravens, Hewitt has been the secondary coach for arguably the NFL’s top passing defense in the league for the last two years. Previously serving as their defensive backs coach, Hewitt has helped turn the Ravens secondary into a ball-hawking, stifling group. Running a multitude of coverage shells, Hewitt’s attacking, aggressive style with a secondary group lacking top-end talent has been able to keep offenses on their toes and support a blitz-heavy front. Likely running an aggressive, shifting defense, Hewitt would be a bold hire. Reid would certainly be counting on his ability to install a complex scheme and maximize personnel as a defensive coordinator. If that risk ended up paying off, there is high-end potential for a Hewitt-led stop unit. Matt House - defensive coordinator, University of Kentucky A lesser-known name — but an up and coming coaching name — House has been the defensive coordinator at Kentucky for the last two years, transforming that defense into a top 20-ranked national defense. House has a diverse background, coaching defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs at the collegiate and NFL level. He helped develop a collegiate Aaron Donald as the defensive line coach at Pittsburgh and looks to have developed a stud pass rusher in Josh Allen this year in Kentucky. House was a hot name with an ability to run multiple fronts — getting head coaching consideration this offseason at the collegiate level. Reid has shown a propensity to “borrow” from the collegiate level with his play-calls and scheme, and the rest of the NFL is following suit. House has shown the ability to develop and stop the spread offense and produce quality players. If Reid was feeling progressive with his hire, House makes sense. Rex Ryan Rex Ryan is a name that is always thrown around when defensive coordinator positions open up at the NFL level. He’s been out of the game for a couple years now, but his brash, attacking style of defense is still remembered fondly. Running a more blitz-heavy version of what Chiefs fans have come to know as Sutton’s scheme, Ryan was able to keep the Patriots in check with his Jets defenses in the mid-2000s. However, Ryan hasn’t coached a team that finished in the top 10 in points and yards since 2010, and his last coaching stint — with the Buffalo Bills — saw him inherit a good Jim Schwartz defense that underperformed in his two years before getting fired. While Ryan would be an “easier” transition than some, if Reid is looking to overhaul the scheme and abandon some of Sutton’s tendencies, he may look elsewhere. However, if Reid wants to make a small transition and add some aggressiveness, Ryan makes some sense. Who do you want to fill Sutton’s spot? Which (if any) of these candidates excite you the most?<doc-sep>In news that virtually no one in Chiefs Kingdom should be surprised about, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was relieved of his duties Tuesday. Despite being a game short of the Super Bowl, Sutton’s defense received little credit for the Chiefs’ 2018 success. The Chiefs were rumored to be considering moving on from the Eastern Michigan alum, and their announcement this afternoon certainly confirms that. Naturally, Twitter had some thoughts about the not-so-shocking announcement. Kansas City corner Steven Nelson, who is set to be a free agent, had a not-so-subtle reaction to Sutton’s firing. Perhaps it reveals at least one of the players who talked Andy Reid into the decision. Yes, this is Nelson’s actual twitter account: Plenty of folks blamed former Cowboys QB and current CBS color commentator Tony Romo for Sutton’s firing. Tony Romo got Bob Sutton fired. Romo was just doing his job, but he got him fired. — Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) January 22, 2019 Bob Sutton also issued a statement "Thanks Tony Romo" #Chiefs — Josh Klingler (@joshklingler) January 22, 2019 Major shout-out to Tony Romo today. I’m not certain the Chiefs fire Bob Sutton if Romo didn’t expose him so badly by doing Sutton’s job from the broadcast booth better than Sutton was. — Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) January 22, 2019 Others blamed the predictability of his defense as a catalyst for his dismissal. The problem with Bob Sutton is that his defense is predictable to the point it's laughable. No one is saying #chiefs defense was loaded, but he didn't get the most out of what he had. To have pass rush trio like 50/55/95 & be that bad is inexcusable. Time for new blood. — Jeff Fawver (@Jtfawver) January 21, 2019 Bob Sutton had to go. The Chiefs offense was obviously Super Bowl quality. The defense was always the wet paper towel in the commercial about to rip. — Damon Amendolara (@DAonCBS) January 22, 2019 In short, many believed Sutton’s time in Kansas City had come to an exhausting end. Had to happen. Bob Sutton is a good man, and smart coach, but the time had come. He's taken a lot of abuse the last few years and handled it with class. The NFL is about results, so people don't care about that stuff as much, but it should be said. I'll miss talking with him. — Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) January 22, 2019 In a not so suprising move the Chiefs have fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after finishing near the bottom of the NFL in total defense, it was simply time for Andy Reid to swallow his pride and fire Sutton — Isaac Rodriguez (@isaacfromCT) January 22, 2019 He’s a good man but it was that time baby pic.twitter.com/0i9IsChhXJ — Alex Parry (@AlexParry30) January 22, 2019 While everyone waits on bated breath for Sutton’s successor, Chiefs Wire has compiled a list of suitable replacements who can match the explosive offense that catapulted the Chiefs into a Super Bowl contender squad.<doc-sep>Twenty-four minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs announced the firing of beleaguered defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on Tuesday, cornerback Steven Nelson — who has played all four of his NFL seasons under Sutton — hilariously tweeted the famous Kermit the Frog “sipping tea” meme. It’s possible that Nelson’s tweet had nothing to do with Sutton’s dismissal, which came less than 48 hours after the Chiefs’ defense failed them in a 37-31 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game on Sunday. We must allow room for that possibility since Nelson has not addressed Sutton’s firing directly. But man, the timing of it was, um … interesting, and nevertheless, potentially indicative of one indisputable truth: After six seasons, it was time for Sutton to go. Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton couldn’t last another season, even though Kansas City advanced to the AFC title game. (Getty Images) A good case can be made that Sutton should have gotten the ax after last season, when his defense ranked 28th in total yards, 30th in DVOA and blew an 18-point lead in the second half of the Chiefs’ 22-21 wild-card loss to the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Andy Reid opted to hold onto his defensive coordinator then, even though some — including mercurial cornerback Marcus Peters — had issues with Sutton, whose scheme and ability to make adjustments on the fly has consistently been second-guessed for the better part of two seasons. And now, with one of the league’s leakiest defenses standing between the Chiefs and the legacy-validating Super Bowl title he desperately needs, one could make a great case that the 60-year-old Reid — whose expansive coaching tree and overall contributions to the offensive evolution of pro football are notches in his Hall of Fame case — faces the biggest hire of his career. It’s a looming hire that could be the difference between Reid holding the Lombardi Trophy (and eventually earning a shiny, smiling bronze bust), and him retiring in the coming years as one of the greatest head coaches to never win a title. Where to go from here Story continues Reid is now hunting for a new defensive coordinator, and it needs to be a smart hire. The Chiefs will likely get only one more season with quarterback Patrick Mahomes — the league’s presumed MVP and the undisputed Best Value In Football — before he is eligible for an extension that could easily top $200 million, something the Chiefs have known for months and have already made preparations for. Once Mahomes gets the massive contract, the deal will eat up salary-cap space, essentially making the 2019 season the last chance for the Chiefs to execute the same game plan the Seattle Seahawks did with Russell Wilson in 2014, when they used the cap space that would eventually go to Wilson (who was on a rookie contract) to sign free agents and build a loaded team that would go on to win the Super Bowl. The Chiefs will almost certainly use their bevy of draft picks — which includes four top-100 selections — and whatever cap space they have left (once they sign receiver Tyreek Hill and/or Chris Jones to big-money extensions) to add free agents. Hiring a coordinator who can get all these guys up to speed quickly enough to improve the league’s 31st-ranked defense should be a priority. Several players would also welcome a more aggressive scheme, which is one of the reasons Rex Ryan — someone ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentioned as a candidate to keep an eye on — would be a good hire, at least on the surface. Ryan also runs a 3-4 scheme, which would probably shorten the learning curve for those holdovers, and his bluster would be a nice contradiction to Sutton’s calm, professorial tone. This is less a judgment about Sutton’s method than it is an understanding of the need to give defensive holdovers (and fans) a different voice, one that doesn’t remind them of the past. If Reid passes on Ryan or declines to hire from outside the organization, perhaps an internal candidate could provide the differing schematic and attitudinal shift the defense desperately needs to become passable. Here’s why Sutton was allowed to return in 2018 Many in Kansas City were surprised at Reid’s decision to retain Sutton last January, a choice that led to the position he currently finds himself in. While Sutton was coming off the brutal collapse to Tennessee and had even coordinated another defense that underwent an epic free fall in the playoffs (the 2013 team that blew 38-10 second-half lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round), his unit was not the reason for the Chiefs’ playoff collapse in 2016, when Reid’s offense sputtered in an 18-16 divisional-round home loss to Pittsburgh. Plus, Reid hoped that with a few changes to an increasingly aging defense, Sutton could get the unit back to its 2015 form, when it ranked seventh in the NFL with some of the same cast of characters. So the Chiefs shipped out Peters, who grew weary of the scheme, for a pair of draft picks and made a handful of defensive free-agent additions, highlighted by the signing of inside linebacker Anthony Hitchens to a huge $45 million deal. They also used five of their six draft picks on defense in an effort to give Sutton more talent. It did not work. At least, not enough. The Chiefs were among the league leaders in sacks and pressures, but ranked second-to-last in both total yards and average rush yards per attempt (marks all lower than last year), and 26th in DVOA. But it was the defense’s overall ineptitude against Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and his old-school, run-oriented game plan on Sunday that did Sutton in. The Chiefs were gashed for 176 rush yards by an offense that featured a fullback — in 2019! — on a stunning 42 percent of the snaps, and they never sacked 41-year-old Tom Brady and hit him only once.<doc-sep>The Kansas City Chiefs are now in the midst of a search for Bob Sutton’s replacement. We polled some of our writers to see who they wanted in place. The search is officially on. Bob Sutton was let go on Tuesday as the Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator, ending two seasons (or more) of fan frustration with the coaching on that side of the ball. Given the Chiefs’ obvious Super Bowl readiness, the search is an important one as head coach Andy Reid looks for someone he can trust on that side of the ball to hopefully match or even come close to the dynamism of what he’s installed on the offensive end. Sutton was in Kansas City for six seasons and experienced a wide range of results, from decent success when players like Derrick Johnson and Marcus Peters were in fine form to the last two seasons of misery. The Chiefs are now stocked with a lot of promising young players next to developmental guys like Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks who need a system to flourish within. We recently polled a few of our Arrowhead Addict writers to get some takes on who they would like to see as defensive coordinator. JACK DEL RIO I know, I know, Del Rio is hated in Kansas City, and for good reason. Hear me out. Del Rio, in four seasons of being a defensive coordinator, boasted three top three defenses. In his worst year as a DC, he had the 19th ranked defense—still a big improvement from Bob Sutton. One factor that might make Del Rio a bad fit is the fact that he likes to use a 4-3 defensive scheme, but if the Chiefs were willing to change their scheme, Del Rio would be a major improvement to Sutton. His defenses were good against the run, which is something that would be welcomed with open arms in K.C. He has a history of success with linebackers, which might turn Anthony Hitchens into what he once was and perhaps even turn Ben Niemann into Derrick Johnson 2.0. Overall, Del Rio would be an excellent DC in replacement of Sutton, but his relationship with Andy Reid and reputation in KC stand in his way. [Drew Brooks]<doc-sep>
The Kansas City Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on Tuesday, two days after his defense was unable to come up with pivotal stops against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. One name to watch for the now-vacant position is former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter. Sutton has worked as Kansas City's defensive coordinator since 2013, when the Chiefs brought in Andy Reid as their head coach. Reid, in a statement released Tuesday, did not provide a specific reason for the firing beyond saying "change can be a good thing, for both parties, and I believe that this is the case here for the Chiefs and Bob." The Chiefs allowed 524 yards from scrimmage and 36 first downs Sunday night to the Patriots, who scored two go-ahead touchdowns in the final 3:32 of regulation before their 13-play, game-winning TD drive in overtime. The Chiefs were unable to stop the Patriots from converting three third-and-10 situations on that overtime drive in Sunday's 37-31 loss. In addition, linebacker Dee Ford was called for an offsides penalty that negated what likely would have been a game-ending interception by cornerback Charvarius Ward with 54 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Kansas City ahead 28-24. "Bob is a good football coach and a great person," Reid said in his statement. "He played an integral role in the success of our team over the last six seasons. I've said before that change can be a good thing, for both parties, and I believe that is the case here for the Chiefs and Bob. This was not an easy decision, but one I feel is in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward." Sutton, 67, oversaw a Kansas City defense that tied for the NFL lead with 52 sacks this season but allowed 405.5 yards per game, the second-most in the league. The Chiefs finished 31st in total defense this season in contrast to the offense, which finished No. 1 overall in the NFL. The Chiefs scored at least 28 points in each of their five losses this season, including games in which they scored 51 and 40 points. The Chiefs had finished in the top seven in scoring defense in each of Sutton's first four seasons before dropping off to 15th in 2017 and 24th this season. ESPN's Adam Teicher contributed to this report.