Eight candidates Colts could hire to replace Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator

For the first time in four seasons, the Indianapolis Colts need a new defensive coordinator.

Matt Eberflus is off to be a head coach, tbbbed by the Chicago Bears on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

That'll happen when a unit consistently produces turnovers the way his have since 2018, ranking in the top 10 every season. Eberflus' units weren't perfect, as they tended to play conservative with light blitzing and plenty of zone coverage. But his consistent teaching within his Cover-2 base scheme made it comfortable for the Colts to draft and develop players, and they wound up finding gems.

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Now, it's time for something else. The Colts have been planning for this exit since the season ended, and they've remained open to the scheme they'll run.

"Everybody ends up in nickel and dime defense anyway. You end up with a four-man front," general manager Chris Ballard said. "It wouldn't have to be from a specific tree, no."

That openness is rooted in their core players and how translatable they are. DeForest Buckner is a 6-foot-7-inch cyborg who can play in 3- or 4-man fronts. Darius Leonard can do everything asked of a linebacker and more. Every team plays a nickel and dime personnel, which allows Kenny Moore II to thrive in the slot position.

RELATED: From young edges to ailing DeForest Buckner, the Colts' failing pass rush and ways to fix it

It's safe to say the Colts will continue to prioritize turnovers, as that's how Ballard has always built teams dating back to his scouting days with the Bears.

Here are some candidates who should be on their radar:

Jim Schwartz, Titans senior defensive assistant

If the Colts want another strong voice with plenty of experience to lead this group, they have an option within the division. Jim Schwartz spent 2001-2020 as either a defensive coordinator or a head coach and had some success in every stop, including when he won the Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017, when Frank Reich was the other coordinator. He runs a very aggressive defense with wide-nine pass-rushing principles that plays on the edge of the rules, which would be a shift.

Schwartz, 55, stepped down from the Eagles last offseason, citing personal reasons, and then slid into a simpler role as a senior defensive assistant with the Titans, where Mike Vrabel largely runs the defense. It's possible he's past wanting to be a defensive coordinator, but it's also possible he just wants the right fit. There's a lot to unpack with this one.

Mike Zimmer, former Vikings head coach

Even more proven than Schwartz is the coach the Vikings just fired. Mike Zimmer went 72-56-1 as Minnesota's head coach, but it became time for both sides to find a fresh start. Zimmer has long been one of the top defensive masterminds in the sport, building top-10 units with the Cowboys, Bengals and Vikings. He has a complex defense that simulates and mixes pressures and keeps quarterbacks on their toes. Xavier Rhodes and Andrew Sendejo played in it in Minnesota, and Sendejo said it's similar on the back end to what the Colts run now.

Zimmer is 65. He will want full control of the defense, which Reich could be in a good spot to give in order to focus on the offense, but it means embracing a fiery personality who isn't afraid to shred players when they aren't performing. That, too, would be a shift.

Along those lines, Vic Fangio is another one of the architects of modern NFL defenses who just became available after he was fired by the Broncos. But given he had a messy ending with Bill Polian and the Colts when he was last here as Jim Mora's defensive coordinator, this doesn't feel like a preferred destination.

Alan Williams, Colts safeties coach

The Colts pride themselves on continuity with the coaching staff, and a logical step to replacing four years of Eberflus could be promoting his top assistant. Alan Williams, 52, has now spent 14 years with the franchise, including a stint from 2002-2011, but he has yet to get his shot to call the defense. His track record is strong at drafting and developing players and cultivating turnovers, as he also did in Detroit with Glover Quin and Quandre Diggs. He will best know how to deploy what the Colts have in the secondary.

This would be the most seamless hire the Colts could make, but he's also the only option on this list who does not have experience in the role.

Teryl Austin, Steelers secondary coach

If the Colts like Williams' approach but want someone more proven at running it on game days, they could look at his former boss. Teryl Austin, 56, was the Lions defensive coordinator from 2014-2017 with Williams as his safeties coach. Together, they helped coordinate the No. 1 defense by DVOA in 2014, and they developed a few Pro Bowl defensive backs such as Darius Slay, Glover Quin and Quandre Diggs.

Austin is currently in the running for the Steelers' defensive coordinator position following Keith Butler's retirement. It's likely his preferred option since he's already on staff. But if they go elsewhere, he would represent a smooth transition for the Colts given his tendency to play with two high safeties and light blitzing. He had a disastrous season as the Bengals' defensive coordinator in 2018, but he'd have a younger and better roster to work with in Indianapolis, and it could keep Williams in his current role.

Kris Richard, Saints defensive backs coach

Another secondary specialist with defensive coordinator experience is on the market, and he might be in need of a job. Kris Richard, 42, has seen his name linked to openings in the past few seasons after his run with the Seahawks, where he helped organize their "Legion of Boom" secondary. He was Seattle's coordinator from 2015-2017, where his defenses finished Nos. 4, 5 and 13 in DVOA. He's been working specifically with defensive backs in Dallas and New Orleans since, possibly waiting out the right opportunity.

Ballard talked after the season about how he liked Indianapolis' move to more of a match-man coverage approach last season. That's Richard's bread and butter. This has the potential to be a strong fit, but the Colts won't be the only team interested.

Wink Martindale, former Ravens defensive coordinator

If the Colts want to push the pedal to the floor with an aggressive defense, the most extreme coordinator just hit the market. Wink Martindale has coordinated some of the better defenses in the NFL by playing with fire, asking his outside cornerbacks to lock in on man coverage so he can deploy everyone else to pressure and confuse the quarterback. When he has the right cover cornerbacks, like a healthy Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, his units rank in the top 10 in DVOA, like they did from 2018-2020. When they're not healthy, the approach can blow up and give up tons of big plays, as they did this season, when they finished 28th overall and 30th against the pass.

Martindale, 58, decided to part ways with the Ravens rather than to ride out the final year of his contract. The Colts would have to be willing to live on the edge schematically in a way they really never have, which would be bold given how young and developing their cornerbacks still are.

Sean Desai, Bears defensive coordinator

The coaching carousel always leaves some coaches unemployed who shouldn't be. It will take time to shake out, but that's what could happen with Sean Desai in Chicago. Desai just completed his first season as a defensive coordinator, and his unit got consistently better throughout a difficult season and finished as the No. 13 defense by DVOA.

Just 38, Desai has been considered a rising star in the sport for years as a Fangio disciple, and he could bring a style to Indianapolis that has become the new trend of the NFL. A Colts franchise that is behind the times in some ways could use someone like that who also has players in place to avoid too much lag time.

Lovie Smith, Texans defensive coordinator

Given the Cover-2 backgrounds and the Ballard connection, it will be easy for some to connect the dots with Lovie Smith. Smith was a Tony Dungy disciple, and Ballard helped scout for his defenses that were some of the best of the 2000s with Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman. Smith is currently coordinating the Texans defense and could come available if their new head coach doesn't retain him.

But this seems like a tough fit for Reich and the rest of the staff. Smith has a difficult personality for some players. It reared its ugly head at the end of his Bears tenure, and it's worth noting how many of the Texans' disciplinary issues have come on his side of the ball, from bottom-of-the-roster players to stars like safety Justin Reid and linebacker Zach Cunningham. Smith, 63, employs some old-school tactics that don't jive as well with today's athletes and would be a major culture shock to how the Colts currently run.

Contact Indianapolis Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Eight candidates to replace defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus