When the final whistle blew in Week 18, when the Arizona Cardinals lost 37–20 against the Los Angeles Rams to cap off a dismal three-win season, it was obvious that the team was going to move on from head coach Jonathan Gannon.
To no one’s surprise, we were right. After seeing his win total decrease from eight to three in a matter of a season, it seemed like it was time for general manager Monti Ossenfort to select a new head coach and kick off a rebuild.
The one lingering question was whether or not Ossenfort would choose to clean house entirely or keep a few guys around as transition pieces, hoping they could join the incoming coaching staff in the new year.
When the Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur, there were already plenty of question marks, Kyler Murray’s future being one to name. But one of the smaller questions that needed answering was what LaFleur was going to do with Nick Rallis, the 32-year-old defensive coordinator who did not do a bad job under the Gannon staff.
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Already surrounded by so many key pieces on the defensive unit in Budda Baker, Will Johnson, Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, Walter Nolen, and Cody Simon, it seemed like a wise move to give Rallis another shot under the new staff in order to keep some continuity in the building.
Arizona is projected to finish last in the division once again, but with how talented the offense is looking, the defense has a chance to keep the team afloat in the standings if they play solid ball.
