In an attempt to help out the front, Beckman brought in longtime NFL
defensive line coach Mike Phair as co-coordinator and moved coordinator Tim Banks to a shared role.
Not exact matches
Couple that with two new
coaches —
defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen and linebackers
coach Mike Nolan, who should be a better fit with coordinator Dennis Allen — and this is probably the best shape the defense has been in since 2013.
Smith is a
defensive coach, so it's hard for me to believe that he and
Mike Nolan had no say over who was drafted on defense, despite the GM and owner telling us his preference was for interior
line first.
Dixon also visited a pair of 4 - star
defensive ends in Jarez Parks (Sebastian, Fla.) and Miami commit Jonathan Garvin (Lake Worth, Fla.), while Nussmeier joined offensive
line coach Mike Summers to see 3 - star offensive tackle Jerry Drake (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.).