The Patriots never gave Brian Flores the title of defensive coordinator, but he took over the responsibilities from Matt Patricia in 2018 and wound up as a one-year solution as the Dolphins hired him as their head coach this week.
Even before Flores officially signed his contract, there was word that former Rutgers and Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano was a likely addition to the Patriots staff and possibly the team’s next defensive coordinator. It appears that’s how things are playing out.
Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports that the team will “imminently” hire Schiano to take over the top job on the defensive staff. Schiano was most recently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State and has long been the subject of complimentary comments from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
That affection extended to the Patriots acquiring several players that Schiano coached at Rutgers. Safety Devin McCourty, cornerback Jason McCourty and safety Duron Harmon all played for Schiano in college and were playing big roles in Super Bowl LIII, so Schiano will have some familiar faces on hand once a deal in New England is official.
