More than three weeks after the regular season ended, the Bills find themselves without a defensive coordinator, given the hiring of Mike Pettine by the Browns.
Pettine’s former boss, Doug Marrone, has wished Pettine well in his new venture, even if it puts Marrone at a distinct disadvantage.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mike on becoming the Browns new head coach and thank him for all of his time and efforts with our team this past season,” Marrone said, via the Bills’ website. “He did an excellent job of improving our defense and we wish him the best.”
So what’s next for the Bills?
“We have a plan in place and we will introduce our new defensive coordinator after our final decision has been made,” Marrone said.
A popular choice in Buffalo could be former Bills head coach Wade Phillips. The son of Bum Phillips is the last man to take the Bills to the playoffs, and Wade did very well running the defense in Houston. It wouldn’t be the first time a former head coach returned as a coordinator; Gunther Cunningham once went back to Kansas City to run the defense after being fired as head coach.