Cardinals, Raiders, 49ers named top landing spots for elite defensive-minded coach

The Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers could be pursuing an elite defensive-minded coach to fill holes on their staffs.

With Jim Schwartz poised to leave the Cleveland Browns after the franchise passed on him for Todd Monken at head coach, FanSided's Chris Landers believes the Cardinals, Raiders, and 49ers should look to add Schwartz to their coaching staffs.

Landers adds that Arizona and Las Vegas likely won't pursue Schwartz as a head coach, but, like the 49ers, they will try to hire him as their defensive coordinator to support their likely young head coaches.

Schwartz is one of the most respected coaches in all of football.

The 59-year-old has 17 years of experience as a defensive coordinator and has coached several elite defenses, especially with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles.

Schwartz's defense with the Browns has been one of the few bright spots on the team over the last few years, keeping Cleveland competitive despite fielding inept offenses.

Any team in the NFL would want Schwartz to be their defensive coordinator, but Arizona, Las Vegas, and San Francisco make the most sense as landing spots.

The Cardinals and Raiders seem to be targeting offensive head coaches, as Arizona is eyeing Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, while Las Vegas is zeroing in on Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Hiring Schwartz as the defensive coordinator to support their young, offense-minded head coaches would be a logical move for the Cardinals and the Raiders.

However, don't count out the 49ers for Schwartz, who need a defensive coordinator after Robert Saleh left for the Tennessee Titans head coach job.

Kyle Shanahan could look to replace Saleh with a defensive specialist in Schwartz and get his coaching staff back on track.

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