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One of the biggest things Bruce Arians reiterated in his introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals was that he would like to not only have a staff made up of people he has worked with in the past, but he wants to have that staff set by Sunday.
With the release of Ray Horton from his contract (he is now the DC of the Cleveland Browns after signing a 4-year, $8 million deal), the team has to come up with an entire offensive staff as well as a defensive coordinator. Mike Jurecki of XTRA 910 is reporting that the QB coach position may be filled by Freddie Kitchens, who was the tight ends coach for the Cardinals last season.
Aside from that, names such as Harold Goodwin as the team's offensive coordinator and Todd McNair as the running backs coach are being thrown around, but nothing has been made official by the team as of this time.
The one rumor that seems to be picking up the most steam, and seems to make the most sense, is that of who the new defensive coordinator for the team might be. Multiple outlets, including Jason La Canfora of CBS, are reporting that Todd Bowles was released from his contract by the Eagles on Friday and will likely be named the Cardinals' defensive coordinator this weekend.
Eagles are letting DC Todd Bowles explore other options after his meeting with Chip Kelly today. Virtually certain he lands with Arizona
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 18, 2013
If you recall, Bowles was under consideration for the Cardinals' DC job once before. Before hiring Ray Horton, Ken Whisenhunt was considering Bowles and Keith Butler as well. This tweet from Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona almost makes it seem as if it is a done deal.
Unofficial Todd Bowles confirmation? Asked if he could confirm Bowles, Arians said: "I really can't til some of the paperwork comes thru."
— Craig Morgan (@cmorgancbsfoxaz) January 18, 2013
So with that, look for Todd Bowles to become the next defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals.
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