The dots are being connected between Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and former Panthers coach Ron Rivera, and it could make a lot of sense
12 games into his ninth season as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Ron Rivera was let go. It was a shock to see this news flash across the screen on Tuesday considering he had that team in the Super Bowl in 2015 and was just on a four-game winning streak after losing former MVP Cam Newton and starting Kyle Allen — an undrafted second-year player.
Not long after this unexpected news was released, the connections between Rivera and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott started being discussed.
McDermott rose to fame as the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles and ended up joining Rivera in Carolina as a defensive coordinator in 2011 — the same season Riverboat Ron landed his first head coaching gig.
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The two worked well together and fielded a top-10 defense for four of their first five seasons together. They were also vital to the team’s success in 2015 which saw them go 15-1 and advance to Super Bowl 50.
McDermott ended up earning the Bills job shortly after that run and has since built a similarly strong defense while working with a well-respected defensive coordinator in Leslie Frazier.
In 2018, the Bills defense was second in yards surrendered under Frazier and they’re currently second this year — according to Pro Football Reference.
With that being said, they aren’t in need of a new defensive coordinator but there’s always room for a brilliant football mind on any staff and Rivera is definitely a brilliant defensive mind — come on, the guy was so good as a defensive play-caller the Bears made it to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman.
In the end, Rivera will eventually get another head coaching job. He deserves it. But in the meantime, he might be interested in a consulting role for the remainder of this season.
Sure, it might sound crazy to make a change on such a succesful defensive staff, but it could be just crazy enough to work.