Cardinals Coaching Search: And Then, There Were Two?

Have the Arizona Cardinals really nailed their coaching search to two people?

It feels like it's been forever since the Arizona Cardinals first began their coaching search - some would convince you owner Michael Bidwill gave the news via fireside chat. 

Various names have come and gone in the hunt to replace Kliff Kingsbury after four years of service, and with that some favorites emerged. 

At first, some believed it was a two-horse race between Vance Joseph and Brian Flores to get the nod. The Flores train has quietly cooled off after not getting a second interview and Joseph - still under contract with the team as their defensive coordinator - might just stick on the staff anyways. 

Sean Payton was a nice thought and buzz reached an all-time high when the Cardinals interviewed him last week, but his arrival to Denver less than a week later showed that perhaps Arizona was just used as leverage. 

Plenty more have interviewed, yet only two finalists have emerged according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer: Cincinnati Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and New York Giants OC Mike Kafka. 

The Cardinals will conduct a second interview with Bengals DC Lou Anarumo on Friday, with Giants OC Mike Kafka also set to get a second interview (timing TBD on that one), per sources. The interviews, as of now, are set to be done over Zoom.

Those are the only 2 known finalists.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 4, 2023

Anarumo led a strong Cincinnati defense to a Super Bowl appearance last season. This year, the Bengals allowed over 24 points just once in the team's ten-game winning streak prior to losing to Kansas City in the AFC title game. 

Kafka previously helped the development of Patrick Mahomes as his QB coach in Kansas City before moving to New York and turning Daniel Jones into a much better quarterback. The Giants went from 4-13 to a playoff game winner this season. 

NFL insider Ben Allbright suggests the Cardinals might be waiting for Philadelphia Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, who can't be interviewed until after the Super Bowl.

As it takes a long time, doesn't it seem like they might be waiting for someone? 😉 https://t.co/Z9s6JBHyjr

— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) February 5, 2023

We'll see if any of that comes to fruition, but it appears the Cardinals are still going to take their time in finding the right guy to change the course of the franchise. 

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