Colts' 2023 Head Coach Candidate: Leslie Frazier

The Indianapolis Colts need a new head coach for the 2023 season. Could a familiar face in Leslie Frazier be the man for the job?

The Indianapolis Colts enter the 2023 NFL offseason in need of a new head coach. Former Head Coach Frank Reich did an admirable job in his 4.5 years with the team, leading the Colts to a 40-33-1 record despite having to work with a new starting quarterback every season.

Ultimately, it came time to move on from Reich as the team stagnated and hit a wall under the him in recent seasons. While the Colts may not be the greatest destination across the league, they should be able to generate a decent amount of interest for one of the 32 most coveted positions in the sport.

In this series, I will dive into a handful of the coaching candidates that the Colts could/should interview during their search and break down their background/qualifications for the job. Next up, is Buffalo Bills' Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier.

Background in the NFL

Leslie Frazier began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent in the 1981 NFL Draft. He signed with the Chicago Bears just days later, and he would go on to become one of the better defensive players on a stacked Bears' defense.

Over the course of the next three seasons with the team, Frazier would climb up to a starter on the depth chart. From 1982-1985, Frazier intercepted 20 passes. During the Bears' legendary 1985 Super Bowl run, Frazier was the team's starting outside cornerback and he even led that defense with six interceptions during the season.

Unfortunately for Frazier, his career was cut extremely short due to a knee injury that he suffered while returning a punt in the 1985 Super Bowl. He was unable to ever fully recover from this injury, as he never played another snap again.

Still, Frazier finished his NFL playing career with 20 interceptions in just 65 career games played, and he has a Super Bowl ring to his name.

Former #Bears CB Leslie Frazier INT vs GB (Now Bills Defensive Coordinator & HC Candidate) #NFL #Madden 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/dXCKpkmmGd

— Alex Leak (@freakaleak1209) January 11, 2022

Coaching Qualifications

Frazier began his coaching career all the way back in 1988 with Trinity International University in Illinois. He remained as the head coach there all the way up until 1996, winning a pair of conference titles before becoming the defensive backs coach at Illinois in 1997.

Following a two year stint at Illinois, Frazier made the jump to the NFL as part of the Philadelphia Eagles' staff under Andy Reid. Frazier oversaw the defensive backs for the Eagles from 1999-2002, as he worked closely with Hall of Fame safety Brain Dawkins. Following the Eagles' successful 2002 season, Frazier was named as the Cincinnati Bengals' Defensive Coordinator in 2003 under Head Coach Marvin Lewis.

Frazier's first stint as a defensive coordinator didn't go as planned, as the Bengals allowed the fifth-most points in the league in 2003 (they allowed the 12th-most in 2004 as well). The Bengals were also below average in total yards allowed both seasons. He was ultimately fired following the 2004 season, despite the defense improving in several categories from his first year to his second.

Following his dismissal from the Bengals, Frazier ventured to Indianapolis for a two-year stint under Tony Dungy. He rose from defensive analyst to assistant head coach in a two year span, and that was good enough to land him another coordinator job with the Minnesota Vikings.

Leslie Frazier served as the Vikings' Defensive Coordinator from 2007-2010 under Brad Childress. Here are how his defenses ranked in points allowed/yards allowed league-wide:

• 2007: 12th/20th
• 2008: 13th/6th
• 2009: 10th/6th
• 2010: 18th/8th

Following Childress' dismissal during the 2010 season, Frazier was named as the interim head coach. He led the 3-7 Vikings to a 6-10 record and was subsequently promoted to the official head coach role after the season.

Frazier's stint as a head coach was far from perfect, as he led the Vikings to a 21-33-1 record over his three year stint. He did get the Vikings into the playoffs in 2012 (with Christian Ponder at QB) but it wasn't enough to save his job the following season.

Following his dismissal from the Vikings, Frazier was named the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Lovie Smith. The Bucs' defenses ranked near the bottom of the league in points and yards allowed in his two years, and he was let go after the 2015 season.

After a brief one year stint with the Baltimore Ravens under John Harbaugh, Frazier returned to the defensive coordinator scene in 2017 with the Buffalo Bills under Sean McDermott and he has held that title ever since. Here are how his defenses ranked in points allowed/yards allowed league-wide:

• 2017: 18th/26th
• 2018: 18th/2nd
• 2019: 2nd/3rd
• 2020: 16th/14th
• 2021: 1st/1st
• 2022: 2nd/1st

Frazier has led three top five defenses in the last four years with Buffalo.

Leslie Frazier on Tremaine Edmunds as a tackler this year, his growth in that area of his game, & the importance of the D-line being gap sound:#Bills #BillsMafia  #GoBillspic.twitter.com/scD7htRPi1

— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) December 31, 2022

Potential Staff Connections

Frazier has been a coach in the NFL for a long time, so this will be a fairly long list of potential names in his history. Reminder that these aren't necessarily guys that he would bring with him for sure, these are just some connections from his past that are notable. The * marks coaches that he'd likely look to bring with him as coordinators.

Offensive Coordinator

Joe Brady*, Buffalo Bills QB Coach: Currently working alongside each other in Buffalo this season.

Shea Tierney*, New York Giants QB Coach: Worked in Buffalo from 2020-2021 as an Assistant QB Coach.

Klint Kubiak, Denver Broncos Passing Game Coordinator: Offensive Analyst with the Minnesota Vikings from 2013-2014.

Cameron Turner, Arizona Cardinals Passing Game Coordinator: Assistant to the Head Coach with the Minnesota Vikings 2011-2012.

Darrell Bevell, Miami Dolphins Passing Game Coordinator: OC with Minnesota Vikings from 2006-2010.

Ken Zampese, Washington Commanders QB Coach: QB Coach with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003 and 2004.

Defensive Coordinator

Bobby Babich*, Buffalo Bills Linebackers Coach: Worked in Buffalo under Frazier since 2017.

John Butler*, Buffalo Bills Secondary Coach: Worked in Buffalo under Frazier since 2018.

Joe Cullen, Kansas City Chiefs DL Coach: DL Coach with Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-2015 and Baltimore Ravens from 2016-2020.

Lovie Smith, Houston Texans Head Coach: HC of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-2015.

Brendan Daly, Kansas City Chiefs LB Coach: LB Coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2012-2013.

Joe Woods, Cleveland Browns Defensive Coordinator: DB Coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-2013.

The Bottom Line

Leslie Frazier may not be the flashiest name in this coaching cycle, but he is an experienced coach with a long history in the NFL. He has quietly been one of the best defensive coordinators in the league for the last five seasons, and he could likely build a great staff with his connections.

He has links to the Andy Reid and the Tony Dungy coaching trees, so his connections could go much further than just the names I listed above. Frazier would be a safe hire, but he could be a hire that steadies franchise in need of a culture change.

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