Ranking NFC North Coordinators

Where do Darrell Bevell and Cory Undlin rank among NFC North coordinators? Read more.

The Lions had big-time struggles on defense a year ago. 

The good news is that after a subpar season for the Lions defensively, they have a new defensive coordinator in the form of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin.

With him and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell in tow, there's a combined one year of experience for the coordinator duo when it comes to time spent with the Lions. 

Additionally, Undlin has never been a coordinator in the NFL, and only has two prior years of experience calling plays at any level. It came from 2000–01 when he was on the coaching staff at his alma mater Cal Lutheran University, a Division III football program in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Bevell looked solid in his first year handling play-calling responsibilities for the Lions.  

Longtime Detroit franchise passer Matthew Stafford had a huge bounce-back campaign in 2019, and was on the verge of perhaps a career year before a back ailment sidelined him for the final eight games of the season.

Bevell aims on creating more of a balanced attack this upcoming season, and has a great opportunity to do so with the addition of rookie running back D'Andre Swift from Georgia.

The Lions' incumbent No. 1 back Kerryon Johnson and Swift should form a dynamic backfield, and should give Detroit a great shot at having a prolific offensive attack in Bevell's second year on the job.  

As for the defense, it should be in store for an improved season, especially because it can't do much worse than last year.

Darrell Bevell - Lions offensive coordinator  / © Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

In 2019, the defense, led by now-former defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, allowed the 31st-most total yards (6,406), including a league-worst 4,551 yards through the air.

This is an area that Undlin, with his past as a secondary coach, will immediately be expected to make a positive impact on.

And if he does, he'll, at the very least, be viewed as an upgrade over Pasqualoni.

So, where do Bevell and Undlin rank among the other coordinator duos in the NFC North?

Among offensive coordinators, Bevell is near the top.

The Bears took a major step back last year offensively in Mark Helfrich's second year as offensive coordinator (going from ninth to 29th in points per game and ultimately costing him his job in the Windy City), the Vikings lost their OC from a year ago (Kevin Stefanski took over the Browns' head coaching job) and the verdict is still out on the Packers' Nathaniel Hackett.

Bill Lazor, most recently the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals (2017-18), is set to replace Helfrich as Bears' coordinator, although Chicago head man Matt Nagy is expected to retain play-calling duties.

Under Nagy's watch, the offense ranked just 29th in total yards and tied for 30th in yards per play a year ago.

As for Hackett, he's entering his second year on the job in Green Bay. And in six seasons as a coordinator (in two years with the Bills, three years with the Jaguars and last year with the Packers), his offense has ranked in the top 10 in points per game only once (in 2017 with the Jags).

In fairness to Hackett, though, Packers head man Matt LaFleur is the play-caller for Aaron Rodgers & Co. in Green Bay.

Under LaFleur's watch a season ago, the Packers' offensive attack finished with 376 points (23.5/game) -- good for 15th out of 32 NFL franchises.

Meanwhile, Bevell's offenses, in 13 combined years (five with Minnesota, seven with Seattle and one with Detroit), have ranked in the top 10 in points a game five times, including in the top five in 2009 with the Vikings (No. 2) and in 2015 with the Seahawks (No. 4).

Former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who was the play-caller for Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway's back-to-back Super Bowl-winning teams in 1997 and 1998, will be calling plays for Kirk Cousins & Co. in Minnesota in 2020.

Kubiak also served as the head coach of the Peyton Manning-led Broncos that won a Super Bowl during the 2015 season.

He's the only real competition for Bevell for the top spot among the OCs in the division.

As for who's the best defensive coordinator in the division, it's a close call between the Bears' Chuck Pagano, the former head coach of the Colts, and the Packers' Mike Pettine, the ex-head man of the Browns.

The Lions, with Undlin, and the Vikings, with defensive line coach Andre Patterson and linebackers coach Adam Zimmer serving as co-defensive coordinators, will both have new coordinators heading into the upcoming season.

Zimmer's dad Mike Zimmer, the Vikings' head coach, has been the primary defensive play-caller for Minnesota, however, since taking over as the team's head man in 2014.

I'll give the slight nod to Pettine because of the tremendous strides the Packers' defense made as a unit from 2018 to 2019.

In 2018, it allowed 25 points per contest (the 22nd-most in the NFL). In stark contrast, a year ago, Pettine oversaw a Green Bay defense that permitted 19.6 points a game, good for ninth-best in the league.

As for my overall NFC North coordinator duo rankings, here's how I have them ranked:

1.) Vikings' Kubiak (OC) and Patterson and Adam & Mike Zimmer (DC)

2.) Lions' Bevell (OC) and Undlin (DC)

3.) Packers' Hackett/LaFleur (OC) and Pettine (DC)

4.) Bears' Lazor/Nagy (OC) and Pagano (DC)