Nick Rallis (defensive coordinator) answers questions during a news conference at the Arizona Cardinals training facility in Tempe on Feb. 18, 2026. Syndication: Arizona Republic
GLENDALE – In one of the shockers of the NFL offseason, the Arizona Cardinals elected to bring back defensive coordinator Nick Rallis under new head coach Mike LaFleur. Arizona’s defense last year ranked 29th in points and 27th in yards allowed, surrendering 37+ points in six of the last nine games. Despite the poor production, mumbling could be heard of the team wanting to bring back Rallis in some capacity, but in the same role was quite a shocker.
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During Wednesday’s press conference, Rallis detailed what he did in the last six weeks where he didn’t know if he would be returning to the franchise.
Nick Rallis (defensive coordinator) answers questions during a news conference at the Arizona Cardinals training facility in Tempe on Feb. 18, 2026. Syndication: Arizona Republic
Rallis on return to Cardinals:
“It was a long process of reflection. [I] was trying to find those avenues for growth for myself and this defense. At the time, I didn’t know if I was going to be here. I was still looking at it through that lenses. Finding out ways on how I can be better at my job, talking to other people. How can I serve better? To the coaches, to the players to allow them to do their job at a high level.
“[It] means a lot, because I love the players. I know we can be better than what we put on tape. I’m fortunate for the opportunity to get another shot at that.”
Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 31, 2023.
At just 32 years old, the Cardinals view Rallis as a prodigy and a building block towards the future. He overachieved in his second season, as Arizona was the 15th scoring defense in the NFL and just fell shy of a playoff spot. Through the first five weeks of 2025, the Cardinals were allowing less than 20 points per game.
However, injuries started to derail their production midway through the year, and then completely fell off in the final nine weeks. Rallis discussed the work he’s already dived into to try and figure out what he needs to do better to ensure that level of collapse doesn’t happen again. Rallis wants to focus on the trends that he believes will carry over from this past season into 2026, looking at what the best offenses were doing to succeed to try and stop it.
LaFleur didn’t bring back many coaches from the previous regime, but he seems to trust Rallis to bounce back from a rough third year to complete his vision of what the defense can become.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
