Patriots Rumors: Bret Bielema Expects to Be Next DC After Brian Flores Leaves

With Brian Flores expected to be formally hired as the Miami Dolphins' new head coach after the Super Bowl, questions remain as to who will take over the defensive play-calling duties for the New England Patriots.

According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Bret Bielema expects to be the new defensive coordinator:

"A report from NFL Network this past week stated that Greg Schiano is set to take a top defensive coaching position with the Patriots, but I'm not 100 percent certain that he would be the defensive coordinator. Per a league source, Bret Bielema, who joined the Patriots' staff this season as a 'consultant to the head coach,' has been telling people that he is going to become the Patriots' defensive coordinator. It would be rare for Belichick to make an outside hire and elevate him immediately to one of the coordinator positions. When outsiders Bill O'Brien and Dean Pees joined the Patriots’ staff last decade, they had to work other jobs first before being elevated to coordinator."

The Patriots technically didn't have a defensive coordinator in 2018, though Flores was the defensive play-caller alongside operating as the linebackers coach. The Patriots ranked 21st in yards (359.1 YPG) and seventh in points (20.3 PPG) under Flores.

Schiano, meanwhile, has served as a defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes (1999-00), the head coach at Rutgers (2001-11), the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13) and the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes (2016-18).

He's also friends with Belichick, and his resume and that friendship have lent credence to his potential ties with the Patriots this offseason.

"I think Greg's a tremendous coach. I've learned an awful lot from him and had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with him when he was at Rutgers," Belichick told reporters in November 2017. "He's one of the very best coaches I think in our profession. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Greg and the way he runs his program and the job that he does."

Bielema, meanwhile, has extensive experience as well, serving as the head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers (2006-12) and Arkansas Razorbacks (2013-17). He spent the past year in New England and said in July that he was enjoying life in the NFL.

"The thing I love about football in the NFL is you go to work at 6 a.m. and you leave at 9 [p.m.] and it's nothing but football," Bielema told Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com. "It's just purely football."

"It's a whole different way to coach [in the NFL]," he added. "I understand once they go to that level, coaches don't ever go back."

Forget going back to the college level. At this point, Bielema is now reportedly expecting a major promotion.