Now that Sean Desai is out as Eagles defensive coordinator, there are several intriguing possibilities to replace him.

But one of those candidates won't be the man who actually did replace Desai in special defensive assistant Matt Patricia. The NFL Network reported Sunday night that Patricia informed the Eagles that he will be "exploring other options."

Patricia's return as defensive coordinator seemed like a longshot anyway after the Eagles defense didn't improve under Patricia during his four games in charge.

Either way, this will be a critical hire for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni after missing on Desai, who was in his first season replacing Jonathan Gannon. Gannon left after the Super Bowl to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach.

Here are some candidates to replace Desai, beginning with former Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera:

Ron Rivera, ex-Commanders head coach

Rivera, long known as a defensive coach, is reportedly interviewing for the Eagles defensive coordinator job on Monday.

Rivera, of course, got his start as Eagles linebacker coach from 1999-2003 on Andy Reid's first staff. After several years as a defensive coordinator with the Bears and Chargers, Rivera served as the Panthers' head coach from 2011-19, taking the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015. He was the Commanders' head coach from 2020 until his firing at the end of this season.

Dennard Wilson, Ravens defensive backs coach

Wilson, who was the Eagles' defensive backs coach the previous two seasons, was passed over for the defensive coordinator job last spring, then left to become the DB coach with the Ravens. But several Eagles players were big fans of Wilson.

It's hard to argue with his results with the Ravens, who advanced to the AFC Championship game.

Don 'Wink' Martindale, former Giants defensive coordinator

This would seem like the biggest transformation for the Eagles defense, since Martindale ran a blitz-heavy scheme with the Giants. The Eagles' philosophy for several years has been to get pressure on the quarterback with the defensive line.

But it's hard to argue with Martindale's experience. Martindale, 60, first became an NFL defensive coordinator in 2010 with Denver. He was the Ravens defensive coordinator before joining Brian Daboll's staff in 2022.

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Leslie Frazier, former Bills defensive coordinator

Like Martindale, Frazier, 64, has a wealth of experience, going back to being a part of Andy Reid's first staff in 1999. Frazier was the Eagles' defensive backs coach from 1999-2002, then became a defensive coordinator for the first time in 2003 with Cincinnati.

Frazier also served as a head coach with the Vikings from 2011-13. He was the Bills' defensive coordinator from 2017-22.

Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Michigan

Minter, 40, just finished his second season as the Wolverines' defensive coordinator. Michigan, which won the national championship, had the top-ranked defense in college football this past season, allowing 247 yards per game.

Minter also spent four seasons on the Ravens' staff, beginning as a defensive assistant in 2017 and working up to defensive backs coach in 2020 before become Vanderbilt's defensive coordinator in 2021. Then he went to Michigan.

Glenn Schumann, defensive coordinator, Georgia

Schumann, 33, interviewed for the Eagles' DC job last spring. That was before the Eagles drafted three of his players in Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo. That's on top of the two from the previous season in Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.

Schumann was Georgia's co-defensive coordinator from 2019 until taking over sole responsibility in 2022. Georgia won two straight national championships under Schumann.

Chris Shula, linebackers coach, Rams

Shula has a long lineage as one of Don Shula's grandsons, and the son of David Shula. Chris Shula has been with the Rams since 2017, but 2023was in his first season as linebackers coach. He was the defensive backs coach the previous season. Shula also knows Sirianni, serving as a defensive assistant with the Chargers in 2016 while Sirianni was the QB coach.

Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator, Panthers

Evero could be on the move after Carolina finished 2-15, having already fired head coach Frank Reich after 11 games. Sirianni, of course, considers Reich a mentor. And Carolina's dismal season wasn't Evero's fault. The Panthers ranked fourth in yards allowed. He was also Broncos defensive coordinator in 2022.

Ryan Nielsen, defensive coordinator, Falcons

Nielsen was in his first season running Atlanta's defense after spending the previous season as the Saints co-defensive coordinator. Nielsen, 44, coached in the college ranks from 2005-16. He got his first NFL job with the Saints in 2017 as a defensive line coach before getting his chance as New Orleans' co-defensive coordinator in 2022.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ron Rivera interviews; more top Eagles defensive coordinator candidates