MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on against the Miami Dolphins during the first half in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Bill Belichick operated as the New England Patriots’ de facto defensive coordinator last season, albeit with Stephen Belichick and Jerod Mayo helping too.

Lost in all the news about the New England Patriots‘ doomsday is the radio silence regarding one of the most important aspects of their franchise: the defensive coordinator position.

In 2019, head coach Bill Belichick announced he would function as the team’s defensive playcaller until further notice, following the hire — and sudden departure — of former Bucaneers head coach Greg Schiano.

This was a decision that raised a lot of eyebrows around the league … eyebrows that were raised even higher after Belichick coached the defense into a record-breaking first half of the season.

However, as we all remember, the second half of the season didn’t go quite as well. Teams started figuring out the defense’s weaknesses, the schedule got tougher, and the Patriots D lost a little bit of luster as the season wound down.

Some think the blame may partly lie on Bill’s son, Steve Belichick, who seemed to be moonlighting as a defensive playcaller during the last few games.

While Bill spent most of his time focused on the defense, I felt like coaching on the offense became weaker. It seemed like the offensive game plan relied entirely on conservative playcalling, with a trick play thrown in every 60 snaps or so, to maintain the illusion that the offense still had fuel in the tank.

The most egregious example came from their fateful matchup against Miami in Week 17, when New England headed into the locker room after not attempting to score on a drive with 57 seconds on the clock and all three timeouts in tow still. The drive could have been a two-minute drill with two timeouts, but the Pats sat idly by as the Dolphins ran down the clock.

I’m not sure if it’s because Josh McDaniels took a larger role on the offense or if it’s because Belichick just puts less focus on the squad, but something was off.

New England is one of two teams that don’t currently have a defensive coordinator, with the other being the Tennessee Titans. Coincidentally, head coach Mike Vrabel, a former Patriot himself, has said that he’ll be the lead playcaller for the defense moving forward in the same way Belichick has been for the Pats.

Trying a season out without a defensive coordinator isn’t unheard of, but it’s atypical that the Patriots toughed out a year without one and still don’t seem to be searching to fill the void.

It’s possible that Coach Belichick is mentoring his son Steve to take the reins, although I believe the team would have announced that by this late in the offseason; they brought Greg Schiano on board directly after Super Bowl LIII, after all.

That said, if the Pats treat 2020 like a rebuilding year, the franchise may as well test Steve to see what skills and schemes he can bring for the future.

If New England is instead searching for a new defensive coordinator candidate behind the scenes, there are several high quality options still waiting for a call. With 44 years of NFL coaching experience, former Rams DC Wade Phillips is easily the most seasoned candidate up for grabs.

Former Seahawks DC Kris Richards is also available after a solid tenure as a defensive assistant coach in Dallas.

Alternatively, if Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick want to keep the job in-house, inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo has shown promise at his position, and he earned praise about his leadership and football IQ from his teammates last year.

These, however, are all just potential directions the team could take. New England hasn’t shown much indication that they’re eager to grab a new DC, and the typical hiring period has basically ended for other teams.

Bill Belichick might continue to focus on the defense in 2020, and after OC Josh McDaniels survived the annual “other teams want McDaniels!” media cycle, he appears ready to come back and lead the offense.

Whatever the Pats decide to do, they have the ability to be flexible with their coaching style in 2020. Entering with tepid expectations and what looks to be a season of rebuilding, Belichick can try a couple different options without much risk.

With an elite secondary being all that remains intact from last season, whoever takes charge will be in a good spot for the upcoming year.