While teams like the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers end their coaching searches this week, the Arizona Cardinals' rambling hunt rolls on.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday night that the Cardinals have requested permission to speak to Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, according to a source informed of their plans. Arians was beaten out for the Bears job by Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman on Tuesday night.
Arians is a fine candidate, but this is not an encouraging sign for Cardinals fans or Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton. The team also set up an interview with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, according to Rapoport.
Consider: Arians has been available for a week and a half. The Cardinals are only asking now after striking out on top candidates like Andy Reid and Mike McCoy. The Cardinals only asked to talk to Arians and Bevell after they were finalists with the Bears. It creates the appearance the organization is just copying another team's notes rather than coming up with its own list.
Meanwhile, Horton has to wonder what happened to his status as a strong candidate in Arizona. He was interviewed immediately after the season, but the Cardinals keep expanding their coaching search because they don't seem to be in love with anyone they've interviewed. It appears the Cardinals would love to hire a new offensive head coach, while retaining Horton on defense. That could be a tough pill to swallow for Horton after the team let him wonder about his status for so long.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
