Matt Burke enters his second season as the Texans defensive coordinator and his 21st season coaching in the NFL.
In his first year as defensive coordinator, Burke coached a Texans defense that held their opponents to just 96.6 rushing yards per game, marking the sixth-lowest output in the NFL this season. Additionally, the team finished second in the NFL in tackles for loss (105). In 2023, Houston's defense finished the regular season with a franchise-record 46.0 sacks. Under Burke, rookie DE Will Anderson Jr. finished the regular season with 29 tackles (16 solo), 7.0 sacks, 67 pressures, 22 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss and one blocked field goal. Anderson's 67 pressures led all rookies this season. He also set the new rookie franchise record for most sacks in a season (7.0). Anderson was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, becoming the third player in franchise history to claim the honor, joining DeMeco Ryans (2006) and Brian Cushing (2009). Anderson was also named to the Pro Bowl, becoming just the second defensive rookie in team history to earn the honor. DE Jonathan Greenard had a career year, leading the team with 12.5 sacks, marking the sixth-most in a single-season in franchise history. Greenard was also one-of-four players in the NFL to post four games with at least 2.0 sacks. CB Derek Stingley had a breakout season, recording three consecutive games with an interception and earning one AFC Defensive Player of the Week award and one AFC Defensive Player of the Month accolade.
Burke was instrumental in the growth of second-year LB Christian Harris and LB Blake Cashman, who both enjoyed their best seasons of their careers in 2023. Cashman, who made a career-best 13 starts, finished with a team and career-best 104 combined tackles, while also recording career-bests in interceptions, passes defensed and tackles-for-loss. He took home AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after his stellar performance in the Week 6 win vs. New Orleans, becoming just the fourth linebacker in Texans history to win Defensive Player of the Week. Harris picked up where he left off following a promising rookie campaign in 2022, finishing 2023 with 100 combined tackles (64 solo), 2.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss, one forced fumble and seven passes defensed in the 2023 regular season. In his first career postseason game vs. Cleveland, Harris posted a statline of eight combined tackles (seven solo), 1.0 sack, one interception return for a TD, two tackles for loss, one pass defensed and one quarterback hit. He became just the seventh player in NFL history with a pick-six and at least one sack in a playoff game, and the first since J.J. Watt against the Bengals in 2012. He's also the first player in NFL history to record a pick six, one sack and multiple tackles for loss in a playoff game. Stingley finished the season with five interceptions, the fourth-most in the NFL. The Texans defense showed out in the AFC Wild Card game against Cleveland, recording two interception returns for touchdowns becoming the seventh team in NFL history to record multiple interception returns for a touchdown in a playoff game and the first team to do so since the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 15, 2008.
After working as a game management coach for the New York Jets in 2021, Burke joined the Cardinals last season. While leading Arizona's defensive line, he coached fourth-year player DE Zach Allen to a career season, hitting personal highs for sacks (5.5), quarterback hits (20), passes defensed (8) and tackles for loss (10) in 2022. Burke also coached DE J.J. Watt in his final NFL season, in which the five-time first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler led the team in sacks (12.5), quarterback hits (25) and tackles for loss (18), while adding 39 tackles, seven passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Burke helped Arizona improve from 20th to 14th in rushing defense from the previous season.
Burke spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, first as a defensive assistant and then as run game coordinator/defensive line coach. While in Philadelphia, Burke led a defensive line that forced the highest percentage of opponent three-and-out drives in the NFL, ranked third in rushing defense (90.1 yards per game) and fourth in third down defense (34.2 percent). In 2020, the Eagles ranked third in the NFL in sacks (49.0), including 40.0 from the defensive line which featured Pro Bowlers DT Fletcher Cox and DE Brandon Graham.
Prior to working with Philadelphia, Burke spent three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, first as the linebackers coach in 2016 and defensive coordinator for two years (2017-18). In his first season as Miami's defensive coordinator, the Dolphins improved from 20th to 16th in total defense and also elevated from 30th to 14th in rushing defense. He helped guide DB Xavien Howard to his first Pro Bowl selection after he tied for the NFL lead with a career-high seven interceptions in 2018.
While coaching linebackers in 2016, LB Kiko Alonso led the team and finished ninth in the AFC with 115 tackles (69 solo). Under Burke's tutelage, Alonso also became the first Dolphins linebacker since 1993 to intercept a pass and recover a fumble in the same game. With Burke overseeing the linebackers, the Dolphins won six consecutive games to bounce back from a 1-4 start. In Miami's final 11 games, the team went 9-2 and generated 21 turnovers during those 11 games, which was tied for fourth in the NFL during that span.
Prior to Miami, Burke spent seven seasons coaching linebackers for the Cincinnati Bengals (2014-15) and Detroit Lions (2009-13). He also spent five years with the Tennessee Titans, where he served as an administrative assistant (2004-05) and defensive assistant/quality control coach (2006-08).
In 2015, the Bengals had the second-best scoring defense (17.4 points per game) and their defense forced 28 turnovers, tied for sixth in the league. LB Vincent Rey registered the two most productive seasons of his career under Burke, recording 95 tackles (62 solo), one sack, one interception and five passes defensed in 2015 after posting a team-high 121 tackles (61 solo) and five passes defensed in 2014. Following the return of LB Rey Maualuga from an injury that sidelined him for the first half the 2014 season, Cincinnati surrendered just 82.0 rushing yards per contest in the final seven games, the second-best mark in the NFL.
Burke came to Cincinnati from the Lions, where he spent five seasons coaching linebackers (2009-13). In 2013, he helped lead a Lions defense that ranked sixth in the NFL against the run. LB DeAndre Levy tied for second in the NFL in interceptions (6), becoming only the third linebacker in Lions history with six-plus interceptions in a single season and the first since 1958. Detroit held opponents to a 30.3 percent conversion rate on third down (lowest in the league) and was second in red zone touchdown percentage (38.1) in 2013. Detroit's defense went 37 straight quarters without allowing a rushing touchdown, breaking a club record dating back to 1934. The Lions became the first NFL team since 1933 to allow 62-or-fewer rushing yards in six consecutive games, all without allowing a rushing touchdown. In 2011, Detroit won 10 games and earned a playoff berth for the first time since 1999.
Burke spent five years with the Tennessee Titans as an administrative assistant and defensive assistant (2004-08). Burke worked primarily with the linebackers in 2008 when the Titans posted a 13-3 mark, the best record in the NFL. Prior to working in the NFL, Burke also spent time coaching at Harvard (2003), Boston College (2002-03) and Bridgton Academy (1998-99) in Maine.
A native of Hudson, Mass., Burke played safety at Dartmouth. He was part of the school's undefeated Ivy League championship team in 1996. He and his wife, Angie, have two sons, Finn and Jude.
Pro Bowl Players Coached (5): DE Will Anderson Jr. (2023), DT Fletcher Cox (2020), DE Brandon Graham (2020), CB Xavien Howard (2018), S Reshad Jones (2017)
