Cristian Garcia is in his second season with the Cardinals and first as defensive backs coach after being promoted on 2/20/26. He initially joined the Cardinals on 2/12/25 as the linebackers coach for the 2025 season. Garcia came to Arizona after spending the 2024 season with the Dallas Cowboys as an assistant defensive backs/quality control coach.
Last season with the Cardinals, starting LB Mack Wilson Sr. was off to a career year before an injury ended his season after eight games. In his eight starts, Wilson totaled 60 tackles, three tackles for loss, six passesed defensed, an INT and a forced fumble. Rookie LB Cody Simon assumed the starting role following Wilson's injury and went on to start the final nine games at the "Mike" position. He finished the year ranked second in tackles (67) among NFL rookies behind only 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year Browns LB Carson Schwesinger (86). Simon's 67 tackles were the most by a Cardinals rookie LB since Deone Bucannon in 2014 (77).
With Dallas in 2024, Garcia helped the Cardinals defense rank 3rd in the NFL in sacks (52) while tying for 5th in the league with 16 forced fumbles. Pro Bowl CB Trevon Diggs had a team-high 11 passes defensed in just 11 games played that season.
Prior to the Cowboys, Garcia was with the Commanders for three seasons where he got his start in the NFL. He began in Washington as a defensive assistant in 2021 and was promoted to defensive quality control coach in 2022. Garcia then worked as the Commanders assistant defensive backs/nickels coach in 2023. Garcia was elevated to interim defensive backs coach during the 2023 season. During his time in Washington, the Commanders defense had four Pro Bowl selections.
Garcia began his coaching career at UNLV as a defensive graduate assistant for two seasons (2018-19) before spending the 2020 season at Georgia Tech as a defensive graduate assistant.
He played linebacker at the University of Florida for three seasons (2015-17) where he appeared in 25 games. Garcia was a team captain and SEC Academic Honor Roll selection as a senior in 2017 after appearing in 11 games and collecting 16 tackles and a pass defensed.
The Gainesville Police Department credited Garcia for preventing a sexual assault during the summer of 2016. He was subsequently feature on ABC's Good Morning America and honored in Washington D.C. by former Vice President at the time, Joe Biden. Garcia was a recipient of the administration's inaugural "Its On Us" Courage Award.
The Miami, FL native received a bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Florida. Garcia and his wife, Kristen have two sons, Jordan and Eli.
Cristian Garcia Coaching Breakdown
2018–19 UNLV Graduate Assistant
2020 Georgia Tech Graduate Assistant
2021 Washington Commanders Defensive Assistant
2022 Washington Commanders Defensive Quality Control
2023 Washington Commanders Assistant Defensive Backs/Nickels
2024 Dallas Cowboys Assistant Defensive Backs/Quality Control
2025 ARIZONA CARDINALS Linebackers
2026- ARIZONA CARDINALS Defensive Backs
