Patrick Toney is in his third season with Arizona after being hired to coach Cardinals defensive backs on 3/1/23.
He worked with All-Pro safety Budda Baker the past two seasons including in 2024 as Baker was named to his 7th Pro Bowl and his 6th consecutive selection at safety. Baker also earned 2nd team All-Pro honors last season after establishing a career-high with 164 tackles and 10 tackles for loss to go along with 2.0 sacks, five passes defensed, three QB hits and a forced fumble. His 164 tackles led all NFL defensive backs and ranked 2nd in the NFL among all defenders (Zaire Franklin-173).
Arizona's defense was one of the best in the NFL in the second half of last season. Over the final 11 games, the Cardinals were 4th in the league allowing an average of just 19.6 points per game. They also allowed the fewest total TDs (20) and passing TDs (10) in the NFL during that span.
In 2023, Baker was selected to his 6th Pro Bowl in 2023 and finished 2nd on the team with 87 tackles and had a team-high four games with double-digit tackles despite missing five games due to injury. Fellow safety Jalen Thompson set career-highs in 2023 with four INTs (team-high), 9 passes defensed and 5 tackles for loss while also recording his first career sack and forced fumble.
Toney came to the Cardinals in 2023 after working at the collegiate level the previous 11 years, including in 2022 at the University of Florida where he was the Gators co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach. He went to Florida after four seasons (2018-21) at the University of Louisiana where he served as the defensive coordinator for his final two seasons in addition to coaching safeties and outside linebackers.
During his two seasons (2020-21) as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana, the Ragin Cajuns went 23-2 and won two Sun Belt Championships, giving up the fewest points (501) and yards per play (5.02) in the conference while forcing the most takeaways (46). The team's 16 INTs in 2020 tied for the most in the conference and the 3rd most in the nation.
In 2021, Louisiana finished 1st in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense (18.3 ppg) and tied for 9th nationally. The year before, they ranked 4th in the conference and 31st in the country in scoring defense (22.0 ppg) while also ranking 4th in the league and 33rd nationally in total defense (355.4 ypg). He coached four players who earned all-conference honors in 2020 (Zi'Yon Hill & Bralen Trahan-2nd team; Eric Garror & Lorenzo McCaskill-3rd team) and also S Percy Butler who was selected by Washington in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2019, Louisiana led the conference in scoring defense (19.7 ppg) and pass defense (197.7 ypg).
Prior to working at Louisiana, Toney coached safeties for two seasons (2016-17) at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), helping the Roadrunners defense finish 7th in the country in 2017 after allowing 287.8 yards per game. They were 8th in scoring defense (17.0 ppg), 2nd in first downs allowed (166) and 19th in pass efficiency (112.2). In 2016, UTSA appeared in the school's first-ever bowl game (Gildan New Mexico Bowl). S Michael Egwuagu earned 2nd team All-Conference USA honors in 2016.
Toney was the secondary coach at Sam Houston State in 2015, helping the Bearkats to an 11-4 record while making it to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. The defense forced 24 turnovers, including 17 interceptions that season. He started his college coaching career at his alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana, in 2012 as a defensive assistant/secondary coach for two seasons before being promoted to safeties coach/special teams coordinator in 2014. During his tenure at Southeastern Louisiana, the Lions ranked 1st in the FCS in pass efficiency defense, 2nd in interceptions, 5th redzone defense, 7th in total defense and 8th in scoring defense. He also coached two future Cardinals in CB Robert Alford and S Harlan Miller. Coaching special teams, the Lions topped the nation in kickoff return average and were 6th in blocked kicks.
He spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at La Costa Canyon (CA) High School (2010-11) after working as the wide receivers coach at Palomar Community College in 2009 and as the defensive line coach at Fallbrook (CA) High School in 2008.
A native of Poway, CA, Toney graduated from Southeastern Louisiana in 2012 with a degree in General Studies. He and his wife, Courtney, live in Chandler, AZ with their daughter, Peyton and dog, Scooch.
