A bit of a shock came through Eagles news on Friday as the team and defensive line coach Phillip Daniels parted ways.
Daniels has been a part of the staff since 2016 but moved to defensive line coach in 2019. He was the assistant defensive line coach under Chris Wilson for the three years prior.
Under Daniels, the sacks went from 44 in 2018 to 43 in 2019. However, the rush defense allowed 90.1 yards per game in 2019 which is down from 96.9 in 2018.
Daniels wasn’t dealt the best hand this year in terms of health on the defensive line. Newcomer Malik Jackson lasted one game. Hassan Ridgeway also went to IR. Fletcher Cox was banged up to start the season. Derek Barnett missed some time. Tim Jernigan missed six games. The rest of the defensive line was a rotation of rookies and practice squad players throughout the season.
Now the Eagles look to replace Daniels and have their third defensive line coach in three years. Let’s look at some options.
In House
Nathan Ollie
Ollie just finished his first season as the assistant defensive line coach for the Eagles. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, Ollie was the defensive line coach at Eastern Kentucky in 2018. From 2015-2017, he was a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee and is a big reason why current Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett was so successful in college. While it wouldn’t be an exciting hire, it could prove worthwhile for Barnett as he looks to prove that he deserves his fifth year option to be picked up.
Matt Burke
A report surfaced last night that the Eagles are indeed considering an internal promotion, but it’s not the name you’re probably thinking of. Instead, defensive assistant Matt Burke appears to be a candidate.
If we’re to go off of Burke’s time as a defensive coordinator, it doesn’t look pretty. Miami rank near the bottom of the league in just about every category after allowing 6,257 total yards and an average of 27 yards per game in 2018. Burke was the first in the firing line after two disappointing defensive seasons, but is it really all his fault? I mean, any time a defense allows 433 points in a season, you’d naturally point to the coordinator.
Way back when Jim Schwartz was the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, the Super Bowl champion worked with Burke, who also signed with the team that season as a quality control coach. Burke remained with Tennessee throughout the reign of Jim Schwartz and eventually followed his coordinator to Detroit when he was hired as a Head Coach.
Burke was hired as a linebackers coach, helping names like Stephen Tulloch (for Eagles trivia purposes), DeAndre Levy, and Tahir Whitehead, harness their full potential.
Last year, Burke reunited with Schwartz for the third time in his career. There’s clearly a strong relationship between the two and after Burke failed to leap into the role of a defensive coordinator successfully, perhaps some time away from the spotlight has kickstarted a rejuivination in his career that can start by coaching a new position.
Outside Hire
Brentson Buckner
Another surprising firing happened a few days ago when the Raiders replaced Buckner as defensive line coach with Rod Marinelli. Buckner helped improve the team’s sack total from 13 in 2018 to 32 in 2019. They also went from the 30th ranked rush defense in 2018 to the eighth best in 2019. That kind of jump in production is worth consideration. Prior to joining the Raiders, Buckner was the defensive line coach in Tampa Bay in 2017 and coached Gerald McCoy. 2017 was also the last time McCoy made the Pro Bowl.
From 2013-2017, Buckner was the defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Here he coached Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones to very productive seasons and was able to develop Dwight Freeney and John Abraham. As a former member of the devastating defensive line in Carolina in the early 2000s, Buckner has all the tools necessary to improve a defensive line.
Chris Wilson
A blast from the (recent) past. Wilson spent 2016-2018 with the Eagles before parting ways and becoming the defensive assistant in Arizona this past season. Chandler Jones had 19 sacks in 2019, his most in his career. With the Eagles, he helped Fletcher Cox, his former player at Mississippi State, become an All Pro in 2018. The sack totals rose from 34 to 38 to 44 the three years he was there. If the Eagles are looking for familiarity and someone who has had prior success with the team, look no further. A few names should surface as the days and weeks go by, but these are the four to watch right now.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
