The Eagles are in the midst of a frantic frenzy right now. Doug Pederson’s departure has left a gaping hole at the Head Coach position and the team isn’t exactly blessed with time to find the right fit. As a result, the franchise seems to be moving at a million miles a minute, with reports and rumors flying out of every nook and cranny possible. Instead of trying to keep up with the endless stream of news, here’s a new daily whistle-stop tour of everything you need to know.
The candidates so far
Interview process
49ers DC Robert Saleh – Interviewed, hired by Jets
Titans OC Arthur Smith – Interviewed, hired by Falcons
Rams DC Brandon Staley – Interview requested, hired by Chargers
Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles – Interview requested
Patriots ILB coach Jerod Mayo – Interview requested
Eagles assistant head coach/RB coach Duce Staley – Interview waiting
Panthers OC Joe Brady – Interviewed
Cowboys OC Kellen Moore – Interviewed
Patriots OC Josh McDaniels – Interviewed for 394 hours
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy – Interview requested
Colts OC Nick Sirianni – Interviewed
Saints DC Dennis Allen – Interview requested
Other interests
Chiefs QB coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka – PHI Interest denied
Bills OC Brian Daboll – Isn’t interested
Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley – Isn’t interested
Ohio State HC Ryan Day
Cowboys STC John Fassel – No request yet
Kellen Moore interviews with the Eagles
The Eagles interviewed Cowboys OC Kellen Moore on Tuesday, according to Tom Pelissero. It’s easy to see why the Eagles would be interested in Moore. He’s young, a former quarterback, and coordinated a potent Dallas offense in 2019 before injuries derailed everything one year later.
He did just sign a three-year contract in Dallas, so that’s worth noting as he won’t want to leave something he’s been building for a while, especially if Mike McCarthy’s job is still uncertain after next season.
New candidates emerge for Eagles HC Vacancy
Cowboys ST Coach John Fassel
The day started off in a gleeful tone, with the Eagles not only interviewing a coach from their most bitter rival, but showing interest in another one.
Special Teams coach John Fassel is the man in question. Formerly of the Rams where his unit ranked inside the top 10 for five consecutive seasons, Fassel took his talents to Dallas after a couple of down years, pushing their special teams group into the top 10.
This hire would make some sense but could easily be seen as a slight at Dave Fipp, who has long-been regarded as one of the top special teams coaches in the NFL and is already in the building.
Colts OC Nick Sirianni
This is an interesting one. Nick Sirianni is currently Frank Reich’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis and has just finished his third year in that position. His offense has ranked 10th, 9th, and 12th respectively.
You can’t help but feel this hire would scream ‘settling for the baby version of Frank Reich after losing him’, however, that is kind of what they did with Pederson and Reid after all.
He’s coached both QB’s and WR’s on his way up the coaching ladder and has helped develop players at both spots including two stellar seasons from Phillip Rivers, who he would later reunite with in Indy.
The Eagles and Sirianni fit like a hand in a glove, it would seem, but will the front office feel the same way?
Saints DC Dennis Allen
According to the ever-accurate Jason LaCanfora, the Eagles will be requesting an interview with Saints DC Dennis Allen…which probably means they won’t be doing that.
Allen has spent the last five years with New Orleans a the teams’ defensive coordinator and it’s hard to argue with his resume…until you go back to his 8-28 record as a Head Coach with the Raiders.
Anyway, the Saints have ranked inside the top 10 defensively for four consecutive seasons. They also held a ridiculous 55 game streak of not allowing a 100+ yard rusher that was broken by none other than Jalen Hurts this past season.
Allen could be among the top defensive candidates available now that Saleh is out of the equation.
Other Eagles news
According to a compensatory pick projecton from OverTheCap, the Eagles will be heading into Draft season with just eight picks as opposed to a previously projected ten. They will lose the comp picks they were previously set to acquire from the losses of Ronald Darby (6th) and Kamu-Grugier-Hill (7th). Fun.
However, it’s not all bad. Pro Football Talk reported that the NFL Salary Cap could well be in the region of $180M this season. That is HUGE for a team currently close to $70M over the current total. This increase would leave the Eagles only $40M over the new cap, giving them a chance to wipe sweat from their foreheads knowing that clearing that debt is much easier if they make some decisions that should be fairly simple.
Photo by MSA/Icon Sportswire
