Unfortunately for the Eagles, being the top team in the league does have its downfalls. The downside of having the best team in the NFC is that many of the coaches on the roster will garner interest from teams in desperate need of head coaches.
Both offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon have already been requested for interviews by the Texans, Colts, and Panthers. While Eagles’ fans can argue about the effectiveness of Gannon and Steichen, the numbers speak for themselves.
Philadelphia had the second-best defense in the NFL this season and their offense ranked third. The development of Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ secondary has been as impressive as both coordinators’ struggles with play-calling.
If any of the interested teams decide to move in on Gannon or Steichen, the Eagles will need to find impressive replacements for both. Let’s look at three possible candidates for each.
Offensive Coordinator
Brian Johnson – Eagles QB coach
This is probably the easiest choice to make. Promoting Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator should Steichen leave would be the obvious choice for Nick Sirianni to make. Johnson has familiarity with Jalen Hurts and would allow the young quarterback to have the same style of coaching for a third straight year. We saw the jump Hurts had when he had the same play-caller for two years, how about a third?
Frank Reich – Colts HC
This one is a little far-fetched but still possible. It’s difficult to see Frank Reich come back to Philly in a lesser role after a solid stint in Indy. The end was certainly very poor, but Reich won a lot in Indianapolis. That being said, it’s hard for me to see Sirianni want his former boss on the team should things go south in a hurry.
Jim Caldwell – Lions HC
This one is probably a last-resort type of hire. Caldwell has had great success with different quarterbacks throughout his career in Indy, Detroit, and Baltimore. Caldwell has experience calling plays and will offer a more traditional approach to Sirianni’s excitement. I think this would be a smart pairing for Jalen Hurts and one that could help the young Eagles QB.
Defensive Coordinator
Vic Fangio – Broncos HC
Eagles fans might be demanding that the coaching staff replace Gannon with Fangio immediately but it won’t be that easy. Fangio will have plenty of interest from around the league and it won’t be a guarantee that Philadelphia keeps him around. If they were able to though, it would be one of the rare occasions that a team replaces their coordinator with the best in the entire league.
Dennard Wilson – Eagles DB coach
Wilson is probably the most likely candidate to replace Gannon should he leave for a new job. Wilson has done exemplary work getting the most out of top players like James Bradberry, Marcus Epps, and Avonte Maddox. His work in Philly has completely turned around the secondary and would be an obvious choice to be the main leader in charge.
Kris Richard – Saints Co-DC
This is probably the biggest pipe dream on the list but everywhere Kris Richard goes, great defenses follow. His work with the Legion of Boom, Dallas, and New Orleans is well documented. Richard has a strong resume and a history of getting the most out of his players. Philadelphia’s defense will have to undergo plenty of changes this offseason and getting a guy like Richard on board would be huge.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
