Now that Sean Desai is out as Eagles defensive coordinator, there are several intriguing possibilities to replace him.
But one of those candidates won’t be the man who actually did replace Desai in special defensive assistant Matt Patricia. The NFL Network reported Sunday night that Patricia informed the Eagles that he will be “exploring other options.”
Patricia’s return as defensive coordinator seemed like a longshot anyway after the Eagles defense didn’t improve under Patricia during his four games in charge.
Either way, this will be a critical hire for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni after missing on Desai, who was in his first season replacing Jonathan Gannon. Gannon left after the Super Bowl to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach.
Here are some candidates to replace Desai:
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, left, stands with senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Dennard Wilson, Ravens defensive backs coach
Wilson, who was the Eagles’ defensive backs coach the previous two seasons, was passed over for the defensive coordinator job last spring, then left to become the DB coach with the Ravens. But several Eagles players were big fans of Wilson.
It’s hard to argue with his results with the Ravens, who advanced to the AFC Championship game.
Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, former Giants defensive coordinator
This would seem like the biggest transformation for the Eagles defense, since Martindale ran a blitz-heavy scheme with the Giants. The Eagles’ philosophy for several years has been to get pressure on the quarterback with the defensive line.
But it’s hard to argue with Martindale’s experience. Martindale, 60, first became an NFL defensive coordinator in 2010 with Denver. He was…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-defensive-coordinator-candidates-top-022121702.html
Author : Delaware Online | The News Journal
Publish date : 2024-01-22 02:21:21
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