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The Philadelphia Eagles are making sweeping changes on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, which started with the firing of Sean Desai and not retaining Matt Patricia as the defensive play-caller. The Eagles made the controversial decision to take the play-calling duties from Desai after 13 games and give them to Patricia, ruining Desai’s reputation and putting the defense in a no-win situation.
Philadelphia will be searching for a new defensive coordinator — and perhaps a new defensive philosophy — over the next several weeks. What candidates will the Eagles target? These are five names to keep an eye on.
Wink Martindale, former Giants defensive coordinator
The popular choice amongst the fan base, Martindale would be a strong fit with the current group of pass rushers the Eagles have. A blitz-heavy coach, Martindale would certainly help a pass rush that finished 24th in sack rate (6.2%) and 14th in pressure rate (36.1%).
The New York Giants were 26th in points allowed and 27th in yards allowed this past season under Martindale, who clashed with his head coach at his two previous stops with the Giants and Baltimore Ravens. Also hard to ignore the 31 takeaways the Giants had this season, which tied for first in the NFL. Martindale has a background with linebackers, which would certainly result in a change of philosophy for the Eagles.
The Eagles have reportedly reached out to Martindale for their vacant defensive coordinator job, according to The Athletic.
Ryan Nielsen, former Falcons defensive coordinator
Becoming available after the Atlanta Falcons fired Arthur Smith, Nielsen is another name the Eagles are reportedly targeting for the job, per The Athletic. The Falcons defense certainly improved under Nielsen, ranking 18th in points allowed and 11th in yards allowed despite ranking 29th in takeaways.
Nielsen fits the Nick Sirianni/Eagles philosophy of eliminating…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/sean-desai-fired-defensive-coordinator-candidates-for-eagles-to-consider-for-2024-including-wink-martindale/
Author : Jeff Kerr
Publish date : 2024-01-22 15:27:52
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