The Eagles did it. Whether you agree with the decision or not, they’ve fired Doug Pederson. I don’t want to get to deep in my views on the matter. Instead, I want to look at potential coaches that could take the reigns and do their best to fix this mess.
Internal Options:
Duce Staley
Coaching history:
Philadelphia Eagles (2011–2012): Special Teams Quality Control Coach
Philadelphia Eagles (2013–2017): Running Backs Coach
Philadelphia Eagles (2018–present): Assistant Head Coach & Running Backs Coach
So this one is not gonna be popular and would undoubtedly get eye rolls and groans. I understand the feeling that if they wanted something new they should not hire from within.
However, many players and colleagues have sung Duce’s praises ability to command a room and lead people. He is revered for his teaching ability and his no nonsense attitude. Staley has said that as Head Coach he feels it’s a responsibility to coach and manage the team and if there are other coaches who can call the plays, he is happy to let them do so. If this is really the case then Staley would more than likely hire his own OC & a new DC which might make the front office and some fans happy.
NFL Coaches (Outside Options):
Robert Saleh
San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator
Saleh is the current Defensive Coordinator of the 49ers and has had that unit ranked top 5 in the last two years and has been able to do so with the slough of injuries they’ve suffered. He brings a tough and electric personality that the team may need. Furthermore, his recent experience in the Niners organization may lead him to bringing someone from that organization to handle the offense.
Saleh’s 4-3 defensive scheme would be an easy sale to the front office and could even get a chance to put some more focus and development in the linebacker position.
Joe Brady
Carolina Panther Offensive Coordinator
If the Eagles wanted to go super young and imitate a Sean McVay-esque hire then Brady could be that guy. Brady has skyrocketed in popularity due to being able to turn the 2019 LSU offense into one of the best in college football history. He set up a scheme that played to Joe Burrow and the wide receivers strengths and lit up the scoreboards. The appeal is there that maybe he could build a great scheme for whoever is the QB and get the most out of the WRs, something that has been lacking in recent years. The main worry is what kind of staff would he be able to build having limited coaching experiences.
Leslie Frazier
Buffalo Bills Asst Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator
Another defensive minded coach? Yes, while he may not have had that much success in Minnesota I think we can agree that a lot of coaches get second chances and Frazier could be one. Another interesting thing to note is he has connections to the eagles. Frazier coached under Andy Reid for three years and is currently coaching with Sean McDermott right now. He also runs an even front and has shown the ability to be able to groom secondary players like Jordan Poyer, Levi Wallace and Tarim Johnson. He deploys a mix of blitzes and 2-high coverages which would be a welcome change. As for how he could build his offensive staff, he could very well be able to bring someone like Ken Dorsey with him who is the QB coach for the Bills. Dorsey has coached Josh Allen to his best season of his career.
College Coaches
Lincoln Riley
HC Oklahoma
The connections have already been talked about shortly after Doug was let go. He has what has been referred to as a good relationship with Howie Roseman and connections to a few players already on the Eagles. Riley is another offensive minded coach who’s lauded for his ability to adjust his scheme to suit the skill set of his QBs.
He helped Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray go number one overall and turned Jalen Hurts into an improved passer which got him selected in the second round by the Eagles. The scheme like many other spread schemes is predicated on creating favorable numbers and matchups in the passing game, while using a power/counter centered running game to set up play action.
The worry of another college coach is fair but the personality issues that doomed Chip do not seem to be there for Riley. The bigger question is whether or not he can tailor his system to the NFL and play more complimentary football decreasing the pressure on the defense.
Matt Campbell
HC Iowa State
Campbell is another Big 12 Coach but one who, unlike Riley, is not the offensive guru but more of a team builder. He helped build up Toledo for 3 seasons and is currently at Iowa State and has done something similar there. Campbell has taken lesser talent and gone from 3-9 his first season to 4 straight winning season and this past year saw them finish at 9-3 overall and 8-1 in the conference.
He would bring the ability to take what looks like a depleted roster and a team looking to potentially rebuild and continuously get the most out of him. He would most likely bring his OC Tom Manning who has previous NFL coaching experience and Jon Heacock who is credited at adapting his scheme to be able to suffocate the high flying Big 12 offenses.
PJ Fleck
HC University of Minnesota
Not a huge name by any means but if they wanted to go for another young team building type of coach, PJ Fleck is that guy. Being able to go from WR coach for the Buccaneers to Head Coach at Western Michigan is a huge jump as is. Then to go 1-11 the first year seems fitting but he followed that up with 3 winning seasons culminating in a 11-1 record. Fleck brings the energy and the ability to change a culture within a program. He would need to prove he can fill out a great staff around him and be able to lead an entire team not just the young guys.
The Philly Blitz 