The Eagles have once again turned inward to fill a coaching vacancy, promoting safeties coach Joe Kasper to defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator, according to multiple reports.
The promotion comes after Christian Parker, who formerly held the role, was hired by the division rival Dallas Cowboys as their new defensive coordinator.
Following Parker’s departure, speculation that Kasper would be next in line to replace him intensified. The move has even received rave reviews from All-Pro defensive back Cooper DeJean.
There has been considerable debate surrounding the Eagles’ reliance on internal promotions. Recent examples, most notably the promotions of Brian Johnson and Kevin Patullo on offense, as well as D.K. McDonald in 2023, have fueled the belief that the organization should look outside of the building when making changes to the coaching staff, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
Despite those concerns and the disappointment surrounding Parker’s exit, there’s reason to believe Kasper has an extremely bright future ahead of him.
With the departure of Parker, who was seen as the ‘Defensive Coordinator-In-Waiting when Vic Fangio decides to call it a career, Kasper is now primed with the ability to lay claim to that same role.
But before projecting what Kasper could become in Philadelphia, it’s worth asking a more immediate question: who exactly is Joe Kasper, and why should fans be excited about his promotion?
Joe Kasper is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace (Berea, OH), where he played three seasons of college football. This led to forgoing his senior season for an opportunity to work as a Summer Intern, which translated to an opportunity in player development for the Cleveland Browns.
Kasper received his first coaching opportunity with his high school Alma mater, Mentor High (OH), as the defensive backs coach. Kasper spent two seasons (2015-2016) in the role before being hired as the wide receivers coach at John Carroll University (2017).
After getting his foot in the collegiate coaching door. Kasper spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at Duke, working under the legendary David Cutcliffe, where he worked with the defensive backs (2018-2019) and quarterback (2020).
“One of the first things I noticed about Joe is that he had a connection with the players, and he did that exceptionally well,” Cutcliffe said when asked about his former Grad Assistant.
“He is very smart, very driven, and was always looking at the game from all angles. The X’s and O’s, but also the psychology and the strategy of the game. I knew he would do well moving forward.”
Following his time at Duke, Kasper was hired as a defensive quality control coach, marking his initial stint in Philadelphia. Here, he spent two seasons under the guidance of then-defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, before being hired as the safeties coach of the Miami Dolphins. Kasper spent just one season in Miami before returning to Philadelphia, following Vic Fangio, who was the Dolphins defensive coordinator in 2023.
Fangio first crossed paths with Kasper during the Eagles’ 2022 Super Bowl run, when Fangio was brought in as a consultant. While Fangio later noted that most of his contributions were on the offensive side of the ball, the relationship he built with Kasper behind the scenes proved lasting.
Despite having a Doctorate Degree in Defense, by Fangio’s own account, he (Fangio) was actually brought in to help aid the Eagles offensive staff. His role was analyzing the offensive self-scouting tendencies and supplying knowledge of the Chiefs defense that Fangio had become quite accustomed to, given his time as the head coach of the rival Denver Broncos.
“I really helped the offense. I’d say 95 percent of any of my contributions were to the offense and 5 percent to the defense,” Fangio said of his time with the Eagles in 2022.
Despite the massive disparity in where his contributions were distributed. Clearly, that 5% was more important than any of us realized. Given reports that Fangio was in line to become Philadelphia’s next defensive coordinator upon Gannon’s departure, it’s safe to assume that at the time, while he may have had his hands on the offense, Fangio’s eyes were on the defense.
As we all know, things never came to fruition for Fangio and the Eagles, at least that season. This ultimately led Fangio to spend one season in Miami. The seeds, however, had been planted.
Upon his arrival in Miami, it didn’t take long for Fangio to name Kasper a part of his coaching staff.
Clearly, Kasper, while having offers in other places, valued the opportunity to work with a great defensive mind like Fangio. As for the latter, well, part of the reason Fangio surely had an eye on Kasper was due to his work in the secondary under Gannon.
Gannon, despite being a disciple of the Zimmer/Parcells tree of defense. Has adopted some of the same principles Fangio does in terms of match coverage and two high shells. While Kasper was only a quality control coach, his role usually kept him responsible for all things defensive backs, which allowed him to become quite acquainted with the ins and outs of a very complex system and the rules each defensive back must follow.
“Joe does extra work, extra film, and makes the job easy for us,” safety Reed Blankenship said.
“He gives us homework and does multiple cut-ups of different calls. You don’t see a lot of coaches doing that for their players.”
Kasper’s road to Fangio was a path similar to the one traveled by his predecessor, Christian Parker. Parker spent two seasons in Green Bay as a quality control coach before joining Fangio in Denver as the defensive backs coach.
The familiarity Kasper has with the scheme has allowed him to play a significant role in the development of multiple players in the Eagles secondary across his two tenures.
“[Christian Parker] and coach (Joe) Kasper, what those guys mean to us in the DB room and how they coach, the intensity they bring, the passion they have for the game. It means a lot to us and doesn’t go unnoticed,” Cooper DeJean said.
While other opportunities continue to call, it seems the pride of Ohio has unfinished business with this current Eagles secondary group.
For the Eagles, this is a move that position’s it’s secondary for continued growth and development, even with the departure of Christian Parker. Kasper’s promotion is about more than just continuity. It depicts the role of familiarity, development, and the ability to communicate and teach at a high level.
As the new defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator, Kasper will now have an opportunity to continue to climb through the ranks, and if history is any indicator, this won’t be the last promotion he’ll earn.
The Philly Blitz 
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