The NFL is big on innovation in the league and Doug Pederson took a step back during his coaching search to insert some fresh idea into his offense.
Pederson brought on Rich Scangarello as a senior offensive assistant, but his biggest and most important move could be the promotion of Press Taylor to passing game coordinator in Philadelphia.
The brother of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, Press is gaining accolades from around the league for his football intelligence and according to The Athletic, he’ll play a “vital” role shaping the Eagles offense this season.
Taylor became quarterbacks coach in 2017 when John Defilippo moved on and Pederson had the insight to know that he needed to give his young assistant coach more responsibility or risk losing him.
“I really feel like in order for Press to grow, I’ve got to give him more as a coach,” Pederson said. “I’ve got to put more on his plate.”
“I’m gonna lean a little more on Press,” Pederson said. “I feel like Press has a bright future as a coordinator. And so I’m trying to groom him. I think about what Andy did with me, and how he brought me along. Obviously, he made me the coordinator. He called plays. But, at the same time, he allowed me to run the meetings, run the staff meetings, things like that. And so I’m leaning toward Press to handle that this spring.”
According to Pederson, Taylor was in charge of last season’s red-zone package, and that’s where Carson Wentz made his money late in the season.
With Taylor calling the plays inside the 20, the Birds averaged 5.56 points per red zone trip in 2019 — first in the NFL.
Taylor and Wentz have a strong connection and the promotion should only make the Eagles passing game that more dangerous.