Tag: Brian Johnson

Twitter reacts to Commanders hiring former Eagles OC to Dan Quinn’s coaching staff

Brian Johnson’s hiring was praised by many — for different reasons.

The Washington Commanders appear to be building an impressive coaching staff under new head coach Dan Quinn. Shortly after Quinn’s hiring was made official last weekend, the Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator.

Kingsbury, a former Cardinals head coach, is known for his excellent work with quarterbacks, while Whitt specializes in defensive backs.

On Thursday, Washington added to its coaching staff. First, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Commanders planned to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson as offensive pass-game coordinator and Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator. Later on Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reported that quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard would return in 2024 after impressing Quinn and Kingsbury.

The Commanders still have several openings and are continuing to interview potential candidates.

Of Thursday’s new hires, Johnson was the big name. And due to the Eagles’ struggles down the stretch last season, his hiring was praised by many — except Philadelphia fans.

Here are some of those reactions.

 

Quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard to remain with the Commanders in 2024

The Commanders are building a terrific coaching staff.

It was a busy day for the Washington Commanders. First, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed that Washington was expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a “prominent role” on the offensive coaching staff.

Fowler later noted that Johnson’s role would likely be pass-game coordinator for new head coach Dan Quinn.

Shortly afterward, Fowler revealed a key hire for the defense, tabbing Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator. Simmons spent last season with the Raiders, but spent several years in Green Bay, working with new Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.

Later Thursday, more coaching news, as Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reported that quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard will return in the same position in 2024.

Pritchard, who joined Washington in 2023, had interest from around the NFL and impressed Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. A former college quarterback at Stanford, Pritchard later served as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater before coming to the NFL last season.

Washington is building a terrific coaching staff and, on offense, appears to be focusing heavily on the development of a young quarterback.

4 takeaways from Commanders hiring former Eagles OC Brian Johnson to a critical role

We’re looking at takeaways and observations from the Washington Commanders hiring former Philadelphia Eagles OC Brian Johnson to a role

Brian Johnson is staying in the NFC East, and he’ll be tasked with helping to develop another star signal-caller after being hired by the Commanders.

Jeremy Fowler reports that the former Eagles offensive coordinator will have a prominent role on Dan Quinn’s staff and work closely alongside new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

The news came after Johnson was interviewed for the Commander’s offensive coordinator job.

Washington has the No. 2 overall pick in April’s NFL draft and could target Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), or Jayden Daniels (LSU).

Johnson, 36, took over as Eagles offensive coordinator this year after spending two seasons under Shane Steichen as quarterbacks coach, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after last season.

Johnson was promoted after Steichen landed the Colts heading coaching job, but he came under fire after the Philadelphia offense grew “stale’ while regressing this season.

With Johnson landing on his feet, here are four takeaways from the news.

Commanders expected to hire former Eagles OC Brian Johnson to prominent role

The Commanders are expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a prominent role on their staff

The Washington Commanders continue to fill out their staff under new head coach Dan Quinn and their latest hire comes from a division rival. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Commanders are expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a prominent role on Quinn’s staff.

Johnson was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator for one year in 2023 after being their quarterbacks coach in 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, he was the Florida Gators’ offensive coordinator in 2020 and coached their quarterbacks from 2018-2019.

This will only be Johnson’s second team in the NFL and while it’s unclear what his role will be in Washington, Fowler indicates it’ll be an important one.

Commanders to hire former Eagles OC Brian Johnson as passing-game coordinator

The Washington Commanders are hiring former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a position on their staff

Brian Johnson is staying in the NFC East, and he’ll be tasked with helping to develop another star signal-caller after being hired by the Commanders.

Jeremy Fowler reports that the former Eagles offensive coordinator will have a prominent role on Dan Quinn’s staff and work closely alongside new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

The news came after Johnson was interviewed for the Commander’s offensive coordinator job.

Washington has the No. 2 overall pick in April’s NFL draft and could target Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), or Jayden Daniels (LSU).

Johnson, 36, took over as Eagles offensive coordinator this year after spending two seasons under Shane Steichen as quarterbacks coach, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after last season.

Johnson was promoted after Steichen landed the Colts heading coaching job, but he came under fire after the Philadelphia offense grew “stale’ while regressing this season.

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Report: Commanders to interview former Eagles OC Brian Johnson for the same position

The Eagles went backward in 2023 with Johnson as offensive coordinator.

Saturday brought some news to the Washington Commanders’ search for a new offensive coordinator.

First, it was revealed that talks broke down between the Las Vegas Raiders and former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury had been expected to join Antonio Pierce’s staff as his new offensive coordinator.

Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport, and others reported that Kingsbury interviewed with the Commanders and new head coach Dan Quinn and is considered a “strong candidate” for the position.

Now, another candidate has emerged, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Brian Johnson, Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator in 2023, is expected to interview with Washington for the same position.

This news isn’t likely to excite Washington fans, and for good reason. Johnson, 36, was with the Eagles for the past three seasons and received a promotion to OC last season after Shane Steichen left to take over as head coach of the Colts.

Philadelphia’s offense and quarterback Jalen Hurts took several steps backward in 2023 under Johnson’s leadership.

A former college quarterback at Utah, Johnson began his coaching career in 2010 at his alma mater.

Former Eagles assistant coach Brian Johnson to interview for Commanders OC job

Former Philadelphia Eagles offensive assistant Brian Johnson to interview for Commanders offensive coordinator job

Reports suggest that Brian Johnson would land on his feet in another system, and the first-year offensive coordinator is heading to Washington to interview for their vacant position, according to Jordan Schultz.

The Commanders have a vacancy after Dann Quinn became the first head coaching hire of the Josh Harris era as owner.

Johnson, 36, took over as Eagles offensive coordinator this year after spending two seasons under Shane Steichen as quarterbacks coach, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after last season.

Johnson was promoted after Steichen landed the Colts heading coaching job, but he came under fire after the Philadelphia offense grew “stale’ while regressing this season.

Eagles’ WR A.J. Brown on Brian Johnson’s firing: ‘Somebody has to be the bad guy’

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown says he’s not surprised that offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was fired and that someone has to be the bad guy

The Brian Johnson era is over in Philadelphia, as Derrick Gunn initially reported that the Eagles’ embattled offensive coordinator wouldn’t return to that position in 2024.

The Eagles moved quickly to hire former Cowboys and Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for the same position.

With the offseason underway, players have reacted, and A.J. Brown may have offered the most insightful assessment of what happened.

While talking to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, Brown chalked Johnson’s firing up to “somebody having to be the bad guy.”

Brown went on to say that he doesn’t get attached to who the offensive coordinator is for his team and that Philadelphia failed to execute down the stretch.

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Jerrod Johnson pulls out of Saints OC search, will return to Houston

Breaking: Jerrod Johnson pulls out of Saints offensive coordinator search, will return to Texans

The New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator search has lost another candidate, but this time it wasn’t someone getting hired by a different team. Top candidate Jerrod Johnson has told teams that he will be returning to the Houston Texans as their quarterbacks coach for another season, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He’ll have an opportunity to gain experience and improve his standing after another year working with C.J. Stroud and Bobby Slowik.

New Orleans wasn’t the only team in pursuit of Johnson, but they made him a priority. The Saints had interviewed Johnson twice, with him being near the top of their list as well as multiple other teams. They have a second interview planned with former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy  on Wednesday, who will be the only other candidate to meet with the Saints twice.

As for the rest of their list (that are still available), it is as follows: Greg Lewis, Klint Kubiak, Brian Griese, Ronald Curry, Mike Sullivan and Brian Johnson. Others may have met with the team but not been reported, as was the case for Getsy, so stay tuned.

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Bucs complete interview with former Eagles OC Brian Johnson

The Bucs interviewed Philadelphia’s former offensive coordinator on Tuesday, and unlike most candidates in the search so far, he’s no stranger to calling plays.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are wasting no time getting their interviews in for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

CBS insider Jonathan Jones reported Tuesday that the Bucs were interviewing former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson on Tuesday. He was the second Johnson the team interviewed on Tuesday, as the team also conducted an interview with Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson on Tuesday.

Brian Johnson’s resume is a confusing one. By just stats, he looks promising — the Eagles were ranked 7th in points per game, 9th in yards per game, 5th in third down conversion rate and 9th in red zone conversion rate. That’s all good, but their notorious downturn at the end of the year which saw them lose six of their last seven games and get blown out in the playoffs against the Bucs is cause for concern when it comes to his body of work.

Johnson isn’t a stranger to calling plays, unlike some candidates Tampa Bay is set to interview. He served as offensive coordinator at the University of Florida in 2020 and worked with Bucs quarterback Kyle Trask before moving to Philadelphia to become their quarterbacks coach in 2021-22, where he helped to develop QB Jalen Hurts. His season as offensive coordinator in 2023 is so far his only experience as a playcaller at the NFL level.

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