Eagles defensive coordinator tracker: Vic Fangio now the favorite after Dolphins departure

We’re tracking and identifying the current candidates who have interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles vacant defensive coordinator position and a new favorite to land the job

In a move speculated on for weeks, Ian Rapoport reported that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni had fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

The Eagles finished the season with six losses in their last seven games, with those losses by an average of 15 points, and their only win since Week 12 came against the Giants after they nearly blew a 17-point lead.

Desai was stripped of playcalling duties before Week 15, and the move comes after Philadelphia finished their second-half collapse with a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Monday night.

With the move now official, we’re tracking coordinator candidates ahead of the Senior Bowl and the new league year.

Eagles coordinator candidate Ryan Nielsen set to join Jaguars as DC

Jaguars are set to hire former Falcons’ defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen as their new defensive coordinator

Philadelphia is looking for a new defensive play-caller after head coach Nick Sirianni fired Sean Desai before he met with owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia had his contract expire, and he’ll explore other league opportunities.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles had already reached out to interview former Falcons and Saints assistant coach Ryan Nielsen for the vacant defensive coordinator job.

That won’t happen, as Adam Schefter reports Nielsen is taking his talents to Jacksonville to join Doug Pederson’s staff as the Jaguars defensive coordinator.

Nielsen’s defensive schemes focus on his unit stopping the run out of a light box, and his aggressive approach upfront would have meshed with what Philadelphia has previously done.

The Falcon’s defense jumped to 24th this season in defense-adjusted value over average, which measures the efficiency with the opponent’s strength factored in after being 31st in 2022.

Atlanta’s pass rush went from 32nd in pressure rate in 2022 to 11th under Nielsen in 2023.

Most importantly, the Falcon’s defense under Nielsen ranked 17th in blitz percentage last season compared to the Eagle’s 24th-ranked unit.

Philadelphia will now turn towards landing an interview with Wink Martindale, while the team is also interviewing former Commander’s head coach, Ron Rivera.

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Eagles have reached out to Wink Martindale about vacant defensive coordinator job

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached to Wink Martindale about interest in their vacant defensive coordinator position after firing Sean Desai

Philadelphia is looking for a new defensive play-caller after head coach Nick Sirianni fired Sean Desai before he met with owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia had his contract expire, and he’ll explore other league opportunities.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles have already reached out to interview former Giants and Ravens assistant coach Wink Martindale for the vacant defensive coordinator job.

The 60-year-old is a free agent and Martindale has been an NFL assistant since 2004, spending the majority of his time with the Baltimore Ravens.

Philadelphia lacks agression on defense and Martindale would be a departure to the passive approaches of Jonathan Gannon and Sean Desai.

Martindale would be the closest thing to the late-great Jim Johnson in regards to philospy and pressure approach.

Martindale called blitzes on 46% of the Giants’ defensive plays last season — double the percentage the Eagles sent extra rushers in the regular season.

His blitz package is unpredictable, and Philadelphia has proof that it’s effective, with Jalen Hurts having faced the Giants multiple times a year over his first four years in the league.

Eagles have reached out to Ryan Nielsen about vacant defensive coordinator job

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached to Ryan Nielsen about interest in their vacant defensive coordinator position after firing Sean Desai

Philadelphia is looking for a new defensive play-caller after head coach Nick Sirianni fired Sean Desai before he met with owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia had his contract expire, and he’ll explore other league opportunities.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles have already reached out to interview former Falcons and Saints assistant coach Ryan Nielsen for the vacant defensive coordinator job.

Nielsen’s defensive schemes focus on his unit stopping the run out of a light box, and his aggressive approach upfront will gel with what Philadelphia has previously done.

The Falcon’s defense jumped to 24th this season in defense-adjusted value over average, which measures the efficiency with the opponent’s strength factored in after being 31st in 2022.

Atlanta’s pass rush went from 32nd in pressure rate in 2022 to 11th under Nielsen in 2023.

Most importantly, the Falcon’s defense under Nielsen ranked 17th in blitz percentage last season compared to the Eagle’s 24th-ranked unit.

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7 realistic defensive coordinator candidates Eagles can target after firing Sean Desai

We’re looking at seven realistic candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia as Defensive Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles

A move that has been speculated on for weeks has happened after Ian Rapoport reported that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

The Eagles finished the season with six losses in their last seven games, with those losses by an average of 15 points, and their only win since Week 12 came against the Giants after they nearly blew a 17-point lead.

Desai was stripped of playcalling duties before Week 15, and the move comes after Philadelphia finished their second-half collapse with a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Monday night.

With the move now official, we’re looking at seven realistic candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman, HC Nick Sirianni reaching out to coordinator candidates

After finishing their exit meeting, Eagles GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have begun reaching out to potential coordinator candidates

It appears that Nick Sirianni will be safe and keep his job as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles after meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman.

The same can’t be said for his assistants on both sides of the football.

Dianna Russini reports that Roseman and Sirianni have contacted potential coordinator candidates on the offensive and defensive sides.

Sirianni gets much credit for the Eagles’ success over the past three seasons.

Still, after a late-season meltdown that saw the Eagles go 1-6 in their final seven games, including the playoffs, the head coach and his assistant coaches expected were on the hot seat.

Philadelphia’s third-year head coach has far exceeded expectations, but it’s clear that Gannon and Steichen played far more prominent roles than we thought.

We previewed potential offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator candidates, and as the process began, the dominoes started to fall.

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10 defensive coordinator candidates the Eagles could target if Sean Desai-Matt Patricia depart

With exit interviews set to begin, we’re looking at ten candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia if they depart. 

Nick Sirianni officially has his coaching tree after the Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon and the Colts hired Shane Steichen in the 2023 coaching carousel.

Sirianni rightfully gets a lot of credit for the Eagles’ success.

Still, after a late-season meltdown that saw the Eagles go 1-6 in their final seven games, including the playoffs, the head coach and his assistant coaches could be on the hot seat.

Philadelphia’s third-year head coach has far exceeded expectations, but it’s clear that Gannon and Steichen played far more prominent roles than we thought.

With exit interviews set to begin, we’re looking at ten candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia if they depart.

UGA assistant named as Washington head coach candidate

Key Georgia football defensive assistant named as candidate to become the head coach at Washington

Georgia Bulldogs co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann has been named a potential candidate to fill the vacant head coaching role for the Washington Huskies. Schumann, who also serves as the inside linebackers coach at Georgia, is a young coach that surprisingly did not receive much interest for a head coach job this offseason. That suits Kirby Smart and Georgia just fine.

Schumann is a great recruiter and would help Washington compete as the Huskies move to the Big Ten. Washington’s previous head coach, Kalen DeBoer, is now the head coach at Alabama after leading the Huskies to the national championship in 2023. DeBoer takes over after Nick Saban announced his retirement.

College Sports Wire named Schumann a candidate to be the head coach at Washington.

Glenn Schumann is an up-and-coming star in the coaching ranks. For the last decade-plus, he has coached under both Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. He began as a student assistant with the Crimson Tide in 2008 and became a graduate assistant in 2011. Schumman followed Smart to Georgia where he coached inside linebackers and was elevated to co-defensive coordinator in 2019. He has been part of a coaching staff that has won six national championships. Perhaps the Huskies should take a chance on a young coach ready to run his own program.

Georgia certainly does not want Schumann to leave. The Bulldogs could live with Schumann becoming the head coach for another top Power Five school. However, Georgia’s nightmare scenario would be if Alabama lured Schumann to be their defensive coordinator.

Washington would be following in the footsteps of Oregon, which hired former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, if they hired UGA’s Schumann.

Here are five Texas A&M head coach candidates to replace Jimbo Fisher

Here are the five head coach candidates to take over at Texas A&M after Jimbo Fisher was officially let go on Sunday, Nov. 12.

As of Sunday, Nov. 12, Texas A&M has officially fired head coach Jimbo Fisher after six seasons at the helm, finishing with a 45-25 record, including a dismal 27-21 SEC record. As a shock to many, TexAgs’ Billy Liucci announced the move on Sunday morning, just three days after the Board of Regents met last Thursday.

Taking over in the interim role, long-time associate head coach Elijah Robinson will fill said role, and honestly, there couldn’t have been a better short-term option. So, with the news hitting us in the face less than 24 hours after the Aggie’s 51-10 win over Mississippi State, it’s time to look toward the future.

With plenty of coaching options paired with the fact that Texas A&M is willing to pay Fisher’s over $76.8 million buyout to move on, money is no issue during the head coaching search.

While every fan and media member on the planet has their list, the Aggies likely have their man in mind, but nevertheless, I have my realistic options. Here are five Texas A&M head coach candidates to replace Jimbo Fisher.

What can Eagles’ DC Sean Desai incorporate from Kirby Smart’s defensive scheme at Georgia?

Philadelphia defensive coordinator Sean Desai wants a tough, physical defensive scheme and we’re looking at what the Eagles can incorporate from Kirby Smart’s defensive scheme at Georgia?

Philadelphia has a new defensive coordinator in Sean Desai, and he’ll debut with five former Georgia Bulldogs defenders along for the ride.

The defense belongs to Kirby Smart in Athens, Georgia, but Glenn Schumann has come aboard and taken the Bulldogs’ program to another level.

Since following Smart from Alabama to Georgia following the 2015 season at 25, Schumann has built himself up from an off-the-field administrative role for the Crimson Tide to one of the hottest coaching candidates in America.

During his first seven seasons on staff, Schumann has helped develop two Butkus Award-winners and one of the most excellent defenses in college football history, that’s on a current two-year run of dominance.

Schumann helped develop 2017 Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith, 2020 Butkus Award finalist Monty Rice and 2021 Butkus Award winner Nakobe Dean.

The Bulldogs’ defense has finished second, second, and third nationally in total defense over the past three seasons while leading the nation in rushing defense in 2019 and 2020 before finishing second in 2021.

Howie Roseman has added five National Champion defenders to the roster over the past two drafts.

We’re looking for ways new defensive coordinator Sean Desai can incorporate some of what Schumann had success with into the Eagles’ defensive scheme.