Eagles Building Strong Staff Around New HC Doug Pederson
While the process and hiring of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson has hardly brought pomp and circumstance through the streets and airwaves of Philadelphia, the first time NFL head coach is developing a staff that is built to win.
The first name to open eyes in the City of Brotherly Love was former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, who will take over as defensive coordinator. By bringing in Schwartz, Pederson brings in someone with NFL head coaching experience who can help him in terms of management and other related issues that may come up.
Doug Pederson broke some news today naming Jim Schwartz as his defensive coordinator: https://t.co/G9HfIwVCmb pic.twitter.com/T7WbTRFXD8
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2016
Schwartz also brings back the 4-3 scheme to Philadelphia, something that disappeared when Chip Kelly and Billy Davis came in three years ago. Guys like Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, and Brandon Graham will benefit greatly from this change and will be key members for this Eagles team going forward.
Did somebody say 4-3 👀👀👀🤔🤔🤔🤔.... Or am I dreaming 😴😴
— fletcher cox (@fcoxx_91) January 18, 2016
Graham back to DE. I would have Hicks as MIKE, Kendricks as WIL and Kiko as SAM to start. https://t.co/GUiunB1fAO
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 19, 2016
Chip Kelly will be taking quarterback coach Ryan Day with him to San Francisco, meaning the Eagles will be looking for a guy who can help develop either a rookie or continue to build Sam Bradford. It seems like they’ve found their guy in John DeFilippo, who was the Browns offensive coordinator. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr also credited DeFilippo with his development.
Eagles will hire former Browns OC John DeFilippo as QB coach, sources tell me and @PSchrags. From Manziel to Bradford (maybe).
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 20, 2016
While the Browns certainly didn’t carry the title of best offense in the league, guys like Gary Barnidge and Travis Benjamin had career years in 2015.
And finally, the confirmation of a new offensive coordinator broke Wednesday afternoon after days of speculation. Former San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich will join the Eagles in the same role. Despite being fired in 2015, Reich’s offense showed consistency over the past years when his players were healthy and protected by an effective offensive line. When the health/age and lack of protection for Phillip Rivers went away, Reich and his offense suffered.
Eagles have hired Frank Reich as their OC. Done deal...
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 20, 2016
With running backs coach Duce Staley and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp (who’s in my opinion is the best in the league) staying on board, Pederson has assembled a great coaching staff following a hiring process that was less than stellar. While the rest of his assistants have yet to be named, it’s clear Pederson has a vision for this team and is ready to hit the ground running.