NFL First Thoughts: Philadelphia Eagles
Despite replacing both coordinators, Eagles won't skip a beat in 2023.
Below is a transcript from The Simple Handicap podcast (listen here), presented by Right Angle Sports. We’ll be doing a first-look preview of all 32 NFL teams, followed by more complete team previews prior to the season. Interested in signing up for the RAS NFL service? Join here.
It’s hard to say much about the Eagles, because not much is changing. That might sound weird, because they lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators, lost two linebackers, lost two safeties. So there’s definitely changes in terms of coaching and personnel. But it probably won’t matter much.
The Eagles were 4th defensively in EPA/play and 3rd on offense last year. It was a historically easy schedule. Every analyst referenced it prior to the Super Bowl against the Chiefs. But you can’t ignore that the Eagles dominated this schedule. They exceeded expectations wire to wire.
In 2023, the schedule gets harder, and as a result, some expect the Eagles to take a small step back. But this is such a smart organization. They do everything right. Start with the offense. They lose Shane Steichen, their OC, to the Colts. He transformed the offense into the dominant unit it was last year, and helped turn Jalen Hurts into an MVP candidate. Brian Johnson steps in as the new OC and you wonder, can he fill these shoes? But then you start reading. Hurts described him as “family” because the two have known each other since Hurts was four years old. Johnson played with Hurts’ father. He became the QB coach as Steichen took over play calling duties and worked with Hurts. In weekly meetings, Johnson is credited as being an advocate for Hurts being able to do the types of things he did that led him to having an MVP caliber season. It was likely a good hire.
Defensively, the Eagles lost coordinator Jonathan Gannon. In steps Sean Desai, a name many people might not be familiar with. He’s a Vic Fangio disciple who has worked under Pete Carroll and other big defensive names. He’s sculpted this system that he debuted with the Bears in 2021. He took an undermanned Bears defense and led them to top 6 against the pass, top 10 overall on defense. While in Seattle as a positional coach, the Seahawks’ defense exceeded expectations and finished as an above average unit. When you think about what Gannon did, his goal was to prevent big plays, keep everything in front, rely on four-man fronts trying to get pressure, and drop lots of coverage. Desai, with the Bears, played a ton of three-safety looks, was not afraid to use five defensive backs, keeps everything in front. It’s just a near replica of the Fangio scheme. The similarities between Gannon and Desai are all over the place. You might not notice much change at all. It’s going to work.
This should be a seamless transition and the Eagles are likely to pick up right where they left off in 2022.