The Eagles will promote wide receivers coach Mike Groh to offensive coordinator, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com.
Despite reports that Philadelphia could go without an offensive coordinator for the 2018 campaign, the Eagles interviewed both Groh and incumbent running backs coach Duce Staley on Monday. Head coach Doug Pederson‘s decision to only meet with in-house candidates indicated a preference to maintain continuity for an offensive unit that ranked eighth in offensive DVOA a season ago.
Groh has much spent much of his career in the collegiate ranks, but worked with the Bears and Rams from 2013-16 before joining the Eagles in advance of the 2017 campaign. The son of former NFL head coach Al Groh, Mike Groh helped former first-round pick Nelson Agholor break out as a slot weapon last season, and also assisted veteran receiver Alshon Jeffery in a nine-touchdown Philadelphia debut.
While Pederson calls his own offensive plays in Philadelphia, Groh will presumably serve in a game-planning and play-design capacity. The Eagles needed reinforcements to their offensive coaching staff after losing both OC Frank Reich (Colts head coach) and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo (Vikings offensive coordinator) over the past month.
Staley, for his part, will return to his role as running backs coach for a sixth consecutive season after garnering interest for at least two offensive coordinator jobs this offseason. In addition to the Eagles, the Giants reportedly considered Staley a strong candidate for their OC job under new head coach Pat Shurmur, but Philadelphia had no interest in letting Staley leave for a division rival.
The Duce is not loose
They allowed Mike to Groh.
Lately he’s looking big enough that he might need to change his name from Deuce to Trey…