Eagles' Duce Staley Still Under Contract
The Vikings complicated this search further by hiring Eagles QBs coach John DeFilippo to succeed Shurmur as Minnesota’s OC, bypassing Stefanski and poaching a coach off Philadelphia’s staff.
This is relevant because Duce Staley remains under contract with the Eagles, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. Staley, Philly’s RBs coach, is said to be viewed as the Giants’ next choice for the OC role. But with Frank Reich in contention to become the Colts’ head coach, the Eagles could well deny their NFC East rivals permission to speak with Staley. This would keep the 42-year-old assistant in Philly in an attempt to foster some continuity in the event Reich leaves. This chain of events unfolding would make Staley a logical candidate to be the next Eagles OC.
The Giants have not yet requested permission to speak with Staley, but if the Eagles were to block the move, Darrell Bevell and Harold Goodwin may be the next coaches in line. Both are coaching free agents. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv gives an edge to Bevell in the event Staley stays in Pennsylvania. Complicating this further, Bevell has been mentioned as a possible Colts OC.
- The Jets not landing Kirk Cousins could give Josh McCown another chance, with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writing a McCown/No. 6 overall pick solution would be the best bet at a Cousins contingency plan. A Nick Foles trade would not be as likely, per Mehta, who would be “stunned” if the Jets offered the Eagles one of their two second-round picks for the Super Bowl MVP. With Carson Wentz not a lock to be ready by Week 1, the Eagles would be unlikely to unload Foles for a third-rounder given his current stock and potential importance to a title defense.
Eagles To Move Mike Groh To QBs Coach?
- The Eagles have lost their quarterbacks coach, but they are prepared to fill the void internally. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer expects the team to move receivers coach Mike Groh to quarterbacks coach and assistant quarterbacks coach Press Taylor to WRs coach (Twitter link).
Latest On Giants’ Offensive Coordinator Vacancy
Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski is the Giants’ top target for their offensive coordinator vacancy, a source tells Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. Trouble is, the Vikings will not allow him to walk unless they are able to lure quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo away from the Eagles. If the Vikings block the Giants from hiring Stefanski, they’ll likely turn to Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley, who Marvez characterizes as “the frontrunner” for New York’s OC vacancy. 
DeFilippo could come off the table for the Vikings completely if he is promoted to the Eagles’ own OC job. The Eagles already have Frank Reich in that role, but Reich is up for the Colts’ head coaching position and could be moving on. Apparently, that’s the outcome the Eagles are rooting for – Philly would reportedly like to move DeFilippo into Reich’s position, but they’re not about to fire Reich days after the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
In an indirect way, Josh McDaniels flaking on the Colts could cost the Giants their top choice for OC.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/7/18
Today’s minor moves:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Rashard Davis, G Darrell Greene, CB D.J. Killings, S Tre Sullivan, WR Bryce Treggs, WR Greg Ward
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Jeff Knox
Vikings To Interview John DeFilippo
The Vikings officially requested permission to interview Eagles’ quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo about their offensive coordinator job, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Minnesota will meet with DeFilippo on Thursday, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link).
It has been reported that DeFilippo is likely to stay in Philadelphia for a third season, but the Vikings will find out soon enough. If he stays, DeFilippo will probably earn a raise and possibly an elevated title, but he’d be unlikely to make OC money as a QB coach. Meanwhile, he’s blocked from ascending the ranks in a meaningful way thanks to the presence of OC Frank Reich. However, Reich is in the mix for the Colts’ head coaching position, so that could be an opportunity for DeFilippo to take the next step.
To date, the Vikings have interviewed four candidates to fill the position Pat Shurmur vacated.
Eagles Prefer John DeFilippo To Frank Reich As OC?
Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo has been a candidate for head coaching and offensive coordinator jobs this offseason, but Philadelphia does not want him to leave. In fact, the Eagles may prefer to keep DeFilippo as the club’s offensive coordinator instead of incumbent Frank Reich, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
DeFilippo’s contract with the Eagles doesn’t expire until February 14, and Philadelphia is not allowing him to speak with other clubs until that pact officially concludes. That’s not being done out of spite, per Florio, but instead because the Eagles hope they can retain DeFilippo going forward.
Of course, with Reich already in place as team’s OC, Philadelphia has no way to promote DeFilippo aside from firing Reich (something that seems totally unlikely coming off a Super Bowl title). However, Reich is now reportedly being considered for the newly-created vacancy in Indianapolis, meaning the Eagles could have an open spot for DeFilippo if Reich lands with the Colts.
The 39-year-old DeFilippo interviewed for head coaching positions in Arizona and Chicago this offseason, and is still being considered for open offensive coordinator positions. The Vikings are willing to wait until DeFilippo’s contract with the Eagles expires before hiring an OC of their own, while the Giants have also been mentioned as a possible suitor. Notably, neither New York nor Philadelphia would offer DeFilippo true play-calling ability, while Minnesota would.
Eagles HC Expects Jason Peters To Return
Jason Peters plans to play in 2018 and head coach Doug Pederson is of the belief that it will be with the Eagles. On Wednesday, Pederson said that he expects the veteran to serve as the team’s starting left tackle next season.
“This guy is a Pro Bowl left tackle,” Pederson said (via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “Guys like that, in my humble opinion, they can go out whenever they want to go out. I respect him, and what he’s done, and how he’s working right now through injury. If you had to hold a gun to my head right now, I’d say ‘yeah, he’s my left tackle.’”
Of course, that is a decision that will be made by top Philadelphia exec Howie Roseman, not Pederson. Given Peters’ monstrous cap hit for 2018 and the team’s very limited amount of room, it’s far from a given that Peters will be stay on board. Philadelphia is projected to be more than $10MM over the cap in 2018, and Peters will count for roughly $10.6MM of the team’s total commitments. If Peters were released, the Eagles would create ~4.3MM in cap space (or $7MM if he’s designated as a post-June 1 cut).
Peters, who has already said he plans to continue his career next season, only played in seven games in 2017 before tearing his ACL, but still graded as the NFL’s No. 4 offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. If Peters isn’t around, the Eagles would likely turn to either right tackle Lane Johnson or swing tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (the latter of whom struggled early but improved down the stretch) to man the blindside.
Colts Eyeing Frank Reich, Dan Campbell
The Colts’ head coaching search is on. Again. This time, the Colts are expected to start by requesting permission to speak with Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich and Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Reich was a hot name at the beginning of this year’s coaching cycle which makes sense considering how effective the Eagles’ offense was in 2017. However, over time, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo wound up garnering more attention from teams with HC vacancies for his role in Carson Wentz‘s development. His candidacy may also have been hurt by the fact that Doug Pederson is the play caller in Philadelphia.
Last season, the Philly offense ranked third in scoring, seventh in yards, and eighth in DVOA. The 56-year-old has worked as an NFL coach since 2008 and is perhaps best known for leading the Bills offense back from a 32-point deficit in a 1993 playoff game, After spending time with the Colts and Cardinals, Reich was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator from 2014-15 before joining the Eagles the following year.
The 41-year-old Campbell has served only as a tight ends coach or an interim head coach in his seven-year tenure as a full-time NFL assistant. Still, he was one of 12 head coaching candidates recommended by the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel late last year and he was a candidate for the Vikings’ OC opening. The Dolphins also interviewed him in early 2016 for their HC job before settling on Adam Gase.
Other names linked to the job include Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub.
Vikings Willing To Wait For John DeFilippo
The Vikings’ offensive coordinator search could drag on for a while longer. The team would like to talk with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo about their OC job, but they cannot do so until ten days until after Philadelphia’s season ends, which would be on Feb. 14, Right now, Vikings appear willing to wait, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
DeFilippo has years of coaching experience, but he really put himself on the map in 2017 by guiding second-year QB Carson Wentz to a phenomenal season. When Wentz went down late in the season, DeFilippo helped knock the dust off of Nick Foles, who won the Super Bowl LII MVP trophy.
It’s no surprise that the Vikings are high on DeFilippo, but it is a bit unusual for a team to wait until the middle of February to solidify the upper ranks of the coaching staff. With the NFL Draft scouting combine starting on Feb. 27 and free agency on Mar. 14, that doesn’t leave much time for team brass to incorporate the OC’s input into major personnel decisions.
In the case of the Vikings, they’d surely want their OC to have time to suss out the quarterbacks situation. The Vikings, of course, have three starter-quality QBs scheduled for free agency in Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, and Teddy Bridgewater. The Vikings may only be able to retain one of those three and there’s even a potential scenario in which they could allow the entire trio to depart and sign a new signal caller in free agency.
Eagles Have Decision To Make On Foles
- Carson Wentz‘s severe knee injuries would make the Eagles “fools” to trade Nick Foles now, especially considering what Jimmy Garoppolo fetched in a trade in October, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. Signed to just a two-year, $11MM deal, Foles could serve as an elite insurance policy while Wentz recovers. While the Super Bowl champions’ franchise quarterback is hopeful to return in time for the start of the 2018 season, the December setback could leave him on the shelf going into training camp.
- Conversely, the Eagles’ lack of a second- or third-round pick in next year’s draft could make acquiring a second-rounder more important than keeping Foles while Wentz recovers, Les Bowen of Philly.com writes. Foles’ previous shortcomings as a starter should give teams pause, but his 72 percent playoff completion rate this year was third in NFL history — behind only Joe Montana (1989) and Troy Aikman (1993) — for a player with at least 75 throws. And his stock will probably never be higher. The 29-year-old passer would be an interesting name on an already complex QB market.