OC Shane Steichen To Call Eagles’ Plays
Although the Eagles hired an offense-oriented head coach in Nick Sirianni, he will work in a sideline CEO-type role next season. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen will call Philadelphia’s plays in 2022, he said Friday (via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, on Twitter).
This will not necessarily represent a change. Sirianni began his Eagles debut season calling plays, but he handed the reins to Steichen midway through the campaign. That resulted in a shift for the team, which used a more run-centric offense down the stretch to craft a surprise playoff route.
Steichen’s role in the offense does make Sirianni’s stand out. The former Colts offensive coordinator did not call plays while in that post, with Frank Reich doing so. Most of the league’s head coaches with offensive backgrounds call their teams’ plays. Sirianni’s approach resembles Mike McCarthy‘s in Dallas, where OC Kellen Moore holds that responsibility.
“I think last year, we were a new staff and we were evolving as an offense. And so as the season got going on, I ended up taking over more of the play-calling midseason,” Steichen said, via Eagles Wire’s Glenn Irby. “And then, again, Nick has a stamp on every single thing we do. So in the meeting rooms, he has a stamp on everything we do. Every play that’s on that call sheet, he makes sure it’s justified and we’re good to go.”
Steichen’s previous position was as a play-caller for a team with an offense-geared HC (Anthony Lynn). The Chargers promoted Steichen to OC during the 2019 season, and he continued to call plays in 2020, playing a central role in Justin Herbert‘s Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. Steichen’s encore in this role illustrated a willingness to play to a team’s strengths. The Eagles became the first team since the 1985 Bears to rush for at least 175 yards in seven straight games. Philly finished the season as the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack.
Steichen, 37, may need to adjust again given the personnel change that occurred on the draft’s first night. The team’s key ball-carrying principals — Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Jalen Hurts — return, but Philly’s offense figures to change now that A.J. Brown is on the team. Brown comes from a Titans team that also centered its offense around the ground game, but the Eagles authorized a wide receiver-record $56MM fully guaranteed upon trading for the fourth-year playmaker. That will require an increased aerial focus, something that should help the team determine Hurts’ long-term viability.
Nick Sirianni Tests Positive For COVID-19
Nick Sirianni became the second NFL head coach to test positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. Following Jets HC Robert Saleh, Sirianni is now in the league’s COVID protocol.
The Eagles announced their first-year coach experienced symptoms. Although Sirianni remains hopeful to be cleared in time to coach Sunday against the Giants, the Eagles could well be without their play-caller in Week 16.
If Sirianni is unable to recover in time, passing-game coordinator Kevin Patullo will be Philadelphia’s acting HC. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen will call plays in this scenario, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com tweets.
Under Sirianni’s guidance, the Eagles have reeled off one of the most successful rushing stretches in modern NFL history. They are riding a streak of seven straight games with 175 rushing yards, a run not matched since the 1985 Bears accomplished this. The Eagles’ win over Washington on Tuesday moved them to .500; FiveThirtyEight.com gives Philly a 36% chance to make the playoffs. The Eagles lost to the Giants in the teams’ New Jersey meeting, but Big Blue will not have Daniel Jones this time around.
Two head coaches — the Saints’ Sean Payton and the Browns’ Kevin Stefanski — missed last week’s games due to positive coronavirus tests. Stefanski has been cleared to return. Payton has not.
Vikings Inquired About Dallas Goedert Trade
The Eagles have two tight ends with uncertain futures. Dallas Goedert is in a contract year. So is Zach Ertz, who spent the offseason as a trade candidate. This situation prompted the Vikings to reach out.
Despite Ertz being the one viewed as on the way out all year, the Vikings proceeded to contact the Eagles on Goedert’s potential availability, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (ESPN+ link). This inquiry came following the news Irv Smith Jr. would be out for the season.
Smith’s injury altered the Vikings’ tight end plan, but they did not end up prying away Goedert, who is due for free agency in 2022. It is unclear if the Vikes also asked about Ertz, whose $8.5MM 2021 base salary made him a less enticing trade piece than Goedert ($1.2MM).
Regardless, the Eagles opted to keep Goedert, leading the Vikings to acquire Chris Herndon from the Jets in August. Through five games, Herndon does not have a catch with Minnesota. Tyler Conklin, whom the Vikings selected in the 2018 fifth round, has stepped in as Smith’s primary replacement.
Goedert is currently on the Eagles’ reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive this week. He will not play against the Buccaneers tonight, putting Ertz back in the TE1 position he held for years. At multiple junctures this offseason, Ertz believed he would be traded, Fowler adds. But he and Nick Sirianni established a strong rapport. This and the Eagles viewing themselves as a potential contender scuttled an offseason trade.
Seven-point underdogs against the Bucs, the Eagles would drop to 2-4 with a loss. That could put an Ertz trade back on the front burner. This year’s deadline is Nov. 2. Ertz and the Eagles were unable to come to terms on an extension during an acrimonious 2020, and his value has since declined after a down 2020 season. Ertz, however, changed his tune about staying in Philadelphia. Just before the season, Ertz said he wanted to retire an Eagle. The 30-year-old pass catcher has 14 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown this season.
Eagles Planning Quarterback Competition?
New Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni says that he will not automatically anoint Jalen Hurts as the team’s starting quarterback. Instead, as James Palmer of the NFL Network tweets, Sirianni plans to hold an open competition for the starting job.
At present, the only other QB on the roster is veteran Joe Flacco, whom Philadelphia signed to a one-year, $3.5MM deal last month. Flacco has enjoyed plenty of success in his lengthy career, highlighted by a Super Bowl MVP award, but he has dealt with injuries in recent seasons and has not been a full-time starter since the first half of the 2018 campaign. Hurts, meanwhile, is entering his second season in the league, and while there are still questions about his long-term viability, his brief audition in 2020 had its share of promising moments.
Barring a complete disaster, Sirianni’s job won’t be on the line in 2021, so he shouldn’t feel any pressure to lean on the more experienced hand over a high-upside talent like Hurts. And considering owner Jeffrey Lurie‘s recent comments that he wants his club to build around the second-year pro, it would be very surprising to see anyone other than Hurts under center on Week 1. Perhaps the rookie HC is simply honing his coach-speak skills.
Of course, Sirianni’s alleged plans for a QB competition immediately spurred speculation that the team could take a quarterback with its first-round choice in next week’s draft. But if the Eagles were going to do that, they probably wouldn’t have traded down from the No. 6 overall pick to No. 12. By the time they are on the clock with the No. 12 selection, all five top QB prospects could be gone.
A recent report suggested that Philadelphia could be eyeing a move back into the top-10, but that same report indicated that the team is also interested in another trade down. Further, if the Eagles were to move back up the board, it might not be for a QB at all, but for a cornerback or wide receiver.
At this point, unless Hurts should suffer an injury or spectacularly underperform during training camp, he still looks like the odds-on favorite to be the Eagles’ starting QB, Sirianni’s “open competition” remarks notwithstanding.
Eagles Complete Coaching Staff
Nick Sirianni‘s staff in Philly is just about complete, and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer has passed along the long list of coaches on Twitter. Among the notable, unreported hirings are running backs coach/assistant head coach Jemal Singleton, defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, and linebackers coach Nick Rallis.
Following a long collegiate coaching career, Singleton has consistently worked in the NFL since 2016, spending time with the Colts, Raiders, and Bengals. He spent the past two years in Cincinnati, helping guide a running backs room that was led by Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard. This offseason, he briefly accepted a role as special teams coordinator and running backs coach the University of Kentucky before opting for Philly’s offer. He’ll be looking to help the Eagles find their first 1,000-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy in 2014.
Following a brief playing career, Rocker has served as a defensive line coach for almost three decades. Besides a three-year stint with the Titans, Rocker has spent most of his coaching career in the collegiate ranks, including a 2020 campaign where he served as the defensive line coach for South Carolina. The 54-year-old has coached a number of future first-round picks, including DeMarcus Ware, Jamaal Anderson, Nick Fairley, and Peria Jerry.
Rallis, 27, just completed his fourth year of coaching and his third with the Vikings. During his stint in Minnesota, he worked his way up from assistant linebackers coach to defensive quality control coach.
Nick Sirianni To Call Eagles’ Plays
The Eagles have a new head coach in Nick Sirianni and a new offensive coordinator in Shane Steichen. However, Sirianni will be the one calling plays. 
[RELATED: Duce Staley Joins Lions]
“I do plan on calling the plays,” Sirianni told the team website. ““I know we’re going to work really hard throughout the week to make sure we’re ready,” Sirianni said. “And then we’re built with the right people in place to handle the challenges that I foresee as the most challenging things.”
The challenge, Sirianni says, will be to manage all aspects of the game while also calling the plays. Interesting, Sirianni has never called plays at the NFL level, despite serving as the Colts’ offensive coordinator in his last job. The Eagles trust his judgement, however. The 39-year-old guided the Colts through their transition from Andrew Luck to Philip Rivers. Under Sirianni’s watch, Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns against eleven interceptions, leading Indy to the playoffs.
Recently, Sirianni also tapped a new quarterbacks coach, though the status of the actual QB position remains murky.
Eagles To Hire Nick Sirianni As Head Coach
The Eagles have found their new head coach. On Thursday, the Birds agreed to hire Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Sirianni is a logical candidate for the Eagles, who are looking to get Carson Wentz get back on track. Sirianni spent three seasons as a Chiefs assistant, five seasons with the Chargers, and the past three with the Colts. After working with Philip Rivers in 2020, the 39-year-old will try to work his magic with Wentz and understudy Jalen Hurts.
Under Sirianni’s watch, Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns against eleven interceptions. The Colts went on to make the playoffs, though they fell to the Bills in the Wild Card round.
Sirianni isn’t just a quarterback specialist — he’s coached multiple positions with a proven track record of cultivating young talent. Wide receivers Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Zach Pascal all excelled under his watch. Sirianni also figures to hit it off with Wentz, since his ex-boss Frank Reich got the best out of the QB when he was in Philly.
Sirianni beat out a number of well-established candidates and rumored named for the job, as shown in PFR’s 2021 Head Coaching Search Tracker:
- Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator
- Todd Bowles, Buccaneers defensive coordinator
- Joe Brady, Panthers offensive coordinator
- Mike Kafka, Chiefs quarterbacks coach
- Jerod Mayo, Patriots inside linebackers coach
- Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator
- Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma head coach
- Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator
- Arthur Smith, Titans offensive coordinator
- Brandon Staley, Rams defensive coordinator
- Duce Staley, Eagles running backs coach
McDaniels, who famously spurned the Colts a few years ago, was believed to be the other finalist.
Eagles To Interview Nick Sirianni
The Eagles will interview Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni for their head coaching vacancy on Tuesday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Sirianni is a logical candidate for the Birds, who are looking for a coach that can get Carson Wentz get back on track.
Sirianni, 39, spent five years with the Chargers before joining Frank Reich‘s Colts staff. The young OC guided the Colts through their transition period after Andrew Luck‘s retirement and kept things afloat in 2020 with Philip Rivers under center. Under Sirianni’s watch, Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns against eleven interceptions. The Colts went on to make the playoffs, though they fell to the Bills in the Wild Card round.
The Eagles have cast a wide net in this cycle, as shown in PFR’s 2021 Head Coaching Search Tracker:
- Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator: Interview requested
- Todd Bowles, Buccaneers defensive coordinator: Interview requested
- Joe Brady, Panthers offensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/13
- Mike Kafka, Chiefs quarterbacks coach: Rumored candidate
- Jerod Mayo, Patriots inside linebackers coach: Interviewed on 1/15
- Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator: To interview on 1/17
- Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma head coach: Rumored candidate
- Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator: Interviewed on 1/12
- Arthur Smith, Titans offensive coordinator: Interview requested
- Brandon Staley, Rams defensive coordinator: To be interviewed
- Duce Staley, Eagles running backs coach: Mentioned as candidate
Latest On Browns’ Coaching Search
A flurry of head coaching moves have been made last night and this morning, but one team already had a significant head start on the process. The Browns were the first team to move on from their coach, firing Hue Jackson after eight games, and have had a while to formulate a plan. The team went 5-3 after moving on from Jackson, and might have the most attractive opening of any team with Baker Mayfield looking like a star in the making.
The Browns’ first step in the process will be to interview Gregg Williams tomorrow, GM John Dorsey revealed at a press conference this morning, per Pat McManamon of ESPN (Twitter link). Williams is the interim coach right now and although he isn’t expected to land the full time job, Cleveland’s strong play down the stretch certainly earned him consideration. Dorsey also said that offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who has drawn rave reviews for his work with Mayfield, will get an interview although he wasn’t sure when that would occur.
Meanwhile, the Browns have also requested to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Flores is in his first year calling plays, but is highly regarded around the league and was a candidate for the Cardinals’ job last year. The Browns are also expected to interview former Titans head coach and current Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News (Twitter link). We heard earlier this morning that the Broncos have interest in Munchak as well, who’s earned a ton of praise for his work with the Steelers and is instrumental in Pittsburgh and far more influential than your average offensive line coach.
We first heard late last night that the Browns had reached out to Mike McCarthy, and while he wouldn’t confirm anything, Dorsey certainly didn’t throw cold water on the rumors. Dorsey said he has “a lot of respect for Mike McCarthy and what he’s done”, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Dorsey also praised Kitchens, saying the first time coordinator has “done [a] wonderful job developing [a] relationship with” Mayfield, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (Twitter link).
As soon as Adam Gase was fired by the Dolphins, he was immediately linked to Cleveland. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Gase going to the Browns is a “very real possibility”, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network followed up with a tweet saying Peyton Manning, a very close friend of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, is a “big fan” of Gase. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk tweeted that Haslam “aggressively pursued” Gase five years ago, “but Gase decided to wait to become a head coach.”
The Browns have also put in a request to interview Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Campbell has been a popular darkhorse candidate for some jobs, and impressed during his brief stint as the Dolphins’ interim head coach in 2015. In addition to Campbell, Rapoport tweets they requested an interview with Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.
Two last candidates for the Browns are Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the Browns have submitted an interview request for him, and Colts offensive Nick Sirianni is also on their interview list Pelissero tweets separately. Adam Schefter followed up on Pelissero’s report by tweeting that while the Browns do want to interview Eberflus, they won’t be able to this week with the Colts playing a playoff game this weekend, and the same presumably goes for Sirianni.
Cleveland will be one of the most buzzed about teams in the coming days and weeks, and we should know a lot more about their intentions soon, and they’re clearly casting a very wide net. At this point, it still seems most likely that they’ll pursue an offensive coach to pair with Mayfield despite their reported interest in Flores and Eberflus.
Colts Hire Nick Sirianni As OC
It’s official. The Colts have hired Chargers wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni as their new offensive coordinator, according to a team press release.
Before Josh McDaniels backed out of the Colts’ head coaching job, it appeared that the team would hire either former Seahawks play caller Darrell Bevell or Raiders quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz as OC. New head coach Frank Reich inherited several assistants from McDaniels’ would-be staff, but he had some say in this choice and the team landed on Sirianni as his right-hand man on offense.
Reich and Sirianni spent multiple seasons together in San Diego. Reich was the Bolts’ quarterbacks coach in 2013 before graduating to offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. Sirianni was an offensive quality control coach in ’13 before advancing to QB coach when Reich was promoted.
Reich did not have the opportunity to call plays when he worked under Doug Pederson in Philadelphia, so it stands to reason that he will call the plays in Indianapolis. Still, this is a big step up for the 36-year-old Sirianni.