Eagles receive 3 head coach interview requests for Shane Steichen, 1 for Jonathan Gannon [UPDATE]

Philadelphia might have two new coordinators in 2023.

Now that the 2022 NFL regular season is over, a number of teams are turning their attention to head coaching searches. And some of those clubs are interested in members of Nick Sirianni’s staff.

The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly received interview requests for offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

SHANE STEICHEN

Steichen is said to be drawing interest from both the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts. UPDATE: The Carolina Panthers are also requesting an interview with Steichen.

It’s not hard to see why he’s a popular candidate given the Eagles’ offensive success this season. Steichen was the play-caller for an offense that set a new franchise record for total points scored.

While his acumen shouldn’t be in question, it remains to be seen if he’ll impress teams in an interview setting. Steichen hasn’t always come off as the most charismatic presence. But he’s clearly going to get a chance to make his case.

It would be kinda weird if the Eagles-Colts head coach connection kept going. Indy hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich … only to see Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni get replace Doug Pederson in Philly … only to see Reich replaced by Sirianni’s offensive coordinator. Go figure.

If the Eagles lose Steichen, they have four potential in-house candidates who stand out:

• Passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo
• Quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson
• Consultant Marcus Brady
• Running backs coach/assistant head coach Jemal Singleton

Patullo is tight with Sirianni. He was in line to fill in for the Eagles’ head coach when Sirianni was in jeopardy of missing the 2021 New York Jets game due to testing positive for COVID. But Sirianni was ultimately cleared to coach in that matchup.

Johnson is bound to get a lot of attention given the leap that Jalen Hurts made under his watch. There’s been some buzz that he could be Gannon’s offensive coordinator in Houston.

Brady, who was Sirianni’s replacement as Colts offensive coordinator, got fired by Indy this season. He joined the Eagles as a consultant in late November. Brady’s experience in the OC role makes him a logical candidate.

It’s unclear if the Eagles view Singleton as an OC candidate. They used to have Duce Staley in the assistant HC role but never gave him the offensive coordinator title.

The aforementioned Reich could be another candidate to replace Steichen given his close relationship with Sirianni. Of course, Reich is generating some head coaching interest so he might not be available.

In a world that serves their own interests, the Eagles will be hoping to hang on to Steichen. But there’s a decent chance he’ll be gone.

JONATHAN GANNON

Prior to Lovie Smith officially getting fired, there was a report indicating that Gannon is “a top candidate” for the Texans job.

Gannon sort of strikes me as the opposite of Steichen in that there is more confidence in the charisma than the acumen.

The Eagles’ 2022 defense has been very successful in many regards. At the same time, it doesn’t always feel like that’s the case. Fan sentiment reflects as much:

At the very least, there’s no denying the Eagles’ defense is better this year than it was last year. And it was last year when Gannon was (somewhat inexplicably) drawing a lot of head coaching interest. It seems like his candidacy has only strengthened after this season.

Gannon feels like a good bet to be a goner.

If that’s the case, the Eagles have some in-house options that will be considered:

• Defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson
• Consultant Vic Fangio
• Defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn

Fangio’s long track record makes him a popular option to be Gannon’s replacement. But there’s been talk about Fangio potentially teaming up with Sean Payton to be his defensive coordinator. Also the sense here is that the Eagles are high on Wilson and would like to promote him in order to retain a lot of what they value about Gannon.

The external interest in the Eagles’ coordinators stresses the importance of this team taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them. It’s not going to be as simple for the Birds as running it back next season. In addition to potentially having two new coordinators, they have no small number of key players set to hit free agency. The upcoming offseason has the potential to bring a lot of change in Philly.