13 DC candidates for Eagles to consider in 2024 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles officially moved on from Sean Desai on Sunday (not a shocker) but it was noteworthy that Nick Sirianni was the one to fire Desai.
And the Eagles will obviously be looking for a new defensive coordinator.
Last season after losing Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles eventually landed on Desai but demoted him during the 2023 season and handed over the defense to Matt Patricia with disastrous results.
Here are some logical candidates, in no particular order:
Ryan Nielsen: The Eagles already reached out to Nielsen, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Nielsen, 44, was the Falcons’ DC in 2023 but head coach Arthur Smith was fired so Nielsen could be available. Nielsen was a defensive lineman who spent time with the Eagles in training camp in 2002 but didn’t make the roster. He started coaching in the NFL with the Saints in 2017 as a defensive line coach and served several roles in New Orleans, including co-DC and D-line coach most recently.
Wink Martindale: Another candidate the Eagles have reportedly reach out to. The Eagles know Martindale well after he spent the last two seasons with the Giants. The 60-year-old has also been the DC in Baltimore and Denver before too. Martindale is known for his heavy blitzing scheme, which would be quite a departure from recent Eagles’ defenses.
Jim Leonhard: The Eagles showed interest in Leonhard during their DC search last year but the two sides reportedly decided to end his candidacy. Apparently, Leonhard planned to take a year off from coaching to undergo hip surgery but then he spent last football season with Illinois as a senior football analyst. Leonhard was a very successful defensive coordinator at Wisconsin before that.
Jesse Minter: Another candidate from the 2023 search for a defensive coordinator search, Minter’s stock is even higher this offseason. Minter has spent the last two seasons with the Michigan Wolverines as…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/13-dc-candidates-eagles-consider-142535848.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-01-22 14:25:35
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
