Brian Johnson is staying in the NFC East, and he’ll be tasked with helping to develop another star signal-caller after being hired by the Commanders.
Jeremy Fowler reports that the former Eagles offensive coordinator will have a prominent role on Dan Quinn’s staff and work closely alongside new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
The news came after Johnson was interviewed for the Commander’s offensive coordinator job.
The #Commanders are expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a prominent offensive staff role, per source.
Johnson, who guided Philly’s offense last year, interviewed for several head coaching jobs this cycle. pic.twitter.com/iNsR8TMkEE
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 8, 2024
Washington has the No. 2 overall pick in April’s NFL draft and could target Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), or Jayden Daniels (LSU).
Johnson, 36, took over as Eagles offensive coordinator this year after spending two seasons under Shane Steichen as quarterbacks coach, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after last season.
Johnson was promoted after Steichen landed the Colts heading coaching job, but he came under fire after the Philadelphia offense grew “stale’ while regressing this season.
With Johnson landing on his feet, here are four takeaways from the news.
Johnson was a scapegoat
The expectation was that Johnson would land on his feet, and the QB guru had four interviews (Commanders, Falcons, Buccaneers, Panthers) before landing on Dan Quinn’s staff in Washington.
Johnson is a talented assistant and we’ll likely only blossom with another organization as he continues his rise in the coaching ranks.
Johnson wasn't that bad
Johnson received his fair share of criticism through the first seven games.
Still, as Rueben Frank and others pointed out, Johnson was productive and had the Eagles heading toward a repeat appearance in the Super Bowl before the wheels fell off.
Entering that Week 8 matchup against Washington, the Eagles were 6th in the NFL with a .06 EPA and 5th with a 47.4% success rate on all offensive plays per Sumer Sports.
At one point this season under Johnson, the Eagles were 1st in the league with 24 first downs per game, 2nd on third down at 49 percent, 2nd with seven plays of 40 yards or more, 3rd with 389 yards per game, and 4th with 25.6 points per game.
It wasn't a smooth transition
When the Eagles returned to training camp in July, Jalen Hurts was excited about being in the same offense for the third straight year and making things even more exciting; he had known his new play-caller for over 20 years.
During his first training camp press conference, the Philly Tribune’s OJ Spivey asked Philadelphia’s All-Pro quarterback about transitioning from Shane Steichen to Brian Johnson as the offensive coordinator.
Hurts leaned on the fact that he’s known the former Utah quarterback since he was four years old, a significant asset for the transition.
That transition seemed smooth initially, but things started to spiral after the bye week, and at season’s end, Philadelphia was without an identity or an offensive coordinator.
Hurts will now transition to former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Johnson returns to being a quarterback whisperer
As the primary quarterback’s coach for the Eagles over the past two seasons, Johnson is responsible for Hurts’ passer rating jumping from 22nd in 2021 to fourth in 2022. Hurts’ yards-per-attempt average jumped from 15th to third, his interception percentage from 12th to fifth, and his touchdowns-to-interceptions differential from plus-seven to plus-16.
He finished third in rushing first downs.
A former college quarterback at Utah who has known the Hurts family for years, Johnson joined the Eagles after serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Florida, helping get Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to the NFL.
Before that, Johnson was crucial in Dak Prescott earning All-SEC honors at Mississippi State.
With Washington owning the No. 2 overall pick, Johnson will play a vital role in the development of either Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), or Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels (LSU).
Kliff Kingsbury is a solid offensive mind, but Johnson will have the biggest impact on the new Washington regime.
