Nick Sirianni said he has "a lot of good options" if Gannon/Steichen get head coaching jobs — both internally and externally.
Buy Eagles TicketsPut another way: This won't catch Sirianni off guard. He's been preparing for this. (He had to think hard about the DC possibilities last year.)
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 10, 2023
Nick Sirianni is weeks away from officially having his own coaching tree and with the expectation that a team will likely hire Shane Steichen (OC) and Jonathan Gannon (DC), we’re taking an early look at potential replacements.
Sirianni rightfully gets a lot of credit for the Eagles’ success.
Philadelphia’s second-year head coach has far exceeded expectations and proven that he was the perfect target for the role. However, it’s important to remember that Shane Steichen has a massive role in the offense.
Sirianni described this last summer how involved Steichen is with everything the Eagles have done offensively. He started calling plays late in the 2021 season, playing a pivotal role in the Birds’ offense taking off. It’s a change that carried over into 2022 with Philly boasting one of the top offenses all season.
Interest in Steichen will go beyond his work in Philadelphia. He served as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in 2020, working alongside Justin Herbert in a record-setting rookie season.
Combine his work with Herbert and Jalen Hurts, and that’s a future NFL head coach.
Sirianni knows his assistants are wanted and he has a plan for their departures.
“Of course, I want to keep these guys, they’re great coordinators, but in the event that I lose them, I have an idea of what I want to do at both spots. The answer is sometimes, yes, it’s in the building, and sometimes it’s outside of the building. But I feel like we have a lot of good options, and I feel like we have a lot of good options in the building that we’d be excited about if that were to happen.”
Here are 10 potential targets for Sirianni if Steichen lands a job in the 2023 cycle ranked from best to worst option.
1. Kevin Patullo -- Eagles passing game coordinator
Patullo initially joined the Eagles after he finished his third season with the Colts and his first as a pass-game specialist. He has 17 years of coaching experience, including 12 seasons in the NFL.
Patullo served as wide receivers coach for Indianapolis (2018-19) and spent time with the Jets as the team’s quarterbacks coach.
The 41-year-old has never called plays but played a key role in the rise of the Eagles’ offense under Nick Sirianni.
Patullo has a deep background in RPO concepts and he brings a modern and creative take to the passing game.
2. Brian Johnson Eagles QB coach
Johnson gets the edge over Frank Reich because of his relationship with the Hurts family.
As Jalen Hurts’ most trusted on-field confidant, Johnson would be the most obvious choice for a promotion.
A former college quarterback at Utah, Johnson is completing his second season with the Eagles after serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Florida, helping get Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to the NFL.
3. Frank Reich
A former offensive coordinator for Doug Pederson on the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl-winning staff, Reich was fired by the Colts on November 7, in a move that left Nick Sirianni upset and wanting revenge.
Reich compiled a 40-33 record as the Colts’ head coach, a job he took in 2018 after leading Philadelphia’s offense to a Super Bowl upset over the favored New England Patriots.
Indianapolis was 3-5-1 this season before Irsay made a move.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has always spoken glowingly about his former boss.
Reich will likely be the first person called if Philadelphia offensive coordinator Shane Steichen lands a head coaching job.
4. Duce Staley, Lions assistant HC/RB coach
The former Eagles great joined Dan Campbell’s staff in 2021 and has been ready for an offensive coordinator’s job.
Detroit’s offense is physical, and versatile, and has shown great improvement over the past eight weeks.
5.. Jim Caldwell
A longtime QB guru, Caldwell is best known for his time with the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.
From 2002-2008, Caldwell was the Colts’ assistant head/QBs coach, before he succeeded Tony Dungy and led the Colts to Super Bowl XLIV.
Caldwell won a Super Bowl as Joe Flacco’s QBs coach and offensive coordinator in Baltimore (2012-2013).
6.Marcus Brady (former Colts OC)
Brady is already on the staff after the Eagles hired the former Colts offensive coordinator as a consultant.
Brady, 43, is working primarily with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and his staff, offering perspective as an offensive coach on how he would attack the Eagles’ defense.
7. Ronald Curry, Saints QB coach
A high school legend from the state of Virginia, Curry’s high school recruitment process rivaled that of Trevor Lawrence or Arch Manning.
A two-sport star that eventually chose UNC, Curry is in his 17th season overall in the NFL and his seventh as an assistant coach with the Saints.
He’s one of the top young offensive minds in the NFL.
In Curry’s first season tutoring the Saints quarterbacks, Jameis Winston posted a 5-2 record as a starter and ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in touchdown passes (14), touchdown percentage (8.7), and passer rating (102.8) through the first eight weeks of the season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
8. Bobby Slowik, 49ers offensive passing game specialist
Slowik has ten years of coaching experience and is in his first year as the passing game specialist in San Francisco.
Slowik played a huge role in 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel earning Associated Press First-Team All-Pro honors and the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.
He comes from a family of coaches.
9. Zac Robinson, Rams assistant QB coach:
The Rams’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach has three years of experience working with Sean McVay in L.A., and the former Oklahoma State quarterback could get some looks.
10. Pep Hamilton, Texans OC
Hamilton has previously served as the quarterback’s coach for the Los Angeles Chargers and served as the head coach and general manager of the DC Defenders of the XFL.
Hamilton played quarterback collegiately at Howard University in the mid-90s and played a key role in the development of Andrew Luck (Colts) and Justin Herbert (Chargers).
