Down to 2?

The Eagles search for a defensive coordinator is coming to a close. That’s not official of course, but the pool of candidates has been whittled down for a variety of reasons. Unless Nick Sirianni starts checking out local high school staffs, I think he’s done with new candidates.

Vance Joseph took the DC job in Denver so he’s out.

Glenn Schulmann is staying at Georgia so he’s out.

We haven’t heard about Jesse Minter or Chris Shula, but they didn’t get second interviews. Speaking of which…

#Seahawks associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai is in the building in Philly today, doing a second interview for the #Eagles vacant DC job, per me and @MikeGarafolo. Desai, a Vic Fangio disciple, is a finalist for the post previously held by Jonathan Gannon.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2023

It feels like the DC choices are down to Rennard Wilson and Sean Desai. Again, that’s unofficial. But seeing the news that Desai got a second interview makes him seem like a finalist. We know Sirianni thinks highly of Wilson.

Desai is my preference. He was the DC in Chicago in 2021 and the associate head coach in Seattle last year. That’s not a ton of top level experience, but it is more than Wilson. Desai has been coaching since 2006. He’s coached in college and the NFL. He had to really work his way up the ladder. I like guys like that. Grinders.

Something occurred to me today as I thought about the DC situation. Jonathan Gannon ran a version of the Vic Fangio system. That’s odd because he coached under Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus, neither of whom runs that system. Desai worked under Vic Fangio in Chicago from 2015-2018. He learned directly from the master himself. He’s more likely to have a feel for how to get the most out of the system.

Fangio left the Bears after 2018. Chuck Pagano took his place, but kept the same system. That means Desai had 6 years working in the system prior to becoming DC in 2021. He has a great feel for it. When Fangio got to Chicago, Desai sat beside him in the coaching booth during games. That had to make for a great education.

This is a good interview with Desai.

It is important to note that he’s a Fangio disciple, but is his own man. He will put his own stamp on things. His thoughts on a defensive identity when taking over the Bears defense in 2021.

“It’s going to be something that’s palpable, whether you’re watching the tape, whether you’re watching at home or whether you’re in the stadium,” Desai said. “And a thing that you can feel: Our physicalness, you can feel toughness, you can feel discipline, you can feel a sense of swarming to the ball and finishing. Those are things that we’re going to be able to hang our hats on, from a coaching perspective, from a player perspective and that’s where it’s going to start.”

I don’t know how you feel discipline. If we’ve learned anything under Sirianni, I think we can forgive him for making a goofy comment.

If you want to know more about Desai the person, check this out.

Good article on the #Seahawks website if you want to read more about Desaihttps://t.co/PvR6Vjd0ca

— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) February 27, 2023

He’s very well educated and focuses on teaching. That sure sounds a lot like someone Sirianni can relate to.

This is a tough choice for Sirianni. I’m sure part of him really wants to promote Wilson, a good assistant who knows the scheme and the players. At the same time, is Wilson ready to lead the defense on a team that expects to compete for a Super Bowl?

It will be interesting to see what Sirianni does. We should be getting a decision soon.

Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman are scheduled to address reporters at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday March 1 from the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) February 22, 2023

Maybe we’ll get an announcement on Tuesday.

*****

#Eagles have agreed to add another year and give a raise to highly-regarded special teams coordinator Michael Clay, according to a league source. Clay, 31, is considering a rising coach in NFL circles. Former #49ers assistant, #Dolphins linebacker who went undrafted out of Oregon

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 27, 2023

Yeah, I think there is some definite agentspeak in that tweet.

Clay’s unit did get better as the year went along. That said, I don’t think Clay would be in high demand if he were available. He might become a good coach, but he’s in the middle of the road for now.

*****

Commanders release QB Carson Wentz. pic.twitter.com/UtX1vv4Dzd

— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2023

How the mighty have fallen.

It is mind blowing to think about this. In December of 2017, Wentz was on his way to being MVP. The Eagles were the best team in football and life was good. Then he tore his ACL in the win over the Rams. The Eagles won the Super Bowl without him and things were never the same.

It felt like Wentz tried to win the SB every time he took the field. He was dealt some bad luck with personnel and injuries and that certainly didn’t help. There were some good times, but things just slowly fell apart.

Now the question becomes if Wentz has a future. No team will pursue him as a starter. I don’t know if Wentz would accept being a backup. If you had told me a couple of years ago that Geno Smith and Daniel Jones would be highly ranked free agents looking at $30M salaries and Wentz would be out of the league, I’d have thought you were nuts. But here we are. Absolutely crazy how things change.

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