Jim Schwartz will let his contract expire and will take a year off as a coach in 2021.
This means that the Eagles will need to find a new defensive coordinator soon.
Here are 10 possible candidates:
Matt Burke: If the Eagles want to maintain any consistency, Burke would be the obvious in-house sign. He is a protégé of Schwartz and you must remember that the Eagles have a lot of money invested in their defensive line. Burke joined the Eagles in 2019 as a special assistant and promoted him to DL coach / racing game coordinator this season. He has previous DC experience with the 2017-18 Dolphins.
Marquand Manuel: Another potential internal promotion. Manuel joined the Eagles as a DBs coach in 2020, after two seasons as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator. Manuel played for almost a decade in the NFL before working his way through the world of coaches from Seattle to Atlanta.
Cory Undlin: We wanted to reach potential internal candidates first and Unlin almost qualifies. He coached the 2015-19 Eagles DBs, but took over as Lions in DC in 2020. Undlin will be unemployed shortly after Matt Patricia was fired during the season. If Undlin had stayed in 2020, he would probably be seen as a more likely internal candidate.
Gus Bradley: Everyone back on the Gus bus! Bradley is the Chargers’ DC, but there are serious questions about the team’s future in LA, so he’s an important name that may be available soon. Bradley was a popular name in 2013, when the Eagles hired Chip Kelly as their head coach, but Bradley ended the Jaguars. He was one of the top contenders that year, coming off an impressive four-year run as the Seahawks’ DC.
Raheem Morris: Morris is currently the Falcons’ DC and interim coach. But if they don’t hire you as a head coach, he’ll probably be available. Morris actually replaced Manuel as DC in 2020. Morris has DC and experience as a head coach in the NFL.
Dan Quinn: Morris replaced Quinn as acting head coach after Quinn was fired this season. Quinn was the head coach of the 2015-20 Falcons, but he is unlikely to find another head coach job.
Kris Richard: It wasn’t that long ago that Richard was a really hot name in the world of coaches, but he was out of the league in 2020 after he wasn’t hired when the Cowboys left Jason Garrett. That Dallas defense collapsed completely without him.
Steve Wilks: He was out of the league in 2020, but Wilks was recently the Browns ‘defensive coordinator in 2019 and was the Cardinals’ head coach for a year in 2018.
Clint Hurtt: You’ll notice that many of those names were in Seattle with Pete Carroll, so let’s get straight to the source. Hurtt is the assistant chief coach / DL coach for the Seahawks and has been serving this role since 2017. Previously, he was with the Bears as their OLBs coach.
Wade Phillips: I refused to put together a list of CDs that didn’t include Wade. He is now 73, but he did not hesitate to want to become a coach again, as the Rams did not bring him back after the 2019 season. Wade has always existed and was the 1986-88 Eagles’ DC; that was many stops ago. Yes, Phillips likes 3-4, but it is still a very aggressive front.
DeMeco Ryans: The former Eagles linebacker appears to have a bright future as a coach ahead. He is the coach of the 49ers’ internal linebackers and has held that position since 2018. But even during his playing days, there was no doubt that Ryans was destined to be a coach. If Robert Saleh gets a job as a head coach and Ryans doesn’t get promoted in San Francisco, taking him back to Philadelphia may be an option.
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