According to reports, Matt Patricia and Sean Desai will not rejoin the Daboll Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff.
CBS Philadelphia, PA In 2024, the defensive coaching staff of the Philadelphia Eagles will be significantly different. Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia will “explore other opportunities” following the Eagles’ firing of defensive coordinator Sean Desai, according to an NFL Network report on Sunday.
Patricia took over as the team’s defensive play-caller in the middle of the season, but Desai was still employed as the “defensive coordinator” by title.
Before Sirianni replaced Desai as play-caller and appointed Patricia as the team’s de facto defensive coordinator, the Eagles were 10-3.
Through 13 games, the Eagles’ defense was nowhere near as good as it was under Desai, but under Patricia in charge of defense, things got worse.
The Eagles went 1-4, including in the playoffs, with losses to backup quarterbacks Drew Lock and Tyrod Taylor while Patricia was the defensive playcaller.
Following Jonathan Gannon’s departure to take a position as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Desai, 40, was brought on as the team’s defensive coordinator. He previously worked as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in the 2021 season before joining the Philadelphia Eagles as associate head coach and defensive assistant following a season with the Seattle Seahawks.
After calling the offensive plays for the New England Patriots in 2022, Patricia came to Philadelphia where he worked as an offensive line coach and senior football advisor.
According to NFL Network, Patricia and Desai, a graduate of Temple University, will be considered for additional defensive coordinator positions.
According to The Athletic, Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman have contacted potential defensive coordinators, such as Ryan Nielsen of the Atlanta Falcons and Wink Martindale of the New York Giants, about the position of defensive coordinator.
Following the team’s disappointing 2023 season, Sirianni’s job security was called into question, but all indications point to him returning for his fourth season as the Eagles’ head coach, according to ESPN.
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Eagles, who fired their defensive coordinator, are considering hiring Wink Martindale.
It looks like Wink Martindale’s next job may be opening up.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Eagles fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai on Sunday night, and they have already begun reaching out to possible replacements.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have already made contact with the former defensive coordinator of the Giants.
Over the past week, the report said, the Eagles had also reached out to former Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, among others.
Martindale would provide Philadelphia with an intriguing alternative and undoubtedly add a fresh perspective to the rivalry between the Giants and Eagles.
Football-wise, the Eagles could use his blitz-happy approach after their pass rush struggled in 2023. Additionally, Philadelphia’s defense boasts a number of Pro Bowl-caliber players in the secondary and on the line, which is an improvement over Martindale’s tenure with the Giants.
When discussing Martindale on locker clean-out day, inside linebacker Bobby Okereke said, “It’s a resilient group, and it starts at the top, it starts with Wink.” “He really steers the ship with the way he coaches and leads, not to mention the energy, fire, and passion he instills in us.”
The relationship between defensive coordinator Brian Daboll and head coach Martindale had been deteriorating for some time, but it erupted when Daboll let go of two close confidants of Martindale after the season ended, marking the ugly end to Martindale’s tenure with the Giants.
Paul Schwartz of The Post said that after hearing the news, Martindale yelled obscenities at Daboll and stormed out of his office.
Later on January 8, it was reported that Martindale had resigned; however, he never submitted an official resignation, which fueled further rumors until January 10, when the parties “mutually agreed to part ways.”
Attorneys representing the Giants and Martindale worked out a deal that would allow Martindale to accept a job offer from any other team and spare them from having to pay him the $3 million he was due under his contract in 2024.
As a result, there will be no obstacle in the way of his search for a new position for the 2024 season, and he may even be able to find employment in Philadelphia or another NFL city.
According to reports, Martindale scheduled interviews for the position of defensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.
Given that Sirianni removed Desai from his defensive playcalling responsibilities in the last month of the season, the Eagles’ decision to relieve him of his responsibilities is not shocking.
In Desai’s final six games as defensive playcaller, the Eagles finished 32nd in the league in both red-zone and third-down defense during his first season as defensive coordinator.
