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Jim Schwartz will let his contract expire and take a year off from coaching in 2021.
This means the Eagles will have to find a new defensive coordinator soon.
Here are 10 possible candidates:
Matt Burke: If the Eagles want to keep some consistency, Burke would be the obvious internal hiring. He’s a protégé of Schwartz and you have to remember the Eagles have a ton of money invested in their defensive line. Burke joined the Eagles in 2019 as a special assistant and promoted him to DL coach / running game coordinator for that season. He previously had DC experience with the Dolphins from 2017 to 2018.
Marquand Manuel: Another potential internal promotion. Manuel joined the Eagles as a DB coach in 2020 after two seasons as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator. Manuel played for nearly a decade in the NFL before climbing into the coaching world from Seattle to Atlanta.
Cory Undlin: We wanted to reach out to potential internal candidates first and Unlin almost qualifies. He coached the Eagles DB from 2015-19, but took over as the Lions DC in 2020. Undlin will be out of work shortly after Matt Patricia was fired during the season. If Undlin had stayed in 2020, he would likely be seen as a more likely internal candidate.
Gus Bradley: Everyone is back on the Gus bus! Bradley is the DC of the Chargers, but there are serious questions about the future of the staff in Los Angeles, so he’s a top name who could be available very soon. Bradley was a popular name in 2013 when the Eagles hired Chip Kelly as their head coach, but Bradley ended up with the Jaguars. He was one of the top contenders that year, after an impressive four-year run as the Seahawks DC.
Raheem Morris: Currently, Morris is the Falcons’ DC and interim head coach. But if they don’t hire him as a head coach, he will likely be available. Morris actually replaced Manuel as DC in 2020. Morris has DC and NFL head coaching experience.
Dan Quinn: Morris replaced Quinn as interim head coach after Quinn was fired this season. Quinn was the Falcons’ head coach from 2015-20, but he’s unlikely to find another head coaching position.
Kris Richard: It wasn’t that long ago that Richard was a very hot name in the coaching world, but he was kicked out of the league in 2020 after he was left out when the Cowboys left Jason Garrett. This Dallas defense completely collapsed without him.
Steve Wilks: He was out of the league in 2020, but Wilks was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Browns in 2019 and was the head coach of the Cardinals for a year in 2018.
Clint Hurtt: You’ll notice a lot of these names have been in Seattle with Pete Carroll, so let’s go straight to the source. Hurtt is the assistant head coach / DL coach of the Seahawks and has been in that role since 2017. He was previously with the Bears as an OLB coach.
Wade Phillips: I declined to compile a list of DCs that did not include Wade. He’s 73 now, but didn’t hesitate to return to training since the Rams didn’t bring him back after the 2019 season. Wade has been around forever and was the DC for the Eagles from 1986 to 1988; that was many stops ago. Yes, Phillips likes the 3-4 but it’s still a very aggressive front.
DeMeco Ryans: The former Eagles linebacker looks to have a bright coaching future ahead of him. He is the 49ers inside linebacker coach and has been in that position since 2018. But even during his playing days, there was no doubt that Ryans was destined to coach. If Robert Saleh gets a head coaching job and Ryans doesn’t get promoted to San Francisco, bringing him back to Philly might be an option.
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