Eagles assistant coach Dennard Wilson has ambitions to ascend someday. Will it be with the Eagles?
Jonathan Gannon might move on to a head coaching job next season. That would open a spot at defensive coordinator.
Dennard Wilson is eager for more.
The Eagles defensive backs coach added defensive passing-game coordinator to his title during the offseason, but there was a moment in the spring when he thought he might be interviewing for the defensive coordinator position with the Eagles.
Jonathan Gannon was a finalist for the Texans head coaching job but returned to the Eagles for his second year as the defensive coordinator after Houston hired Lovie Smith. If Gannon was the Texans’ choice, though, Wilson said his experience with coaches like Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles and former Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has prepared him for such a role.
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“I’ve been tutored by them,” Wilson said. “I know how to run a ship. I know the responsibility, so if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be ready for it. But I’m here where my feet are, and I’m just trying to be the best defensive backs coach that I can be.”
Wilson, 40, might not have to wait much longer for a chance to interview for the Eagles’ defensive coordinator job. Gannon interviewed for three head coaching jobs after his first season running the Eagles defense and will likely be one of the most sought-after candidates again next offseason, especially if the Eagles defense shows improvements from last year’s middling production.
The Eagles were ranked just 25th in defensive efficiency by Football Outsiders last year, but plenty of organizations saw the value of Gannon’s multiple scheme, his vision for running a staff, and the way his scouting background influences his view of roster building.
If Gannon can show improvements with the influx of free agents and draft picks brought in this offseason, it’s easy to see him garnering interest from even more teams next offseason.
“We’re probably renting him,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in March during the scouting combine. “He’s that good of a coach and that good of a person. ... The way that we’re playing defense and the way that he wants to play defense and our coaches want to, it’s something that’s sustainable.”
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Enter Wilson, who would presumably be able to offer the Eagles some scheme continuity if Gannon ends up elsewhere. The Maryland native has been a defensive backs coach in the league since 2015 and spent four seasons with the New York Jets before joining Gannon’s staff last season.
“The longer you’re around somebody, [the more] you understand how they work, what they want done, what’s their message, and what they harp on,” Wilson said. “Being the defensive back coach and having that room, whatever his vision is, I’m trying to make his vision come to life.”
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This isn’t to say Wilson would be the heir apparent if the Eagles were looking for Gannon’s replacement in the next year or two. It’s worth noting that former Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio has visited several Eagles training camp practices this summer. Fangio, 63, was fired by the Broncos last offseason but should be a hot defensive coordinator candidate next year and is a native of Dunmore, Pa.
Fangio is one of the most influential defensive coaches in the league. He crafted the two-high safety scheme that many coaches, including Gannon, have adopted over the last few years to limit explosive plays and dare teams to run more as the league skews more toward the efficiency of passing early and often.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Fangio’s relationship with members of the Eagles staff led to his visits at the summer practices.
“It’s great to have him here,” Sirianni said. “And then you also use it, right? They come in, they eat, they watch practice, and you make them work for that a little bit, right? You pick their brain. So, he’s here because he’s got relationships with guys. Of course, we’d be foolish not to use him.”
The Eagles announced Wilson’s promotion last month just before the start of training camp. Wilson said his role hasn’t changed much since the addition of the new title, but Gannon said the former Maryland defensive back is his “right-hand man” on the staff.
“He does a great job with those guys,” Gannon said. “That’s a hard position to coach because there are five or six guys on the field, four or five, six guys on the field all the time, and they’re doing different things.”
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Like Gannon, Wilson has a scouting background. His first job in the league was in the Chicago Bears front office as a pro scout in 2008. He spent three seasons in the role before taking a quality control job with the St. Louis Rams.
Wilson, a Black man, credited Roseman for hiring a diverse front office staff and for seeking his input when making offseason additions to the secondary. Wilson said he’s an advocate for equal opportunities for minority coaches and executives and thinks Roseman is an ally to groups the NFL has a history of overlooking.
“If you do what you’re supposed to do and you put time in and you’re invested and you earn it, you do it the hard way, I hope we all get recognized and get opportunities to show our talents and move forward,” Wilson said. “Howie was very direct, strategic — he made some moves to show he’s here and he’s listening.”