An early look at three coaching candidates to fill each of the Eagles’ vacant coordinator positions

The Eagles lost both of their coordinators within the first 48 hours of their offseason.

Shane Steichen was officially named head coach of the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday morning and Jonathan Gannon was hired by the Arizona Cardinals by the afternoon.

The Eagles now have to find replacements for both coaches while also staving off the losses of key assistants whom Steichen and Gannon may covet for their own staffs.

Here are a handful of options for both vacant positions:

Brian Johnson

Johnson has spent the last two seasons as the Eagles quarterbacks coach and is one of the most logical internal choices for a multitude of reasons.

He has been instrumental in Jalen Hurts’ development into an MVP-level quarterback and has a strong relationship with the Eagles’ signal caller dating back to Hurts’ childhood. The former Heisman Trophy candidate from the University of Utah has experience calling plays at the collegiate level as well.

Johnson received interest for offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere last month and reportedly interviewed with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets for their vacant positions.

Before his two years with the Eagles, Johnson was offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators and had been coaching in the college ranks since 2010.

» READ MORE: Eagles mock draft: Adding talent in trenches, secondary among Birds’ primary focus

Kevin Patullo

Eagles pass-game coordinator Kevin Patullo is another viable option. He has extensive experience working alongside Sirianni with the Indianapolis Colts, where he held the same title in 2020 after spending the previous two seasons as Indy’s wide receivers coach.

Patullo’s experience in Indy may also make him an attractive option for Steichen or Gannon as they build their respective staffs.

He played a significant role in the Eagles’ weekly game-planning and has experience coaching both quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Thomas Brown

Even though the Eagles have such viable options internally, they’ll still need to conduct outside interviews with one minority candidate to fill Rooney Rule requirements.

Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach/tight ends coach Thomas Brown has been one of the hottest assistants this hiring cycle, making him a feasible option for the Eagles to interview. Brown, a Black man, would also put them in compliance with the league rules.

Brown is also a finalist for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ and Carolina Panthers’ vacant offensive coordinator jobs.

Dennard Wilson

The Eagles also don’t have to look far for a strong candidate on the defensive side of the ball. Enter defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, who has been with the Eagles the last two years and had defensive pass-game coordinator added to his title last offseason.

Several Eagles defensive backs have praised Wilson for his teaching ability during their position meetings. Wilson now has experience with Gannon’s scheme but also worked with Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles and longtime defensive coach Gregg Williams during his time with the New York Jets.

Wilson would offer the Eagles some continuity on their defensive staff, although both Bowles and Williams are known for using more exotic and extensive blitz packages than Gannon.

Peter Hansen

The Eagles’ appreciation for Vic Fangio’s scheme has been well-documented.

Gannon was influenced by Fangio’s innovation and the Eagles hired the longtime defensive coach as an adviser during the season. Assuming Fangio is indeed heading to the Miami Dolphins, the Eagles will have to settle for one of his many disciples across the league if they do not go with Wilson.

» READ MORE: ‘Today isn’t that day’: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts brushes aside contract extension talk

If the team wants someone with experience teaching Fangio’s scheme to replace Gannon, Carolina linebackers coach Peter Hansen makes sense. Hansen, who was hired to the Panthers’ staff last week, was listed as a name to watch by The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and spent several years on Fangio’s various staffs.

Hansen was a defensive assistant for Fangio at Stanford in 2010 and followed him to San Francisco for the same position the next season. He went back to Stanford to coach linebackers in 2013 and stayed there until 2019. He was UNLV’s defensive coordinator in 2020-21 before taking a job as the linebackers coach for the Broncos last offseason.

In drafting Jordan Davis last year, the Eagles signaled a willingness to continue their transition toward an odd front with a traditional nose tackle. If that’s still the case, having a coordinator with an understanding of the front mechanics Fangio has used so well could be appealing.

Sean Desai

Another Fangio-influenced coach with a local connection, Seahawks associate head coach-defense Sean Desai is a name to watch.

From 2013-20, Desai spent eight years as a defensive assistant coach for the Chicago Bears, overlapping with Fangio for four of them, and was named defensive coordinator in Chicago in 2021. Desai was hired by Pete Carroll last season after Chicago replaced head coach Matt Nagy with the defensive-minded Matt Eberflus.

Desai, 39, spent five seasons early in his career as an assistant coach at Temple.

» READ MORE: Eagles free agent priorities: James Bradberry, Javon Hargrave, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, T.J. Edwards