Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon confirms the Denver Broncos’ interest in him

Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon confirmed reports Tuesday that the Denver Broncos have requested an interview with him for their head-coaching vacancy.

As reported by NFL Network on Monday, Gannon is among the eight coaches Denver has shown interest in after firing Vic Fangio.

While Gannon confirmed the Broncos requested an interview, he said nothing has been scheduled and that he’s only concerning himself with the Eagles’ wild-card game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“My sole focus is on Tampa Bay,” Gannon said.

Gannon has had an up-and-down first season running the Eagles’ defense. The group started the year against a difficult slate of quarterbacks, which included Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Dak Prescott. The defense allowed career-best completion rates for others, including the Raiders’ Derek Carr (91.8%) and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert (84.2%).

In the second half of the season, the defense has rebounded. It’s been against mostly lackluster quarterbacks, but the Eagles went five straight games allowing fewer than 20 points and went 4-1 during that stretch.

Sunday’s rematch against Brady and the Buccaneers will serve as a litmus test for the defense, revealing whether actual progress has been made or if the resurgence is tied to a string of mostly backup quarterbacks.

“This guy, he’s a trained killer,” Gannon said of Brady. “He knows how to play good offense and what he needs to do to keep his offense on track, so it’s going to be a big-time challenge.”

Gannon and Denver general manager George Paton were both with the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2017, so there’s a familiarity between the two. As for when the interview will take place, Gannon wouldn’t divulge much other than saying he would talk with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni about it.

“We’ll talk about it when the time comes,” he said.