Nick Sirianni fired Eagles DB coach Dennard Wilson, sources say. Here’s why that’s a big deal.
Nationally, the veteran assistant’s exit is being painted as a mutual parting of ways. Sources tell The Inquirer that wasn’t the case.
Less than a month after falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, there appears to be trouble brewing down at the NovaCare Complex.
The reports coming out nationally suggested that Dennard Wilson, the Eagles’ now-former passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach, had left the teams in a mutual parting of ways. But sources told The Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes something very different.
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni courts mutiny by firing DB coach Dennard Wilson after snubbing him as Eagles DC
Following a meeting this weekend between Wilson and Nick Sirianni, sources say it was the Birds head coach who made the call to fire the popular assistant, despite Wilson’s assurances that he would work well with new defensive coordinator Sean Desai — even after he was passed over for a promotion to the same position.
You can read Hayes’ full column here, but we’ve broken out some revealing nuggets to help highlight the key points.
How did Dennard Wilson’s firing play out?
As we mentioned above, it depends who you ask. Nationally, it’s not even being considered a firing at all. Instead, it was being reported that the two sides were “mutually parting ways.”
According to Hayes’ sources, however, that appears to not be the case:
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Who made the decision to fire Dennard Wilson?
Given the tension over staffing decisions and personnel control at the end of Doug Pederson’s time at the helm, it wouldn’t be surprising to think that this decision came from above and that Sirianni was just doing the bidding of owner Jeffrey Lurie or general manager Howie Roseman. That’s not the case, according to Hayes.
Why is his exit a big deal?
In short, the Eagles are now undergoing massive changes at what was one of their best position groups on the team: the secondary, where the team could also lose the likes of James Bradberry and C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason — not to mention Darius Slay is entering a contract year.
And that’s where this all gets a bit more worrisome. Some of those players just mentioned are big fans of Wilson, and publicly went to bat for their position coach earlier this season.
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“Man with all these new coaches getting jobs.. I kno my guy Dennard Wilson should be a DC in the NFL!!” Slay tweeted.
Gardner-Johnson quoted that tweet and added his own endorsement of the now-former Eagles assistant.
Aside from his players having his back, Wilson is also a heck of a coach.
What did Dennard Wilson bring to the Eagles?
A veteran NFL coach, Wilson’s success on the field spoke for itself, especially this past season.
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But Wilson wasn’t just a good coach on the field, but he was also a big factor off the field as well.
In conclusion, according to Hayes, “after losing offensive coordinator and play caller Shane Steichen to the Colts, and with wholesale changes coming on the defensive roster, this move could well be Sirianni’s Waterloo.”
Already?