Vic Fangio clarifies that Nick Sirianni did not call a defensive play on Sunday: What he said ‘was inconsequential’

No, Nick Sirianni did not make a defensive play call in Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Browns, Vic Fangio echoed on Tuesday.

In Sirianni’s postgame press conference, the fourth-year head coach had shared that he “made a call” on defense that “didn’t work,” as he sought to absolve his defensive coordinator of the blame on a particular play without divulging it. The next day, Sirianni gave more context as to what actually happened in that instance, explaining that it’s common in the NFL for head coaches to get on the headset and reinforce “personal philosophies” of how to play in certain situations.

Fangio, the first-year Eagles defensive coordinator and longtime NFL coach, emphasized that Sirianni didn’t make a defensive call and was alerting him to what the Browns might do in that situation. He added that it was a third-and-long play near midfield in which Sirianni thought that Cleveland might check the ball down to get into field goal range.

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“They ended up getting more than I would’ve liked to have seen them get,” Fangio said. “But it was inconsequential what he said.”

Given the information about the play provided by Fangio, it’s possible that he was referring to the third-and-14 play from the Eagles’ 44-yard line that occurred with 5 minutes remaining in the first half and the Eagles up, 10-0. The Eagles blitzed, sending Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean as the extra rushers, with the apparent goal of sacking Deshaun Watson and knocking the Browns out of field goal range.

However, the Eagles were unsuccessful. The Browns quarterback connected with Amari Cooper on a short in-breaking route with Quinyon Mitchell playing several yards off of him in coverage. Mitchell appeared to slip while attempting to make a tackle, relying on Dean to double back and bring the receiver down. Cooper, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, picked up 10 yards, and the Browns converted on the ensuing fourth-and-4.

The defense ultimately held the Browns to a field goal on that possession. Still, it was a more manageable 43-yard attempt as opposed to one from roughly 60 yards out, had the Browns’ drive ended closer to midfield.

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In his 21 years of experience as an NFL defensive coordinator, Fangio said Sirianni’s level of involvement on game day is “pretty similar” to other head coaches with whom he’s worked. Sirianni shared on Monday why it was important for him to take accountability for the play, even if he wasn’t literally calling the defense in that moment as he had initially stated after the game.

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to have the philosophies that I have and push that on my coaches, and then not take accountability for it when the play doesn’t work,” Sirianni said Monday. “That’s kind of how it goes. I think that’s pretty common throughout the NFL.”

The Eagles signed Parry Nickerson to the practice squad on Tuesday, filling a spot vacated by wide receiver Parris Campbell, who was added to the active roster before the Browns game.

Nickerson, a 30-year-old cornerback, initially earned a spot on the Eagles training camp roster after attending minicamp on a tryout. He did not make the team out of camp and had been a free agent until he was signed ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants (1 p.m., Fox29).

The 5-foot-10, 182-pounder primarily has played in the slot throughout his five-year NFL career. The New York Jets drafted Nickerson in the sixth round of the 2018 draft out of Tulane. He has appeared in 30 games in five seasons, including five contests last year with the Miami Dolphins in Fangio’s defense.