Eagles coaching staff updates: Michael Clay hired as special teams coordinator, Dennard Wilson as secondary coach

The common trend between most of Sirianni’s hires, with a few exceptions, has been a propensity to add younger, quick-rising coaches and Clay and Wilson fit the mold.

San Francisco 49ers special teams coach Michael Clay warming up by running down the stairs before the start of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Baltimore, Md. Clay has been hired as the Eagles' new special teams coordinator.Read moreJulio Cortez / AP

by EJ Smith

Published Jan. 30, 2021, 2:08 p.m. ET

Nick Sirianni clearly has a type.

The newly hired Eagles head coach made two more hires to his staff, bringing in Michael Clay as the new special teams coordinator and Dennard Wilson as the secondary coach. The common trend among most of Sirianni’s hires, with a few exceptions, has been a propensity to add younger, quick-rising coaches and Clay and Wilson fit the mold. Clay, 29, has seven years of coaching experience and will be the youngest coordinator in the NFL.

The former Oregon Duck linebacker actually started his coaching career with the Eagles. He spent two seasons on Chip Kelly’s staff, starting in 2014 as a quality control coach before getting moved into a special teams assistant role the next year. He followed his former college coach to San Francisco in 2016 and was retained after Kelly was fired later that season.

He’s been the team’s assistant special teams coach for four of his five years in San Francisco, with one year as a strength and conditioning coach in 2017 separating his two stints.

Clay, whose hire was announced on the team website Friday, will replace Dave Fipp as the special teams czar. Fipp was permitted by the team to interview for the Detroit Lions’ special teams coordinator job and was hired earlier this week, ending his eight-year stretch with the Eagles.

Fipp had plenty of success with the Eagles, but his groups struggled in almost every facet last season. The team ranked in the bottom half of the league in average yards per kick return and punt return. Part of the group’s trouble can be traced to the laundry list of injuries the Eagles dealt with for most of the season costing the special teams units continuity. Still, even veteran players struggled in 2020.

Kicker Jake Elliott also had the worst season of his career, ranking 28th in field goal make percentage and going 1-for-3 on kicks inside of 30 yards. The Eagles also ranked 28th in average starting field position, partly because of several misplayed punts by Greg Ward and Jalen Reagor during the season.

Wilson, 38, will seemingly replace Marquand Manuel and become the team’s defensive backs coach according to an ESPN report Saturday. Wilson spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets and has been the team’s defensive pass-game coordinator before the start of the 2019 season. He played college football for Maryland and started his coaching career in 2012 with the Rams. His tenure in St. Louis overlapped with Rodney McLeod’s from 2012-15.

Manuel made it just one season as the team’s cornerbacks coach after replacing Corey Undlin almost exactly a year ago. The Eagles’ secondary struggled for most of the 2020 season containing receivers not covered by Darius Slay. The Eagles’ pass defense was ranked 24th in defense-adjusted value over average, Football Outsiders’ efficiency stat that takes into account strength of opponent and situation, although it’s important to note that’s not solely a reflection of secondary play.

Once again, injuries over the course of the season were a part of the struggles — the team leaned heavily on undrafted rookie Michael Jacquet for three games. Personnel choices contributed, too, with 5-foot-9 Avonte Maddox and 5-foot-7 Nickell Robey-Coleman both being asked to start at outside cornerback at points this season.

It’s unclear whether Wilson will retain his title as defensive pass-game coordinator with the Eagles or simply serve as the team’s secondary coach.