Two weeks ago, the Eagles took the ability to call defensive plays away from defensive coordinator Sean Desai. Several weeks earlier, the process of limiting Desai’s authority began.
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that, during the Week 10 bye, coach Nick Sirianni decided to strip from Desai responsibility for third-down gameplanning.
Desai replaced Jonathan Gannon, who became head coach of the Cardinals after Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles reportedly wanted to make consultant Vic Fangio the replacement for Gannon. They found out that Gannon planned to leave at a time when it was too late to keep Fangio.
It’s Desai’s second stint as a defensive coordinator. After six years as a quality-control coach and two as the safeties coach, Desai served as defensive coordinator for one year in Chicago. He was associate head coach and defensive assistant with the Seahawks in 2022, before becoming the defensive coordinator of the Eagles.
Matt Patricia has taken over Desai’s job, essentially. It remains to be seen whether it will be Patricia or someone else running the defense in 2024.
