Eagles Hire Brian Johnson and Sean Desai for Coordinator Roles

The Philadelphia Eagles hired Brian Johnson as the next offensive coordinator and Sean Desai for the next defensive coordinator.

Johnson, who spent the 2022-23 season as the Eagles quarterback coach, was hired to replace Shane Steichen, who became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts following the Eagles’ loss in Super Bowl LVII. Desai, meanwhile, was drawn in from the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant head coach and defensive assistant. He replaces Jonathan Gannon, who also accepted a head coaching job following the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss, with the Arizona Cardinals.

Johnson was the apparent favorite for the offensive coordinator position. Johnson’s role as quarterback coach had him working closely with Jalen Hurts during the last few seasons. Johnson is also close with Hurts personally, as the two had a relationship dating back to Hurts’ youth.

Sirianni, in his year-end press conference, praised how Johnson was able to build relationships.

“Brian’s great with, not just Jalen, with everybody,” Sirianni remarked. “He can adapt and just be able to connect with anybody on our roster. And that’s offensively and defensively. And that’s one thing that I think Brian’s special at.”

Desai began his NFL coaching career with the Chicago Bears, working his way up the ranks to defensive coordinator with the team for the 2021-22 NFL Season. He was not retained by the team after the Bears hired Matt Eberflus to be the head coach, and was hired by the Seahawks.

During a press conference this afternoon at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll sung Desai’s praises.

“He’s really, really a brilliant football guy,” Carroll said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “The background and the information he holds, his access to information is really special. He helped us a ton getting going and making a year’s transition (the Seahawks changed defensive coordinators in 2022). We got along great. It was a good challenge for me.”

During the 2021-22 season under Desai’s leadership, the Bears’ defense ranked 6th in the league in yards per game (316.7 average) and 3rd in the league in passing yards per game (191.6) during the regular season. The team also ranked first in the league in sacks per pass attempt at 10.27% during the regular season. The run defense was lackluster, tied for 23rd in the league in rushing yards per game during the regular season and 19th in rushing yards per play during the same season.

Desai, who was a popular name thrown around among defensive coaching hires this offseason, should benefit from stronger defensive talent on the field, though. The Eagles’ defense in the 2022-23 season was one of the top defensive units in the league, and with seasoned leaders remaining on the team, Desai should be in a position to excel.

With the major players now in place from a coordinator standpoint, the Eagles now turn their attention to preparing the roster for these coaches to work with.