3 Eagles assistants make list of young NFL coaches to watch
The Eagles are 8-1 on the season and roaring towards back-to-back playoff berths under second-year head coach Nick Sirianni.
Regardless of the outcomes in 2022, the Philadelphia coaching staff will look significantly different in 2023.
When hiring Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia assembled one of the NFL’s youngest coaching staff, and that dynamic group will soon be broken thanks to their versatility and vast talents.
NFL.com recently looked at the top young coaches to watch for the head coaching carousel that has become an annual sensation.
Philadelphia had three assistants make a list, with two others as honorable mentions.
Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator took over the playcalling duties in 2021, and the Birds have flourished from there.
Steichen started his NFL coaching career in Cleveland in 2013 as a quality control coach.
He moved to San Diego the following season as a quality control coach for 2014-2015. The 35-year-old took over the Chargers’ offense in 2019 and was OC for the 2020 campaign in which Justin Herbert exploded onto the scene.
Steichen has overseen the Eagles’ offensive rise since taking over play-calling duties during the 2021 season and has a good reputation going back to his days with the Chargers.
Jonathan Gannon , Defensive Coordinator
(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
A hot name on the 2022 coaching carousel, Gannon should undoubtedly land a job in 2023 as long his defense doesn’t have a meltdown.
Before joining the Eagles, Gannon was Colts’ defensive backs coach since 2018, when Frank Reich’s staff took over in Indianapolis. Gannon played a considerable role in developing several young defensive backs at his prior stops.
Gannon interviewed last year for head coaching jobs with the Broncos, Vikings and Texans (who brought him back a second time), and the Eagles’ improvement on defense should make him even hotter this time around.
Brian Johnson, Quarterbacks Coach
As quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State under Dan Mullen, Johnson helped develop the 2016 NFL Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott and led the Bulldogs to three consecutive bowl games.
At Florida, Johnson turned Kyle Trask from backup to likely first-round pick.
Johnson helped lead Houston’s offense to 436.1 yards per game, good enough for 35th nationally during his time there.
Johnson was a prolific college quarterback at Utah who returned to the Utes as a coach and subsequently became the youngest FBS offensive coordinator at age 24. He has mentored the likes of Dak Prescott, Kyle Trask and now Jalen Hurts (whose dad, Averion, coincidentally coached Johnson).
NFL coaches to watch in future years
<img class=”size-full wp-image-672590″ src=”https://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2022/09/effff244f1fb46f4a9eab0729b672fc9.jpg” alt=”” width=”1000″ height=”667″ /> (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Nick Rallis, Linebackers Coach
Rallis is the brother of WWE Superstar <a href=”https://twitter.com/MadcapMoss”>Riddick Moss, now known as MadCap Moss.</a>
Rallis joined Philadelphia’s staff after he finished his fourth season of coaching and 3rd as the Vikings’ defensive quality control coach in 2020.
Before joining the Vikings, Rallis spent the 2017 season as a graduate assistant at Wake Forest.
Another young hire, the 27-year-old Rallis, played linebacker at the University of Minnesota from 2012-16.
NFL coaches to watch in future years
(AP Photo/David Richard)
Eagles DB coach/passing game coordinator Dennard Wilson, 40
Wilson, 39, has been coaching in the NFL since 2012 and joined the Eagles in 2021, taking over as the defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
