Eagles promote Brian Johnson to OC, hire former Seahawks assistant Sean Desai as DC
The Philadelphia Eagles have found their next offensive and defensive coordinators.
The team promoted quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator. He replaces Shane Steichen, who was hired as the Indianapolis Colts head coach earlier this month. Philadelphia also promoted offensive quality control coach Alex Tanney to Johnson's old position and hired former Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady as a senior offensive assistant.
Former Seattle Seahawks associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai was also hired as the Eagles' defensive coordinator position, the team announced Tuesday. Desai, who was the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator in 2021, will replace Jonathan Gannon, who became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Johnson, 36, gives the Eagles a lot of offensive continuity. He joined the team alongside head coach Nick Sirianni in 2021 and played a pivotal role in quarterback Jalen Hurts’ development in 2022. Under Johnson's tutelage, Hurts put together his best season after being a second-round draft pick in 2020. Hurts completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,701 yards, 22 passing touchdowns with only six interceptions to go with 13 rushing touchdowns during the regular season before an incredible performance in the Super Bowl.
Johnson also has experience as an offensive coordinator in the college ranks; first with Utah in 2012 (where he was also their starting quarterback for four seasons), then with Houston in 2017 and finally with Florida in 2020 before he jumped to the NFL. He interviewed for several open offensive coordinator positions on other teams as well this offseason, including with the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams.
Desai, 39, was an up-and-coming assistant under defensive coordinators Vic Fangio and Chuck Pagano in Chicago from 2013-2020. He was promoted from defensive quality control coach to safeties coach when the Bears replaced Fangio — who left for the head coaching job with the Denver Broncos — in 2019. Desai became the first defensive coordinator of Indian descent in NFL history when he took over in 2021 upon Pagano's retirement. Chicago let him go after firing Matt Nagy and he joined Carroll in Seattle the following season.
The Eagles’ loss of both of their top coordinators to head coaching jobs was a league first since 1994 when San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan joined the Broncos and defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes went to Philadelphia. Now, the Eagles have replaced both with young but experienced coaches as the team looks to make another Super Bowl run.
