Jonathan Gannon’s schedule is filling up quickly.
The Houston Texans have reportedly requested permission from the Eagles to interview Gannon for their head coaching vacancy, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday afternoon.
If you’re keeping track at home, this is the third request to interview the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, following the Broncos and Vikings.
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Last week, Gannon was asked about outside interest in him for head coaching positions but he stiff-armed those questions, saying his focus was on the Eagles’ upcoming playoff game against the Bucs.
READ: Nick Sirianni gives Jalen Hurts a vote of confidence
“I’ll sit down with Howie (Roseman) and Nick (Sirianni) and we'll talk about that when the time comes,” Gannon said on Tuesday.
Well, that time is now.
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The Eagles were bounced from the playoffs on Sunday afternoon, losing the the Bucs 31-15. Their defense gave up 17 first-half points but settled down some in the second half; then they were victimized by short fields. Still, it wasn’t a strong finish to their season against a top quarterback.
But Gannon’s unit ended up as the 10th overall defense in the NFL this season in yards allowed, so he did some things right. And as much as some fans tired of his scheme this season, there’s a reason three teams have requested to interview the 39-year-old with just one season under his belt as a defensive coordinator.
As Gannon’s name has come up in this latest head coaching cycle, several of his teammates have endorsed him as a head coaching candidate.
“I think he’d be awesome,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said on Monday. “I think he’s a guy who’s a great leader in terms of when he’s up there talking, you know exactly what he’s talking about. He gets his message across very clear. There’s a reasoning behind everything he’s saying. It’s not just words for nothing. He’s the head coach of our defense. He’s our leader every Sunday and he’s been awesome.”
This time last year, when the Eagles hired Sirianni, Gannon was receiving interest from several teams that wanted to hire him as their DC. A big part of Sirianni’s pitch to the Eagles was about the staff he wanted to assemble and Gannon was the centerpiece of that.
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“I really believe in Jonathan Gannon, the type of coach he is and the type of person he is. If I didn't, there would be no way he'd be in this building,” Sirianni said Friday. “I have so much confidence in him and so much faith in him, and I believe in him in the job that he can do as a football coach. I think he'd be a great head football coach in the NFL. I just think he has all the intangibles, all the qualities that I think you need to be a good head football coach. Jonathan has those things.
“Anything I can do to help him get ready, I will do because he deserves an opportunity. Obviously, I would never want to lose Coach Gannon, but I think he's more than ready to be a head football coach and he has all the qualities that you need. Again, we're all thinking about this game, and when it's time to interview, when it's time to do all those things, we'll do those and think about that.”
The Texans fired head coach former Andy Reid assistant David Culley after just one season at the helm. In 2021, Houston posted a 4-13 record. The Texans have already interviewed Brian Flores, Joe Lombardi and Hines Ward for their head coaching vacancy. Gannon is the fourth known candidate.