The Eagles have hired their new defensive coordinator.
They are hiring Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon, who garnered plenty of interest from several teams this offseason.
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The Eagles also reportedly interviewed Washington DBs coach Chris Harris. Both candidates for this job that we heard about have coached with new head coach Nick Sirianni before, which is significant. The last time the Eagles hired a head coach, Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz did not have a close relationship.
Gannon has been the Colts’ defensive backs coach since 2018, when Frank Reich’s staff took over in Indy. So he and Sirianni have been working together for the last three seasons.
Gannon has been a hot name over the last week, taking several interviews for defensive coordinator positions. So this would be a good get for the Eagles. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is thought to be a candidate for the Texans' head coaching opening. So the Eagles are getting Gannon before that potentially happens and the Colts might ask him to take over. The Colts had the No. 8 defense in the NFL in 2020.
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Apparently, Gannon played a huge role in the development of several young DBs in Indy. And he also helped the Colts land Xavier Rhodes and then got him back to playing at a Pro Bowl level.
Here's a bit of what the Indianapolis Star had to say about Gannon:
"Xavier had a heck of a year. He really bought into what we were doing. I give Jonathan Gannon a lot of credit for that," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said recently. "He had a relationship with Xavier coming in from Minnesota. Xavier worked and bought into everything we were doing."
Gannon also helped develop some of the Colts' younger secondary members, including Rock Ya-Sin, Kenny Moore, Khari Willis, and Julian Blackmon.
"They are getting one of my favorite coaches of all time," Moore tweeted on Saturday night. "Man, what a 3yr run we had. 1ove."
Before joining the Colts, Gannon was the Vikings’ assistant DBs coach for four seasons and was with the Titans before that. His first NFL job came with the Falcons in 2007 as a defensive assistant.
The Colts have been a 4-3 team in the last three years under Eberflus, so it's likely he'd keep that alignment in Philly. The Eagles have been a 4-3 team for the last five seasons and clearly have the personnel geared toward that front.
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