Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the New York Giants, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Nick Sirianni survives as coach of Eagles but with limited say over offense
When the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime on Nov. 26, they were 10-1. Going back to the start of the 2022 season, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was 24-4 in his previous 28 regular-season games.
Less than two months after that Bills win, calls for Sirianni to lose his job after a deflating wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers echoed throughout the NFL. Yet, Sirianni survived as the Eagles’ coach to be Philadelphia’s leader for the 2024 season.
However, Sirianni said at a news conference on Wednesday — which was delayed from its initial time due to a reported meeting between Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman — that the team’s new offensive coordinator will oversee the offense. That means Sirianni will have less control over the unit. The Eagles are searching for a new offensive coordinator; it was reported Brian Johnson won’t return to that same role next season.
The Eagles are looking for new coordinators. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who was demoted late in the season, was let go. Sirianni, who has an offensive background, said the new offensive coordinator would bring in a new scheme, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
There was a question if Sirianni would return at all due to a horrible finish to the season. Before the lackluster 32-9 defeat in Tampa, the Eagles lost five of their final six regular-season games.
Sirianni has three winning seasons in three tries as Eagles head coach, with a 34-17 regular-season record in Philly. It seemed inconceivable a couple months ago that Sirianni could be fired, but the Eagles’ season kept sinking into a deeper hole. The loss to the Buccaneers was embarrassing and uncompetitive, and as Tampa Bay finished off its blowout win it appeared that Sirianni was in trouble. But he survived.
Perhaps the strongest signal that Sirianni would remain before the recent report was Sunday’s firing of Desai, who was stripped of his defensive play-calling duties after Philadelphia’s 33-13 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 10. That loss was the second straight, dropping the Eagles to 10-3 at the time. With Matt Patricia calling plays on that side of the ball, the Eagles eventually finished the regular season 11-6.
Patricia also will not return for the 2024 season.
Nick Sirianni’s 2023 season collapse with the Eagles
At the start of the season it seemed like the Eagles had picked up where they left off, following a magical season that ended with a trip to the Super Bowl with another strong start to the season.
However, when the Eagles were 10-1 there were warts. They had won a lot of close games, and that was unsustainable. The defense had taken a step back. The offense wasn’t the same either.
The Eagles still had what seemed to be an insurmountable lead in the NFC East. Then the losses started piling up. They lost five of six to finish the regular season. They blew a big lead at home to the Arizona Cardinals, coached by former Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. That opened the door for the Dallas Cowboys to steal the NFC East. When the Eagles were still alive to win the division in Week 18, they got blown out by the New York Giants to finish the season.
The Eagles were in a full tailspin and they didn’t turn it around in the playoffs. The loss to the Buccaneers was shocking. The Eagles were horrible on defense yet again, and the offense got only one touchdown. Late in the season there were reports of conflicts in the locker room and it showed on the field. Nobody in Philadelphia was happy to see a Super Bowl contender have such a miserable end to the season. It didn’t reflect well on Sirianni, triggering a shakeup of his coaching staff.
It also caused a change in his duties.
