Philadelphia Eagles captain Brandon Graham met with the local media during the team’s second day of practice for mandatory minicamp. Graham discussed several topics including his mindset heading into the final season of his career in the NFL.
While Graham also discussed the young players on Philadelphia’s promising defense, his comments about the team’s new-look coaching staff were certainly notable.
Brandon Graham Excited for Eagles’ New-Look Defensive Coaching Staff After Last Season’s Issues
Following last season’s disappointing collapse, it was clear that the Eagles needed to make changes to the team’s coaching staff on both sides of the ball. While head coach Nick Sirianni remains in Philadelphia, a lot has changed around him this offseason.
After demoting Sean Desai midseason and promoting Matt Patricia in 2023, Philadelphia’s defense continued to regress as the regular season progressed. It was a messy situation that didn’t end well for anyone involved, especially the players on the field.
“We didn’t have all the right coaches in the right position.”
Brandon Graham on the difference between this year’s coaching staff and last. pic.twitter.com/gDnZDxXN3W
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) June 5, 2024
It proved interesting when Graham discussed Philadelphia’s new-look coaching staff on Wednesday. Graham praised several of the new coaches, including defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt. Yet, Graham made sure to also mention that the coaching staff was an issue during last season’s struggles.
“I really think that last year, we just didn’t … that’s what we didn’t have,” Graham said. “We didn’t have all the right coaches in the right position, I would say.”
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Graham’s comments made it clear that he wasn’t happy with the situation on Philadelphia’s defensive coaching staff last season. It sure seems like Fangio and the other new faces on his staff will bring a much-needed sense of stability to the Eagles in 2024.
What Changes Did the Eagles Make to the Defensive Coaching Staff in 2024?
It’s no secret that the Eagles were focused on hiring Fangio as the team’s defensive coordinator before last season. However, former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s illegal tampering with the Arizona Cardinals ultimately led to Fangio taking a job with the Miami Dolphins instead.
That incident ultimately forced the Eagles to go in a different direction, hiring Desai as defensive coordinator. While Desai and Patricia had experience as defensive coordinators, the position coaches on Philadelphia’s staff were relatively inexperienced.
The two positions that struggled the most for the Eagles in 2023 were cornerback and linebacker. Fittingly, those positions were being coached by two of the most inexperienced coaches on Philadelphia’s coaching staff.
D.J. Eliot joined the Eagles as linebacker coach in March 2023. While he had plenty of experience coaching linebackers in college, he had zero years of experience doing such at the NFL level. Similar to defensive backs coach D.K. McDonald, who was a close friend of Sirianni’s and was promoted despite having just two years of NFL coaching experience.
Both of those positions, among several others, received significant upgrades in the NFL coaching experience department this offseason. Eagles linebacker coach Bobby King has been coaching the position in the NFL since 2010.
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Meanwhile, Eagles defensive back coach Christian Parker and cornerback coach Roy Anderson will bring nearly 20 years of NFL coaching experience to Philadelphia’s secondary room. Their experience will certainly be welcome given the youth in the team’s secondary.
Although it’s clear that inexperience on Philadelphia’s defensive coaching staff played a factor last season, it won’t be an issue in 2024. Sirianni and Fangio have assembled a talented and experienced staff that should have the Eagles heading in the right direction.