Eagles need to get Temple Tough with Jonathan Gannon successor

The Philadelphia Eagles want to get a little more Temple Tough in replacing Jonathan Gannon.

With their former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon taking over in Arizona, the Philadelphia Eagles are looking at Sean Desai of the Seattle Seahawks to replace him and get a little more Temple Tough in the process.

Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni needs to replace both of his top coordinators after losing Super Bowl 57 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Although finding Shane Steichen’s successor could be a tad challenging after he left for Indianapolis, keep in mind that Sirianni is an offensive-minded head coach. It is why he has to crush it with this defensive coordinator hire. Maybe it is Desai?

The Eagles have requested an interview with the Seahawks’ assistant head coach and defensive analyst to fill their coaching vacancy. Desai has been in the NFL as a coach since 2013, primarily with the Chicago Bears. Although he spent the better part of his professional career in Chicago, Desai is a former Temple Owls football coach. Clearly, Philadelphia wants to get Temple Tough.

Would the addition of Desai be exactly what the Eagles need to get over the top to win it all again?

Philadelphia Eagles are targeting Sean Desai as Jonathan Gannon’s replacement

Look. Even if the roster is mostly intact, the Eagles are a major regression candidate in 2023 for two reasons: One, the NFC is not going to be down forever. And two, Sirianni has to replace both of his star coordinators! What makes Desai a good candidate for this is he was part of three different staffs in Chicago and found work immediately as an assistant head coach for Pete Carroll in 2022.

Initially hired by Marc Trestman in 2013, Desai was retained by John Fox in 2015 and then retained once more by Matt Nagy in 2018. It may not have worked out for Trestman, Fox and Nagy in Chicago, but all three men clearly saw the value in Desai’s defensive mind. For Carroll to hire him after Nagy was let go after last season, it shows Desai has gotten the attention of NFL coaches.

Ultimately, Desai would have huge shoes to fill in Philadelphia. It may be a homecoming of sorts for him, but Seattle is not a bad place to be right now. Although expectations are slightly higher than they should be tucked away in the Pacific Northwest, they are out the wazoo in the City of Brotherly Love. Desai will be an NFL coordinator again here soon, but timing and fit is everything.

How Sirianni goes about replacing Gannon and Steichen will go a long way in the Birds flying high.