Coming off a season where the gave up a franchise record 31 TD passes and ranked dead last in red zone defense, the Eagles have decided to part ways with defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. This comes only days after Andy Reid saying that McDermott would be back next season, once again proving the least reliable thing said in any given week is what an NFL head coach says at a press conference.
While there's no doubt that a lack of talent played a part in the Eagles defensive struggles this year, clearly McDermott wasn't part of the solution. I'm sure he'd say he wished had better linebackers, a better pass rush, at least one more NFL caliber corner... but he's certainly not the only coordinator in the league working with sub-par talent. The NFL is a results based business and the fact is that McDermott didn't deliver the results they needed.
So the next question is who will replace him? The only guy on staff that would have a shot is secondary coach Dick Jauron, who according to the Inquirer is a candidate. Jauron has a long resume in the NFL as a defensive coordinator and head coach and would certainly bring more experience than McDermott, however the Cleveland Browns have been given permission to interview Jauron for their own vacant defensive coordinator position. The timing of the whole situation is curious and makes you wonder whether they decided to get rid of McDermott in an effort to ensure Jauron stays.
The Inky also notes that the Eagles will look to interview other candidates, which would suggest that the job isn't Jauron's yet.