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Doug Pederson hasn't officially been hired by the Eagles yet, but now that the Chiefs have been eliminated from the 2016 NFL playoffs, it's only a matter of time. One of the things Pederson needs to get started on right away is hiring the rest of his staff. According to a report from Marcus Hayes of the Daily News, Pederson has top targets for offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. As relayed by Les Bowen, who broke news of the Pederson hire:
Doug Pederson and Frank Reich were very briefly Panthers QBs together in 1995. Source tells @inkstainedretch Pederson would like Reich as OC
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) January 17, 2016
Same source tells @inkstainedretch Steve Spagnuolo is Pederson’s top choice for defensive coordinator. But can he get Spags away from NYG?
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) January 17, 2016
These names are different than what we've seen so far. Chiefs assistant and former Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress has been linked to Philadelphia. Bowen does note that the door hasn't been closed on Childress and/or Pat Shurmur returning. The unemployed Jim Schwartz has apparently talked with the Eagles about the team's defensive coordinator job.
Pederson's top choices, if true, aren't exactly inspiring.
Steve Spagnuolo hasn't overseen a good defense in what feels like forever. The former Eagles assistant was the defensive coordinator of a Giants defense that allow the third most points and the most yards in 2015. As thew New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator in 2012, Spags' unit allowed the second most points and the most yards in the NFL. Yikes.
The potentially good news is that Spags is under contract with the Giants and it seems like newly hired head coach Ben McAdoo want to keep him. The Giants might be able to save Pederson from making a big mistake.
As far as Frank Reich goes, well, he was fired by the San Diego Chargers in early January. The Chargers' offense ranked 13th in yards and ninth in points in 2014 but then dropped to 21st and 20th in 2015. Those were the only two seasons the 54-year-old Reich has spent as an offensive coordinator.
The Eagles would be wise to surround Pederson with a strong supporting staff, especially since he's a rookie head coach. Spags and Reich might not be the best choices.
UPDATE: Alex Marvez confirms Philadelphia's interest in Reich.
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