:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62863626/913794698.jpg.0.jpg)
Earlier this week, Doug Pederson said that all three Philadelphia Eagles coordinators will be back for the 2019 season: Mike Groh, Jim Schwartz, and Dave Fipp. Pederson didn’t say anything about the status of other assistant coaches, however.
As it turns out, the Eagles will be making some changes to their coaching staff this offseason. Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan are reporting wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer, defensive line coach Chris Wilson, and assistant offensive line/tight ends/run game coach Eugene Chung will NOT be back in 2019.
Scoop from me and @caplannfl: #Eagles defensive line coach Chris Wilson’s contract has expired and WR coach Gunter Brewer has been told he can pursue other opportunities. Neither will return to #Eagles in 2019, per team and league sources. Could be more changes coming.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherNFL) January 17, 2019
Also from me and @caplannfl: #Eagles assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung’s contract expired and won’t be back in 2019, per team and league sources.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherNFL) January 17, 2019
We’ll cover all the changes and #Eagles offseason in the next @InsideBirds podcast. We record Friday.
It’s not surprising to see that Brewer, who was hired from the college ranks last offseason, will be gone. We just speculated about this possibility on Wednesday:
Should the Eagles replace wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer since players seemingly had a lot of issues with lining up in the right places in 2018?
Brewer is reportedly expected to be hired as Louisville’s new wide receivers coach. Meanwhile, the Eagles will be looking for their fifth receivers coach in five years.
It’s more surprising that Wilson won’t be back. The Eagles’ defensive line has been very productive since he’s been in Philly and he’s Fletcher Cox’s former college defensive coordinator/defensive line coach. Then again, it’s not like Wilson was coaching up a bunch of no name d-linemen; he had a lot of talent to work with. And the Eagles aren’t firing him as much as they’re not renewing his deal. Maybe he wants to move on.
It’s also a surprise the Eagles aren’t keeping Chung around given how admirably the offensive line has performed over the past couple seasons. I can’t help but wonder if Frank Reich might be targeting him for the Colts’ o-line job that recently opened up. Maybe Chung feels like he doesn’t have opportunity to move up with Jeff Stoutland ahead of him in Philly.
It remains to be seen who’ll replace Brewer, Wilson, and Chung. The Eagles did hire Carson Walch to be an assistant wide receivers coach last year. Philadelphia has also had defensive quality control/assistant defensive line coach Phillip Daniels on staff since 2016. T.J. Paganetti has spent two years as an Eagles offensive quality control/assistant offensive line coach.
We could hear more about potential replacements over the next couple weeks. Stay tuned.