The common assumption a month ago was Doug Pederson left town because he wanted to start Jalen Hurts in 2021. The former Philadelphia Eagles head coach was ready to move on from Carson Wentz despite the hefty price tag.
But the trade winds have reached gale force levels since Pederson’s dismissal/resignation which seems to refute that notion. According to Sports Illustrated’s Eagle Maven, Pederson wanted to keep Wentz under center as the franchise quarterback and GM Howie Roseman was the one pushing to start Hurts.
The difference of opinion reached its breaking point when Pederson lobbied to keep passing-game coordinator Press Taylor and defensive line coach Matt Burke on staff. Neither man had his contract renewed after Pederson left town.
“Doug did not buy into Hurts the way Roseman did at all,” a source told Conor Myles, “(and) the two could not come to an agreement on his future with the team.”
The source added, “(Wentz) wouldn’t return to the Eagles even if they hired Frank Reich as head coach.”
The latter part about Reich is pretty telling considering all the supposed love between Wentz and the Colts head coach. Perhaps the relationship between the Eagles quarterback and front office is indeed “fractured beyond repair.” Philadelphia has been aggressively pursuing a trade for Wentz, per multiple reports, and won’t settle for less than at least one first-round pick.
#Eagles are poised to head into 2021 with Jalen Hurts as the starting QB
With a Carson Wentz trade imminent, the focus now for Howie Roseman is showing why he was afraid of making another Russell Wilson mistake by not picking Hurts:
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Bears Promote John DeFilippo to Coordinator
The Bears promoted John DeFilippo to passing-game coordinator, adding the title to his position of quarterbacks coach. The timing of the move is interesting considering all the trade hub-bub around Wentz.
Remember, DeFilippo was Wentz’s quarterbacks coach in Philly in 2016 and 2017. He was credited for helping develop Wentz during his (almost) MVP campaign while getting the most out of Nick Foles once Wentz went down.
#Bears Coaching Update: We have announced the promotion of John DeFilippo to Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach.
DeFilippo has always been infatuated with Wentz and told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer in 2018 that he was “100-percent” convinved that Wentz was the long-term answer at franchise quarterback. He scouted Wentz in college and loves all his physical traits and intangibles.
“First off, he has great character,” DeFilippo told Mary Kay Cabot. “You never have to worry about him anything off the field. … Obviously, the physical traits are there. He’s 6-5, 242 pounds, he looks like he’s 215 pounds because he’s so lean and muscular. He’s athletic for a big man, he can throw off balance, he can extend plays, he’s physically and mentally as tough as they come. He checks off all the boxes in terms of franchise quarterback, so we’re thrilled he’s an Eagle.”
Eagles Hire New Running Backs Coach
The Eagles are replacing Duce Staley with Jemal Singleton, according to KSR’s Matt Jones. He’ll take over as running backs coach in Philly after a month on staff at the University of Kentucky in the same role.
BREAKING:
UK RB Coach Jemal Singleton is leaving Kentucky to go to the Philadelphia Eagles where he has been named RB Coach and Assistant Head Coach
Singleton has two decades worth of coaching experience, including NFL stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts. He was also a special-teams coordinator at the University of Arkansas in 2015. The 45-year-old coach has been credited for molding Joe Mixon (1,137 yards in 2019) in Cincinnati where he worked for the past two seasons.
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Doug Pederson Didn’t ‘Buy In’ to Eagles QB Situation: Report