Getty Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is reported to have called the Carolina Panthers about the availability of defensive end Brian Burns.
If the Philadelphia Eagles are prepared to let Miles Sanders leave in free agency, the heir apparent could be on the roster. Kenny Gainwell stated his case for the starting running back job after racking up 181 yards in three postseason games. He was electric out of the backfield, doubly effective as a dynamic pass-catcher and willing blocker in pass protection.
The second-year player isn’t a finished product by any means, but he (maybe?) flashed enough promise to make Sanders expendable. While no one in the Eagles’ organization is ready to anoint Gainwell the new starter, there is enough smoke billowing around to set off a few alarms. General manager Howie Roseman wouldn’t admit he was leaning that way – he has no reason to put that on record – but he certainly didn’t hold back his praise for Gainwell when asked on February 28 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Kenny [Gainwell] is an impressive young player,” Roseman told reporters. “When you watch him and his skillset, he has really good vision. He has the ability to get small and get skinny and he can catch the ball, he can protect. He’s a good player.”
Sanders enjoyed a dominant 17 games for the NFC champions. First Pro Bowl. First 1,000-yard season. First Super Bowl. Someone will probably pay him the $7.2 million estimated contract. It likely won’t be the Eagles. He’s too one-dimensional, plus his troubling injury history makes it necessary to have a reliable backup. That guy was Boston Scott, although he’s another player set to hit free agency.
Miles Sanders’ time with the #Eagles is likely over, per FOX NFL analyst @RalphVacchiano : “No one believes Roseman will invest any amount of serious money in that position. He prefers to invest in his offensive line and just plug in healthy bodies behind it.”
Or … Roseman can turn the keys over to Gainwell and draft a shiny new Porsche at pick No. 30. Remember, the Eagles haven’t relied on one feature back since LeSean McCoy in 2014.
“We’ve also seen in this league that you need more than one. It’s hard to roll with just one running back in this league,” Roseman said. “I think we’re happy with Kenny; we know also that he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. Obviously, he had a good playoff run, but it is a position we are going to continue to add at. We don’t have a lot of guys under contract right now, so we will continue to look at players at that position and a lot of positions.”
Eagles Hire Sean Desai as Defensive Coordinator
The Eagles officially announced the hiring of Sean Desai as their new defensive coordinator. He’ll replace Jonathan Gannon after spending last season in an associate head coach and defensive assistant role for the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll.
Eagles now have officially replaced both their coordinators after losing them to head coaching gigs:
OC: Shane Steichen ➡️ Brian Johnson
DC: Jonathan Gannon ➡️ Sean Desai
The 39-year-old comes highly regarded and brings legit experience having held the title of defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears. His unit there ranked No. 4 in sacks (49) and blitzed 22.6% of the time.
“His football IQ is extremely high. Great detail. Just a really sharp coach,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Excited that he’s on our staff.”
Offensive Coaching Staff Picked, Alex Tanney Promoted
Philadelphia filled out their offensive coaching staff, too. Brian Johnson is the team’s new offensive coordinator, with Alex Tanney moving up to quarterbacks coach and Marcus Brady taking over as senior offensive assistant.
Tanney played quarterback in the NFL for nine years (2012-20) before transitioning into a coaching career. He was assistant quarterbacks coach for Philly in 2022. Brady served as offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2021-22 after two years as quarterbacks coach there.
Meanwhile, T.J. Paganetti – a nine-year coaching veteran for the Eagles – got bumped up to run game specialist and assistant tight ends coach. He was an offensive quality control coach in 2022.
Brian Johnson has been named our Offensive Coordinator! 👏
We’ve made additional updates to the offensive coaching staff.
Comments
Eagles GM Howie Roseman Hints at Change Atop Offensive Depth Chart