The pink slip wasn’t even in Frank Reich’s mailbox when speculation about his next job started. People quickly started connecting the dots on the fired head coach landing back with the Philadelphia Eagles in some capacity.
Reich would make a fine offensive coordinator in 2023 assuming Shane Steichen jumps ship. Or, considering Nick Sirianni’s overwhelming respect for Reich, maybe the 60-year-old quarterback whisperer would be appointed special offensive consultant to the Eagles. While nothing has materialized in terms of a formal offer, Sirianni didn’t exactly shut down the notion of Reich joining his staff.
“We’ll see how that goes. I don’t know yet,” Sirianni told reporters on Thursday. “That’s not something that’s been — that happened, when, Monday? My focus has been completely on Washington. Again, you know how I feel about Frank [Reich].
“I’m always going to use him as a consultant, whether he’s in the building or whether he’s not in the building. But I haven’t really thought about that to be quite honest with you. We’re just really focused on today to get ready for Washington.”
Sirianni served as Reich’s offensive coordinator for three seasons in Indianapolis before taking over for Doug Pederson in Philly. Sirianni and Reich are each other’s biggest cheerleaders: Reich called Sirianni “brilliant” when the Eagles first hired him, with Sirianni returning the favor on multiple occasions. However, Sirianni isn’t ready to make any sudden moves in the wake of Reich’s dismissal.
“Obviously, I’m only concerned about what’s going on here and trying to keep my eyes on just what the situation is here, and that’s being ready for Washington,” Sirianni said. “But as you know, what I think about Frank [Reich] and how much I respect Frank as a person, how much I respect him as a football coach, you can probably imagine how I feel.”
Doug Pederson Reacts to Reich’s Indianapolis Dismissal
The Jacksonville Jaguars are another team in play to bring Reich on board as a consultant. He was offensive coordinator under Pederson when the Eagles won the Super Bowl and their friendship hasn’t wavered over the years. Pederson was asked for his comments on Reich the other day after news broke of his ouster in Indianapolis.
“Obviously, Frank was a part of the team when we won the championship there in Philly. He and I are really close, and I hate it for him,” Pederson said, via Jaguar Report. “That’s one of the things as coaches we know when we get into this business, it’s going to happen at some point. I know he’s going to bounce back, he’ll be better, and I just hate it for him and his staff right now.”
Eagles Preparing for Taylor Heinicke, Not Carson Wentz
Taylor Heinicke will be the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders in Week 10 as Carson Wentz remains out with a broken ring finger. The Eagles know they will have their work cut out for them against the “scrappy” Heinicke who went 27-of-36 for 247 yards last season for Washington during a 20-16 loss to Philadelphia.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a player,” Sirianni said. “He’s a scrappy player that finds ways to get it done, so we’re going to have to be on our game. Any division game, and when you’re playing a quarterback like this that’s scrappy and finds ways to make plays, you’re going to have to be on it.”
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