Getty Head coach Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson could enter the NFL’s head coaching ranks at some point soon, and two teams have been deemed top fits for his services: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Commanders.
The Buccaneers, of course, aren’t that far removed from winning the Super Bowl in 2021 with Tom Brady and Bruce Arians leading the team. Now, a few seasons later, quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Todd Bowles aren’t faring near as well.
Bowles is 11-14 over his 25 games as head coach. If the Bucs decide to move on, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report thinks Johnson would be a perfect fit to succeed Bowles.
“The 36-year-old would be ideal for a team that is looking for a shot in the arm offensively and either has a young quarterback or will be in the market for one,” Ballentine wrote. “The Bucs would make a lot of sense. Baker Mayfield has been good, but not good enough to be the long-term guy. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Johnson would have his A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to build an offense around.”
A Look at Brian Johnson’s Coaching Résumé
The #Eagles offense with Brian Johnson as OC:
No. 2 in points
No. 2 in yards
No. 1 in 1st downs
Top 5 in both rushing and passing yards
They have more points in 9 games this year than they did last year
Ballentine cited Johnson’s work with current Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, as well as the coach’s collegiate experience working with a young Dak Prescott at Mississippi State, as two solid examples of QB development.
“Everywhere Johnson has gone, he has been promoted or hired up,” Ballentine noted. “That’s why he should be a head coaching candidate after just four years in the league. Quarterback development is a huge part of success in the NFL, and he has a track record of being key in that process.”
Johnson is also having a great deal of success this season, his first as Philly’s OC. The Eagles are currently ranked second in the NFL in scoring offense (28.0 points per game) and third in yards per game (376.8).
Here’s a look at Johnson’s coaching résumé:
- Utah: QBs coach (2010–2011), offensive coordinator and QBs coach (2012–2013)
- Mississippi State: QBs coach (2014–2016)
- Houston: Offensive coordinator and QBs coach (2017)
- Florida: QBs coach (2018–2019), Offensive coordinator and QBs coach (2020)
- Philadelphia Eagles: QBs coach (2021–2022), Offensive coordinator (2023–present)
Philly Is Popular Spot to Find Head Coaches Lately
The Philadelphia Eagles have improved their red zone efficiency over four consecutive weeks after they ranked as low as 27th in the NFL in Week 6.
They enter the bye week ranked 13th in red zone scoring.
Should Johnson move up the ranks and get an NFL head coaching job either in Tampa Bay or elsewhere, losing a coordinator is something the Eagles are quite familiar with. It happened twice last year and it’s safe to say they adjusted well.
Philadelphia lost of its coordinators on both sides of the ball after the conclusion of its successful 2022 campaign. Former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was hired as new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon took over head coaching duties for the Arizona Cardinals after Kliff Kingsbury was let go.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni chose to promote Johnson to OC. He also added former Chicago Bears DC Sean Desai to lead the defense. Desai is also doing a solid job with Philly’s ‘D.’ The Eagles currently have the league’s best run defense (66.3 yards allowed per game) and they’re allowing just over 21 points a game.
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