Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Possible replacements for John DeFilippo

As we, officially, turn the page on the 2017 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles begin their reign as champions by beginning a search for a new quarterbacks coach.

In the NFL, it’s all about growth. That goes for teams, players and, yes, coaches. We’ve known, for quite some time, that there was a very real possibility that the Philadelphia Eagles‘ coaching staff would look different once the 2018 season began. There have been stories and rumors of Jim Schwartz, Frank Reich and John DeFilippo leaving to accept jobs elsewhere for a while. As it turns out DeFilippo, who’s been on the minds of some other NFL franchises for a while, is the first of these three to trade the green, white, black and silver of the Eagles for the team colors of another franchise.

On Thursday, ‘Coach Flip’ was named the new offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. That left the Eagles in need of a quarterbacks coach. They’re fortunate due to the fact that they may not have to look too far for his replacement. If they decide that’s not an option, there are several other candidates that they may find interesting as well.

Here are five initial (and the most easy) options to fill the vacancy.

1. Mike Groh

Groh is currently the Eagles’ wide receivers coach. He played quarterback in his playing days at the collegiate level, and, in 2016 he was the Los Angeles Rams‘ passing game coordinator. This would be an easy transition for the organization as Groh is already in house.

2. Press Taylor

Taylor is the Eagles assistant quarterbacks coach. He, like Groh, is already in house and familiar with the organization. This too may serve as an easy transition.

Philadelphia Eagles

3. Corey Matthaei

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is already familiar with Matthaei. In 2015, Matthaei served as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ assistant quarterbacks coach under Pederson. This follows Pederson’s trend of bringing guys over from previous stomping grounds that he’s already familiar with.

4. Nick Sirianni

Sirianni had a working history with Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich (who may be given a coaching opportunity of his own). The two worked together with what was then the San Diego Chargers from 2013 to 2015. Reich was the offensive coordinator, and Sirianni was the quarterbacks coach.

5.  Mike Shula

Someone with Shula’s talent must be given a serious look. Shula was once the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In the NFL, he’s held several positions including offensive coordinator for two different teams. He also has six years of experience as a quarterbacks coach. During his seven years with the Carolina Panthers he helped guide Cam Newton to AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 and NFL MVP in 2015.

Next: John Defilippo accepts Vikings’ offer

Here’s a bonus option.

Here’s another option as well. Don’t forget about former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell. He’s a two-time head coach, has over 40 years of coaching experience and helped develop some guy by the name of Peyton Manning while with the Indianapolis Colts.

Obviously, coaches currently under contact with other teams would need the permission of those teams to interview with the Eagles.