Coaching trees and disciples will always be a prevalent theme in the NFL, as fast-rising assistant coaches become hot commodities on the open market every off-season. And for the Philadelphia Eagles, after seeing some of their own best young coaching talent land elsewhere, there's a new crop of assistant coaches on staff gaining plenty of recognition.
After seeing former defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator Christian Parker earn the defensive coordinator gig with the rival Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia has another defensive assistant who's being viewed as a breakout coaching candidate in 2026.
Jourdan Rodrigue with The Athletic put together a list of assistants poised to break out this coming season for all 32 teams, with another pupil of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio getting the nod: defensive pass game coordinator Joe Kasper.
"If a young assistant coach can stick around - and even thrive - under top defensive mind Vic Fangio, he is often destined for bigger things. Kasper has worked for Fangio in both Miami and Philadelphia, and is poised for a bigger role now that former colleague Christian Parker (another Fangio disciple) is in Dallas. Nguyen, our senior writer, noted that the "two-high" trend will continue to grow and it seems like coaches that can successfully implement some of Fangio's ideas into their systems take it to another level."
"High expectations also surround first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who is expected to bring elements of Matt LaFleur's Green Bay/Shanahan-derived system to Philadelphia."
Kasper one of several fast-rising assistant coaches in Philadelphia
For Kasper, this upcoming season has thrust him into a crucial coaching role for the Philadelphia Eagles defense. Folks league-wide recognized the immense talents of Parker, as he landed the DC job in Dallas, and now Kasper finds himself calling the shots in that same defensive passing game coordinator role under Fangio.
After serving as the team's safeties coach in both 2024 and 2025, Kasper will now oversee the entire secondary's pass coverage, and his work through the previous four seasons in Philadelphia has yielded tremendous results.
The Eagles paced the entire NFL in passing defense during their 2024 Super Bowl run, surrendering just 174.2 yards per game. And last season, with Kasper helping lead the safety group, the secondary allowed the fewest passing touchdowns allowed, at 1.4 per game. Kasper also operated as the safeties coach under Fangio with Miami in 2023, keeping that strong bond intact with the safety coordinator as the two continue to coach together in Philadelphia.
Of course, a mention of Mannion goes without saying, as all eyes will be on the new offensive coordinator in his first season running the show offensively.
In addition, another assistant coach who is already a very popular name in league circles is defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who will continue to draw plenty of consideration for other jobs moving forward.
Read more: How a pair of Eagles backups might have been exposed in the best way
Philadelphia has no shortage of fast-rising assistant coaches, who, along with Kasper, are in a strong position to become household names far beyond coaching circles before long.
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