The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles were one of the more frustrating teams to watch in the NFL, as they started 10-1 through the first 11 games but lost six out of their last seven games, including last week’s Super Wild Card matchup to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With the team going from Super Bowl contender to pretender in a couple of months, there had to be changes made to the Eagles’ coaching staff. Over the last couple of days, the team parted ways with defensive coordinator Sean Desai and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.
Johnson spent the last three years with the Eagles as he was the quarterbacks coach in 2021 and 2022 before being promoted to offensive coordinator this season.
It wasn’t an easy transition for Johnson as Philadelphia's offense didn’t look as crisp as last season under Shane Steichen, who is now the head coach with the Indianapolis Colts. With Johnson now gone, Philly will look for another offensive coordinator. However, it seems like not everyone was on board with the firing.
In an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia on Tuesday, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler said some staff members are upset about the first-year offensive coordinator being let go.
Staff members are upset about Brian Johnson being let go, says @JFowlerESPN.
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) January 23, 2024
“There’s some weird vibes out of there. I just don’t know that everybody on the staff is happy about everything that’s gone down – especially with Brian Johnson who was sort of caught in the middle.” pic.twitter.com/EwUNf48ufk
“There’s some weird vibes out of there,” Fowler said. “I just don’t know that everybody on the staff is happy about everything that’s gone down – especially with Brian Johnson who was sort of caught in the middle.”
It doesn’t come as a surprise that some within the organization weren’t happy about Johnson being let go, especially since there was excitement about him inside the Novacare Complex over the last few years, per Zach Berman of PHLY.
The Eagles beat writer added this nugget on X when talking about the Eagles’ lack of creativity on offense this season. “There was belief that Johnson was operating within the confines of Nick Sirianni’s overall offense/philosophy.”
Re: Brian Johnson — an odd move for the Eagles considering the organizational excitement about him during the past three years. The Eagles underperformed on offense and need to evolve and show more creativity, but there was belief that Johnson was operating within confines of…
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 23, 2024
After a disappointing season with a lot of promise, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has to make a slam dunk at offensive coordinator.
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