Eagles Lose Out on Top Assistant Coach to Lowly Raiders

The Eagles' efforts to fill out their coaching staff hit a snag on Wednesday when assistant coaching candidate Mike Caldwell reportedly agreed to join the Raiders' staff.

Philadelphia reportedly interviewed Caldwell for both the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach positions, though ultimately chose Vic Fangio to replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia.

It's unclear if Fangio wanted to add Caldwell to his staff, as D.J. Eliot is still listed as the linebackers coach, though the fact they interviewed him as defensive coordinator could have signified lingering interest.

Eagles Coaching News: Assistant Coaching Candidate Mike Caldwell Joins Raiders

Caldwell spent the last two seasons as the Jaguars' defensive coordinator and was reportedly a desired candidate across the league. He'll serve as the Raiders' linebackers coach and run game coordinator, two positions Fangio could theoretically look outside of the organization to fill.

The Eagles are searching for a new defensive identity after swiftly falling from one of the NFL's best defenses to one of its worst in 2023, ranking 25th in opponent yards per play (5.5).

In their final three games, however, the defense allowed 6.2 yards per play, a mark that would have been last over the full season.

Fangio has a lot of work to do to replenish the group, though he brings years of successful defensive expertise to Philadelphia. Caldwell won't be joining him, but there are still reasons for hope heading into 2024.

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