The Philadelphia Eagles were among several NFL teams who fired their head coach on Dec. 31. Yet two weeks later, the Eagles still don’t have a coach and are one of only three teams left that haven’t signed one. With the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears hiring new leaders in the last 24 hours, Philadelphia is the highest profile team left without a coach by far.
The Chargers signed former Eagles candidate Mike McCoy on Jan. 15, according to the Associated Press, while the Bears went with CFL head coach Marc Trestman on Jan. 16, according to ESPN. With those positions filled, the Eagles, Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars are the only teams left that haven’t hired a new leader.
Considering Philadelphia’s past and the struggles of Arizona and Jacksonville, the Eagles should be the top choice of every coaching candidate left. However, alleged Eagles’ top choice Gus Bradley is still set to interview with the Jaguars on Jan. 16, according to Comcast SportsNet, so anything can still happen.
Logically, no one should choose the Jaguars or Cardinals over the Eagles. But the days when Philadelphia was that much better or desirable than those two franchises are fading fast. In fact, the Cardinals actually had one more win than the Eagles in 2012, despite how both teams ended the season on a 1-11 slide.
The Chargers, Bears, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills were all able to attract new coaches before the Eagles could. If the Jaguars take Bradley away from them as well, it would officially make the Eagles’ failure humiliating. In that case, Philadelphia would have to battle Arizona for the remaining candidates -- although the Eagles did talk to former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt on Jan. 14.
After two interviews with the Eagles, it is hard to see Bradley lured away by the Jaguars after talking to them once. More than likely, he would stay with the Seattle Seahawks rather than choose the Jaguars over the Eagles, or so it would look on paper. But if Philadelphia loses Bradley for any reason, and continues to stick out like a sore thumb on the coaching market, it will be a notable blow.
Franchises like the Jaguars and Cardinals are supposed to struggle to attract new personnel. Unfortunately, that is the level the Eagles are sinking into, if they haven’t already.
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