Sean Desai did not enjoy a successful stint as defensive coordinator of the Eagles in 2023. He appears to have his next NFL gig lined up, though; the veteran staffer is set to join the Rams in a senior defensive role, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. He will work alongside the team’s offensive coaches while bringing a perspective from the opposite side of the ball, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic adds.
Desai joined Philadelphia last offseason to replace Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator. Expectations were high for the reigning NFC champions, and they started the campaign with a 10-1 mark. Things took a dramatic turn for the worse after that, however, and the team sputtered before being eliminated in the wild-card round. Desai’s unit was a key factor in the late-season struggles, and his role with the organization shifted along the way.
The Eagles stripped Desai of play-calling duties in December, handing over the position of de facto DC to Matt Patricia. In a move which came as little surprise, the former was fired after the campaign came to an end. Patricia’s contract is also up, so he will likely be working elsewhere in 2024. After pursuing him last offseason, the Eagles brought in Vic Fangio to lead their defense moving forward.
From 2021-23, Raheem Morris served as the Rams’ DC, drawing praise along the way. He parlayed his coordinator tenure into the Falcons’ head coaching gig last month, allowing him to return to Atlanta. Morris’ departure created a notable vacancy on Sean McVay‘s staff, one which was filled internally by the promotion of Chris Shula. Desai (as defensive coordinator with the Bears in 2021 and an associate head coach of the Seahawks before his Eagles stint) will offer considerable experience in Los Angeles.
The 40-year-old had interviews lined up with both the Falcons and Bills for their defensive coordinator positions, but to little he surprise he will not work in a DC capacity in 2024. Desai will aim to use the coming campaign as a transition year to rebound from an underwhelming showing in Philadelphia. The Rams posted middling numbers in several defensive categories last year, and he could help his stock by playing a part in improvement in 2024.
Eagles D was gutted in 2023 and the DC left. What did they expect? Problems were masked early on with the D, but exposed as the season went on.
Which showed Desai’s defense did better than it had any right to. Which means he’s a pretty good coach.
Desai hasn’t proven he’s a good coach either.
I’m pretty sure the HC had 2 choices. Either his head & the coordinators roll, or just the coordinators. That was an ugly season ending!