Doug Pederson

NFC East Notes: Wentz, Smith, Cowboys

January 19th, 2021 at 7:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Carson Wentz‘s status has fluctuated considerably over the past month and change, with the veteran quarterback having gone from starter to backup and then trade candidate to a player around whom the Eagles again want to build. The fifth-year passer’s issues with the since-fired Doug Pederson began well before the December benching, with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane noting the quarterback would randomly audible out of Pederson play calls down the stretch this season. This helped lead to Pederson benching Wentz on his own. During training camp, however, Eagles staffers saw warning signs of a potential decline, per McLane, who adds that some within the organization were concerned about passing-game coordinator Press Taylor‘s promotion. The proposition of a Pederson-Wentz-Taylor offensive power structure returning next season did not sit well with Lurie. The Eagles promoted Taylor last year but brought in Rich Scangarello and Marty Mornhinweg to help the offense as well; the latter two will not be back next season.

The Eagles are in the process of hiring Pederson’s replacement. Colts OC Nick Sirianni and Cowboys OC Kellen Moore interviewed Tuesday. Here is the latest from Philly and the other NFC East cities:

Alex Smith said at season’s end he would take a few weeks before deciding if he wanted to play a 17th season. He is under contract through 2022. But the Washington quarterback indicated during a 60 Minutes interview (via CBSNews.com) that the 2020 comeback season “has only emboldened for me that I can, you know, play at this level.” After cutting Dwayne Haskins, Washington has Smith and Kyle Allen under contract for next season. Though, Taylor Heinicke is a restricted free agent. Washington cutting Smith — an onerous proposition in 2019 and ’20 — would save the franchise $14.7MM in cap space, however, creating a complex situation for the QB-needy team.
Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper recently underwent ankle surgery, but Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram described it as a cleanup procedure (Twitter link). The Cowboys are not concerned about their top wideout missing much offseason time.
On that note, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas also went under the knife recently. Last year’s No. 4 overall pick also underwent ankle surgery. Thomas played through ankle pain for much of the season, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, who adds (via Twitter) the Giants expect Thomas to be ready for their offseason program.
The Eagles will have a new linebackers coach next season. Ken Flajole will not be back, according to Alex Marvez of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The 66-year-old assistant joined the Eagles as part of Pederson’s first staff in 2016. After spending most of the 1980s and ’90s as a college coach, Flajole has been an NFL assistant for 22 seasons.

Seahawks, Doug Pederson Discussing OC Role

January 16th, 2021 at 10:50am CST by Ben Levine

It’s been less than a week since Doug Pederson was fired as head coach of the Eagles, but it may not take long for him to find another gig. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Seahawks have spoken with Pederson about their offensive coordinator vacancy.

Following underwhelming 9-7 campaigns in 2018 and 2019, Pederson found himself on the hot seat heading into the 2020 season. We all know how that story ended; Carson Wentz regressed to a new low, and tempers flared in the building about how to handle the situation. Eventually Wentz was benched, with the team turning to second-round rookie Jalen Hurts. With injuries rising on both sides of the ball, Philly ultimately finished the season with a 4-11-1 record, their worst showing since 2012. Despite having a Super Bowl championship on his resume, Pederson was canned earlier this week.

Pederson made a name for himself when he was offensive coordinator for the Chiefs. He inherited play-calling duties from Andy Reid in 2015, and the Chiefs proceeded to win 10-straight games with Pederson at the helm. He was hired as the Eagles head coach the following offseason.

To that end, it’s not surprising that Pederson would be a candidate for offensive coordinator vacancies. The Seahawks fired three-year OC Brian Schottenheimer earlier this week, opening a spot on their staff. We’ve already heard that Anthony Lynn had talked to the organization about the role, and Pederson now joins a growing list of candidates.

Fallout From Doug Pederson Firing: Eagles, Wentz, Staff

January 12th, 2021 at 2:19pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Monday was a pivotal day in Eagles franchise history, as the team fired Super Bowl winning coach Doug Pederson. There’s been a lot trickling out since then, and we’re here to bring you all the fallout from the decision:

This all has been “boiling” since last offseason, when owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman pressured Pederson to fire offensive coordinator Mike Groh, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. A source told McLane that Pederson actually threatened to quit over it, but Eagles brass didn’t take it seriously. We noted in our initial writeup yesterday a report that “Pederson was sick of people telling him what to do.”
To that end, Lurie was apparently “underwhelmed” by the staffing suggestions Pederson made for the 2021 season when they met last week, a source told McLane. Pederson apparently wanted to promote from within, as McLane reports he wanted to promote QBs coach Press Taylor to offensive coordinator and to “bump up defensive line coach Matt Burke to defensive coordinator.” Clearly Lurie was more inclined to bring in bigger names from outside the organization, and it sounds like this was a sticking point in the ultimate divorce.
Finally, McLane points out in another tweet that Roseman will now be on his fourth head coach (third that he’ll hire), after Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, and Pederson. McLane writes that “Pederson and Roseman had decreasingly seen eye to eye on personnel.” Roseman is turning into somewhat of a polarizing figure, but he clearly has a lot of power.
One of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind when the decision came down was what it meant for Carson Wentz. It might be good news for the former second overall pick, as a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that the firing “significantly increases the chances” of Wentz staying in Philly next season (Twitter link). We had heard just before the end of the regular season that the relationship between Wentz and Pederson was fractured beyond repair, and this could be a sign that Lurie and Roseman believe Wentz should be the quarterback in 2021. The increased likelihood of Wentz returning was confirmed by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who added that had Pederson been retained Wentz would’ve wanted out (Twitter video link).
Lurie released a statement through the team explaining the decision and thanking Pederson, which you can read via this tweet. Not surprisingly, he said Pederson will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
The Eagles also tweeted a statement from Pederson, thanking the team, the city, and the fans.
We’ve already heard the team is interested in Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, but Lurie also said at his press conference explaining the decision that assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley would be a candidate for the job. Staley is very popular in the locker room and a number of former players immediately voiced support for him on social media, but that still seems like a pretty big long-shot.

Eagles Fire Doug Pederson

January 11th, 2021 at 1:11pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Seismic news out of Philadelphia, as Doug Pederson is out as Eagles head coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Originally it was reported that Pederson was expected to be back in 2021, but that was before Philly’s Week 17 debacle.

We heard yesterday that his status was still up in the air, and a Monday meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie has culminated in his dismissal. It’s a remarkable fall from grace for a coach that was on top of the world following Super Bowl LII just a few short years ago. It’s yet another reminder of how quickly things change in the NFL. The 2017 season of course ended in a championship, and although Pederson made the playoffs in each of the next two years, tensions flared in the organization.

The 9-7 campaigns in 2018 and 2019 didn’t meet expectations, even as Pederson juggled less than ideal circumstances to get to the postseason both times. Things reached a boiling point this season as Carson Wentz regressed to a new low, and tempers flared in the building about how to handle the situation. Eventually Wentz was benched, with the team turning to second-round rookie Jalen Hurts.

The team dealt with a mountain of injuries on both sides of the ball yet again, and they entered Week 17 at 4-10-1. That’s when Hurts was benched for Nate Sudfeld late in a close game against Washington, leading to a lot of criticism of Pederson amidst accusations of tanking for a better draft pick. It always seemed like the front office had a hand in that decision though, and it’s possible that’s partly what led to the breakup.

To that end, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that what the situation “boiled down to” was that “Pederson was sick of people telling him what to do.” It sounds like there was a power struggle between Pederson and GM Howie Roseman that Pederson ultimately lost. This could also be a sign that Lurie and Roseman are inclined to try to salvage Wentz, as we heard recently that Wentz and Pederson’s relationship was beyond repair.

As for who could take over for Pederson, Rapoport tweets to “keep an eye on” Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka as someone the Eagles might consider. Kafka, like Pederson, is a proud member of the Andy Reid coaching tree and played for the Eagles for a couple of seasons a decade ago. The Eagles wanted to hire him as OC a year ago but Reid blocked the move, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

It’s not every day that a Super Bowl winning coach hits the open market, and Pederson certainly isn’t going to go away quietly. His new-found availability throws an interesting wrinkle into all the coaching searches currently underway. Pederson has a “strong relationship” with Jets GM Joe Douglas, which could make him a candidate for New York’s open job, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Douglas, of course, was in the Eagles’ front office from 2016-19.

Pederson spent around a dozen years in the league as a quarterback, mostly as a backup. He got his first NFL coaching gig as a quality control coach under Reid with the Eagles in 2009, then eventually became Reid’s OC in Kansas City before getting hired by the Eagles as head coach prior to the 2016 season. He finished his run in Philly with a record of 46-39-1.

There will certainly be many post-mortems in the days and weeks ahead, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted on all of the fallout. Ron Rivera, hired by Washington on December 31st 2019, is now the longest-tenured coach in the NFC East.

Eagles HC Doug Pederson Uncertain To Return

January 10th, 2021 at 10:15am CST by Rory Parks

Earlier this month, we heard that the Eagles were expected to retain head coach Doug Pederson. However, sources tell Chris Mortensen and Tim McManus of ESPN.com that owner Jeffrey Lurie is not confident in Pederson’s vision and that Lurie will meet with his HC soon to hash things out (Twitter link).

The elephant in the room, of course, is quarterback Carson Wentz, whose struggles have been (fairly or not) attributed to Pederson, and recent reports indicate that the relationship between Wentz and Pederson is fractured beyond repair. However, Mortensen and McManus say that Lurie is not just concerned about the Wentz issue, and as NFL insider Adam Caplan tweets, Lurie is worried about the direction of the offense in general. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds that Pederson and GM Howie Roseman — whose job is safe — are growing farther apart on personnel issues, and Pederson himself is upset that Lurie forced him to fire offensive coordinator Mike Groh last year and might insist on more changes this year.

Pederson earned his stripes as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2013-15, and while his team finished in the bottom fourth of the league in total offense this year, the rash of injuries the Eagles sustained at wide receiver and along the O-line were certainly a major factor in that performance. But injuries aside, the offense has not looked the same since former OC Frank Reich left for the Colts several years ago, which appears to be the source of Lurie’s consternation.

Still, after Pederson guided the Eagles to the Lombari Trophy following the 2017 campaign, his club managed to qualify for the playoffs in each of the next two seasons, despite dealing with myriad injuries in those years as well. He owns a 42-37-1 regular season record in his five-year head coaching career, a mark that looked a lot better before the Eagles collapsed into a 4-11-1 finish in 2020.

If Lurie elects to part ways with Pederson, he will have some catching up to do. The six clubs with head coaching vacancies are already well underway with their coaching searches, and it’s unclear how the top candidates feel about the Eagles’ QB situation.

Carson Wentz To Request Trade

January 3rd, 2021 at 10:30am CST by Rory Parks

The relationship between Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz is fractured beyond repair, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. Wentz is expected to ask the Eagles for a trade this offseason and will do whatever he can to facilitate a deal out of Philadelphia.

Wentz was benched for rookie signal-caller Jalen Hurts a few weeks ago, but shortly thereafter, it was reported that Philadelphia had not lost faith in Wentz and had no intention of trading him (though that may have simply been a tactic to maintain its leverage in trade negotiations). Wentz, however, was said to be rattled by the team’s decision to select Hurts in the second round of this year’s draft and was upset with how his benching unfolded. As a result, he is looking for a fresh start elsewhere.

Just yesterday, we learned that the Eagles plan to retain Pederson for the 2021 season, so assuming Mortensen’s report is accurate, the club may be choosing its head coach over its former MVP-candidate quarterback. However, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says the Eagles still believe the situation is salvageable (Twitter link), so it remains to be seen how aggressive the team will be in trade talks.

If the club does elect to move on from Wentz, a trade is much more feasible than a release. Trading Wentz before the third day of the 2021 league year would result in a dead cap charge of just under $34MM for 2021, but given that Wentz’s cap number for next season is set to be just above $34MM, the Eagles would actually save a bit of cap space and would at least have some draft pick compensation in their pocket. Releasing Wentz would result in a massive dead cap hit of nearly $60MM, and while the Eagles could spread out that hit over two years by designating him a post-June 1 cut, carrying $30MM on the books for two consecutive seasons for a player no longer on the roster wouldn’t make much sense.

Because of the presence of former Eagles OC Frank Reich and their abundance of cap space, the Colts have been rumored as the most likely destination for Wentz in the event a trade is consummated. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says Wentz would prefer Indianapolis over several other clubs (video link), and if incumbent Colts signal-caller Philip Rivers elects to retire at season’s end, Indy will certainly be in the market for a QB.

Rapoport says that Rivers, who signed a one-year, $25MM pact with the Colts this offseason, is very much open to retirement, and his decision may hinge on whether the team advances to the playoffs. TV networks are said to be eyeing Rivers, who could easily transition to the broadcast booth if he hangs up the cleats.

Eagles Expected To Retain Doug Pederson

January 2nd, 2021 at 2:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles’ disappointing season will not impede Doug Pederson from making it to a sixth year with the franchise. Pederson is expected to stay on as Eagles HC next season, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com report.

Philadelphia’s three-season playoff run crash-landing into a 4-10-1 showing, headlined by Carson Wentz‘s demotion, put Pederson’s job in jeopardy. But the Super Bowl-winning coach will have a chance to dig the team out of this hole.

While the Eagles will have a new defensive coordinator, with Jim Schwartz set to depart, their offensive point man will attempt to pick up the pieces. Pederson, 52, does have a meeting with Jeffrey Lurie set for Tuesday, however, per ESPN. It sounds like more changes are coming to Philly’s staff as well.

After the Eagles lost each of their starting wide receivers late last season, the team’s Pederson-Wentz setup still lifted the squad to the NFC East title — beating a much healthier Cowboys team to secure it — and played Seattle close in the playoffs despite Wentz’s injury. However, the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in Round 2 — a decision that reportedly affected Wentz’s confidence — and inserted him into their starting lineup after Wentz could not curtail his poor play. Wentz has expressed disappointment in how Pederson handled the benching, but as of mid-December, the Eagles were not planning to trade their recently extended quarterback. It would cost them more than $40MM to do so.

Pederson oversaw one of the most surprising playoff runs in modern NFL history three years ago, lifting the Eagles to three playoff upsets (by point spread) and doing so with Nick Foles. Pederson and then-OC Frank Reich reorganized Philly’s offense after Wentz’s injury, and Foles earned Super Bowl LII MVP honors. However, Reich’s departure for Indianapolis stung Philadelphia’s offense. Pederson has made changes to his offensive staff since, firing Reich’s replacement — Mike Groh — after last season and not hiring a new OC this year.

The Eagles, who suffered a rash of injuries at wideout and on their once-top-tier offensive line, have dropped from 11th to 26th in points scored this season. Even with this surprising season, Pederson is 42-36-1 during his Eagles tenure.

It will be interesting to see if non-Schwartz big-picture changes take place in Philly. The team has consistently been able to add pieces each offseason under Howie Roseman, helping lead to the Super Bowl title. But the team is projected to be well north of the to-be-determined 2021 salary cap, which will make it difficult for the Eagles to upgrade through free agency in March. But as of now, the Pederson-Roseman power structure looks to remain in place.

Eagles’ Doug Pederson “Fully Confident” He’ll Return

December 28th, 2020 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

Doug Pederson is not on the hot seat, according to Doug Pederson. The Eagles head coach says he is “fully confident” that he will return in 2021, despite the team’s disappointing season.

“I feel fully confident to be the head coach of the Eagles in 2021,” said Pederson, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since his inaugural 2016 season in Philly. “The thing I’m most proud of this football team, we have been in the postseason three of the last five years since I’ve been here and that’s pretty good.”

“We have won a championship here. We have gone through a season where a lot of our veteran guys are not playing due to injury. We are playing with a lot of young players. There is always going to be evaluation in the offseason and my job is evaluated as well. I fully expected to be the coach next season and I welcome the opportunity to get things right, get things fixed and take this team into next season.”

Depending on how the season finale goes, the Eagles will finish either 5-10-1 or 4-11-1. Either way, it’ll the worst report card in Pederson’s five years. In that span, the Eagles have invested serious resources in quarterback Carson Wentz, only to watch him regress dramatically in 2020. Now, owner Jeffrey Lurie will be left to decide whether Pederson — a Philadelphia hero, not long ago — is the right man to lead the Eagles moving forward.

Eagles HC Doug Pederson On Hot Seat

December 6th, 2020 at 8:49am CST by Rory Parks

A little less than three years ago, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was on top of the world. He and backup quarterback Nick Foles had just guided their club through a memorable playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots, thereby bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia for the first time and solidifying Pederson’s status in franchise lore. But things change quickly in the NFL.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Pederson is on the hot seat. The Eagles have lost three in a row and now sit at 3-7-1, good for third place in the dismal NFC East. After the club’s loss to the Seahawks on Monday night, prominent players like Carson Wentz, Brandon Graham, and Jason Kelce held a meeting, for which Pederson was also present. Accountability and responsibility were among the items on the agenda, and it’s never a good sign when such conversations become necessary.

Team leaders also organized a players-only meeting on Wednesday, and while this past week of practice was described as lively and spirited, the Eagles are heavy underdogs in their matchup with the Packers this afternoon. If they cannot squeeze a postseason appearance out of a historically-bad division and an expanded playoff field, Pederson may very well be looking for new employment in 2021.

Indeed, Rapoport says that the 52-year-old head coach has not received any assurances about his future from owner Jeffrey Lurie, and there is speculation in the team’s facility that Pederson’s job is on the line. The tension and frustration in the building is said to be palpable.

Pederson has ceded some play-calling duties, but Wentz’s struggles and Pederson’s inability to find answers for those struggles has been a major theme of the season. In each of the past two seasons, though, Pederson’s troops have rallied in the final weeks of the campaign to secure a playoff berth, and they hope that 2020 will have a similar ending.

If Lurie does elect to part ways with Pederson, the Jets are one team that could have interest, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. New York is expected to fire Adam Gase at season’s end, if not sooner, and GM Joe Douglas worked with Pederson for three years as Philadelphia’s vice president of player personnel.

In his four-plus seasons as the Eagles’ head coach, Pederson has compiled a 41-33-1 regular season record, along with a 4-2 postseason mark. The team has won two division titles (and, of course, a Super Bowl) in that time.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Giants, Love

December 1st, 2020 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles did not hire an offensive coordinator this offseason, though former OC Marty Mornhinweg is on Philadelphia’s staff. Doug Pederson may be amendable to adding one in 2021. The Eagles HC said he is open to giving up play-calling responsibilities. However, nothing is imminent on a play-caller change this season, Tim McManus of ESPN.com notes. Although the Eagles have seen several of their skill-position players return to action, they used their 10th offensive line configuration to open Monday night’s game. Nothing has worked particularly well for Philly as of late; the Eagles rank 28th in total offense. These issues have upset owner Jeffrey Lurie, whom McManus adds skipped the Eagles’ Week 11 game in Cleveland out of frustration. The Eagles lost their weeks-long NFC East lead Monday night and sit 3-7-1.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

While Mark Columbo‘s dismissal from his post as Giants offensive line coach seemed abrupt, issues between he and Joe Judge escalated for weeks. Judge wanting to use a rotation up front to give younger linemen more experience irked Colombo, who sought continuity, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes. The Giants have used guard Shane Lemieux and rookie tackle Matt Peart off the bench this season. Lemieux has since usurped left guard starter Will Hernandez, though the latter still plays in a part-time role. Judge also interrupted one of Colombo’s O-line drills at a recent practice, correcting a Nick Gates technique. Colombo took exception to Judge’s adjustment and told Gates to ignore it, Dunleavy adds. Former Patriots O-line coach Dave DeGuglielmo is now overseeing Big Blue’s O-line.
The Giants did not have to worry about their quarterback depth chart, from an injury perspective, for 15 years; Eli Manning never missed a game due to injury. Daniel Jones has run into a hamstring malady, however, and faces at least a one-game absence. The Giants hosted Alex Tanney on a visit and may be planning an atypical arrangement for their former backup. Their tentative blueprint appears to be for Tanney to sign but reside away from the team for precautionary reasons, in light of what transpired in Denver last week, Twitter links via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Tanney was with the Giants during the 2018-19 seasons and learned Jason Garrett‘s system this offseason before being a preseason cut.
This may not be a set-in-stone setup just yet, though. The Giants hosted Joe Webb on a visit Tuesday. Webb, 34, has been in the NFL since 2010, operating as a special-teamer, wide receiver and backup quarterback.
Washington will not activate Bryce Love from injured reserve this season, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). This will mean a second straight full-season absence for Love, a standout running back at Stanford. A Heisman finalist in 2017, Love tore his ACL in his final regular-season game with the Cardinal the following season and underwent multiple knee surgeries. He returned to practice last month but will not be promoted to Washington’s active roster before his 21-day activation window closes.

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