On Monday afternoon, it was reported that the Philadelphia Eagles have let go of head coach Doug Pederson after five seasons.
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Just three seasons removed from leading the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory, Pederson gets the boot following a 4-11-1 season. The head coach’s decision to bench Jalen Hurts and put third-string Nate Sudfeld in last week may have been the final straw for owner Jeffrey Lurie. With this “tank job”, Pederson lost his locker room as the players were not happy with his loss of confidence.
But that wasn’t the only reason Pederson won’t be back. His over-aggressive playcalling, issues surrounding him and Carson Wentz, and more were big reasons for this firing. Lurie was left unconvinced on Pederson’s plan moving forward after having multiple meetings with him over the past week. Pederson reportedly was pushing for quarterbacks coach Press Taylor to be elevated to offensive coordinator. After a season in which both quarterbacks struggled, that move would have made no sense.
The Eagles finished the season 26th in scoring (20.9) and 28th in passing yards (207.9 YPG). After his benching, Wentz had planned to request a trade this offseason. With his relationship with Pederson “fractured beyond repair”, his firing may be an incentive to stay in Philly. Pederson and the coaching staff never really seemed to be on the same page this season.
Jeffrey Lurie Statement
Lurie released a statement on the firing, giving his thought process and what will come next.
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Offseason Overhaul
With the firing, the Eagles now have another vacancy. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz stepped down after the season, so they will be going through a coaching rebuild. As the offseason moves forward, the Eagles will be plenty busy as they also look to add loads more talent on both sides of the ball. Will General Manager Howie Roseman be the next to go? Stay tuned. I will be breaking down the Eagles’ coaching candidates in their offseason preview coming soon.
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
