Although I was certainly shocked at the timing off it, it’s not all that surprising that Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie decided to let Chip Kelly go. After two impressive 10-6 showings to begin his career, Kelly gained general manager control of all personnel last offseason and things took a nosedive quickly. He let go of a bunch of the team’s best players and didn’t bring in enough capable guys to replace them. Now with Kelly out the door, it’s time to look at the list of potential candidates to succeed him in Philadelphia.
Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
5. Chuck Pagano
Andrew Innerarity-USA TODAY SportsIt's almost a certainty that Pagano's contract with the Colts won't be renewed following the season which would make him a coaching free agent. The Eagles' biggest weakness this season was their defense, and that's Pagano's specialty. He's a disciplinarian with past head coaching experience and would make for a solid hire.
4. Doug Pederson
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Pederson is a former NFL quarterback who played for the Eagles in 1999. After he retired, he got into coaching and joined Andy Reid's staff in 2009 as offensive quality control coach. Pederson held that job for two seasons before being promoted to quarterbacks coach. After holding that post for two seasons, Pederson accompanied Reid to Kansas City when he was fired in 2013 and has been the Chiefs' offensive coordinator for the last three seasons.
3. Dave Toub
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsToub was selected in the ninth round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Eagles and has been a special teams coordinator in the NFL since 2001. His first job was with the Eagles, where he spent three seasons before he moved on to the Chicago Bears for nine seasons. Toub has been Reid's special teams coordinator in Kansas City for the past three seasons and has gotten rave reviews from football people across the league.
2. Pat Shurmur
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsShurmur's first NFL coaching job was with the Eagles as he coached the team's tight ends and offensive linemen from 1999-2001. He was then promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2002 and held that post until 2008 when he signed on to become the St. Louis Rams' offensive coordinator. After two years with the Rams, Shurmur was hired to be the Cleveland Browns' head coach, but he was fired after going a combined 9-23 in less than two seasons with the team. He's spent the last three seasons as the team's offensive coordinator and will be the interim head coach for the Eagles' season finale.
1. Sean McDermott
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsMcDermott served multiple coaching roles for the Eagles from 1999-2010 when he left to join Carolina Panthers as the team's defensive coordinator. In five seasons with the Panthers, McDermott's defenses have ranked 28th, 10th, second, 10th and are currently fourth this season in total defense. If a defensive-minded coach is what Lurie's looking for, then McDermott should be the guy.
