The Philadelphia Eagles interviewed Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for his or her offensive coordinator emptiness, in keeping with a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Johnson, 35, is an intriguing candidate given the unprecedented success that Texans QB C.J. Stroud had as a rookie. There have been instances through the 2023 season when Stroud, who handed for 23 touchdowns to 5 interceptions and a 100.8 passer ranking, was mentioned within the MVP dialog.
After all, former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson (kinda humorous that the Eagles might be going from one Johnson to a different at OC) earned a number of reward for his work with 2022 MVP contender Jalen Hurts earlier than being promoted after which fired one season later.
Not not like Brian, Jerrod brings some enjoying expertise to the desk. Jerrod performed faculty soccer at Texas A&M earlier than spending years making an attempt to make a daily season NFL roster. His journey truly started with the Eagles, who signed him for a pair weeks in coaching camp again in 2011. He noticed some preseason snaps in Philly, as seen within the image above this text. Right here’s a have a look at the NFL transactions he was concerned in (not accounting for some stints within the UFL and CFL):
Johnson began his teaching profession in 2017 with the San Francisco 49ers as a part of the Invoice Walsh Range teaching fellowship. He overlapped there with former Niners assistant and present Texans OC Bobby Slowik, who has been getting a number of head teaching buzz this offseason. So, Johnson has some degree of familiarity with Kyle Shanahan ideas.
Johnson has additionally beforehand labored carefully with Nick Sirianni. He spent one other 12 months within the Invoice Walsh Range teaching fellowship with the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 earlier than being promoted to offensive high quality management coach underneath Frank Reich in 2020. The Indy Star wrote a superb article on Johnson’s journey again then. It consists of these notes (daring emphasis mine):
The Colts teaching workers requested Johnson to do some little bit of the whole lot. He received espresso, he used his arm to fireplace passes to receivers in apply, he labored proper subsequent to Sirianni on recreation days, dashing to Reich to get him the sheet filled with the performs Brian Hoyer appreciated to run when Jacoby Brissett went down in opposition to Pittsburgh.
[…]
“I actually like Jerrod, he does an outstanding job,” Sirianni mentioned. “Significantly, I’m in a position to bounce some issues off of him, quarterback-wise.”
Johnson remained in Indy after Sirianni left to turn out to be the Eagles’ head coach in 2021. He then spent 2022 because the Minnesota Vikings’ assistant QB coach earlier than ending up in Houston.
Johnson positively looks as if a candidate price interviewing. As each a participant and coach, he’s been uncovered to completely different schemes, techniques, and quarterbacks. That he appears to have a superb working relationship with Sirianni looks as if a optimistic and maybe a correction to a disconnect within the Sirianni/Brian Johnson/Hurts triumvirate that was problematic for the Eagles final season.
Then once more, Johnson has no expertise as a play-caller. That’s to not counsel he can’t have success doing it however there isn’t a established monitor report to financial institution on. One can marvel how a lot the Eagles’ offense would possibly change from 2023 if the primary change is bringing in an OC who could be too deferential to Sirianni.
Ballot
Ought to the Eagles rent Jerrod Johnson for OC?
OTHER REPORTED EAGLES OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR INTERVIEWS
USC senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury
