February 28, 2023   3 MIN READ

Eagles Name Johnson As OC

Birds Announce Johnson, Other Offensive Promotions

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The Philadelphia Eagles have made their offensive coaching staff hires official.

As previously reported and expected by Inside The Birds, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson has been promoted to offensive coordinator.

Brian Johnson

The 39-year-old Johnson is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks thanks to his part in developing Jalen Hurts into an All-Pro quarterback. Several interested teams in the offseason were told he would not be available due to an expected promotion to OC.

Johnson has previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at several colleges, most notably under Dan Mullen at both Mississippi State (QBs Coach) and the University of Florida (OC/QBs Coach).

In his press conference at the 2023 NFL Combine, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed that Johnson will be calling plays, continuing what began last season with Shane Steichen.

Steichen, now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, took over play-calling duties from Sirianni for the 2022 season and led an offense that was third in the NFL in scoring.

Sirianni said the offense will not be affected by a change in play-caller.

“You’re not going to see a lot of changes. There’ll be little differences and different ways that the games are called, but the way the offense is run with everything is going to be exactly the same,” he said. “At the end of the day, I was hired as an offensive coach to bring the offense that I have run in and my expertise in that. It’s just going to be a different guy calling the plays, but it’s still business as usual.”

The Eagles also officially named former Bears defensive coordinator and former Seahawks assistant head coach Sean Desai as their newest defensive coordinator.

Despite Johnson not having experience calling plays at the NFL level, his work throughout the season on the game plan is why Sirianni believes the third-year Eagles assistant will be prepared for the new assignment.

“Taking us through and getting us to our first 15 [plays] that he helped with, the third-down order, red zone, the two-minute calls he helped with,” Sirianni said. “You do all of that work Monday through Saturday to get yourself ready for the game, put yourself in as many positions you possibly can, so you don’t flinch when it comes. Just like you practice to make sure you’re ready to roll in the game, it’s the same thing with calling plays.”

Sirianni also said he interviewed Iowa State OC/WR coach Nate Scheelhaase for the position, fulfilling the Rooney Rule requirement of interviewing an external minority candidate.

Three additional changes were announced. Alex Tanney, previously the assistant quarterbacks coach, is now the quarterbacks coach.

Tanney has been with the Eagles since the end of his nine-year playing career in 2020, spending 2021 as an offensive quality control coach and 2022 as assistant quarterbacks coach.

The Eagles also named Marcus Brady as the team’s senior offensive assistant.

The former quarterbacks coach under Sirianni in Indianapolis and eventual replacement at offensive coordinator, Brady joined the Eagles as an offensive consultant after his firing by the Colts in the midseason of 2022.

The Eagles also gave a new title to T.J. Paganetti. After spending last season as an offensive quality control coach, he is now a run game specialist and assistant tight ends coach.

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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