January 27, 2021   2 MIN READ

Youth Movement: Birds Add QBs Coach From College Ranks

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Slowly, the first coaching staff under new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is taking shape.

New Eagles QBs coach Brian Johnson played QB at Utah under Urban Meyer.

On Wednesday, the team reportedly agreed to hire University of Florida offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson as Sirianni’s quarterbacks coach.

Johnson, 33, has also coached at Houston and Mississippi State, where he coached Dak Prescott. At Houston, he coached current Washington Football Team quarterback Kyle Allen and D’Eriq King (who transferred to Miami).

Johnson played quarterback at Utah under head coach Urban Meyer and became the starter after Alex Smith was drafted No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers. He also coached at Utah from 2010-2013 under Kyle Wittingham.

Johnson joins offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and pass-game specialist Kevin Patullo as newcomers to the Eagles’ offensive staff brought in by Sirianni, a first-time head coach who was hired away from the Indianapolis Colts to replace Doug Pederson. Sirianni, 39, is the oldest of the group.

Per Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Johnson has some history with Eagles second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, although Johnson has never coached Hurts.

The Eagles still haven’t announced any staff additions. It appears they are still undecided on tight ends coach, wide receivers coach and running backs coach for the offensive staff, along with linebackers coach and secondary coaches on the other side.

[Update: 4:45 pm] The Eagles are reportedly bringing in former Colts tight ends coach for the same position in Philadelphia. Michael, a former Titans offensive coordinator, had spent the past two seasons coaching tight ends for the Colts. Most coaches are on two-year deals, so it’s presumed that Michael is moving laterally and the Colts are fine with Michael going elsewhere.

Former Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon will be the team’s defensive coordinator.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

Listen to the latest “Inside The Birds” podcast from Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan here:

About The Author

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Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.

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