The Eagles’ changes in offensive and defensive coordinators demonstrate how rapidly job security can disappear in the NFL, and Nick Sirianni’s seat is heating up as a result. But the Eagles aren’t replacing all of their coordinators. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, they plan to extend special teams coach Michael Clay. Clay, who is entering his fourth season as the Eagles’ ST coordinator, has been extended for the second year in a row. Clay, 32, has been a special teams coach in the NFL since 2015, serving as the 49ers’ assistant coach for five years. Clay made his debut with the Eagles in 2014, joining Chip Kelly’s staff. In 2023, the Eagles moved up from 31st to 10th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings.
According to ESPN.com’s Tim McManus, the Philadelphia Eagles have hired Bobby King, a former Titans inside linebackers coach. While Brian Callahan kept a few Mike Vrabel assistants, he did not retain King. Last season, Titans free agent acquisition Azeez Al-Shaair had 163 tackles, the most by any player in the franchise’s 25-year history.
Here’s the latest from the coaching ranks:
Deshea Townsend, who was fired as the Jaguars’ defensive pass-game coordinator last month, has found work elsewhere. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Lions will hire the former NFL cornerback in the same function. Townsend, who won two Super Bowls with the Steelers during his 12-year playing career, has been coaching since retiring in 2011. Before his two-year stint in Jacksonville, Townsend coached defensive backs for the Bears, Giants, Titans, and Cardinals. Brian Duker, the Lions’ defensive backs coach, just left the team for the Dolphins.
Mike Pettine, who has served as the Vikings’ senior defensive assistant for the past two years, will have a more defined job in Minnesota this year. The Vikings announced that the veteran defensive coordinator and former Browns head coach would teach their outside linebackers in 2024. Pettine, who is still an assistant head coach, worked with the Vikings’ OLBs last season under Brian Flores. This will be the 57-year-old coach’s 22nd season with the NFL.
The Vikings also signed Marcus Dixon as defensive line coach. Dixon was brought over from the Broncos as a Nathaniel Hackett hire in Denver. Dixon was acquired by Ejiro Evero from the Rams in 2022, and he spent two years as the Broncos’ defensive line coach. The Broncos are losing their only two pre-Sean Payton defensive assistants this summer, with DBs coach Christian Parker joining Vic Fangio in Philadelphia. Evero attempted to bring Parker and Dixon with him to the Panthers last year, according to 9News’ Mike Klis, but the Broncos blocked the move and kept them to work under Vance Joseph.
The Giants are handing out some new titles. The team’s offensive and defensive pass-game coordinators will be quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson. Henderson has been with the Giants since 2020, and Tierney came over from the Bills alongside Brian Daboll. The Giants also promoted former safety Mike Adams from assistant secondary coach to assistant defensive backs coach.
In addition, Big Blue hired Charlie Bullen to replace Drew Wilkins as outside linebacker coach. Daboll sacked Wilkins, Don Martindale’s longstanding right-hand man, and that decision set off an explosive end to the Daboll-Martindale partnership. Wilkins is now with the Patriots. Bullen was the OLBs coach at Illinois last season after coaching linebackers for the Cardinals the previous four years. The seasoned assistant has previously worked with Dolphins linebackers under Joe Philbin and Adam Gase.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Rams recently interviewed former Packers pass-game coordinator Greg Williams for the position of inside linebackers coach. This is not the ex-St. Louis Rams DC well known for Bountygate, but the two-G Greg Williams spent time with the Broncos and Cardinals before spending last season in Green Bay.
