The Eagles may very well win the Super Bowl, but they might lose their offensive and defensive coordinators before the dust settles.
In a few hours, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. Win or lose, the offseason begins tomorrow and the Eagles have already learned that there might be big changes on the horizon.
Ian Rapoport de NFL Network reported this morning that Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon had emerged as a key candidate for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job. Minutes later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Indianapolis Colts appear to have chosen Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their next head coach.
Will the news regarding the Eagles coordinators be a distraction during the Super Bowl?
Both candidates are highly respected and their profiles are not going to improve. The Eagles’ offense ranked second in points scored this season, and Steichen helped make Jalen Hurts a top quarterback and MVP contender. Their defense allowed eighth-fewest points and third-fewest total yards on the season.
It makes sense that Steichen and Gannon would be in the limelight, because it was largely thanks to them that the Eagles were able to reach the Super Bowl. But hearing news of their potential departure must be at least a small distraction, even for the most disciplined team and even if it seemed obvious that it was going to happen at some point.
That doesn’t mean it’s going to affect the Eagles’ performance though. Last season, the Vikings announced they would hire Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their new head coach 11 days before the Super Bowl. Los Angeles scored 23 points over the Bengals to win the game, with three touchdowns from Matthew Stafford.
It may take more than 23 points from the Eagles to beat the Chiefs, but they should be locked on both sides of the ball no matter who their coaching staff loses over the next few weeks.