A 'top candidate' for Eagles DC emerges after firing of Sean Desai

According to Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, former Eagles defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson may be a "top candidate" for the job. Ahead of the 2023 campaign, Philly interviewed Wilson, now with the Baltimore Ravens, but went with Desai instead. 

"Some in the Eagles organization view not giving Wilson the DC job last year as a huge mistake," Vacchiano said on X, formerly Twitter. 

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay recently commented on the DC situation, saying that Wilson was "loved" while hinting that he would've been the better choice to lead the defense. 

Meanwhile, it's the end of a rocky road for Desai with the Eagles. Following the unit's slow start, Desai had play calling duties taken away in Week 15 by head coach Nick Sirianni before being moved to the coach's booth upstairs and replaced on the sidelines by Matt Patricia. 

Whether or not the Eagles did Desai dirty is up for debate, but the numbers don't do him any favors. Philly finished 26th in yards allowed and 30th in points against in 2023 after ranking second and eighth in the same categories under Jonathan Gannon a season prior. 

The news of Desai's firing comes after rumors materialized of a rift between quarterback Jalen Hurts and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. 

A report indicated that their relationship "soured," and they were seldom on the same page regarding the direction of the offense. 

With Desai now gone, Johnson could be next. 

Vacchiano surmised that firing the Eagles' coordinators might be a condition of Sirianni's return following a meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie on Jan. 19. 

As far as candidates for the OC job go, Jim Bob Cooter has emerged as a potential front-runner, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.