In a move that now comes as no surprise, the Colts officially have their new head coach in place. Per a team announcement, Shane Steichen has been hired to lead the team’s staff.
The now-former Eagles offensive coordinator was considered the front-runner following a report just before the Super Bowl indicating he was the Colts’ top target. His hire comes after he also received interest from the Panthers and Texans, a sign of how much his stock has risen recently, especially after a hugely successful campaign in Philadelphia in 2022.
Steichen, 37, joined the Eagles in 2021 after a lengthy stint with the Chargers. That time saw him spend one season as the team’s full-time OC, one in which Los Angeles ranked top-1o in scoring in the NFL. Expectations were high for him when he paired up with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, and they were certainly met. Philadelphia put up impressive numbers in the run game in particular in 2021 and took a step forward this past season.
The Eagles entered the year with question marks regarding quarterback Jalen Hurts‘ ability to cement himself as the team’s unquestioned starter. He quickly put those to rest throughout a dominant campaign, helping lead Philadelphia to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and putting himself in the MVP conversation. Steichen’s unit ranked third in both scoring and total offense in the regular season.
Blowout victories in the divisional and conference championship rounds set the Eagles up for Sunday’s Super Bowl. In the title game, Hurts delivered a highly commendable performance and the team as a whole outplayed the Chiefs in several key categories. While it wasn’t enough to secure a victory, Steichen drew further praise to cap off his time in Philadelphia and set him up for what will be a tall task in Indianapolis.
The Colts struggled mightily on offense in 2022, averaging 312 yards and 17 points per game. That led to Frank Reich‘s midseason firing, and the controversial decision to replace him with Jeff Saturday. The latter remained in contention to land the full-time role until somewhat recently, as the list of candidates began to shrink in the lead-up to today’s announcement.
Steichen will follow in Reich’s footsteps in terms of making the move from Eagles offensive coordinator to Colts head coach. He is the second-youngest HC in franchise history (and the youngest during their time in Indianapolis), and third-youngest in the NFL. He will attempt to steer the Colts to the postseason by orchestrating a rebound on offense, something which will depend in large part on the play of their yet-to-be-determined starting quarterback.
With this expected news now official, the Eagles will likely look inwards for Steichen’s replacement. QBs coach Brian Johnson has long been named as the staffer to watch concerning filling in at OC in the event Steichen went elsewhere. Johnson himself drew plenty of interest from outside teams, but the door is now open for him to take on an increased role without leaving the NFC champions.
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