The Arizona Cardinals have hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their head coach.
Cardinals are finalizing a deal with former Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to become their new head coach, sources tell ESPN. The last HC opening of this hiring cycle is being filled.
Eagles now are losing both their defensive and offensive coordinators, on the… https://t.co/BRU2yCz4cG pic.twitter.com/V7S1RQXNGW
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 14, 2023
This hire comes just days after Gannon had coached Philadelphia in Super Bowl LVII, falling to Kansas City, and, more recently, after an interview with the franchise about the open position Monday.
Gannon, who just finished his second season as the Eagles DC, had his unit playing at historic or league-leading levels in 2022. Philadelphia totaled 78 sacks including the playoffs, the third-most in NFL history in a single season.
The reason for this is that the Eagles are the only team in NFL history to have four players this season who all recorded at least 10 sacks in the regular season — Haason Reddick (16.0), Javon Hargrave (11.0), Brandon Graham (11.0) and Josh Sweat (11.0). Naturally, the Eagles led the NFL with an 11.2% sack rate in 2022, meaning they sacked opposing quarterbacks on more than 10% percent of their pass attempts. No other team had a rate above 9%.
The 39-year-old defensive coordinator also got top-tier performance out of his secondary. Corner-back Darius Slay has made the Pro Bowl in each of Gannon’s years as the DC. New Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, however, had a 44.5 passer rating in coverage, the best among 49 players with 75 or more passes thrown their way, and new Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s six interceptions are tied for the most in the league this season.
With Gannon off to Arizona and Shane Steichen hired by Indianapolis, Nick Sirianni and the Eagles are now tasked with replacing both their defensive and offensive coordinator positions before the 2023 season. The Cardinals will no where near be favorites to win the NFC West according to Arizona sports-books. A new head coach is a step in the right direction.
