When Doug Pederson spoke to the media this past week, he talked like a head coach who was fully expecting to be back in 2021. While he is typically awkward in these press conferences, he exuded confidence this week and mentioned multiple times how he is part of the solution for the Eagles.
Does Pederson know he is going to be back in 2021? Or was he posturing to keep his job? We’ll probably never know.
Pederson implied that he hasn’t spoken to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie yet, but ESPN NFL Adam Schefter recently reported that the team is expected to retain the head coach for the 2021 season. However, Schefter does mention that Pederson has a meeting scheduled with Lurie for the Tuesday after Sunday’s finale against Washington. While it sounds like Pederson is coming back, it’s possible that Tuesday’s meeting does not go well, especially if Lurie tells Pederson that he is going to need to give up playcalling and hire a strong offensive coordinator to handle those duties.
As for Jim Schwartz…
In a bit of shocking news on Saturday afternoon, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz plans to allow his contract to expire at the end of the season and take a year off from coaching in 2021. His defenses have been up-and-down over the last several years, often pairing very good performances with extremely poor ones.
This immediately led to a ton of speculation by those covering the team, but we don’t yet have any answers. We don’t even have any confirmation that this is actually true, though it has been reported by multiple reputable NFL insiders.
The first question here is: who leaked this news? Did Schwartz leak it himself in order to try and get ahead of bigger news that could be coming on Monday or Tuesday? Did the Eagles leak it in order to deflect from the news that they are likely to keep both GM Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson?
Another question is: is this really Jim Schwartz’s decision? Is he truly allowing his contract to expire, or are the Eagles making that call for him? It’s possible that it’s a mutual parting, with the Eagles increasingly frustrated with incosistency from Schwartz’s units and Schwartz becoming tired of the questionable roster management of Howie Roseman.
Based on how the Eagles (and Schwartz) operate, we probably won’t ever know the complete story. Both play things close to the vest and rarely share more with the media than they have to.
But Eagles fans should consider this a good thing. Yes, the Eagles won a Super Bowl with Jim Schwartz, but his unit was historically (and record-breakingly) bad in that game. His defenses have feasted on inferior opponents, specifically ones without competent quarterbacks, while regularly getting embarrassed by offenses with even above-average passers.
In 2020 alone, look at the quarterbacks this Jim Schwartz defense has beaten, lost to, and tied:
It’s unclear where the Eagles go from here at the defensive coordinator position. They could promote from within and consider Marquand Manuel or Matt Burke, or they could choose from a number of coaches who will becoming available in the coming weeks as multiple NFL teams are expected to clear house. Or they could search for an up-and-comer from either the college or NFL ranks.
We’ll likely have some idea of what they are thinking in the coming weeks, but this could be an interesting search. Even if he returns, Doug Pederson is on the hot seat in Philadelphia, which could give some candidates pause. However, Pederson gives his defensive coordinators a ton of freedom, which makes this an attractive spot for many potential candidates.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
