The Philadelphia Eagles have had a difficult season thus far but still, control their own destiny in the weak NFC East.
The format is simple for Philadelphia, win the next four straight — all divisional opponents — and host a Wild Card one month from now. Even with a playoff run, the Eagles will most certainly make changes to personnel and the coaching staff.
On Monday, ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen was a guest on SportsCenter and had this to say about the Eagles.
“Barring a run in the playoffs, I would say there’s going to be some significant changes on the Philadelphia staff.”
Mortensen was simply making a hypothesis, as there’s been no indication from inside the organization that any changes are coming.
Philadelphia is now 5-7 after a loss to 3-9 Miami Dolphins, a game in which the Eagles gave up 37 points. Schwartz has coached well at times this season, while other times it seems as if this defense is missing something.
With changes to come, here are 7 possible candidates to be defensive coordinator if Jim Schwartz is replaced.
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1. Kris Richard — Cowboys defensive passing game coordinator
Richard plays an integral part in the Dallas defense, but with Jason Garrett set to be fired, he could be ready for his own defense. Richard will likely get a head coaching interview, and if he’s not retained in Dallas, he would be the perfect coordinator to get the Eagles defense back on track.
2. Steve Wilks — DC Cleveland
If the Browns move on from Freddie Kitchens and his staff, Wilks could be a name of interest for the Eagles. In 2017, his only other season as a defensive coordinator, Wilks’ Carolina Panthers finished third in rushing defense.
His positional expertise is also in the secondary, something that could help the Eagles in more than one area.
3. Gus Bradley — Chargers DC
Bradley has familiarity running both a 3-4 and 4-3 defense and is two years removed from having the Chargers defense ranked third in the NFL in scoring defense. The Chargers love to pressure off the edge and the former NFL head coach could bring a different energy to Philly.
4. Corey Undlin — Eagles DB Coach
Undlin has familiarity with the Eagles and the secondary, but the play of Philadelphia’s defensive backs could give Doug Pederson pause on the move.
5. Ron Rivera — unemployed
On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers fired Rivera in the middle of his ninth season with the team. Rivera led the Panthers to four playoff appearances, three NFC South titles, and one trip to the Super Bowl. He’s likely to be a hot candidate for any open head coaching position but would be the perfect guy to replace Schwartz if Pederson made a move.
6. Adam Zimmer — Vikings LB coach
Zimmer comes from a great pedigree, as he’s the son of Vikings head coach, Mike Zimmer. The young and rising coach has a 4-3 background and has done exceptional work with Vikings linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks.
7. Chuck Pagano — Bears DC
The former Colts head coach has had the Bears defense playing pretty solid football all season, despite a boatload of injuries on that side of the ball. The defense has been without star defensive lineman Akiem Hicks for eight games, Danny Trevathan has missed the last three games with an elbow injury and the Bears have spent more time on the field than most.
Pagano still has Chicago’s defense ranked fourth in scoring defense at 17.3 points per game — ahead of their NFL-best 17.7 points-per-game mark of in 2018. Only the Patriots, 49ers and Bills rank ahead of the Bears. Meanwhile, Chicago’s 319.7 yards per game allowed ranks seventh as well.
