The city of Philadelphia The environment around Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will be vastly different next season.
After a 10-1 start turned into a downward spiral, the Eagles immediately parted ways with first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, and quarterbacks coach Alex Tanney has also announced his departure.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported that Tanney had been granted permission “to explore other coaching opportunities” by the Eagles, putting a good spin on the fact that Philadelphia does not want Tanney back, as confirmed by an NFL source to SI.com’s Eagles Today.
None of this should come as a surprise given that head coach Nick Sirianni effectively explained his marching orders from owner Jeffrey Lurie earlier this week.
“I just think that right now we just need to bring some ideas in from the outside,” Sirianni said. “We need to bring in someone with new ideas who isn’t a member of current coaching staff. That, in my opinion, is a crucial consideration. It could also be a member of a coach’s family who has previously lived somewhere else.
“That is crucial. That is important because it ensures that you are constantly evolving.”
It’s possible that Sirianni experienced a personal insight about that progression. Still, it’s not exactly a sure thing for an offensive-minded head coach who was hired for that very skill to essentially throw up his hands and say he needs “fresh ideas.”
Anyone who knows Sirianni understands that the present course forward is a command from Lurie.
Sirianni took great delight in his embryonic coaching tree after both of his 2022 coordinators, Shane Steichen in Indianapolis and Jonathan Gannon in Arizona, were promoted to head coach.
The Eagles coach’s strategy, particularly on the attacking side, was to coach his coaches and build a self-sustaining pipeline for advancement. Sirianni frequently mentioned Tanney, 36, as a rising star on his staff. Tanney originally joined Sirianni in 2021 as a quality control coach, coming off a decade in the NFL and his final season with the New York Giants.
Tanney was the assistant quarterbacks coach under Johnson in 2022, working day-to-day with Hurts, before taking over the positional coach post when Johnson was elevated to replace Steichen.
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