Philadelphia Eagles Fire Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai

The Philadelphia Eagles are holding their coaches accountable for the team's ugly late-season swoon. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, head coach Nick Sirianni has let go of defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

Sources: #Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has let go defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who lost play-calling duties late in the season.

Desai is likely to be in the mix for other DC opportunities.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2024

The Eagles were flying high following last year's Super Bowl berth, but their defense took a major step back in Desai's first season with the team, falling from 20.2 points per game allowed in 2022 to 25.2 points this season. They were particularly awful over the final stretch: including the postseason, they allowed 30.6 points per game and lost six of their final seven games.

The writing was on the wall once Desai was forced to surrender playcalling duties to defensive assistant Matt Patricia late in the season. Patricia didn't help things much, and he's also reportedly expected to explore other opportunities. He worked under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots from 2004 to 2017 and again from 2021 to 2022; a reunion could be in the works once Belichick settles on a new home.

Whoever the Eagles hire to lead their defense will be tasked with a tricky task. The team has retained much of the talent that made them a force in 2022, but many of their key stars are aging: starting cornerbacks James Bradberry and Darius Slay, as well as defensive linemen Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, are all over 30. Last year's collapse won't be reversed without fresh talent, and that means the Eagles defense may have a longer road back to excellence than expected.