Sean Desai

They're hiring Seahawks associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai to replace Jonathan Gannon, the team officially announced Tuesday.

The defense also did a great job in the first two playoff games before running into Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in their Super Bowl LVII loss. The Eagles interviewed him in person in Philadelphia on Monday before flying to Indianapolis. But I also know that I'm hiring somebody to do their job to the best of their abilities, and that's why I'm hiring them.” The Eagles clearly wanted to cast a wide net looking for Gannon’s replacement. He helped us a ton getting going and making a year’s transition (the Seahawks changed defensive coordinators in 2022). “The background and the information he holds, his access to information is really special.

The Eagles also filled their offensive coordinator job earlier Tuesday, promoting quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to the role. Desai, 39, was the Chicago Bears ...

The Eagles had interest in Fangio for the defensive coordinator post as well, according to a league source, but he was already under contract with Miami by the time the Eagles knew for sure that Gannon was being hired by the Cardinals. His first NFL coaching job was with Chicago (2013-21), where he started as a quality control coach before being promoted to safeties coach and then defensive coordinator. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said there's "no doubt" Desai has the characteristics to be a successful defensive coordinator.

Desai got the job over Eagles defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, as they were two of the known finalists. The Eagles also interviewed Vance Joseph and Jim ...

Desai wasn't the defensive coordinator in Seattle, but played a significant role in the game plan. The Bears finished third in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (191.6) and fourth in sacks (49). The 39-year-old Desai has one season as defensive coordinator in the NFL, as the 2021 Bears finished 22nd in points per game allowed (23.9), but sixth in yards per game allowed (312.0). The defense will have some wrinkles attached with Desai on board. Chicago had a top-10 defense in passing yards allowed in all three seasons Desai was affiliated with that unit. Philadelphia had a second interview with Desai on Monday, as he was in the NovaCare Complex for the meeting.

The Philadelphia Eagles have promoted quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator and hired Sean Desai as defensive coordinator.

Desai spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Bears, rising from defensive quality control coach to defensive coordinator in nine years and working under three head coaches in Marc Trestman, John Fox and Matt Nagy. The 39-year-old assistant spent the 2022 season as Pete Carroll's associate head coach and defensive assistant in Seattle. Despite losing to the Chiefs, Hurts produced once of the best individual Super Bowl performances ever by scoring four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing). Johnson earned his first coaching job in the NFL once Sirianni landed in Philly. Hurts emerged as an MVP-caliber quarterback in 2022, throwing 3,701 passing yards and 22 touchdowns at a 66.5% completion rate while adding 760 rushing yards and 13 more scores. Steichen held the title for two seasons and had been Nick Sirianni's primary play-caller upon the head coach's arrival in 2021.

Philadelphia has made the move official, and Sean Desai will be the Eagles' new defensive coordinator, replacing Jonathan Gannon.

Welcome to Philly! Desai was associate head coach of the Seahawks for one season after spending eight years with the Chicago Bears from 2013-2021, serving as defensive coordinator, safeties coach, and defensive quality control coach. [hiring Seahawks assistant head coach Sean Desai](https://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/2023/02/28/eagles-news-pete-carroll-sean-desai-philadelphia-defensive-coordinator/) for the position of defensive coordinator.

Desai replaces Jonathan Gannon, who left this offseason to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Desai comes to the Eagles after one season in Seattle, which was preceded by one season as the defensive coordinator for the Bears. One last note of interest: Sirianni would not commit to Dennard Wilson returning to the staff. Wilson had been considered the best in-house candidate to replace Gannon. Desai returns to Philadelphia, where he began his coaching career at Temple, when he also managed to earn his doctorate in educational administration. He helped us a ton getting going and making a year’s transition (the Seahawks changed defensive coordinators in 2022). Most of the starters and key contributors are scheduled for free agency and now Desai replaces Gannon as the man in charge of designing the scheme and calling plays.

Desai, who started his coaching career at Temple, previously served as Seattle Seahawks associate head coach and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator.

… I think the world of Dennard and how good of a football coach he is.” “I’ve got to do what’s best for the team, and I thought Sean was the best guy for the job. During 2021, Desai’s lone season as Bears defensive coordinator, Chicago ranked sixth in total defense and third in passing defense, while Robert Quinn led the NFC that season with a career-high 18½ sacks. Aside from his stints with the Bears, Seahawks, and Temple, Desai has also served as an assistant at Miami and Boston College. The team led the league in sacks with 70, which ranks third in NFL history. [ served as the Seattle Seahawks’ associate head coach](https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/eagles-defensive-coordinator-candidates-sean-desai-jim-leonhard-20230221.html) and defensive assistant during the 2022 season. “At the end of the day, there is some experience Sean has had calling it,” Sirianni said. Over the past several days, Wilson received endorsements from multiple Eagles, including top cornerback “One thing that we definitely have now is what we had our first year going into it,” Sirianni said. Desai, along with a handful of Eagles assistant coaches, then traveled on Tuesday morning to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. Desai’s coaching career began at Temple, where he worked as a defensive and special teams coach under Al Golden from 2006-10. Desai previously held the coordinator role during the 2021 season with the Chicago Bears.

Gannon has been vague about what went wrong in Super Bowl LVII, and just as he was addressing it, the Eagles officially named Desai as his replacement.

“We talked about it leading up to the process and he was comfortable with how we did things,” Gannon said. Desai and Willson were, ironically, on the same flight from Philly to here on Tuesday. He turned down what was on paper a more attractive opportunity with the Chargers — maybe one he regretted — but his fast track to becoming a head coach wasn’t slowed by many locals’ opinions of his scheme and play calling. Gannon was able to wrest the linebackers coach away from Philly even though the 29-year-old also interviewed for the Eagles’ defensive coordinator job. Wilson, the Eagles’ defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, has a less certain future. But they didn’t have the luxury of surveying the entire field of possible choices and spent the last two weeks meeting with eight contenders. And he was regarded highly enough that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll brought him in as a senior assistant last season and implemented some of his scheme. His defense did improve significantly last season, but it may have been timing more than anything that factored into Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni’s efforts to retain the defensive coordinator. If Gannon had made himself openly available following the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Arizona, there might not have been a need to dredge Super Bowl LVII up again. Ultimately, it probably doesn’t matter what Gannon had to say about the game. But there were strong indications before that Sunday that the 41-year old would be Arizona’s next coach. on the field at State Farm Stadium, he was under center.

Johnson had been the Eagles QB coach since 2021, while Desai coached with the Seahawks in 2022.

Desai is a disciple of Vic Fangio, the influential long-time defensive coach who got his first pro job in Philadelphia under Jim Mora with the USFL Stars in ...

“One thing that we definitely have now is what we had our first year going into it – we have a little bit of unknown,” Sirianni said. This is the scheme Sirianni wants. “If you have to, that’s not a great feeling," he said. Desai is a disciple of Vic Fangio, the influential long-time defensive coach who got his first pro job in Philadelphia under Jim Mora with the USFL Stars in 1984. That means a 3-4 base, lots of zone coverage, two-high safety shell, coverages geared to prevent big plays, producing sacks without blitzing. “Just his overall knowledge of football,” Nick Sirianni said when asked what he liked about DeSai.