Philadelphia Eagles change coaching structure, won't have offensive coordinator: ESPN source

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Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson during the first half at an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
wpvi-AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles are going with a different structure under coach Doug Pederson, as they are not expected to hire an offensive coordinator to replace Mike Groh, a source said.

Instead, they have promoted quarterbacks coach Press Taylor to passing game coordinator.

The Eagles are going with the same model as the San Francisco 49ers, who have a passing game coordinator (Mike LaFleur) and running game coordinator (Mike McDaniel) alongside playcaller Kyle Shanahan instead of a traditional offensive coordinator.

Pederson calls the plays for Philadelphia, and there is already a running game coordinator in place. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has served in that role since 2018.

The Eagles are also adding former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and former Mississippi State passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Andrew Breiner to the coaching staff, a source said. Scangarello was San Francisco's quarterbacks coach for two years prior to joining Denver's staff last season. Their addition will help fulfill Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie's wish to have people with fresh ideas brought into the building.

Taylor, the brother of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, has been an assistant with the Eagles since 2013. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2018, and he quickly earned the trust of Carson Wentz. Press Taylor, a 32-year-old former Tulsa quarterback, became a household name locally when he was given credit for digging up the "Philly Special" trick play for Super Bowl LII.

NFL Network was first to report Taylor's promotion.

The Eagles set out on a thorough coaching search after moving on from Groh in January. They were seriously interested in USC's Graham Harrell, a source said, but Harrell opted to stay with the Trojans. Other names that surfaced for the offensive coordinator post eventually were crossed off: Kevin O'Connell took the offensive coordinator job with the Los Angeles Rams; James Urban stayed put with the Baltimore Ravens; Andy Reid has made it clear he was not letting Mike Kafka shake free from the Kansas City Chiefs; and Josh McCown decided that he was not ready to dive into the NFL coaching deep end quite yet.

Philadelphia also needs a wide receivers coach after firing Carson Walch. They showed interest in Vanderbilt receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, though it's not yet clear whether he has been brought into the fray. Pederson is expected to announce his staff in full later this week.