Sources: Rivera to interview for Eagles’ DC job

Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterJan 22, 2024, 12:13 PM ET
Close

PHILADELPHIA — Former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is interviewing with the Eagles for their defensive coordinator position, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Meanwhile, signs are pointing to Nick Sirianni returning for a fourth season as head coach of the Eagles. The team announced that Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman will hold their end-of-season news conference Wednesday.

There were questions about Sirianni’s job status after the Eagles dropped six of seven down the stretch following a 10-1 start, including an uninspired 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

But not long after a meeting between Sirianni and CEO Jeffrey Lurie late last week, word began to spread that Sirianni was reaching out to potential coordinator candidates in an effort to rebuild his staff. Sirianni, 42, has a 34-17 record as head coach and has helped the Eagles to three playoff appearances in as many years, including a trip to Super Bowl LVII in February.

The Eagles also are set to interview former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell for their defensive coordinator job, a source told Fowler. Caldwell, 52, was fired by the Jaguars after the season. He was a defensive assistant with the Eagles from 2008 to 2012.

The Eagles are looking to revamp the defensive side of the ball after a disappointing showing in 2023 in which they allowed the third-most points per game during the regular season (25.2), ranked 30th in red zone and third-down defense, and yielded 35 passing touchdowns, second most in the league.

Defensive coordinator Sean Desai and Matt Patricia, who took over as defensive play-caller late in the season, are out, according to multiple reports.

Desai, 40, was hired by Philadelphia in February to replace Jonathan Gannon, who became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Sirianni demoted Desai in favor of Patricia, 49, after blowout losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in early December that dropped the Eagles to 10-3.

The change to Patricia, however, made things worse, as the defense yielded 30 points on average over its last four games, including the 32 points in the playoff loss at the Tampa Bay.

Rivera, 62, served as Eagles linebackers coach under Andy Reid from 1999 to 2003 before stints as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears (2004-06) and Chargers (2008-10) and as head coach of the Carolina Panthers (2011-19) and Commanders (2020-23).

In his last year with the Chargers as defensive coordinator, his unit finished first in yards allowed (271.6 YPG) and 10th in points allowed (20.1).