If McDaniels is Eagles’ pick, minority hiring efforts suffer
The Eagles are inching closer to adding a head coach.
The current favorite, per a range of reports and sources, is Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.
With minority candidates Duce Staley, Jerod Mayo and Todd Bowles also having interviewed with the Eagles, and Eric Bieniemy on the list, that may not sit well with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which is keeping count of the minority hiring situation.
McDaniels, 44, went 11-17 as youthful head coach of the Denver Broncos over 2009 and ‘10. More recently, he stiffed the Indianapolis Colts after first accepting the head coaching job there in 2018, then deciding to stay in New England. Last minute addition Frank Reich, Eagles offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champions, stepped in and guided the Colts to a 28-20 record since.
What McDaniels has done fairly well is call plays for the Patriots, where he’s been offensive coordinator for 13 seasons over two tenures, all but one with Tom Brady at quarterback. The Patriots won three Super Bowls with McDaniels on the job.
The Eagles have been trying to convince themselves they can fix franchise quarterback Carson Wentz, who led the NFL in giveaways despite playing in just a dozen games. Theoretically, McDaniels would know how to do that, although you have to wonder if he would have control over the game day roster, a luxury not enjoyed by fired head coach Doug Pederson.
McDaniels is putting together a staff, per the NFL Network.
According to Goal Line Football, which bills itself as an agency for elite professional football coaches and players, McDaniels is all but a done deal with the Eagles. The agency tweeted on Martin Luther King Day that the NFL “Should be ashamed that...at this point with only 2 jobs remaining (one after Eagles hire JM) ... zero black coach hires or even 2nd interviews. No coaches coaching in conference championship games are currently connected to either of these 2 jobs.”
Actually, one of the seven NFL head coaching hires, Robert Saleh with the New York Jets, is considered a minority. He’s the first Muslim to become an NFL head coach. Yet two newly hired general managers are men of color, Terry Fontenot in Atlanta and Brad Holmes with the Detroit Lions.
The bottom line is that for now, there are just four minorities or persons of color in head coaching roles: Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brian Flores with the Miami Dolphins, Ron Rivera with the Washington Football Team and Saleh with the Jets.
Thus far the group of new head coach hires consists of Arthur Smith (Falcons), Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers), Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars), Dan Campbell (Lions) and Saleh.
The NFL owners, Fritz Pollard Alliance executive director Rod Graves called out in a scathing statement, have dropped the ball in minority hiring and need to do more.
“The disparity in opportunities is mind-boggling,” Graves said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that the performances of coordinators like Eric Bieniemy, Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich, Leslie Frazier and Joe Woods may not meet what appears as ‘ever-evolving standards’ for becoming a Black Head Coach in the NFL. The prospect for second chances is proving to be even more elusive. The same applies to executives like Jerry Reese, Rick Smith, Reggie McKenzie and others. All capable of providing the vision, the leadership and expertise to lead a championship effort.”
The Eagles would be viewed in a different light if they hired McDaniels and he brought Mayo in as his defensive coordinator. The Eagles also could be forgiven for dismissing the linebacker position as Mayo was a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Patriots.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick could make Mayo, a defensive assistant, his defensive coordinator. But Belichick otherwise couldn’t block Mayo or another minority for leaving to join a team as a coordinator under the revised Rooney Rules.
Letting Mayo move on would net Belichick compensatory third-round draft picks in 2021 and 2022.
Then again, Matt Patricia, who was fired after three seasons as head coach of the Lions, could be a defensive coordinator candidate here. He and McDaniels worked together with the Patriots.
Those moves would help the Eagles finesse their decision to hire a head coaching retread instead of a minority such as assistant head coach Duce Staley. The Eagles interviewed Staley, Mayo and Bowles, a former head coach who is now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator, for the job vacated by Pederson.
But it doesn’t end there. The Eagles are reportedly interested in interviewing Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirriani and Dallas Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel for their head coaching job. Neither are minority candidates.
Whoever the next Eagles head coach might be, he’ll have to work through a budding quarterback controversy.
Carson Wentz, under contract for the next four years on a deal worth $128 million, was just 3-8-1 as the starter this season. Rookie Jalen Hurts went 1-3 in place of Wentz.
If Wentz is on the 2021 roster, he’s guaranteed $25.4 million. If he’s cut or traded before June 1, the Eagles would be on the hook for $59 million in dead cap money.
The Eagles already are $52 million over the cap in 2021. There have been several reports or statements by NFL analysts, including Troy Aikman, that the Eagles’ priority in 2021 is to see if Wentz can bounce back.
Pederson clearly felt otherwise, and his private clashes with Wentz led to a pink slip with two years left on his deal.