Report: Joe Brady being “strongly considered” as Eagles HC
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers could still lose offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who is reportedly being strongly considered by the Philadelphia Eagles for their vacant head coaching job.
Joe Brady was a man in demand this offseason. The offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers was interviewed for several head coaching jobs after just one year calling plays at the NFL level. And although the pool of opportunities has diminished in recent days, there is one big job that the progressive offensive mind is reportedly still under strong consideration to attain.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, a source claimed that Brady is “getting a good look” at Philadelphia’s top coaching job, primarily down to the fact that the organization doesn’t want to miss out on the next potential young star despite it being a year before he is actually ready to assume the role.
These sources stated that Brandon Staley was also under strong consideration. But given he has accepted the offer to become the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, it might just force the Eagles to strike while the iron is hot and bring Brady on board.
The Carolina Panthers need a plan if Joe Brady departs.
Much will depend on whether Philadelphia’s front office wants to wait and interview Eric Bienemy, who is currently unavailable for an interview due to the Kansas City Chiefs still being in the playoff hunt. This appears to be the offensive coordinator’s final chance outside of the Houston Texans for a deserved promotion this offseason, with some speculating that he might have to wait.
Carolina will not want to lose Brady.
But they probably knew this day would come when they brought the coach into the organization following a standout spell as LSU’s passing coordinator.
His work in progressing Joe Burrow from a mid-round afterthought to the consensus No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft won’t have gone unnoticed by the Eagles, who appear ready to move on with Carson Wentz despite his distinct lack of production this season.
Whether Brady gets the Eagles job or not, the Panthers should put a contingency plan in place. They can ill-afford a lack of continuity on offense during the 2021 preparation period, which might come with a new quarterback to compete with Teddy Bridgewater in the coming months.
Brady’s close affiliation with Bridgewater was one of the primary reasons why the Panthers opted to bring the player in during free agency. This hasn’t exactly gone as all parties would have hoped and if the coordinator was to move on, it would cast even further doubt on the signal-caller and his long-term future with the franchise.
This would be a high risk, high reward move by the Eagles, who missed a spark last season on their way to a 4-11 record and last position in a dismal NFC East.
Their fanbase would need to take the rough with the smooth during Brady’s first year at the helm. But Philadelphia isn’t exactly known for being the most forgiving of environments for head coaches when things aren’t going their way.