Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was fired by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this year and now there’s buzz he could return to the NFC East.
Obviously not with the Eagles, who have Vic Fangio in place. But instead with one of their division rivals.
Gannon is reportedly interviewing for both the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commander defensive coordinator openings.
On paper, the Eagles had a really good defense under Gannon during his last season in Philly. They ranked No. 3 in DVOA that year.
But Gannon also benefited from a light schedule in terms of opposing quarterbacks. And the Eagles got absolutely torched by passers who did not stink; most notably Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII.
After initially indicating he was going to stay in Philly after the 2022 season, Gannon had impermissible contact with the Cardinals leading up the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss. This transgression resulted in the Eagles getting a draft pick boost in 2023. It also cost them being able to pivot to Fangio, who took the DC job with the Miami Dolphins before ultimately ending up in Philly.
Once in Arizona, Gannon weirdly lied about certain events in his time in Philly. And one of his mere 15 wins as the Cardinals’ head coach (as opposed to one of his 36 losses) came against the Eagles in 2023.
So, the Eagles might enjoy a Gannon return to the division in the sense that they have an opportunity to get “revenge” on him. There are certainly more intimidating defensive coordinator candidates that the Cowboys and Commanders can hire. Here’s hoping one of them goes with Gannon instead of the alternatives.
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