It’s hard to imagine anyone fresh off a Super Bowl team being on the hot seat, but Philly fans can be tough. Some say second place is the first loser. Here are the three hottest seats on the Eagles:
1. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson
When Shane Steichen left to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, most assumed Johnson would get the OC job. They were right. Johnson joined the team in 2020 as quarterbacks coach. His resume includes a Sugar Bowl MVP and a successful run as Florida Gators OC.
Johnson has known QB Jalen Hurts for 20 years, but that won’t matter if the offense struggles. Philadelphia scored the second-most points with the second-most yards in 2022 with Steichen. The Cowboys and Commanders both hired offensive coordinators with NFL experience this offseason, but the Eagles kept things in-house.
If Johnson does well, the house will be rocking in 2023. But if the offense gets off to a rocky start, fans won’t hesitate to make Johnson their punching bag.
2. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis
Davis won’t be cut, of course, but he’ll get more scrutiny than he did in 2022. The 334-pound defensive tackle arrived in Philadelphia with big expectations as the 13th overall pick last year. But in a veteran rotation that saw Brandon Graham and Javon Hargrave have career years, the big man played little.
As the season went on, Davis’ snaps went down. He had less than 20 in his final seven games and just 10 in Super Bowl LVII. Philadelphia has six free agents on the defensive line, including tackles Fletcher Cox and Hargrave. Neither will be back next year, so it will be up to Davis to shore up the interior line.
