The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to hire Doug Pederson to be their new head coach, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. The Eagles did not confirm the hiring, but stated that they have "concluded our search for a head coach," and said no further interviews are scheduled, according to Bowen.
Eagles hire Doug Pederson as head coach
Pederson joins the Eagles after serving as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs.
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Update: On Monday, the Eagles officially announced Pederson’s hiring. They will introduce him at a press conference on Tuesday.
This is Pederson's first gig as head coach in the NFL. He's spent the past three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pederson is back to where he began his coaching career. After playing in the league for more than a decade, his first coaching job was with the Eagles in 2009 as an offensive quality control coach. He was promoted to Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach in 2011 and then followed Andy Reid to the Chiefs in 2013.
The Chiefs aren’t among the top offensive teams in the NFL, but Pederson has still found success with them. They have played field position very well and have been one of the best teams in the league at protecting the football. Kansas City made it into the playoffs as a wild card team this year, barely missing out on an AFC West crown.
In their AFC Wild Card matchup last weekend, they blew out the Houston Texans 30-0. Pederson first interviewed with the Eagles the day after the Chiefs’ win and became their top candidate after former Giants coach Tom Coughlin took his name out of the running.
Last month, the Eagles parted ways with former head coach Chip Kelly after three seasons with the team. Kelly’s team made the playoffs once and posted double-digit wins twice, but after he took on more personnel control, many of his moves were criticized. The Eagles went just 7-9 this past season and the organization decided to take things in another direction.
Earlier Thursday, Kelly was hired by the San Francisco 49ers to be their new head coach.
Pederson will assume control of an offense quarterbacked by Sam Bradford after the Eagles invested heavily in acquiring him from the St. Louis Rams prior to the 2015 season. Bradford didn't have a great season at the helm, but he did stay healthy, which was one of his biggest concerns.
Pederson’s only previous head coaching experience came at Calvary Baptist Academy, a high school in Louisiana.
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