The Philadelphia Eagles have hired former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz to be their new defensive coordinator.
Eagles hire former Lions coach Jim Schwartz as their new defensive coordinator
Schwartz will take over a Philadelphia defense that desperately needs improvement.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson was announced as the new head coach in Philadelphia on Monday. He was looking to shore up his defensive unit relatively quickly, and he announced on Tuesday that Schwartz would be the team's new defensive coordinator.
Schwartz spent the 2014 season with the Buffalo Bills as their defensive coordinator, but he lasted only one season before head coach Doug Marrone left and Rex Ryan wanted to bring in his own man. He did not coach for any team this past season, instead taking a consulting position with the league's officiating department to provide a coach's perspective on officiating decisions.
Before his one season with the Bills, Schwartz spent five seasons as head coach of the Lions. Schwartz took over for the Lions after they went 0-16 in 2008. In his first season in 2009, they finished with a 2-14 record, then improved to 6-10 in 2010. Detroit made it to the playoffs in 2011 after a 10-6 regular season, but collapsed at the end of the following two seasons and Schwartz was fired. Part of the problem for Detroit was the lack of offensive improvement under Schwartz, whose coaching background is exclusively on defense.
Schwartz has spent time on staff with the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He got his start in the NFL as a personnel scout with the Cleveland Browns. There were rumors that Schwartz declined an opportunity to become the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins this past season. He also interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.
The Eagles are a team that lacked consistency on defense in 2015 and ranked last in the league against the run, giving up an average of 134.6 yards per game. They finished the season ranked near last in every defensive category, including average points allowed per game (26.9) and yards allowed per game (401.6) under Bill Davis.
Philadelphia finished the 2015 season with a 7-9 record and was second in a weak NFC East, missing out on the playoffs for a second straight year. Chip Kelly was fired as head coach prior to the final week of the regular season.
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