Coaching Matters: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles Coaching Staff Preview

August 4, 2021

Eli Grabanski previews the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles' coaching staff in search of buy-lows, fantasy football sleepers, and risers based on play-calling and historical data.

After every NFL season, NFL teams take the time to evaluate not only the players but also the coaching staff and front office as well. While many teams choose to retain the same head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator, a few other teams opt to go in a new direction with their coaching staff.

One team that shook up their core coaching staff this offseason was the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles fired head coach Doug Pederson and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and hired Nick Sirianni to be the team's new head coach, Shane Steichen to be the team's new offensive coordinator, and Jonathan Gannon to be the team's new defensive coordinator.

This article will look at the potential impact this coaching staff will have on the players and try to pinpoint the Eagles players' fantasy values in it.

The Baseline

To get a better understanding of the value the Eagles coaches help bring to this team, we can look at the NFL league averages in each of the past two years in a variety of statistical categories and then compare them to the averages achieved by the Eagles' coaches. Here are 'The Baseline' NFL league averages over the past couple of years:

QB Impact

RB Impact

WR Impact

TE Impact

Defense Impact

Previous Coaching Staff

In order to get an understanding of how the Philadelphia Eagles' fantasy players may be impacted this year, we also need to look at some of the key members of the Philadelphia Eagles' previous coaching staff: former head coach Doug Pederson and former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. By doing this, we will have a better understanding of where the new regime is starting from and where the primary changes will occur.

Former Head Coach: Doug Pederson

QB Impact

RB Impact

WR Impact

TE Impact

Former Defensive Coordinator: Jim Schwartz

2021 Offense

2021 Head Coach: Nick Sirianni

Nick Sirianni will be the Philadelphia Eagles' newest head coach in 2021. Prior to joining the Eagles, Sirianni spent three years as the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts (2018-2020). Given his offensive background, let's dive into some offensive statistics from Sirianni's experiences in an offensive coordinator role to get a better understanding of how the Eagles may utilize their offensive players in 2021.

QB Impact

RB Impact

WR Impact

TE Impact

Nick Sirianni Takeaways & Expectations

Over the course of Nick Sirianni's 48 game career as the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator, his offense averaged 35.60 passing attempts per game. In his last two years as an offensive coordinator, the usage has been a little lower than that, with the Colts attempting 32.06 passes per game in 2019 and 34.5 passes per game in 2020. If Sirianni sticks with an offense similar to the one he and Frank Reich ran with the Colts, it means that the Eagles starting quarterback will get roughly a league-average number of pass attempts to show off his passing ability.

But besides passing, it is also important to look at the rushing usage of Sirianni's quarterbacks over the course of his career as an offensive coordinator. Over the course of his career, Sirianni's quarterbacks have averaged 3.17 carries per game.

This usage in the past is in the slightly below-average to the average range of quarterback carries per game. But it's important to note that Sirianni has never had the opportunity to work with a quarterback who is as effective on the ground as Jalen Hurts before. Expect Sirianni to let Jalen Hurts run significantly more than any other quarterback he's worked with in the past. Based on all of this information, Hurts will have a great opportunity to finish as a QB1 in fantasy football leagues.

Looking at the running back position, Nick Sirianni has been pretty great in utilizing the group. Over the course of his career, Sirianni's running backs have averaged 24.08 carries and 0.83 rushing touchdowns per game - both of which are above-average.

Clearly, we can expect Sirianni to feed his backs on the ground. This is very encouraging to see if you are rostering one of the Philadelphia Eagles running backs in your fantasy league for the 2021 season.

But besides the amount of volume (carries) on the ground that Sirianni has historically provided, we also need to consider how that volume has been distributed over the course of his career - is Sirianni's offense typically rolling with a bell-cow or a running back by committee approach?

Looking at the data, Nick Sirianni's lead back on the season has gotten a decent amount of work on the ground each year - 195 carries in 2018 (Marlon Mack), 247 carries in 2019 (Marlon Mack), and 232 carries in 2020 (Jonathan Taylor). This is a great sign for Miles Sanders's usage in 2021 and he should see a good amount of carries.

The final aspect we should look at regarding Nick Sirianni's running backs is how much he has traditionally utilized them as pass-catchers. Over the course of his career, Sirianni's running back room has averaged 7.31 targets per game - which is slightly above average.

Nick Sirianni's offenses have been very good at utilizing their running backs, with him providing an above-average number of opportunities provided on the ground and through the air. Overall, based on this information the Eagles' lead running back, Miles Sanders, should have RB1 upside and be a solid draft target in your fantasy league.

Looking at the wide receiver position, Sirianni's offense has provided his wide receivers with 18.17 targets per game over the course of his career as an offensive coordinator.

This usage is below-average relative to other NFL play-callers. Based on this information, the Eagles are likely only going to be able to support one fantasy-relevant wide receiver in 2021 - so keep this in mind when thinking about where you plan on drafting DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, or Travis Fulgham in your fantasy leagues.

Finally, Sirianni's historical usage of tight ends is pretty great. Over the course of his career as the Colts offensive coordinator, Sirianni's tight end room averaged 8.88 targets per game.

This usage is encouraging to see and makes it clear that the Eagles will continue to heavily utilize their tight ends even with former head coach Doug Pederson out of the picture. Based on this information, Dallas Goedert looks like a strong breakout candidate in fantasy football leagues for the 2021 NFL season.

2021 Offensive Coordinator: Shane Steichen

Shane Steichen is new to the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff after spending the last 24 games as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator (2019-2020). Given his offensive background, let's dive into some offensive statistics from Steichen's experiences as an offensive coordinator to get a better understanding of how the Eagles may utilize their offensive players in 2021.

QB Impact

RB Impact

WR Impact

TE Impact

Shane Steichen Takeaways & Expectations

Over the course of Shane Steichen's 24 game career as an offensive coordinator, his offenses have averaged 38.25 passing attempts per game. This passing volume is a great sign for Jalen Hurts and makes it seem likely he will get at least an average number of passing attempts in 2021, and maybe even an above-average amount if Steichen is the primary play-caller for the Eagles.

But besides passing, it is also important to look at the rushing usage of Shane Steichen's quarterbacks over the course of his career as an offensive coordinator. Over the course of his career, Steichen's quarterbacks have averaged 3.04 carries per game.

This usage in the past is in the slightly below-average to the average range of quarterback carries per game. But like we noted in the section on Nick Sirianni, it's important to note that Steichen has never had the opportunity to work with a quarterback who is as effective on the ground as Jalen Hurts before. Expect Steichen to let Jalen Hurts run significantly more than any other quarterback he's worked with in the past and Hurts will have a great opportunity to finish as a QB1 in fantasy football leagues.

Looking at the running back position, Shane Steichen has been fairly effective in utilizing the position. Over the course of his career, Shane Steichen's tailbacks have averaged 24.08 carries and 0.54 rushing touchdowns per game.

The number of carries per game is well above the league averages and clearly shows that Steichen will feed his running backs on the ground. This is great news for anyone rostering one of the Eagles' running backs in 2021. But besides the amount of volume (carries) on the ground that Steichen has historically provided, we also need to consider how that volume has been distributed over the course of his career - is Shane Steichen typically rolling with a bell-cow or a running back by committee approach?

Looking at the data above, it's hard to get a great read on how Steichen prefers to utilize his backs since we are using the season carries totals and injuries may be skewing the data a bit in 2020 since Austin Ekeler missed 6 games.

The final aspect we should look at regarding Shane Steichen's running backs is how much he has traditionally utilized them as pass-catchers. Over the course of his career, Steichen's running back room has averaged 10.17 targets per game.

This is one of the best career marks in the NFL among play-callers with previous NFL experience. If you are rostering Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, or Kenny Gainwell this receiving usage is extremely encouraging to see.

Overall, Shane Steichen should be a big boost to the Eagles' running backs in 2021 since he's provided an above-average number of opportunities on the ground and through the air to his backs. Based on this information, the Eagles running backs are pretty good draft targets in your fantasy league and Miles Sanders specifically could be in store for a big bounce-back year.

Looking at the wide receiver position, Steichen's offense has provided his wide receivers with 18.83 targets per game over the course of his career as an offensive coordinator.

There's a fairly large difference between how much Steichen utilized his wide receivers in 2019 versus 2020, with the Chargers wide receivers seeing 15.88 targets per game in 2019 and 20.31 targets per game in 2020. Steichen's averages in 2019 were well below the league-wide averages (19.59) while his averages in 2020 were right around the league average (20.21). Overall, if Steichen is calling the plays we should expect the Eagles to be slightly below average to average in providing their wide receivers work. Based on this information, this offense is likely only going to be able to support one fantasy wide receiver in the 2021 season.

Finally, Steichen's historical usage of tight ends is slightly above average. Over the course of his career as an offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen's tight end room has averaged 7.67 targets per game.

It appears that regardless of who the primary play-caller is between Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen the tight end position will be a focal point in the passing game for the Eagles. This is a great sign if you are rostering Dallas Goedert or one of the other Eagles tight ends, and make them a solid investment in your fantasy football league.

Fantasy Relevant Players: Jalen Hurts, Joe Flacco, Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kerryon Johnson, Kenny Gainwell, Jalen Reagor, Travis Fulgham, DeVonta Smith, Greg Ward, Quez Watkins, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, and Richard Rodgers

2021 Defense

2021 Defensive Coordinator: Jonathan Gannon

2021 will be Jonathan Gannon's first season as a defensive coordinator at any level. As a coach, he's spent the last three seasons as the Indianapolis Colts cornerbacks coach and oversaw "a secondary that helped the Colts rank sixth in interceptions (45, tied), ninth in scoring defense (22.5 ppg), and 10th in both total defense (339.5 ypg) and red zone defense (55.9 pct., tied) during his three seasons with the team."

It's more difficult to project what kind of production we will see from the Philadelphia Eagles defense because this is Jonathan Gannon's first year ever serving as a defensive coordinator. Based on his previous success working with cornerbacks, the team's passing defense could improve a little bit in 2021. Overall, it's important to remember that Glenn will be working with a fairly mediocre defense from a year ago and it may take him some time to take any major steps forward. The Philadelphia Eagles D/ST will likely be in the streaming mix for the 2021 fantasy football season, but they should probably not be drafted in most leagues.

Other Notable Assistants

Special Teams Coordinator: Michael Clay - Michael Clay will be the Eagles' new special teams coordinator in 2021. He has previously worked for the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive quality control coach (2014) and assistant special teams coach (2015), as well as for the San Francisco 49ers as an assistant strength and conditioning coach (2017) and assistant special teams coach (2016, 2018-2020).

QB Coach: Brian Johnson - Brian Johnson will be the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach in 2021 after spending his entire coaching career at the college level. Previously Johnson has served as a quarterbacks coach for Utah (2010-2013), Mississippi State (2014-2016), Houston (2017), and Florida (2018-2020).

RB Coach: Jemal Singleton - Jemal Singleton will be the Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach in 2021. At the NFL level, he has previously served as a running backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts (2016-2017), Oakland Raiders (2018), and Cincinnati Bengals (2019-2020). He will also serve as the team's assistant head coach.

WR Coach: Aaron Moorehead - Aaron Moorehead has been the Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers coach since 2020. He has previously served as a wide receivers coach for Virginia Tech (2013-2014), Texas A&M (2015-2017), and Vanderbilt (2018-2019). Moorehead also played wide receiver at the NFL level for the Indianapolis Colts from 2003 to 2007.

TE Coach: Jason Michael - Jason Michael is the Philadelphia Eagles' new tight ends coach in 2021. He has been coaching football since 2003, previously working as a tight ends coach for the New York Jets (2007), San Diego Chargers (2011-2013), Arizona Cardinals (2018), and Indianapolis Colts (2019-2020). He also served as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2015.

OL Coach: Jeff Stoutland - Jeff Stoutland has been the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach since 2013. He's been coaching football since 1984. He is the Eagles' longest-tenured coach and also served as the Eagles run game coordinator since 2018.

DL Coach: Tracy Rocker - Tracy Rocker will be the Philadelphia Eagles' new defensive line coach in 2021. He has been coaching since 1992 primarily at the college level, but also previously served as the Tennessee Titans defensive line coach from 2011 to 2013.

LB Coach: Nick Rallis - Nick Rallis is new to the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff in 2021 and will serve as the team's linebackers coach. He previously served as a defensive quality control & assistant linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings (2018-2020).

DB Coach: Dennard Wilson - Dennard Wilson is the Eagles' new defensive backs coach in 2021. He has previously coached defensive backs for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2015-2016) and New York Jets (2017-2020).

Enjoy this series? Be sure to check out all of the other 'Coaching Matters' team previews!

AFC South: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

AFC North: Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals

AFC West: Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos

AFC East: New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills

NFC South: Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons

NFC North: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers

Follow Eli Grabanski on Twitter: @3li_handles

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