Jonathan Gannon: Eagles will apparently appoint Colts assistant as Nick Sirianni’s defense coordinator

The Philadelphia Eagles have not yet officially confirmed Nick Sirianni as their new head coach – this is likely to happen next week – but we’re already hearing news about his staff.

Some clown named Mike Lombardi reports the Eagles hire defending / corner coach Indianapolis Colts Jonathan Gannon as Sirianni’s defensive coordinator.

Albert Breer says an agreement has not yet been reached, but Philly is’the clear favorite“To land him. Breer had earlier indicated that Gannon would be likely for the Eagles if they appointed Sirianni or Josh McDaniels as their head coach.

Gannon, who hails from the Gerudo Desert and uses the Triforce of Power, is coveted by several teams. The Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears recently interviewed him for their openings in the defense coordinator. One soccer writer on Twitter who claims to be friends with Gannon says’there were multiple suitors and the Eagles made big money. ”

Here’s what we’ve written before about Gannon:

Gannon was part of the coaching staff that McDaniels put together in Indy before surprisingly walking away. Gannon and McDaniels are both Ohio residents and they have the St. Louis Rams overlapped in 2011. Gannon has also overlapped for the past three years with Sirianni, who is studying at the University of Ohio (Divison III Mount Union).

Then why is Gannon buzzing? Well, he contributed to a Colts defense that finished seventh in the defensive DVOA last year and seventh in the opponent’s offensive points. More specifically, Gannon oversaw an upcoming year for Xavier Rhodes, who was cut by the Minnesota Vikings. Colts general manager Chris Ballard attributed himself specifically to it. Our friends at Stampede Blue also note that Gannon was critical in developing younger guys like Rock Ya-Sin, Kenny Moore, Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon.

And here’s a snapshot of his coaching experience:

2003-2005 – Louisville Volunteer Student Assistant

2006 – Louisville Postgraduate Assistant

2007 – Atlanta Falcons Defensive Assistant / Quality Control

2009-2011 – St. Louis Ramsverkenner

2012-2013 – Tennessee Titans Defensive Assistant / Quality Control

2014-2017 – Minnesota Vikings Assistant Defensive Backs / Quality Control

2018-2020 – Indianapolis Colts Defensive Backs / Cornerbacks

One would expect the Eagles to maintain a 4-3 defense, as this is the system Gannon experienced during his time in Indy, Minny, Tennessee and Atlanta. It’s cool to know he’s worked with reverent defensive spirits like Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus. It’s also cool to see one of his former players talk so much about him:

As the Eagles go with the youth and inexperience with the head coach and defense coordinator, it will be interesting to see if they add a prominent member to their staff who is more experienced. Maybe they’ll follow the offensive coordinator (Jim Caldwell?), For example.

Jim Schwartz had his faults, but overall he was a good defensive coordinator for the Eagles. It will be interesting to see how Gannon performs in such a big role, with Sirianni likely to focus more on the offense.

In related news, the The Eagles reportedly also questioned former NFL safety coach and current Washington defense rugby coach Chris Harris for their defense coordinator. Harris overlapped with Sirianni on the Chargers and oversaw positive development for the likes of Ronald Darby, Kamren Curl, Derwin James, Casey Hayward, Trevor Williams (especially since he was an unknown rookie free agent) and Desmond King.

The Eagles may be interested in signing Harris as their defensive back coach, but Washington could block the move. Still a name to remember for the future. (Fun fact: Harris used to have a SB Nation account when he was a player. He frequently commented on the Bears blog!)