Eagles Fire Sean Desai After the Coaching Change
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Philadelphia Eagles have parted company with defensive coordinator Sean Desai.
“Sources: Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who lost his play-calling duties late in the season. “Desai is likely to be considered for other DC opportunities,” Rapoport tweeted.
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Desai, who was hired by Philadelphia this summer, was replaced as play-caller by defensive assistant Matt Patricia, although he retained his defensive coordinator position. However, this was a formality, as seen by the Eagles’ decision to fire Desai after only one season.
The mid-season change didn’t yield better results. Philly ended the season by losing six of its final seven games, including the Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defense ended the season allowing the seventh-most total yards (356.1) and the third-most points (25.2).
The Eagles will now look to hire a new face or potentially give Patricia another shot. The latter appears unlikely based on how the season ended.
to be continued:
great lose as a Eagles cornerback hauled off in Bucs playoff game (UPDATE)
![Darius Slay injury: Eagles cornerback carted off in Bucs playoff game [ UPDATE] - Bleeding Green Nation](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L6O4xqdz89yDnmuxpWt3zEvIvAc=/0x215:3000x1786/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25228568/1936406721.jpg)
[UPDATE]: After exit interviews, Darius Slay spoke to reporters on Wednesday and said that he avoided a major back injury, and would’ve missed 3-4 weeks if they were still playing. The veteran CB admitted he didn’t know exactly what the diagnosis was, other than a bunch of “big ass words”.
The Eagles have little to celebrate in their ugly loss to the Bucs in the wild game round of the playoffs, and things got even worse for Philly halfway through the fourth quarter when Darius Slay had to be carted off the field.
Slay took a knee to the side/back while making a play, and ended up writhing in pain afterward. He attempted to get off the field on his own, but didn’t make it far, and ultimately needed the cart to get back to the locker room. The incident led to the sideline coming onto the field to show their support — waking them up from their dumbfounded stares.
The veteran CB had knee surgery following the Cowboys game in early-December and was able to return for the playoffs. Before being sidelined on Monday night, Slay had six total tackles, but his overall numbers really benefitted from Mike Evans dropping several passes in the first half.
Slay almost left Philly last offseason, and we’ll likely get a Round 2 of that drama in the coming months.