The Philadelphia Eagles fired offensive coordinator Mike Groh and wide receivers coach Carson Walch on Thursday. The firings come a day after Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said that they were likely to return in 2020.
“After much consideration and discussion, I have decided to make a change at the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach positions. It was not an easy decision for me to make and I appreciate everything that Mike Groh and Carson Walch contributed to the organization and to my staff,” Pederson said in a statement. “As I said yesterday, they were a big part of our success down the stretch this past season. This is one of the most difficult parts of the job and something that weighs on me, but ultimately I have to make decisions that I believe are in the best interest of the football team moving forward.”
He added, “I apologize for any confusion that I created during yesterday’s press conference, including my comments on Coach [Jim] Schwartz, who has done a great job as our defensive coordinator. It was my intent not to comment on any of my staff during the ongoing evaluations, because I wanted to be able to go through the process and communicate any decision directly with the individuals. I did a poor job of explaining that the first time I was asked. I will continue to evaluate everything, and consider all possibilities to improve our football team.”
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 9, 2020
Groh joined the Eagles in 2017 as a wide receivers coach. He had been the Eagles’ offensive coordinator for the last two years. Walch was the assistant wide receivers coach in 2018. This year Walch became the wide receivers coach. This season, the Eagles ranked 14th in total offense and 11th in passing offense. Philadelphia won the NFC East but was eliminated from the playoff by the Seattle Seahawks.
Now, the Eagles have some coaching vacancies that they need to fill. Who will fill them? Let’s take a look at some possible candidates.
Duce Staley
Staley is currently the Eagles running backs coach and assistant head coach. He would be a good choice to replace Groh or Walch because he knows the ins and outs of the organization. He also played for the Eagles and is the Eagles’ fifth-best rusher in team history.
James Urban
Urban is currently the Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback coach. He is familiar with the Eagles as he was a quarterback coach under former Eagles head coach Andy Reid. Urban has been credited with helping Michael Vick’s career season in 2010. He has helped Lamar Jackson become a star quarterback and would be a good fit in Philadelphia.
Joe Brady
Brady is the passing game coordinator at LSU. He helped turn LSU quarterback Joe Burrow from a bench player into a Heisman Trophy winner. Brady also spent two years with the New Orleans Saints as an offensive assistant. While with the Saints, he learned under one of the best head coaches in the league, Sean Payton. Brady would bring in new ideas, which the Eagles could use.
Mike Kafka
Kafka is the quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a former Eagles draft pick and has studied under Pederson and Reid. Kafka has helped turn Patrick Mahomes into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He would be a very good fit for the Eagles.
