Report: Eagles have effectively made Matt Patricia their new defensive coordinator, moving Sean Desai to the box

According to multiple sources, the Philadelphia Eagles have effectively replaced their current defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, with senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia. Patricia will be calling the defensive plays from the sideline, with Desai now residing up in the box.

Eagles make a coaching change

Sources: The #Eagles have made a change to their defensive process. DC Sean Desai is in the coaching box… and Matt Patricia will call in plays to the green dot.

Story: https://t.co/OeXJWOgro5

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 17, 2023

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There’s a bunch of ways we can look at this. Personally, I appreciate the team actually trying something different on the defensive side of the ball. Desai’s scheme simply wasn’t working, and there have been plenty of film breakdowns diagnosing the ins-and-outs of why it was failing.

While I’ve been a Desai believer, I’m willing to admit I may have been wrong. Throughout his coaching career, he’s never coached a top-10 defense. The two times he was a defensive coordinator, his defense ranked 22nd and 25th in points per game allowed respectively. This season, his defense has been even worse.

Sean Desai’s defensive rankings:

• Points per game: 28th
• Points per drive: 29th
• Yards per game: 22nd
• Turnovers Forced: 21st
• Passing TDs allowed: 31st
• 1st Downs by Penalties: 26th
• 3rd Down Defense: 32nd
• Red Zone Defense: 30th

Those are downright atrocious numbers.

In the end, I don’t know if Patricia will be any better, but at this point, it’s worth a try.

Read More: Nick Sirianni responds to Eagles’ recent struggles in press conference

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