Less than two weeks ago, some Philadelphia Eagles players were lobbying for defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Dennard Wilson to take over as defensive coordinator.
He didn’t get the position, and now he reportedly is out of a job in the organization altogether. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday that Wilson was fired following an “acrimonious meeting” with head coach Nick Sirianni over the weekend.
Instead of picking Wilson, 40, as defensive coordinator, Sirianni went with Seattle Seahawks assistant coach Sean Desai to replace Jonathan Gannon.
Gannon is the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
The Inquirer said Wilson and Sirianni met because the head coach wanted to be convinced Wilson was willing to work with Desai. Wilson reportedly said he could move past his disappointment of not being promoted and cooperate with Desai, but Sirianni apparently had his doubts and decided to split with Wilson — and it wasn’t by mutual decision, per The Inquirer.
Cornerback Darius Slay and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson both pushed on social media for Wilson to land a defensive coordinator job. He interviewed with the Cleveland Browns, who hired veteran coach Jim Schwartz for the post in January.
The Eagles, who lost Super Bowl LVII 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs, will take the field in 2023 with a new defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach and linebackers coach on that side of the ball. Linebackers coach Nick Rallis joined Gannon in Arizona.
Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen also departed to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
–Field Level Media