PHILADELPHIA: Following a search that included some bigger and more accomplished names, such as former defensive coordinators
Joe Barry and Mike Caldwell, Bobby King is anticipated to take over as the new linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The general consensus was that Vic Fangio, the new defensive coordinator for the Eagles, as the “Godfather of modern NFL defense,”
would be able to assemble a more competent staff.
Clint Hurtt, who will be managing the defensive line after concluding his tenure as Seattle’s DC, and Christian Parker, a 32-year-old
potential star coach who will assist in the secondary and received interviews for DC positions with Green Bay and New England during
this hiring cycle, echoed this sentiment.
It is possible the King, who dedicated the
Former Green Bay defensive coordinator Barry accepted a position as linebackers/run game coordinator in Miami under Dolphins
rookie coordinator Anthony Weaver, who replaced Fangio in South Florida. Meanwhile, Caldwell, a former assistant and LB for the
Eagles who eventually became Doug Pederson’s defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, was given the same title with young coach
Antonio Pierce of Las Vegas.
Anthony Campanile, who coached Fangio’s LBs in Miami the previous season, was another possible possibility who was hired by the
Packers.
King, on the other hand, has no prior relationship with Fangio and his sole known affiliation with the Eagles dates back to his time
working as head coach Nick Sirianni’s assistant in San Diego from 2014 to 2016.
The employment of assistant coaches in the NFL is, in many ways, the most unknown part of the on-field product; it’s like the ocean
surrounding us. National Geographic calculated that an astounding amount of “more than 80 percent of the ocean has never been
mapped, explored, or even seen by humans” despite all of our technological advancements.
The process of employing helpers is carried out in private and then expanded upon. When the time is perfect, Sirianni and Fangio will
bring up King, just as the head coach did with one-and-done LB coach D.J. Eliot in the spring of 2023.
Even though general manager Howie Roseman emphasized the long-term potential of Nakobe Dean and mentioned how well Zach
Cunningham performed as a late arrival, Eliot was cut.
Regarding the path the Eagles wished to go with the coaching position, you can do the arithmetic on your own.
Why would successful coaches, some of whom had worked with Fangio in the past, select teams under significantly less prestigious
bosses?
The answer should be clear given that the Eagles return minimal skill at the position with Brandon Smith under contract, the suddenly
injury-prone Dean, and undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren in 2023.
However, that just addresses a portion of the issue because Roseman’s devaluation of the position is well known to the community,
and any LB coach visiting Philadelphia would likely be expected to assemble a team that is stronger than the sum of its parts.
“Show me a good coach and I’ll show you a bunch of good players,” is a quote that Sirianni frequently uses.
Because of the team’s roster-building strategy, Philadelphia has lower probabilities of acquiring good players at linebacker than many
other locations. For that reason, the Eagles must look further down the Rolodex when it comes to the coaching staff at that position.
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