The Philadelphia Eagles will continue their search for a defensive coordinator after the rival Giants denied access to Steve Spagnuolo, the Eagles and soon-to-be new head coach Doug Pederson's reported top target, but it at least sounds like Philly may not have as much trouble landing Pederson's first-ever offensive coordinator. Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, former Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich is a "very strong candidate" to take over the same spot under Pederson.
Frank Reich is a very strong candidate for the Eagles offensive coordinator job. Former Chargers assistant highly thought of
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 18, 2016
It had been reported on Sunday that Reich was a possibility for the OC gig with the Eagles, but word had not come as to whether he faced serious competition for the job. Other names floated as possibilities for jobs on the Philly offensive staff included former Eagles offensive coordinator and head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Brad Childress and in-house candidate Pat Shurmur, although there's no knowing how Shurmur will react to being passed over in favor of Pederson for the top spot.
Childress, per Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News, is a guy Pederson would like to have in "the mix."
As for Reich, he spent parts of his playing days with the Bills, Panthers, Jets and Lions. As a coach, he's worked with the Colts, Cardinals and most recently, the Chargers, first as a quarterbacks coach and the last two seasons as an offensive coordinator.
Reich was fired by the Chargers this season, but the year prior he was garnering interest as a potential head coaching candidate. Under Reich, the Chargers offense was absurdly lopsided in favor of the passing game. Quarterback Philip Rivers amassed eye-popping numbers, but the running game struggled - though, how much of that is due to Reich's play calling and how much is due to injuries to the offensive line and the struggles of rookie running back Melvin Gordon, is debatable.
But ultimately, the team finished last in the league in rushing and 26th in scoring, meaning something was amiss. Reich wound up taking the fall.
Really, with Pederson being an offensive-minded coach, whoever operates at OC will defer to Pederson. Its an important hire, as all hires this offseason will be, but the choice for offensive coordinator pales in significance to whomever Pederson tabs to lead his defense.
