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February 09, 2024

Recapping the Eagles' reported coaching staff hires over the last week

The Eagles have been hiring assistant coaches over the last few weeks. Some analysis, from Jimmy Kempski.

Eagles NFL
020924DougNussmeier Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

Doug Nussmeier

After announcing that they had officially added defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to their coaching staff, the Philadelphia Eagles have been busy filling in new coaches at some of their vacant positional groups. I was on vacation this week, and am playing a little catchup. The following coaching hires have not yet been made official by the team.

Quarterbacks coach: Doug Nussmeier

After Brian Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator and Alex Tanney to quarterbacks coach in 2023, Jalen Hurts took a bit of a step back in his progression as a quarterback. Nussmeier and Moore will be tasked with getting Hurts back on the right track. Nussmeier is a former quarterback himself who was drafted in the fourth round out of Idaho in 1994. He was able to hang in the league for five seasons, but only got two starts, both losses.

He has since had a long coaching career, with a lot of stops along the way in the CFL, at major college programs, and the NFL:

• BC Lions (2001): Quarterbacks coach
• Ottawa Renegades (2002): Quarterbacks coach
• Michigan State (2003–2005): Quarterbacks coach
• St. Louis Rams (2006–2007): Quarterbacks coach
• Fresno State (2008): Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
• Washington (2009–2011): Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
• Alabama (2012–2013): Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
• Michigan (2014): Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
• Florida (2015–2017): Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
• Dallas Cowboys (2018–2019): Tight ends coach
• Dallas Cowboys (2020–2022): Quarterbacks coach
• Los Angeles Chargers (2023): Quarterbacks coach

As you can see, Nussmeier is a quarterbacks coach lifer, with some college offensive coordinator experience and a couple of seasons coaching tight ends sprinkled in. Nussmeier has become Moore's guy. He served as the quarterbacks coach under the Cowboys from 2020-2022 while Moore was the offensive coordinator, and he followed Moore to Los Angeles to coach the Chargers in 2023 under the same setup.

He also overlapped with Jeff Stoutland for one season in 2012 at Alabama, where they won a National Championship.

Defensive line: Clint Hurtt

Hurtt was Seattle's defensive coordinator the last two seasons, and he has been coaching defense for almost two decades.

• FIU (2005): Defensive line coach
• Miami (2006–2009): Defensive line coach
• Louisville (2010–2013): Defensive line coach
• Chicago Bears (2014): Assistant defensive line coach
• Chicago Bears (2015–2016): Outside linebackers coach
• Seattle Seahawks (2017–2021): Assistant head coach & defensive line coach
• Seattle Seahawks (2022–2023): Defensive coordinator

Hurtt coached under Fangio in 2015 and 2016 with the Bears, before landing a better opportunity in Seattle in 2017 to assistant head coach / DL coach, followed by a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2022. His two seasons as the Seahawks' defensive coordinator were underwhelming:

Clint Hurtt Defensive DVOA Points Yards 
Seahawks - 2022 22 25 26 
Seahawks - 2023 28 25 30 


He'll reportedly return to a defensive line position with the Eagles. This dude just looks like a D-line coach.

020924ClintHurtt

Exact role yet unknown, but probably defensive backs: Christian Parker

Parker is a young coach (32) who played receiver at college at Richmond.

• Virginia State (2013–2014): Defensive backs coach
• Norfolk State (2015–2016): Defensive backs coach
• Notre Dame (2017): Defensive analyst
• Texas A&M (2018): Defensive analyst
• Green Bay Packers (2019–2020): Defensive quality control coach
• Denver Broncos (2021–2023): Defensive backs coach

In case you need any more evidence of who is assembling the defensive staff, Parker coached for one year in Denver under Fangio in 2021. He survived Fangio's firing and remained the defensive backs coach for two more years before reportedly joining the Eagles' staff.

S Justin Simmons was named second-team All-Pro all three years under Parker's watch. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2023. CB Patrick Surtain was first-team All-Pro in 2022, and he made the Pro Bowl both in 2022 and 2023.

Exact role yet unknown, but maybe linebackers: Bobby King

King was the inside linebackers coach for the Titans in 2023, and he is expected to have "a similar role" in Philly, per Tim McManus:

King coached Zach Cunningham both in Houston and Tennessee. It's perhaps worth noting that Howie Roseman went out of his way to praise Cunningham's play in 2023 during his end of season press conference. 

We don't have a handy-dandy coaching timeline for King, but he has coached linebackers and defensive line, and has been with the Texans, Titans, Cowboys, and Chargers.

Again, this is another important role on the Eagles' staff, as they got mostly bad play from their linebackers in 2023.

Safeties: Joe Kasper

Kasper has an interesting, diverse resume, working on both sides of the ball, and also in a front office capacity. He played safety at Baldwin Wallace (Berea, OH), before skipping his senior season to intern with the Browns.

• Cleveland Browns (2013–2014): Player personnel and development assistant
• Mentor HS (OH) (2015–2016): Defensive backs coach
• John Carroll (2017): Wide receivers coach
• Duke (2018–2020): Graduate assistant (defensive backs), assistant (quarterbacks)
• Philadelphia Eagles (2021–2022): Defensive quality control coach
• Miami Dolphins (2023): Safeties coach

The Eagles haven't had a dedicated safeties coach during the Nick Sirianni era, but it certainly makes sense to add one, given that they have two young players in Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown who need development.


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