Eagles elect QB Coach Brian Johnson as next OC

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - As if there was ever a doubt, Brian Johnson has been named the 19th Offensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Johnson, a ¨football lifer¨, has worked in coaching since being hired as the University of Utah Quarterbacks coach back in 2010. Johnson got his first chance at the OC job in 2012 when he was promoted by the Utes, though he elected to move on take the Quarterbacks job at Mississippi State under then Head Coach Dan Mullen. The former NCAA Football video game cover athlete scuttled through a few more jobs before finally landing an OC gig with the Florida Gators in 2020.

Johnson led one of the best offenses in the FBS with Heisman candidates Kyle Trask (QB), Ka´Darius Tony (WR), and Kyle Pitts (TE) putting up video game-like numbers across the SEC in 2020. Which ultimately led Nick Sirianni to add Johnson to his newly assembled coaching staff before the 2021 season.

The connection between Johnson and QB Jalen Hurts also brought an entirely new factor into the Birds decision to bring the Quarberback’s longtime family friend aboard. Hurts, whose father coached Johnson at Robert E Lee High School in his hometown of Baytown Texas, had been on the former all-state QB’s radar for a long time. Johnson attempted to recruit Hurts to Mississippi State all the way back in 2016, and again to Florida in 2019 when the at-the-time Alabama QB was looking for a change of scenery after a turbulent National Championship.

Last season we all saw why Johnson pined for the opportunity to coach Hurts for so long. In 2022 the Birds signal caller boasted some of the best numbers in football, tallying nearly 4500 total yards and 35 touchdowns from scrimmage, just missing out on the league’s MVP to Patrick Mahomes.

Hurts attributed a majority of his success to Johnson, saying in an interview ¨ He’s a great communicator, he´s definitely been able to simplify some things. It holds a lot of weight that he´s played the position. His experience with the game, what he´s learned through his years… has a lot to do with the success we´ve had this year¨.

One would believe that heading into 2024, with Johnson at the helm of the Philly offense, Hurts will flourish once again. With guys like Devonta Smith, AJ Brown, and Dallas Goedert returning to the fold it will be intriguing to see what the Birds Quarterback-Coach duo can unlock next year.