Eagles Rumors: Brian Johnson Promoted to OC Role After Shane Steichen's Exit

The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly promoted Brian Johnson from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Johnson had multiple opportunities to take OC jobs elsewhere, but he chose to stay in Philly.

Johnson will replace Shane Steichen, who was the Eagles offensive coordinator from 2021 through 2022 before getting hired as the Indianapolis Colts' head coach this offseason.

The 36-year-old Johnson joined the Eagles' coaching staff as quarterbacks coach in 2021 when Nick Sirianni was hired as head coach. He spent the past two seasons in that position and played a huge role in the development of quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts was a late second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and after playing sparingly as a rookie, he grew into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks over the past two seasons.

After surprisingly leading the Eagles to the playoffs in 2021, Hurts reached a new level last season, going 14-1 as a starter during the regular season and taking Philadelphia to the Super Bowl.

Hurts finished second in the NFL MVP voting after completing 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also rushing for 760 yards and 13 scores.

He also became the first quarterback to rush for three touchdowns in the Super Bowl, although the Eagles fell just short in a 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Johnson's familiarity and success with Hurts made him a natural candidate to replace Steichen, as did his past experience as an offensive coordinator.

While Johnson never had an NFL coaching job before Sirianni hired him in 2021, he spent 11 years as a collegiate coach at Utah, Mississippi State, Houston and Florida.

Johnson was a quarterbacks coach at all of those schools, plus he spent time as the OC at Utah, Houston and Florida.

Additionally, Johnson played quarterback at the University of Utah before getting into coaching, allowing him to connect with Hurts on a player-to-player level.

Steichen is a great offensive mind who undoubtedly helped Hurts and the Eagles offense blossom over the past two seasons, but it seems likely that Philly shouldn't miss a beat with Johnson stepping into the role.