Blueprint for Eagles' New Coaching Hire to Turn Team Around in 2021

It's not yet known who will be the Philadelphia Eagles head coach for the 2021 season. They fired Doug Pederson on Jan. 11 and are conducting a search to find his replacement.

There have been plenty of names linked to the opening. Over the weekend, the team requested permission to interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. They join a list that already included Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, among others.

Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley won't be Philadelphia's new head coach, as he's going to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Whoever becomes the Eagles' new head coach will need to turn around a team that went 4-11-1 in 2020. Philadelphia won the first Super Bowl title in franchise history at the end of the 2017 season and still has some talented players on its roster. But that didn't lead to results this past season.

Here's a look at what the Eagles' next head coach will need to do for the team to be successful in 2021.

Decide Whether Wentz Is Still the Franchise Quarterback

Derik Hamilton/Associated Press

This is the biggest decision the Eagles will face this offseason. Carson Wentz, who signed a four-year, $128 million extension in June 2019 that has him under contract until 2025, struggled this season, which led to him ending the year on the bench.

Will Philadelphia's new head coach work with Wentz and try to get him back to being an effective quarterback, or should Jalen Hurts, who flashed his potential at the end of his rookie season, be the starter moving forward? And if it's the latter, then what should the Eagles do with Wentz?

There's a reason Wentz got that huge payday, and it's because of the way he played to begin his career. After being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Wentz passed for 14,191 yards, 97 touchdowns and 35 interceptions in 56 games over his first four seasons.

But Wentz took a step back in 2020, passing for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions in 12 games. He didn't play over the Eagles' final four games (which included him not even being active in Week 17), which led to a report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen stating that the relationship between Wentz and Pederson was "fractured beyond repair."

Pederson is gone, and Wentz remains on Philadelphia's roster. If the quarterback can return to playing the way he used to, perhaps it will be beneficial for the team to stick with him. But if the Eagles don't think that will happen, then it could be best for them to trade him and turn to Hurts.

Either way, it's a decision Philadelphia's new coach will have to help make, and it's one that is likely to have a great impact on the franchise's future.

Get Better Results from Defense, or Hire Somebody Else to Do It

Rich Schultz/Associated Press

The Eagles have holes all over their defense, ones they will need to address via free agency, the draft or both. But even if they bring in players to give them a boost on that side of the ball, Philadelphia will need to find a way to get better defensive results in 2021 because the strong players they had this season still couldn't stop opposing offenses.

If the Eagles hire a former defensive assistant (such as Bowles or one of the other rumored candidates with defensive backgrounds), then the new head coach could play a big role in helping to fix the defense. If they instead go with a former offensive assistant, then the new head coach will need to find a defensive coordinator who is capable of leading this unit.

In 2020, Philadelphia ranked 19th in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (363.1) and 20th in points allowed per game (26.1). And that was with the Eagles playing six of their games against NFC East opponents, not one of whom finished with a winning record and each had offensive struggles.

There are already some talented players in place on Philadelphia's defense, such as defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Brandon Graham and cornerback Darius Slay. It should only get better with some offseason additions.

Then it will be time for either the Eagles' new head coach, new defensive coordinator or both to get to work on creating a defensive philosophy that will help this group succeed. And if that can happen, it could lead to better overall results for the team in 2021.

Reestablish Winning Culture

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Although the Eagles won the Super Bowl during Pederson's time at the helm, one of the lasting memories from his era will be how it ended. He opted to pull Hurts and put in Nate Sudfeld at quarterback in the team's season finale against Washington despite the fact that it was only trailing by three points in the fourth quarter.

Sudfeld struggled, Washington won 20-14 and Philadelphia ended the season with its seventh loss in eight games. It may have been a meaningless contest for the Eagles, but Pederson's decision wasn't one that his players appeared to be fans of, with some quite angry on the sideline at the time, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It wasn't that long ago that the Eagles appeared to have established a winning culture. They had three straight winning seasons from 2017-19, a stretch that included two NFC East titles and a Super Bowl championship. Prior to the 2017 season, Philadelphia had missed the playoffs five of the previous six years and hadn't won a postseason game since the 2008 campaign.

Things spiraled quickly in 2020, though. It will be up to the Eagles' new coach to instill a winning mindset and get this team back to being a contender in the NFC East. With how down the division was this past season, it figures to be up for grabs again in 2021.

But if Philadelphia is going to get back to the top, it will need strong leadership. So whether its new head coach can bring that could decide not only how 2021 goes for the team but also perhaps the next few seasons.