The Washington Redskins are in the midst of a coaching change, and they’re not the only team in need of a change.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports that the team is considering several candidates for the vacant head coaching job, including former Eagles defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who the team parted ways with last month.
“Mike Pettine is a coach with a lot of experience in the NFL and certainly has been a coach in Philadelphia, but the fact of the matter is that the organization is a lot different than it was last year,” general manager Scot McCloughan told reporters Tuesday.
“And I don’t think that the people of Philadelphia were as loyal as they should have been in the past, and I think that’s what’s going to make the decision ultimately very difficult.”
McCloughans first-round draft pick Fletcher Cox has already been hired as a defensive coordinator, and McCloughen is expected to hire a defensive backs coach.
McCloughnans decision is likely to be based on how well Pettine can lead the Eagles in 2017.
Pettine led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, but his team finished 5-11 and missed the playoffs in 2017 and 2018.
With Pettine gone, McCloughens chances of winning the job may be slim.
The Eagles signed former Bears head coach Marc Trestman as an assistant in May.
He was expected to fill a role Pettine did for the Eagles, but that role will be with Trestmann.
If McCloughnan is searching for a coach who can help him make the transition, he may have to go back to his old school.
Pettines coaching resume included playing for the Cardinals from 2010 to 2014, and his teams were in the playoffs two straight seasons.
He’s coached in the CFL since 1999.
“He has done a good job of coaching the offensive side of the ball,” McCloughins son, quarterback Ryan said.
“I think he’s done a great job of being an offensive coach in terms of being able to put us in position to win football games, and then also as a defense coach, where we can defend our opponents.
And we’ve got a lot more of a chance to win than we did last year, so that’s why he’s been so good for us.”
McClougans second-round pick, offensive lineman Tyron Smith, was hired as the Eagles offensive line coach this offseason.
The former LSU standout has a lot to prove after the team lost right tackle Lane Johnson to injury in 2018.
McCloughtans biggest problem is the lack of talent at left tackle.
The team is expected, with the help of free agent signings, to re-sign left tackle Jason Peters, left guard Andrew Gardner and right tackle Austin Howard.
The Redskins have been rumored to be looking for a new left tackle since the draft, and that may be why they’re interested in Smith.
Smith’s name has surfaced as a possibility, but it won’t be easy to convince the team to trade him.
Smith has been with the Eagles since 2009, and he was a member of the team’s coaching staff in 2010 and 2011.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in August that the franchise was interested in hiring Smith as a head coach, but there’s been no indication he’s interested in taking the job.
