After weeks of speculation that he might be leaving, multiple reports this past weekend confirmed that Jonathan Gannon will not be getting hired away by the Houston Texans, meaning he will indeed be returning as defensive coordinator for the Eagles.
Not surprisingly, but definitely unfairly, the reaction to Gannon returning was met mostly with anger from fans who were hoping to see the team return in 2022 with a new defensive coordinator.
The truth, however, is that Gannon returning is indeed good news for the Eagles.
Breaking down the Eagles' defensive performance in 2021 is pretty simple. They dominated the bad offenses they played. They struggled against the elite offenses they played. As a result of such extreme performances on both sides, they were 8th in the NFL in points allowed before they punted on the Week 18 game against the Dallas Cowboys. They finished the season 19th in points allowed, which is probably a fair ranking for where they belonged last season.
There is no denying that second part — struggling against elite offenses — is where much of the anger towards Gannon comes from. There wasn't a single time this season the Eagles' defense played an elite offense and turned in a strong performance. That has to improve next season if the Eagles want to build upon their success from this season. Better personnel would help make that happen, which falls on Howie Roseman, but making sure it happens will fall on Gannon as well.
What gets overlooked is the consistency in which Gannon's defense dominated the bad offenses. Just like there wasn't a single strong performance against a good offense, there really wasn't a single letdown game against a bad offense.
From Week 10 to Week 17, when the Eagles went from 3-6 to a team with a playoff spot clinched, the defense gave up an average of 16.5 points. They allowed over 20 points only once, and that was in garbage time against the New Orleans Saints, a game they dominated when it mattered. They did this despite getting poor play from the pass rush, average play from the safeties and below average play from most of the linebackers.
At one point during that Week 10 to Week 17 stretch the defense held opposing offenses to 19 or fewer points in five straight games, something no Eagles defense has accomplished since 2009 — and it's safe to say this team has played plenty of bad quarterbacks over that stretch.
Yes, they were against bad quarterbacks. But 16.5 points is still 16.5 points — and the reality is the Eagles probably aren't in the playoffs without their defense dominating those bad quarterbacks.
Another interesting dynamic to grading the job Gannon did, and debating whether it is good news he is going to be back or not, is his age.
Gannon is 39-years old, making him one of the youngest defensive coordinators in the NFL. It was his first year on the job, and he did improve as the season went on. He did blitz more as the season went on. He did listen to his players more, especially after Fletcher Cox spoke out. The defense was better against Tampa Bay the second time than it was the first time, despite getting (literally) zero help from the offense most of the game. The 2021 season played out for Gannon, with struggles at the beginning but improvement towards the end, much like it did for the two other key pieces of the team, Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts.
While inexperience and youth is often fairly used as reasons Sirianni and Hurts can improve, that same benefit of the doubt is unfairly never given to Gannon, even though it absolutely should be. Gannon improving in his second year, with a year of experience under his belt, should be viewed just as likely as it is that Sirianni and Hurts improve.
Gannon returning also gives the Eagles' defense continuity and an ability to build upon what they learned last season, something that is crucial when trying to improve. A new defensive coordinator would have meant a new defensive scheme and an entire offseason of starting back at step one. Now, with Gannon back, the Eagles are not starting at step one, and can build from what they did last season.
Criticizing Gannon for the defense struggling against good offenses is fair. Saying he needs to improve is fair. Saying he wasn't good enough is fair. But if you want to fire every defensive coordinator that wasn't able to stop Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott, then you probably want a good portion of the league to fire their defensive coordinator, not just the Eagles.
Gannon has to improve in 2022, but considering the results on the field in 2021, the Eagles should be happy he will be back — and their fans should be as well.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com
