The Chicago Bears front office reportedly has a list of candidates if the team decides to fire John Fox, which could possibly include a coach whose city the team recently left.
If the Bears fire Fox, ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson believes that Philadelphia Eagles Quarterbacks Coach John DeFilippo should be considered for the opening. Dickerson believes DeFilippo deserves a look despite being an unconventional choice because of his work with Carson Wentz, as well as his previous NFL experience with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, and New York Giants. DeFilippo, 39, is young for a head coaching candidate, but Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams paved the way for outside-the-box hires to push their way through to forward-thinking needing to mold young quarterbacks.
And while the talent gap between Wentz and Mitch Trubisky is wide right now, one way to make up ground could be to add a coach who could get the most out of the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Dickerson isn’t the only believer on the DeFilippo bandwagon. Over at The Athletic, Kevin Fishbain discussed DeFilippo’s candidacy with Sheil Kapadia – who also believes the Eagles’ quarterback whisperer would be a good head coach candidate.
“I think DeFilippo is the guy to watch. From what I’ve seen, he’d make a very good head-coaching candidate,” Kapadia told Fishbain. “DeFilippo works hands-on with Wentz and has played a key role in developing him. In my opinion, he’s one of the better up-and-coming head coaching candidates in the NFL. I think teams will give him a serious look this offseason.”
Earlier, we laid out the Eagles’ rebuild and the value of coaches having experience in developing quarterbacks as it pertains to Wentz’s rise to stardom. DeFilippo is a significant contributor as a Wentz tutor. So with as many as eight or nine teams in the market for a new coach this offseason, DeFilippo’s list of suitors could be lengthy. But as we get closer to season’s end, it’s growing more evident that DeFilippo should be one of those candidates.