Eagles Fire Offensive Coordinator, WR Coach One Day After Saying Both Would Stay

From Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal via USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles coach Doug Pederson fired both offensive coordinator Mike Groh and receivers coach Carson Walch on Thursday, one day after saying both would return.


Groh was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2018 season, after Frank Reich left to become the Indianapolis Colts head coach. Groh had been the wide receivers coach in 2017, the Eagles' Super Bowl season.

He was largely credited in getting the best out of wide receiver Nelson Agholor that season as Agholor had 62 catches for 768 yards and 8 TDs.

Groh was not responsible for calling plays as offensive coordinator, and he certainly had his share of challenges with injuries at the skill positions the last two seasons.

Walch was the Eagles' fifth wide receivers coach in five seasons.

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— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 9, 2020

On Wednesday, Pederson was asked about the job the two did, when he and general manager Howie Roseman had their season-ending press conference. He mentioned how the offense rallied over the final four games, using practice squad players at wide receiver because of season-ending injuries to DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor.

The Eagles also didn't get much production out of rookie wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, the second-round pick who had just 10 receptions for 169 yards this season.

"I think both of those guys did an outstanding job for me this year," Pederson said Wednesday. "There were a lot of things we faced on offense as you know, through adversity, through injury, through many different facets of trying to get the pieces together.

"So my hat goes off to both of those gentlemen because of the game plans that Mike and I and the offensive staff put together, first of all. Then here toward the end of the season, Carson Walch having a big impact on getting these young (wide receivers) ready to go and to play at a high level. That's not easy."

Pederson was then asked if both would return.

"Yes, both those guys will be back," he said.

Pederson was less definitive in his response Wednesday about defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz returning if he doesn't get the Cleveland Browns head coaching job, which he interviewed for on Wednesday.

When asked about Schwartz, Pederson praised him, but said he was being evaluated, as opposed to his definitive statements on the returns of Groh and Walch.

In his statement Thursday, Pederson apologized for the "confusion."

"It was my intent not to comment on any of my staff during the ongoing evaluations because I wanted to be able to go through the process and communicate any decision directly with the individuals," he said. "I did a poor job of explaining that the first time I was asked."

Walch didn't do himself any favors when he said in November that Mack Hollins was "one of our top graders every week," even though Hollins went seven straight games without a reception. Hollins was released in December.

For offensive coordinator, the Eagles could look in-house to running backs coach Duce Staley, who has been on the coaching staff for nine seasons, the last seven as the running backs coach.