On today's edition of NFC East Intel we look at the Eagles' head coaching search, the Giants likely hire of Ben McAdoo as head coach and the Cowboys possibly drafting a defensive end early.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Headline:Eagles Reportedly Tap Doug Pederson As Next Head Coach
The Eagles head coaching search is reportedly over.
On Thursday, citing league sources, Philadelphia Daily News' Les Bowen tweeted that the Eagles are appointing Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their next head coach.
The move can't become official until the Chiefs are no longer in the postseason.
Pederson, 47, has been with the Chiefs for the past three seasons.
Before that Pederson got his NFL start in Philadelphia under Andy Reid first as offensive quality control coordinator (2008-2010) and then as the team's quarterbacks coach (2011-2012).
Pederson also played quarterback in the NFL for five different teams from 1993-2004. He accumulated a record of 3-14 as a starter, with nine of those starts coming with the Eagles in 1999.
Headline:Eagles Showing Interest In Tom Coughlin But Former Giants Coach Isn't Interested
The Philadelphia Eagles are testing out all waters during the head coaching search. That includes the head coach for a division rival over the last 12 seasons.
ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday reported that the Eagles "have turned their attention" towards Coughlin's direction, before later releasing news that Coughlin removed his name from consideration.
Coughlin, 69, was the Giants head coach from 2004-2015, accumulating a regular season record of 192-102 over the span along with two Super Bowl victories over the heavily favored New England Patriots.
He stepped down from his role with the Giants on Jan. 4.
The Eagles continued their search for a head coach until reportedly getting Pederson, while their previous head coach – Chip Kelly – was announced as the San Francisco 49ers' 17th head coach in team history on Thursday.
What this means for the Redskins: The Redskins have seen quite a lot of Coughlin over the years, and if the Eagles decide to anoint him their next head coach, then they'll be dealing with him for more years to come.
Entering the Bye Week this season with a 5-5 record and a hold of first place in the NFC East, the Coughlin-led Giants lost to the Redskins 20-14 on Nov. 29.
It was the start of a 1-5 record over the final six games to end the season.
Coughlin could be waiting for the right situation, or at nearly 70 he could be ready to retire.
Headline:Is Pat Shurmur A Better Option For Head Coach?
While the Eagles are trying to move away from a rocky three-year run with Chip Kelly, Pat Shurmur, his offensive coordinator during that time, is the team's best option for their next head coach according to NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks.
"To start, Shurmur gives the Eagles their best chance of winning right away," Shorr-Parks writes. "Although he hasn't been calling the plays, Shurmur coached under Kelly for the past three seasons, and knows the offense. Eagles players, especially those on offense, said at the end of the season that they wanted to have some stability on offense."
Shorr-Parks adds that Shurmur could keep some components of Kelly's offense, but add of his "own wrinkles" as well.
Shurmur had one previous head coaching stint in the NFL, as he was the Cleveland Browns' head coach during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
He collected a 9-23 record during that span.
What this means for the Redskins:Shurmur coached the Eagles to a victory in the regular season finale just days after the organization let Kelly go.
The Eagles offense gave the Redskins fits during the first season of the Kelly-Shurmur regime, but Washington eventually cracked the code and is currently riding a three-game winning streak against Philadelphia.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Headline:Ben McAdoo To Become The Giants' Next Head Coach
According to multiple sources, the Giants are close to tapping McAdoo as the 17th head coach in the organization's history.
ESPN's Dan Graziano believes the deal could become official as early as Thursday.
McAdoo just completed his second season as the Giants' offensive coordinator after previous NFL stints with the New Orleans Saints (offensive quality control coordinator, 2004), San Francisco 49ers (offensive line coach and offensive quality control coordinator, 2005) and the Green Bay Packers (tight ends coach, 2006-2011, quarterbacks coach, 2012-2013).
But the 38-year-old has never been a head coach at any level.
The Giants' offense ranked eighth in the NFL during the 2015 season (372 yards per game), a slight jump up from their previous ranking of 10th during McAdoo's first season in New York.
What this means for the Redskins:The Giants have pieces on offense, but they still need help.
They have one of the best young talents at wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr., and Eli Manning is still in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the league, but a revamped running game is likely needed.
The Giants ranked 18th in the league in rushing yards per game (100.6), but were tied for the second fewest rushing touchdowns (five).
Headline:Steve Spagnulo Expected To Remain Defensive Coordinator, Mike Sullivan To Be Offensive Coordinator
With the news of McAdoo's likely promotion to head coach, The New York Post's Paul Schwartz is reporting that Steve Spagnulo will continue to serve as the team's defensive coordinator.
Spagnulo returned to the Giants last season after a run as the team's defensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008.
In between in stints in New York, Spagnulo served as the St. Louis Rams' head coach (2009-2011), the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator (2012) and the Baltimore Ravens' senior defensive assistant coach (2013) and secondary coach (2014).
Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan, meanwhile, will be bumped up to offensive coordinator.
Sullivan has been with the Giants for the last two seasons after serving in the same capacity from 2010-2011, with a two-year run as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in between.
Additionally, the team will bring in Joe Philbin, who worked with McAdoo from 2006-2013 with the Green Bay Packers, for a role with the Giants' coaching staff.
Philbin was the Miami Dolphins' head coach for four seasons from 2012-2015 before being fired on Oct. 5.
He accumulated a 24-28 head coaching record, guiding Miami to two third-place finishes in the AFC East and one second-place finish.
What this means for the Redskins:While Spagnulo will ultimately return, the Giants have a lot of issues on their defense that need to be fixed.
The unit finished dead last in total defense during the 2015 season (420.3 yards allowed per game) while accumulating the third fewest sacks (23).
DALLAS COWBOYS
Headline:Mel Kiper Jr. Has DeForest Buckner Going To Dallas In First Mock Draft
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. on Thursday released the first of several mock drafts, and with the No. 4 overall pick believes the Cowboys will take Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner.
"It's rare to find a team picking No. 4 overall that can genuinely say, 'We're in win-now mode.' But the Cowboys get a healthy Tony Romo back, so that's a fair statement," Kiper Jr. writes. "If Greg Hardy isn't back, Buckner is a great fit. You get a 6-foot-7, [300]-pound defensive end who can put a tackle on skates right into his own quarterback. The No. 1 thing you love about Buckner: major motor. He plays hard. He could have been taken relatively early last year, but came back and put an exclamation point on it."
During the 2015 season, Buckner, 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, finished with 83 tackles. He was not only selected as Oregon's Most Outstanding Player, but he was also named the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Year.
For his career, Buckner appeared in 54 games with 232 tackles, 18 sacks, 10 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
What this means for the Redskins:While it isn't certain that Hardy won't be back next year -- fellow defensive end Jeremy Mincey believes the troubled Ole Miss product may have been one of the reasons the Cowboys lacked team chemistry -- Bunker could jump in and start right away.
The Cowboys finished 2015 tied for 22nd against the run (120.9 yards given up per game) while totaling just 31 sacks, tied for sixth fewest in the NFL.
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