Sean Desai Hopes to Make Big Impact on the Defense With His Hiring As the Philadelphia Eagles' New DC

Sean Desai hopes to have a significant impact on the Philadelphia Eagles' defense with his hiring as their new DC. He replaces Jonathan Gannon, who was recently hired by the Arizona Cardinals.

Desai is the first Indian American defensive coordinator in NFL history and a disciple of Vic Fangio's, having worked under him, John Fox, and Mel Tucker from 2013-21 in Chicago.

Why he’s the right fit for Philly

Tuesday afternoon, the Eagles announced they have hired former Seahawks associate head coach Sean Desai as their new defensive coordinator, replacing Jonathan Gannon. At 39 years old, Desai is the first Indian American ever to serve as an NFL coordinator.

He began his career with the Bears in 2013 and spent nine seasons there, serving as their defensive quality control coach for two years before rising to become safeties coach and then defensive coordinator a season later. While working under Vic Fangio for three years, he adopted many of his defensive strategies such as two-high safety looks and pre- and post-snap disguises designed to obscure vision for opposing quarterbacks.

Desai is a football coach in addition to teaching adjunct professorship at Lake Forest College. When not coaching football, he enjoys spending time with his family - wife and two children.

Desai enjoys spending time with his family when not working or reading sports-related books. With the Eagles' defensive coordinator position, Desai has much to look forward to; however, he knows that success comes through hard work.

Desai will likely take inspiration from Vic Fangio, who has done an outstanding job constructing a strong defense in Philadelphia over the last year and a half. Last season, their pass defense ranked among the league's best and they allowed second-lowest total yards allowed per game - one major reason they reached Super Bowl LII.

What's especially exciting about Desai's hiring is his experience working with Eagles personnel and understanding Fangio's system. This will enable him to begin developing the Eagles' defense immediately, which can only benefit them.

Eagles fans are delighted by the addition of Desai as an assistant coach, and for good reason. Adding an experienced defensive mind is the ideal way to keep Philadelphia's defense running smoothly, especially now that their top pass rusher has returned in 2018. With Desai on board, it should be a smooth transition for all involved.

Desai's defense will need to stay on track if he wants the Eagles to re-establish themselves as a force in the NFC East. And if he can elevate their special teams, that could make an even bigger difference for them.

He’s a fan favorite

Philadelphia fans are delighted that the Eagles have hired Sean Desai to replace Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator. With several players set to become unrestricted free agents in 2019, Desai hopes to make a lasting impression on this young and talented unit by applying what worked for Gannon in a different setting.

Before his promotion to defensive coordinator, Desai served as the Bears' safeties coach for one year. His extensive knowledge of the NFL game and meticulous attention to detail earned him a large fan following in Chicago.

His staff witnessed a lot of creativity in his scheme, particularly the pre-snap disguises and two-high safety looks he used with deep safeties to confuse opposing quarterbacks. Additionally, he demonstrated some ingenious ideas while working with the secondary that made him an ideal fit for the defensive coordinator job in Philadelphia.

Desai was one of nine candidates Sirianni interviewed for the job, and though he didn't seem like a frontrunner at first glance, quickly won over Sirianni and Howie Roseman. For one thing, Desai has deep roots in Vic Fangio - longtime defensive coach who earned his first pro job coaching Philadelphia's USFL Stars under Jim Mora in 1984 before becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos four years later in 2019.

He was raised in Philadelphia from Indian American parents, making him a popular choice among Philadelphia fans. While at Temple University, he served as both student assistant and coach while earning both his master's and doctoral degrees in education administration.

Desai has extensive defensive quality control coaching experience having worked under Fangio from 2015 to 2018 and adopted many of his principles. As someone familiar with the defensive line, linebackers, and special teams, Desai makes for a great candidate for this job. If he can successfully implement Fangio's strategies along with some new ideas from Desai's own mind, he could potentially turn this defense around into one of the top-five units again in the league.

He’s a great fit for Vic Fangio’s system

After interviewing nine candidates over the course of two weeks, the Eagles have selected Sean Desai to fill their defensive coordinator vacancy. At 39 years old, this Connecticut native and Temple alumnus was hired by the team on Tuesday after serving as associate head coach and defensive assistant with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022.

Desai has been coaching at the NFL level since 2013 and is widely considered as its first Indian-American defensive coordinator. He began his career with the Chicago Bears as a quality control coach but quickly progressed into safeties coach and then defensive coordinator roles.

Desai has been the go-to defensive player for Vic Fangio during all four of his seasons in Chicago, leading the Bears to three consecutive top-rated defense rankings for passing yards allowed. A fan favorite and capable defender, Desai fits perfectly into Fangio's scheme perfectly.

Fangio is known for his skill at disguising coverages pre-snap and switching players around to create different looks each week. Additionally, he implements some man-coverage principles and often utilizes tite fronts in order to put pressure on guards instead of tackles in the middle and outside.

Desai can likely add his own distinct touches to the Fangio system. He may prioritize getting pressure with four and sometimes five defensive linemen, allowing him to drop other defensive backs into coverage as needed.

If he uses the same approach with the Eagles, they could become a very formidable defense. Philadelphia boasts plenty of talented playmakers at almost every position on defense and need someone who can get them all working together harmoniously.

Though it's too soon to tell how Desai will affect the Eagles defense, he is an ideal candidate and one that the organization should seriously consider. With extensive experience running Fangio's scheme and his proven record of turning teams around, Desai could potentially help the Eagles win more games and become consistent threats, so his hiring would certainly be worthwhile.

He’s a great coach

Desai is the first Indian-American defensive coordinator in NFL history. After nine seasons as a defensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears, he was promoted to safeties coach and then coordinator in 2021. Under Desai's tutelage, his defense had one of its best seasons ever last year; finishing sixth overall and third in passing defense.

Desai began his coaching career at Temple under Al Golden, then spent time as an assistant coach for Miami before joining Al Golden at Chicago and eventually the Seattle Seahawks as both associate head coach and defensive assistant. While with Pete Carroll at Seattle, Desai served as both associate head coach and defensive assistant.

He's an ardent college football fan and has been cheering for the Eagles ever since he was a student at Temple. With a doctorate in educational administration under his belt, his passion for coaching continues to grow.

Desai has served as an assistant coach to several different head coaches, such as Matt Nagy and John Fox in Chicago. He also coached for Boston College (Big East traitors) and the University of Miami before moving to Seattle where he served as associate head coach and defensive assistant under Pete Carroll.

Desai is an experienced and intelligent defensive coach, making him a perfect fit to help take the Philadelphia Eagles defense to new heights in 2022. His familiarity with Vic Fangio's defense as well as his ability to call plays - something Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stressed was essential during their interview process - made him an ideal hire for this position.

The 39-year-old is an ideal fit for this position and hopes to make a significant impact on Philadelphia's defense - their greatest strength. His ability to maximize talent and cover holes will keep this unit at the top of the league for years to come.

His strategy is to apply pressure both on the quarterback and in the backfield. He'll utilize multiple variations of Cover-3, Cover-2 and Cover-4 techniques in order to protect the deep pass without giving up explosive plays downfield.

Last season, Gannon and the Eagles defense utilized a successful scheme, one which Desai can also implement. He's an ideal fit for Vic Fangio's system and brings with him valuable experience that will enable them to build upon their success this year. Furthermore, his experience building defenses from scratch in Chicago will serve him well when creating an elite defensive unit there.