Top Candidate Drops Out of Eagles' Defensive Coordinator Search

One of the biggest holes the Philadelphia Eagles need to fill this offseason is at defensive coordinator following Jonathan Gannon's departure. Philly has brought in several notable names to interview for the opening recently.

However, one top candidate is now bowing out of the race.

The #Eagles and Jim Leonhard mutually decided they would not move forward with his DC candidacy, per league sources. Leonhard had planned to undergo hip surgery and sit out coaching for a year, but when Eagles job opened, both sides had interest in discussing the position, which… https://t.co/3zG4r6Ryy4
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 22, 2023

The Eagles and Jim Leonhard have mutually agreed to not pursue a partnership, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Leonhard's pending hip surgery played a role in the former Wisconsin Badgers DC walking away from the interview process.

This is certainly a blow to Philly's search. Leonhard is a revered defensive mind who played 10 seasons in the NFL as a defensive back before transitioning to the coaching ranks. The former pro was known for regularly developing homegrown and lower-ranked talent at Wisconsin into legit next-level players, like current Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards.

With Leonhard expecting to sit out coaching this year, it appears a marriage is off of the table for now. However, Philadelphia still will have plenty of candidates itching to lead its defense following a Super Bowl run.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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