PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles have a new offensive coordinator -- and, as expected, they promoted from within to get him.
Brian Johnson, who spent the last two seasons as quarterback coach, has been promoted to a new position as the man in charge of the Eagles' potent offense. He replaces Shane Steichen, who left Philadelphia to take the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts.
The news was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and was later confirmed by several Philadelphia news outlets, including NBC Sports Philadelphia and PhillyVoice.
The move has not yet been announced by the team.
Johnson has been credited as one of the factors behind the dramatic improvement of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was an MVP candidate in the regular season before being slowed by a shoulder injury and who starred in a losing effort against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
A former star quarterback at the University of Utah, where he helped the Utes to a 13-0 record in 2008, Johnson turned to coaching after he was not drafted in 2009.
He got his start as a quarterbacks coach with Utah before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2012. He then bounced around the college ranks, taking QB coach and coordinator jobs with Mississippi State, Houston, and Florida before joining the Eagles in 2021.
Johnson, who was coached in high school by Hurts' father, has experience as a play-caller at both Utah and Florida. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said after Steichen's departure that his replacement would also call plays in Philly.
"It helps me manage the game better," Sirianni told PhillyVoice last month. "For me, what works is this. And I'll continue doing it that way. That's the plan."
The Eagles ranked in the top three in virtually every offensive category this past season with Steichen calling the plays and Hurts at the controls.
They'll hope for similar success moving forward with Johnson.