PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles promoted quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator on Tuesday.
He'll replace Shane Steichen, the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Jalen Hurts' growth under Johnson has been evident. Hurts had an MVP-level campaign in 2022, completing 66.5% of his passes for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns to six interceptions while rushing for 760 yards and 13 scores, and went 14-1 as the starter during the regular season.
Johnson's relationship with Hurts dates back to when Hurts was 4 or 5 years old. Hurts' dad, Averion, coached Johnson at Baytown (Texas) Robert E. Lee High School. The two remained tight throughout the years, and Johnson even recruited him to join him at Mississippi State when Hurts was coming out of high school and, later, Florida when Hurts decided to transfer from Alabama.
"The relationship means a lot and the trust was automatically there," coach Nick Sirianni said after the season. "Brian's great with not just Jalen, with everybody. He can adapt and be able to connect with anybody on our roster."
Johnson is expected to call the offensive plays, as Steichen did for the past year-plus. Sirianni prefers that setup so he can focus on other in-game responsibilities.
Johnson was with Florida before joining the Eagles, first as a quarterbacks coach (2018-19) and then as offensive coordinator (2020), where he oversaw the top passing attack in the FBS (378.6 yards per game) while guiding three All-America picks that year: quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Kadarius Toney. During his time as quarterbacks coach for Mississippi State (2014-16), he was credited with helping develop Dak Prescott, a two-time first-team All-SEC selection.