Eagles Should Give Brian Johnson a Memorable Birthday Gift

The QB coach turns 36 on Thursday and is the heavy favorite to be elevated to offensive coordinator, so why wait?

Brian Johnson turns 36 on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Could the Eagles have a birthday gift in store for their QB coach?

It seems a certainty that Johnson will become the team’s offensive coordinator after Shane Steichen left to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.

It’s only a matter of when, and why not make it a birthday present?

Johnson is a hot commodity in NFL circles. 

He interviewed last season for offensive coordinator jobs and now, it would seem, the Carolina Panthers are waiting to see what the Eagles do.

If Johnson isn’t elevated to OC, Frank Reich would likely strike and bring in Johnson as his offensive coordinator.

The Eagles should pull the trigger now, the sooner the better before Johnson gets antsy and jumps.

What would the Eagles be getting in him?

Well, for starters the guy played quarterback at a high level.

He was the MVP of the Sugar Bowl in 2009 while the QB at the University of Utah. All he did was engineer a 31-17 upset over one-loss Alabama by throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns.

The Utes went from No. 7 in the AP poll after the win to No. 2 behind only Florida, which had been the only team to beat the Crimson Tide that season before Utah did it.

To think Johnson is too young or doesn’t have the experience to be an OC, think again.

He was named Utah’s QB coach at 23 then, two weeks before his 25th birthday, he became the Utes’ OC.

He spent a year as the QB coach at Mississippi State, where Dak Prescott was just getting started.

From there, he became OCC and QB coach at the University of Houston before landing with Florida as the QB coach in 2017. After the 2019 season there, he was elevated to offensive coordinator, making him the first Black OC in team history.

Johnson was asked how his vast background during training camp last summer.

“One of the key things about coaching, in general, is the ability to be adaptable,” he said. “For me, I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to coach guys with different skill sets and be able to adapt to what they do best, so I think having that ability, I’ve learned so much football, obviously, transitioning to the National Football League, that some of this stuff is different from college football.

“But at the core of coaching, it’s about getting your players to play to the best of their ability and being able to transfer information in a way it connects with the player.”

Finally, there's Johnson's strong connection with Jalen Hurts and Hurts' family, dating to the Eagle QB's teenage years.

“Coaching is, you have to be demanding, and there’s a clear standard that’s set, and just like coach (Nick) Sirianni says, we praise you when you meet the standard and we correct you when you don’t,” said Johnson last summer.

“It’s just as simple as that. Not only with the quarterback specifically, but with everybody on the team. Jalen has been around me for a long time, and he’s definitely been coached hard. He’s had some tough coaches in his life. So, coaching him hard is no problem.”

It doesn't make sense to wait any longer.

Get it done now and give Johnson a birthday gift that will keep stability on the offensive side of the ball and make Hurts happy.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.