The biggest question about Eagles new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson simply can’t be answered until the regular season begins.
How will he perform as a play-caller?
We can’t possibly know the answer to that question just yet. Just know that Johnson is preparing for that new role in training camp this summer.
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“I think Coach (Nick) Sirianni does a great job of setting the schedule in training camp and allowing for some of those call-a-periods in setting up practice in a manner where you have to have some reactionary calls,” Johnson said earlier this week. “He’ll blurt out situations and you’ve got to be ready to go.
“To me, that’s not just on the practice field. That happens, same thing in the meeting room and team meetings. I think the organization is set up in a way to where it helps you and gets you ready to go.”
At practice, you can see these situations happen in real time. You’ll hear over the bullhorn that it’s 3rd-and-goal from the 8-yard line. Then it’s up to Johnson to get the play call in to Jalen Hurts, just like he would during a game.
It’s not exactly the same as it’ll be in real game action, but Sirianni wants to get as many reps for Johnson as he can. We’ve also heard in the past that Sirianni will have some pop quizzes inside the building too.
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So if Johnson passes the head coach in the hallway at the NovaCare Complex, he better be ready to give a play call for 3rd-and-5 from the +40 with 2 minutes left with the Eagles down 6 points. Or something like that. … You get it.
How comfortable has Johnson been getting thrown into these situations?
“I’m extremely comfortable calling plays, but ultimately we’re executing the vision that we have for the offense throughout the course of the week,” Johnson said. “Being here the last two years and understanding exactly how things are operated, understanding exactly how Coach Sirianni wants things done I think has been vital for me for sure.”
That’s been the company line from the Eagles since promoting Johnson to replace new Colts head coach Shane Steichen and it’s a sentiment that’s not without merit. So much of the Eagles’ work during the week is situationally driven — more than most teams — so when it comes time for the OC to pick out a play on Sunday, the groundwork has already been laid.
It’s important to remember that this offense still belongs to Sirianni and his role in game-planning for the upcoming game is massively important and sometimes gets overshadowed because it’s something fans don’t get to see.
On the flip side of that, it’s not like just anyone can call plays. There’s a reason Sirianni handed over the reins to Steichen midway through the 2021 season. And there’s no denying that Steichen had a knack for pushing all the right buttons as a play caller. That knack helped him get hired as the Colts’ head coach.
Even though Johnson has been here for two seasons under Steichen and Sirianni and even though Johnson was part of a play-calling rotation when he was last an offensive coordinator at the University of Florida, there’s still no way to know exactly how he’ll fare as a play-caller at the NFL level.
That’s why all these situational exams from Sirianni are all so important. It’s preparation for when it really matters.
The one big thing that Johnson does have going for him is continuity. He’s entering his third year coaching in this offense and the Eagles bring back 9 of 11 starters on offense from the 2022 Super Bowl team. And the key guy in the offense is still franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts, whom Johnson has known for over two decades.
“That definitely helps,” Hurts said on the first day of training camp. “We’re going to continue to build our process of communication, how we do that, what that looks like, we’ll continue to find out what the identity for us is. It’s different from coach to coach and I’m excited to navigate that. I have no doubt that he’ll do a great job.”
The Eagles, as a whole, seem pretty confident in Johnson. Had they not promoted him, there’s a chance he’d be an offensive coordinator elsewhere.
But there’s still a natural fear of the unknown and Johnson’s ability as a play-caller is unknown. In a little over a month, he’ll finally get to prove himself when it matters.
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