Now that Jeff Fisher is back in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles might have to start wondering about the status of defensive line coach Jim Washburn. Washburn served as an assistant under Fisher with the Tennessee Titans for some time. There is reason to believe that the new coach of the St. Louis Rams might want to bring him in to run the defensive line there. Adding to the complication is the fact that the Eagles are pretty unsettled on their defensive staff. As an Eagles fan, I am not opposed to losing Washburn as long as the team brings in Steve Spagnuolo.
Washburn came onboard in an interesting situation prior to the 2011 season. He was hired as the defensive line coach before the Eagles named Juan Castillo as the defensive coordinator. Washburn implemented the wide nine system and Castillo had to follow along behind that. Obviously, that didn't make things any easier for him. To be fair, Washburn had great success with the defensive line. He got good seasons from Jason Babin, Trent Cole, and Cullen Jenkins. The sack totals were pretty high and the line was the most consistent unit on the Philadelphia defense. For that reason, I'm not saying I want Washburn gone.
However, I do think it wouldn't be a bad thing to lose Washburn if the Eagles bring in Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo will likely want to implement his own defensive scheme and it would be wise for the team to let him do that. Otherwise, there would be no point in hiring him. If Spagnuolo does come to Philadelphia as the defensive coordinator, he might not work as well with Washburn. Of course, if Castillo remains then the Eagles would have to retain Washburn.
At this point, everything is based on speculation. It isn't even clear if Fisher will bring in Washburn to run the defensive line in St. Louis. But there is certainly a chance he will explore that. This is just another reason why the Eagles should figure out their defensive coordinator situation as soon as possible. The waiting around has been aggravating to begin with and this new development only makes it worse.
* - Mark Paul is a Philadelphia resident and Eagles fan. Follow him on Twitter here.
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