Another Philadelphia Eagles assistant coach is departing coach Doug Pederson’s staff, according to a report.
Linebackers coach Ken Flajole won’t return to the team in 2021, SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez reported Friday.
“Not sure if this is out there but I am hearing that @Eagles LBs coach Ken Flajole won’t be back in 2021,” Marvez tweeted. “May be retiring (he’s 66). Coached in college from 1979 to 1997 until jumping to the NFL. Joined Eagles in 2016. Highly respected in league circles.”
Flajole is the first defensive assistant to depart after defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz announced earlier in the week that he was stepping down after five seasons on the job. Flajole was a member of Schwartz’s staff for all five seasons in Philadelphia.
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Earlier this week, multiple outlets reported senior offensive assistant Rich Scangarello and senior offensive consultant Marty Mornhinweg would not be back in 2021.
It remains to be seen what direction the Eagles take with their defense. Defensive line coach Matt Burke, a Schwartz protege, and defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel have previous defensive coordinator experience in the NFL, and an internal promotion could be a way to keep continuity for the team. But if that’s the case, Flajole won’t be part of that.
Former Eagles linebackers Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks and Nigel Bradham had their moments under Flajole, but the Eagles did not invest significant resources into the position.
In 2020, the top three linebackers entering the season — Nathan Gerry, T.J. Edwards and Duke Riley — all missed time with injuries. The Eagles spent two draft picks on linebackers with third-rounder Davion Taylor and sixth-rounder Shaun Bradley, and they combined to play 108 defensive snaps this season.
But Edwards developed from an undrafted free agent into a starter under Flajole, and when injuries opened a door for Alex Singleton to take on a larger role, he took advantage of his opportunities. Despite not becoming a starter until Week 6, Singleton led the Eagles with 120 tackles.
Flajole, a Seattle native, began his coaching career in the college ranks as an assistant at Washington in 1979. He had stops at Montana, UTEP, Missouri, Richmond, Hawaii and Nevada before he joined the NFL ranks with the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
Flajole coached with the Packers (1998), Seattle Seahawks (1999-2002), Carolina Panthers (2003-08), St. Louis Rams (2009-11), New Orleans Saints (2012) and Cleveland Browns (2013-15) before joining the Eagles.
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Daniel Gallen covers the Philadelphia Eagles for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Philadelphia Eagles coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.